Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 04/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress6 Comments

The content edit is complete! I’ve now arrived at 71,057 words, an increase of 21,497 since last Wednesday. This means the first in-depth edit is finished. I’m resting from the process tomorrow, perhaps taking a long walk in the Forest with my wife and my camera. Then it’ll be the start of the more detailed …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 28/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

More movement! The first content edit is now complete up to Chapter 25, meaning I’ve 49,560 words, an increase of 17,481 since the last report. I hope to have even greater progress to report next week, now I’ve had an opportunity to properly set-up my new PC, and dealt with the basic stuff for the …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 21/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Movement at last! Today, I completed the first content edit on Chapter 15, meaning I’ve 32,079 words in the new document for the book. I hope to have greater progress to report next week, now that I’ve completed all the work on migration of files and pictures to my new PC. Of course, there’s still …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 14/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

It’s been an interesting week, but then most weeks this year have borne an element of surprise, frustration, despair, joy or paranoia. The important aspect, considering this post, is that I’ve put 8 chapters through the first content edit, reaching a total of 16,555 words in the current document. There’ll be a second content edit …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 07/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Mars, Progress

Another week! And things are starting to look up, at last. I’ve managed to get the first 2 chaps of the new book through their next edit. That may not sound like a lot to have achieved in a week, but if you skip down to the very lengthy post you’ll find here, you may …

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Yet Another iMac Fail!

On 23/02/201821/07/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Mars, Progress, Word Choice10 Comments

Regular readers will know I've been having serious problems with my Mac recently. I hoped it had been fixed (at great expense!). But another update was needed this morning and it has failed and set the machine on a downward spiral to utter uselessness, again! There is clearly something wrong with the update system, either …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 22/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress8 Comments

What a week! First, an apology for the delay in posting. If you have the time and energy to read this post in full, you’ll understand why it’s late. Last week’s episode of this series suggested I was on track for the edit. Raring to go, in fact. I hadn’t bargained on the continuing power …

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A Great #Review for War Over Dust!

On 16/02/201816/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Mars, Reading, Review3 Comments

A new and very positive review for War Over Mars has now appeared on both Goodreads and Amazon. You can read it here. https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B0749NW6W8&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_AtWHAbQ4J5NG6&tag=stuartaken-21

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 14/02/201814/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

The rewrite is now under way and progressing pretty well considering… ‘Considering what?’ I hear you cry. In answer, I’ll simply direct you to a previous post here. Added to what’s in that post, my Mac continues to play silly buggers for reasons I’m at a loss to determine. I’ve looked at the ‘help’ and …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 07/02/201807/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

The first draft has been read, notes made, hair pulled out, swear words shouted, mutterings and curses mumbled. And, occasionally, whoops of joy that I’ve actually created a story have been heard. Now the work begins, however. Some chapters are out of synch. My ruminations on this element had me wondering whether to move the …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 31/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Mars, Progress4 Comments

I finished the first draft of the current novel on 19 January, with 63269 words written. For reasons I’m unclear about, I neglected to write one of these posts on the following Wednesday, my regular day for this. I probably forgot in the joy of getting the story on the page! So, my apologies for …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 17/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Mars, Progress

Last week’s total was 51,050 words. Today, I reached 61,225, so an increase of 10,175 over this week. Working now on the denouement; the action’s building, the tension ramping up. Still really enjoying creating this story, which I’m hoping you’ll all read. So, approaching the end now. If that turns out to be the case, …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 10/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

Last week I’d was up to 40481 words in the new book. Today, I’ve reached 51,050, so an increase of 10,569 over the week. Along the way, I’ve invented some new names for locations, introduced a few new characters to take part in the action, and hit on a very slightly different ending, which I …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 03/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Last week I’d reached a total of 35694 words. Today, I’m up to 40481, which is just a tad over my target of 40000 for a busy week, with a couple of days out for festivities. I’m a lover of the New Year: see it as a ‘fresh start’ and prefer it to Christmas, so …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 27/12/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Last week I had a total of 30,829 words. This week, in spite of the two-day celebration, a book review, a lunch at a local pub, a night spent watching a play on a local stage, and several longish walks through the forest, clearing fallen trees and branches to allow other walkers to get through, …

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