Joys and Woes of #Windows-to-#Mac-to-Windows.

On 05/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Progress14 Comments

Advice here, including some warnings, on changing operating systems from Windows to Apple, or vice-versa. The following post is based on personal experience and I put it out here to help others make a better-informed decision on whether they want iMac or Windows on their desks. I’ve used both systems. Each has its deficiencies and …

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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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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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Inanimate Objects, Again!

On 09/02/201809/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Progress4 Comments

On Tuesday I wrote a short tale of woe about my Mac that deprived me of the means to work over the weekend, and also lost me some photographs. I could pretend someone, somewhere, has it in for me, but I recognise the random nature of such events and feel no personal threat from the …

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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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When Inanimate Objects Conspire Against You!

On 06/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Progress10 Comments

Gremlins? The wicked hand of fate? Bad luck? Or simply a random event that’s not personal at all? On Friday, I rose at my customary hour (between 07:00 and 08:30 now I’ve retired from the ranks of the wage slaves). My Mac had a little notification, top right, advising that some updates hadn’t been installed. …

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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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Getting to Know the #Author

On 29/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Progress4 Comments

I have recently been interviewed on a website to which I contribute a short monthly column. You can find the interview by clicking this link. And the picture above? Well, it's drab January here in UK, so I thought I'd warm us up with a picture of summer in the Greek Islands. And there's a …

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My Route to a Publisher

On 28/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Progress

Below you'll find a link to a short post from the blog run by the writing group I belong to. It shows, in very few words, how I came to be published instead of only self-published. And it offers the chance of a similar route to other writers. http://www.hornseawriters.com/2018/01/local-publisher-takes-shine-to-hornsea.html

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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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 20/12/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress1 Comment

Last week I had a total of 18,835 words; this week’s total is 30,829, an increase of 12,000. Not bad, considering the other things that have been happening in and around my life. Only today, we had an interruption in our power supply as the local company came along to update some of the equipment …

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