Further Progress on the #WIP

It surely can’t be this long since I reported on my WIP, can it? But it appears my last post was way back on 23rd November 2024. How can that be?Well, I’ve some excuses. It’s possible some of you may consider them reasons, which would be better for my conscience.First excuse: I’m suffering from an …

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Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan #BookReview.

This condensation of an extensive theme into something far more concentrated, selective, and relevant manages to say everything it means in ways both accessible and moving. The appalling Irish Magdalen laundry system, imposed on the country by a church made far more powerful than it ever deserved by indoctrination and the spread of superstitious fear …

Continue reading Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan #BookReview.

Orbital, by Samantha Harvey #BookReview.

On rare occasions, a reader encounters a book that inspires, entertains, edifies, and asks questions in such a way as to force him to reconsider long-held views. Whilst I was already in full agreement with some of the ideas and conclusions revealed in this small and beautifully written book, there were some notions that forced …

Continue reading Orbital, by Samantha Harvey #BookReview.

What I Believe, Edited by Andrew Copson #BookReview.

Subtitled ‘Humanist Ideas and Philosophies to Live By’, this collection of thoughts from thirty-one intelligent, experienced, and fascinating people has been compiled from Andrew Copson’s podcasts with over sixty such individuals between 2020 and 2024. It was initially inspired by essays from Bertrand Russell in 1925 and E.M. Forster in 1938, and a separate collection …

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The End of the Tempest: Short Story

This story won 2nd prize (a day at the local races) in a Yorkshire local writing contest in 2010. It was not published. The End of the Tempest. A terrified whinny urged Carl out of dreams and into reality, and metal clashing metal in a howling gale finally woke him. He must enter that storm, …

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Further Progress on the #WIP.

I last updated progress on 28th of October, so a little late with this one. Sorry. At that time, the first draft was up to 80,840 words and I’d started editing to include a new character and had got as far as chapter 14. The old word count was 33,454 and the new to that …

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Rebirth. A Short Story.

This short story has a long history. It first appeared in the small print magazine ‘Ouse Valley Poetry’, unfortunately no longer around, where it was placed third in their monthly contest in January 2008. Following some slight editing, it was then published in the monthly print magazine ‘Writers’ Forum’, where it gained second prize in …

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Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari: #BookReview.

Subtitled ‘A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, this weighty tome is actually surprisingly comprehensive. With 67 pages of Bibliography and an Index of 15 pages, the book is a veritable compendium of information, scholarly exploration, and informed opinion on the ways in which human societies have communicated over the …

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More Progress on the #WIP.

I last updated progress on 8th of this month, when I reported that I’d experienced a strange epiphany not uncommon for pantsters. It meant I needed a new character, and that new person had to appear right at the beginning of the story. He also has an intimate connection to the original main protagonist, replacing …

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#ScenicSaturday 26th October 24

This week's post is here, on Medium. That's where all future posts in the series will be.

#ScenicSaturday 19th October 24

This feature is now exclusively posted on Medium. You can access it here.

I Am, Perhaps. Short Story:

It’s a few weeks since I last posted a short story here. I’ve been busy with other things. But I decided I’d continue the posts of previously published stories to give them a second chance of being read. Please feel free to comment, share and like as you will. This was published in the now …

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#ScenicSaturday October 12th 2024.

This series of posts depicts our beautiful world, hopefully encouraging people to share them and maybe even help save our unique home planet from human carelessness and indifference. Please note the changes to this series, detailed below.Today’s photo is from the Forest of Dean. This track passes through a plantation of mixed evergreens and deciduous …

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A New Post on Medium

Oddities Observed On Outings - no-cost link:

Further Progress on the #WIP, 8/10/24

I’m still working on the first edit of the initial draft I finished, at 84,141 words, on 14th May. On 7th September I let you know I was well into the first edit of the WIP, when the word count had reached 57,341. On 15th September I let you know I was up to chapter …

Continue reading Further Progress on the #WIP, 8/10/24