I don’t know what inspires ideas in other writers, but I gather a lot of my writing thoughts and inspiration from walking. I live in the Forest of Dean, so I’m surrounded by beautiful places in which to walk, usually with my wife. Yesterday, we decided to visit a local spot of significance, Symonds Yat, …
Continue reading Progress Inspired by a Walk?
The research (see the post from 9th July), apart from those unexpected oddities that make you check the occasional detail, is done. I began the re-write at the beginning of the week. It quickly became clear that merely editing the first draft would not create the book I first envisaged. So, I have started again …
Continue reading After the Research
Presumably all writers of fiction start with research for their chosen themes, subjects, periods, and locations. I know I always do. For my latest WIP I decided to set the story within the period around the first part of my own life. This was, after all, a time I knew well. Or so I thought.On …
Continue reading When Research Rules the Roost
This lovely little book is all about celebrating a life that has passed, celebrating the person rather than burying them under dogma and superstition. For the many people for whom religion has been revealed as illogical and unhelpful, the words of practical advice, care, empathy, and comfort form a wonderful substitute to the usual services …
468 pagesHistorical Literary Fiction The world, it seems, changes little in spite of protests about injustice and inequality. This novel, set essentially in the Paris student riots (I prefer rebellion, protests, political activism) of 1968, relates the times as seen through the eyes of some students and an artist who understands and befriends the workers. …
Continue reading After the Barricades, by Jessica Stilling: #BookReview.
Recently, there’s been a sudden increase in interest surrounding Artificial Intelligence; in particular the fear of potential dangers of this development have come to the fore. The subject has long been popular with science fiction writers, and I’ve had a go at it in a couple of my novels. In ‘The Methuselah Strain’, my story …
Continue reading Artificial Intelligence, or #AI: Just Sayin’
The second book in the proposed trilogy of The Filey Chronicles continues the story begun in The Bridge and the Butterflies, which I read and reviewed after being introduced to the series by a writing friend.The story carries on the fast-moving, emotionally challenging trip of adventure combined with multiple life questions. Meg, the main player, …
Continue reading The Five Feathers (The Filey Chronicles, Book 2) by Janet Blackwell: #BookReview.
A YA Contemporary Fantasy novel packed with adventure, relationships, humour, tension and family matters. There’s some magic and alien science along the way, too. Meg, Mirabel and Will are characters easy to empathize with. We come across courage, angst, youthful certainty and doubt, and that wonderful teenage willingness to take risks. This bunch of kids …
On 28th February I announced the start of a new novel and revealed I’d completed the first chapter at 1,725 words. It was on 26th March I updated progress with words reaching a total of 48,079. And on 4th April I let you know I’d completed 70,169 words but had run into a constructional problem …
Continue reading WIP First Draft Complete!
The WIP continues apace. Or, at least, it was, reaching 70,169 words yesterday, and completing what I like to call the ‘first phase’. Of course, this isn’t just any old book. It’s a work of fiction, but written in a novel way (pun intended) that requires some specific presentation elements. (sounds rather more grand than …
Continue reading More Words and A Problem
I’ve had this book on my shelves for so long I’d forgotten it resided there. Curiosity made me pick up this ‘classic’ to discover what I could. There is much to learn here, if you have an interest in European history. However, it becomes clear that Plutarch was not a particularly reliable historian. His interest …
I decided last year to spend time away from creating fiction. Why? Like all human faculties, although the creative function benefits from use, it also sometimes needs rest to be refreshed.So, what did I do? I wrote a few posts for a platform called Medium. You can find those here, if you’re curious. I also …
Continue reading The Words Have Escaped!
Subtitled ‘1001 Things Everyone Should Know About RELIGION’, this is a piece of work, as the subtitle says, everyone should read.That it is a scholarly work is indicated by the comprehensive bibliography, index and accompanying notes, which take up around 28% of the publication. The author lightens a heavy subject by being occasionally a little …
Continue reading Mostly Harmful, by Michael Paulkovich: #BookReview.
176 pages.22 modern folk tales. Alan Rusbridger, former editor of The Guardian and now editor of Prospect magazine remarks, ‘These stories matter because they help us grasp a world that is seemingly out of control, and imagine what steps we can take to make things better.’ This anthology is subtitled ‘22 modern folk tales in …
Continue reading Contagious Tales, Edited by Andrew Simms: #BookReview.
Nine short stories from contributors to The Fiction Desk appear in this, the 14th anthology published by this independent publisher of short stories and edited by Rob Redman.This is an eclectic collection of tales on no particular theme or treatment. It seems unnecessary to individually review these stories, and to synopsise them would be to …
Continue reading Houses Borders Ghosts, from The Fiction Desk: #BookReview.
Short stories, novel extracts and musings from an emerging author
SHORTS, NOVELS, AND OTHER THINGS
Books, writing, reading, words and images. I love them; do you?
An Independent Nondiscriminatory Platform With No Religious, Political, Financial, or Social Affiliations - FOUNDED 2014
Life Lessons, Books, and Pretty Things!
Writing Magic, Myth and Mystery
A photographer's view of the world - words and images to inspire your travels and your dreams
Book Reviews ∙ Bookish Tags ∙ Book Discussions
Retired and travelling - it doesn't get better than this!
writing circles & poetry to keep your light on
Personal Writings on life, love and beauty
Peace. Tranquility. Insanity.
A writer inspired by nature and human nature
We Survived and Arrived - Now as Warriors We Thrive
Sometimes, life is like that.
Book lover and reviewer.
Musings and Ramblings of a Disorganised Blogger
Speculative Fiction Author, & Reviews.
British Crime Writer April Taylor
Fiction, Poetry, Photography
Where The Eagles Fly . . . . Art Science Poetry Music & Ideas
Registered Charity 308286. Your local venues, Lydbrook Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground, are here to benefit our community.
Books and Shrimp!
Ù…Øمد القربي
Discover the "Inside Story" with Sassy Brit & Her Gang!
A daily selection of the best content published on WordPress, collected for you by humans who love to read.
There's First Love... and there's Writer Love
Stuart Aken 