Today’s Pictures: 29 Oct 20

Just back from today’s walk, taking advantage of a brief spell of relative calm from the wind and rain coming in from the Atlantic. More on its way. But, undeterred, we trod the firm tracks and absorbed the spirit of the woods, made our daily connection with the trees. Wildlife mostly had the sense to …

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Today’s Pictures: 26 Oct 20

The morning looked dull with skies full of potential rain, so we waited until after lunch for today’s walk. As it happened, the morning rain was sparse and short lived. But our afternoon saunter found us in a world full of contrasts in both light and shade and colour. Parts of the woodland have turned …

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Today’s Pictures: 25 Oct 20

Horton Bridge. The forecast for today was, shall we say, variable? Rain was a possibility both this morning and this afternoon, with sunny periods in each half of the day. Here in the UK, our clocks go back an hour on the last Sunday in October, so the sun will set today around 16:54, making …

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Today’s Picture: 22 Oct 20

A brief respite from the wet weather today, bringing us bright sunshine. The next three days are forecast to be wet and windy. So, we took full advantage and set off after breakfast for our walk. We managed a four-mile saunter through the forest, and saw not another soul the entire time, which suited us …

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A Short Story for You.

This short story is from the collection in my anthology, Ten Tales for Tomorrow. I present it here for your enjoyment. (If it inspires you to read the rest of the collection, you’ll find links to that at the foot of this post. Enjoy!) Smoke A thin curl of greenish smoke rose from sand ahead, …

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21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari: #BookReview.

416 pages Political History and Theory/Evolutionary Psychology This is an unusually truthful book, written in rational prose with a degree of honesty that will startle most readers. Presented in five parts, entitled, The Technological Challenge, The Political Challenge, Despair and Hope, Truth, and Resilience, with each section further divided, it does what it states in …

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Coping in a Time of Covid. A #Poem

Picture from Masum Ali via Pixabay Coping in a Time of Covid. Strange and sometimes frightening timesHow do we respond react survive copewhen so much is unknownso much more conjectured often falselyExperts juggle with factsconstantly changing asresearch experience experimentscombine to form new truthsLeaders with supporters colleagues advisorsare overeager to display their skillsin managing a phenomenonstill …

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RAGE! A #Poem

Image via: http://clipart-library.com/anger-cliparts.html RAGE! How do you feel in thepresence of injusticeDo you rage at unfairnessDoes inequality ignite your ireDo you fume with furywhen you hear of a girl forcedearly into marriage with an old manwhen you learn of the boy deniedbecause his skin is another shadewhen the killer is set free to kill againwhen …

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Pride in Place? A #Poem

Image via Mapswire. Pride in Place? Born in slum or palaceyou have no say in youraccident of birthLocation status wealthof parents determineswhere you might emergeSo why so proud ofwhere this chance occurredYou made no choice hereIt was imposed on youPride in place is foolishWith no experienceof another placeyou can make nomeaningful comparisonYou merely echowhat was …

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Amazon Decoded, by David Gaughran: #BookReview.

326 Pages Authorship Reference/E-Commerce Web Marketing. I read this book after reading the author’s ‘Let’s Get Digital’. It’s a natural follow-on for those interested in marketing their e-books as indie writers/publishers. In fact, it also has a lot to say about, and to, mainstream and some small publishers, much of which might benefit the authors …

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That Final Edit

That final stage in progress. The title to this post is, of course, a show of blatant optimism, since I have completed my personal final edit, but the publisher’s team, kept locked in his basement, will undoubtedly come back with more. However, it is a milestone to celebrate. The MS ran to 79,079 words when …

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Fated to Meet You, by Despoina Kemeridou: #BookReview.

49 pages Time Travel Romance This short book has a gentle, naïve charm. It is, essentially, a fairy tale. But a fairy tale for adults. As a reader, I enjoyed the story. As a writer, I found some elements in need of editing, but that’s so often the case these days that it hardly merits …

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Using Editing Software?

Word cloud created through wordart.com How do you organise your own editing of your creative writing? You’ll find an account of my latest WIP journey here to show how I go about it. The MS stood at 79,079 words at the end of the edit referred to in that post. I then began the penultimate …

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Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated

For the past few years, on the 1st of each month, I’ve been reminding followers here that the creative writing contest table has been updated. I update it several times each month, adding details, but this reminder is posted just once a month. Sadly, support for this effort has been poor; no feedback, little sharing, …

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Let’s Get Digital, by David Gaughran: #BookReview.

220 pages Writing Reference. This is the 4th Edition. This manual guides writers through the process of publishing a book in digital form. But it’s so much more than that. David Gaughran has been writing about writing and publishing for some years. He bases his advice on personal experience combined with much research. He knows …

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