Searching for the Right Words? Tip #32

On 26/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice

This series is intended to help authors express the full meaning and emotional content of their fiction. As writers, we want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror, inflame their passions. This set of posts examines how we might influence mood, illustrating how word choice …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #31

On 22/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #30

On 19/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice4 Comments

This series is intended to help writers select the best words to express the meaning and emotional content of their fiction. As writers, we want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror, inflame their passion. This set of posts examines ways of influencing mood by illustrating …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #28

On 12/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice4 Comments

This series aims to help writers use the right words to express their meaning and, more importantly, the feelings of their characters. All thoughts and comments are welcome. As a writer, you want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror. This set of posts examines ways …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #27

On 08/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice6 Comments

This series is aimed at helping writers use the right words to express their meaning. All thoughts and comments are welcome. As a writer, you want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror. This set of posts examines ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #25

On 01/07/201601/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #22

On 21/06/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #21

On 17/06/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Word Choice

This series is aimed at helping writers find the right words to express their meaning. Your thoughts and comments are welcome. You want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror. This set of posts examines ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the …

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Ideas and Inspiration for Fantasy and Science fiction Writers, by James Hutchings, Reviewed.

On 10/05/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Review

This resource is remarkably extensive and varied. There are articles on strange human behaviours, odd customs and traditions, peculiar animal behaviour, secret societies and events, curses, unusual illnesses, myths, fakes, religious peculiarities, odd individuals and many other topics. This isn’t a book to sit and read, but a research and inspiration tool to use for …

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A Walk in the PuzzleWood from the Movies.

On 19/04/201624/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature15 Comments

Valerie and I have often wondered about a place called Puzzlewood that lies close to Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, about 5 miles from our home. We decided to give the place a visit for her birthday, yesterday. It has been used as a location for scenes in Dr Who, Merlin, Arthur, Starwars and is considered …

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The Spirit of a Witch, by Sarah Jane Avory, Reviewed.

On 11/01/201611/01/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review

This book came to me as a prize in a raffle at the Fantasticon 2015 fantasy convention in Hull. I doubt I would’ve come across it otherwise and don’t think I’d have read it. The novel is clearly aimed at young women and I suspect many of them, especially cat lovers, will enjoy it. The …

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The Boy in Winter’s Grasp, by John D. Scotcher, Reviewed.

On 14/12/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Review

What a read this YA fantasy novel is! The story follows the exploits of Christopher, a slightly damaged 16 year old, and his friend, the adventurous girl, Sama, as they battle incredible forces. There is a fascinating mingling of World War I times with the myths, legends and history of Arthurian Britain. How this connection …

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Alone (The Girl in the Box, Book 1), by Robert J. Crane, Reviewed.

On 29/11/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Fiction, Review

This fantasy, featuring meta-humans, and told from the point of view of the female protagonist, is full of tension and action. But it is also a fascinating character study of a unique individual. The reader is given information through the unreliable narrator, who appears to be confused by what is going on about her. As …

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To Buy a Wife, by KC Klein, Reviewed.

On 07/11/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review

This novella, a mix of fantasy and soft science fiction, is a romance set in a dystopian society. Told from the points of view of the male and female leads, it manages to get inside both characters and express the experiences, emotions and thoughts of each. The book is one of a series set in …

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The Ships of Aleph, by Jaine Fenn, Reviewed.

On 01/11/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Fiction, Review

This short book is a mix of fantasy and soft science fiction that works well. It paints a picture of a world both disturbing and intriguing. I suspect that the author will, or maybe has already, feature the world in further fiction. It certainly has potential. The story moves the main character through a learning …

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