A Stay In The Lake District #7

Descending Cat Bells Been following this series from day one? Then you’ll know this is the seventh post. It relates to our return walk on our fourth day in the area. New to the series? You’ll find links to earlier posts at the end.The descent from the summit of Cat Bells is around 1215 feet …

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Further Progress On The WIP

The Cezanne Monument in Paris. 'Nude' Once again, it’s been far too long since I updated this aspect of my writing life. Yes, there have been things happening to prevent such notification, but I really should have been more aware of the passage of time.No matter. Here we are.The situation today is that I have …

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A Stay In The Lake District #5

Friar’s Crag & Strandshag Bay. After our clockwise boat trip around Derwentwater, we had a break for lunch at Treeby’s Café on Lake Road. It’s a lovely eating place sited on the ground floor beneath the Treeby and Bolton Gallery, accessible either through the gallery or via the entrance on Lake Road.We then returned to …

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A Stay In The Lake District #4

Day 3: The Clockwise Boat Trip Our third day in the Lake District found us taking a second tour of Derwent Water by boat, this time in the clockwise direction, to give us a clearer idea of the various landing points.By this time, we’d discovered a better route from the B & B to the …

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My First Book Fair.

As an author, I’ve been present at conventions where selling books was part of the purpose and I was involved with such sales, which included some of my own books. I signed copies, spoke to readers, and even took part in onstage discussions between authors and audience. They were great occasions. Unfortunately, due to a …

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Further Progress On The WIP

The last time I wrote here on this topic was, remarkably, on 1st May this year. So, what have I been doing since? That’s a long story, but mostly, as you will be aware if you follow this blog, I was engaged in slimming down my website to make it more concentrated on my books, …

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Show Your Work, by Austin Kleon: Book Review

I've reviewed this book, a really useful and practical guide for creators looking for exposure, on Medium. You can read it, without cost, using this link:

More Progress On The WIP

I’ve finally finished the stage of adding contemporaneous events to the storyline. Rendering such happenings in a way that allows them to integrate seamlessly with the story, rather than appear as mere markers in time, isn’t easy, but I believe I’ve managed it.Now I need to begin the slightly more tedious technical edit to spot …

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Further Progress On The WIP

I should’ve done this last weekend, but life events can sometimes get in the way of best intentions, can’t they?No matter, here’s the latest update on the current novel I’m wrestling into presentable form. I last updated you on 3rd April, here. At that time, I’d already started inconspicuously inserting historic events into the timeline …

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Progress On The WIP?

As promised, surprisingly I’m managing to convert intentions to action, so here’s a brief report on current activity on the WIP. See my post on 22nd March here. The process of adding factual, real events to the novel is moving forward. Perhaps not as rapidly as I’d hoped, but movement is movement and we have …

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So, What About This Work In Progress?

Photo of me working on this post, taken by my lovely wife. I realised today, whilst doing some work on the WIP, I hadn’t reported on progress since Boxing Day last year! My apologies for that neglect. It wasn’t intended. It was incidental, partly dependent on events and priorities beyond my control. No excuses, but …

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Small Hands, Pale and Fragile: a Short Story

Picture from Pixabay, modified by author. The story posted today was originally published in the Autumn 2024 issue of Scribble, a print and online literary magazine. Enjoy the read. I'm afraid this will be the last short story posted here for a short, unspecified time due to other commitments. Small Hands, Pale and Fragile. Nathan …

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Too Much Trouble: a Short Story

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/messy-interior-full-clothing_152559099 This story was first featured on the website of Flash Fiction World Contest in 2013. Unfortunately, I didn’t record the website URL and can’t now find it, which means the site probably no longer exists! Too Much Trouble 'You've let yourself go.' He looked down his length and saw the protruding belly hiding his …

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CHANGES IN THE WIND, a Short Story

Photo by author, Stuart Aken. This story was first published in a slightly shorter form in ‘Ouse Valley Poetry’ in 2009, where it won 3rd prize in a contest. Sadly, the journal is no longer in publication. CHANGES IN THE WIND ‘I’m cold.  I want to go back home now,’ Kerry told her mother. Dawn …

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Author Interview

Photo is mine, but modified by Julia Kalman for the interview. I have been interviewed by Julia Kalman for the New Literary Society journal. The interview is published on Medium. Dear Readers,We’re honored to introduce you to Stuart Aken — a writer whose creative life is shaped by justice, memory, and the quiet discipline of …

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