Struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? You’re not alone. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Science Fiction, Somewhat, Sceptic/Denier, Set forth in, Solicitor. Synonyms are alternative words that might say exactly what you’re trying to convey. Science Fiction: defined as a genre of …
Tag: Writing
Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated
Time for your monthly reminder that the writing contest table has been updated. It lives on the ‘Resources’ page. As I write this, the table lists 132 different contests, many of them international, for Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Biography, Plays, Reviews, Essays, and Novels. Some of these are free to enter and offer prizes …
The #Write #Word? Post 25
Struggling to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? Me, too. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words:  Quash, Refute, Quiet as a dormouse, Rückkehrunruhe, Reporter. Synonyms are alternative words that might say exactly what you’re trying to convey. Quash: Roget lists three sub-headings; suppress, abrogate, and …
The #Write #Word? Post 24
Struggling to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? Me, too. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words:  Pathos, Prescribe/Proscribe, Pair of twins, Pope. Synonyms are alternative words that might say exactly what you’re trying to convey. Pathos: is a quality exciting pity or sadness. Roget lists …
The #Write #Word? Post 23
Struggling to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? Me, too. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Off of, On the rocks, Offensively, Occhiolism, Obsolescence. Redundancies: words serving no purpose. In speech, they’re spacers, giving the speaker time to think. But in writing they slow …
The #Write #Word? Post 22
Apologies. I’m deeply involved in the edit notes for my WIP back from the publisher. This is time sensitive, so I’m missing the post this week to concentrate on the vital job of getting the corrections back in time for publication later this year. Bear with me. I expect to be back to normal next …
The #Write #Word? Post 20
Sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Melodramatic, Momentarily, More perfect, Mostly, Mokita, M.P. Synonyms are alternative words that might say exactly what you’re trying to convey. Melodramatic: Roget lists only 3 headings for this; …
The #Write #Word? Post 19
Sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Loathsome/Pleasant, Less/Fewer, Lap of luxury, Limply, Lawyer Antonyms: words that express the opposite of other words can be hard to find, because thesauruses usually give no examples. When …
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Six chapters to go, and the MS stands at 68,660 words, a record low word count for one of my novels! Thursday, I was driven to hospital by a kind and friendly volunteer from a local service that provides rides for people on such missions. I won’t bore, or distress, you with details of the …
Simon Says, by Rachel McClellan: #BookReview.
A truly gothic and demonic horror story. The narrator’s voice carries all the bile, disapproval, confidence and uncertainty of the youth well. This is a short but powerful read and one to produce nightmares if read too close to bedtime in a lonely place. The conflict of denial against the reality of the situation leaves …
Continue reading Simon Says, by Rachel McClellan: #BookReview.
A Better Ten Commandments, by James Miller: #BookReview.
This is both a self-improvement and inspirational book with a very real difference. That difference is crucial. James Miller is a man on a mission. A mission I’m utterly at one with. Our lives are governed from birth, throughout education and maturity, to the final day, by dogma, myth and legend posing as truth. Although …
Continue reading A Better Ten Commandments, by James Miller: #BookReview.
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
An ‘interesting’ week. One I realised early was not going to be my finest hour re the WIP. Nevertheless, 27 chapters now subjected to the in-depth part of the edit that includes running the text through ProWritingAid. And chapter 28 is ready for that process, but it’ll have to wait now until I’m back at …
The #Write #Word? Post 17
Sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Jaded/Refreshed, Joined at the hip, Jealously, Judicial/Judicious, Jouska, Jackal. Antonyms: words that express the opposite of other words can be hard to find, because thesauruses usually give no …
The #Write #Word? Post 16
Sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Maybe, in trying to improve my own work, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Imitation, Illustrated drawing, Intensely, Inflammable/Flammable, Idiot. Synonyms are alternative words that might say exactly what you’re trying to convey. Imitation: Good old Roget’s Thesaurus lists the following subheadings …
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
The content edit is complete! I’ve now arrived at 71,057 words, an increase of 21,497 since last Wednesday. This means the first in-depth edit is finished. I’m resting from the process tomorrow, perhaps taking a long walk in the Forest with my wife and my camera. Then it’ll be the start of the more detailed …

