The #Write #Word? Post 11

Do you sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Perhaps, in improving myself, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Pig-headed/Amenable, Incredible to believe, In the event of, Weltschmerz Antonyms: words that express the opposite of other words. They can be hard to find, and thesauruses usually don’t give examples. …

Continue reading The #Write #Word? Post 11

Writers, Quirky? Surely Not!

The infographic below came to me via the custom-writing blog  I think many visitors to this site might find it interesting, so here it is for your delectation. Enjoy!

70 Solutions to Common #Writing Mistakes, by Bob Mayer: #BookReview.

If you’re a writer just starting out or, better still, someone thinking of starting to write, this is a useful book. It also contains reminders of good, and bad, habits to keep established writers on track. So much has been written about the craft of writing that a lot of the advice in this little …

Continue reading 70 Solutions to Common #Writing Mistakes, by Bob Mayer: #BookReview.

The #Write #Word? Post 10

Do you sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Perhaps, in improving myself, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Disinterested/Uninterested, Cacophony of sound, Kilig. Words often misused: English, because of its inheritance of words stolen from many languages, often uses words that superficially appear to mean more or less …

Continue reading The #Write #Word? Post 10

The #Write #Word? Post 9

Do you sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Perhaps, in improving myself, I can help other writers. Today’s words: Fabulous, Generally, Famously. Synonyms are alternative words that might say exactly what you’re trying to convey. Fabulous: an adjective with a good number of shades of meaning, and one that …

Continue reading The #Write #Word? Post 9

Joys and Woes of #Windows-to-#Mac-to-Windows.

Advice here, including some warnings, on changing operating systems from Windows to Apple, or vice-versa. The following post is based on personal experience and I put it out here to help others make a better-informed decision on whether they want iMac or Windows on their desks. I’ve used both systems. Each has its deficiencies and …

Continue reading Joys and Woes of #Windows-to-#Mac-to-Windows.

The Write #Word? Post 8

Do you sometimes struggle to find the ‘right’ word for your writing? I do. Perhaps, in improving myself, I can help other writers. I’m sorry I was unable to place a post in this series last week. If you’re curious as to why, I’ll post a detailed explanation later, but, for now, please forgive the …

Continue reading The Write #Word? Post 8

Yet Another iMac Fail!

Regular readers will know I've been having serious problems with my Mac recently. I hoped it had been fixed (at great expense!). But another update was needed this morning and it has failed and set the machine on a downward spiral to utter uselessness, again! There is clearly something wrong with the update system, either …

Continue reading Yet Another iMac Fail!

Catling’s Bane, by D. Wallace Peach: #BookReview.

310 pages. Science Fiction and Fantasy. What an engaging tale this is. It says a lot for the quality of the writing and the compelling nature of the story that I continued to read this despite some pretty difficult issues in my online/working life at the time! I’m a reader who loves books where characters …

Continue reading Catling’s Bane, by D. Wallace Peach: #BookReview.

A Great #Review for War Over Dust!

A new and very positive review for War Over Mars has now appeared on both Goodreads and Amazon. You can read it here. https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B0749NW6W8&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_AtWHAbQ4J5NG6&tag=stuartaken-21

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, by Christine Pinheiro: #BookReview.

Subtitled ‘A Promotional Reference Guide for Authors and Small Publishers’, this extensive reference guide is full of information and helpful advice. It’s essentially a listing of websites, blogs, service providers and organisations involved in the promotion of books. As the subtitle makes clear, it’s of special relevance to the self-published author and the small independent …

Continue reading The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, by Christine Pinheiro: #BookReview.

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

The rewrite is now under way and progressing pretty well considering… ‘Considering what?’ I hear you cry. In answer, I’ll simply direct you to a previous post here. Added to what’s in that post, my Mac continues to play silly buggers for reasons I’m at a loss to determine. I’ve looked at the ‘help’ and …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

When Inanimate Objects Conspire Against You!

Gremlins? The wicked hand of fate? Bad luck? Or simply a random event that’s not personal at all? On Friday, I rose at my customary hour (between 07:00 and 08:30 now I’ve retired from the ranks of the wage slaves). My Mac had a little notification, top right, advising that some updates hadn’t been installed. …

Continue reading When Inanimate Objects Conspire Against You!

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

I finished the first draft of the current novel on 19 January, with 63269 words written. For reasons I’m unclear about, I neglected to write one of these posts on the following Wednesday, my regular day for this. I probably forgot in the joy of getting the story on the page! So, my apologies for …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

Getting to Know the #Author

I have recently been interviewed on a website to which I contribute a short monthly column. You can find the interview by clicking this link. And the picture above? Well, it's drab January here in UK, so I thought I'd warm us up with a picture of summer in the Greek Islands. And there's a …

Continue reading Getting to Know the #Author