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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Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

On 17/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress8 Comments

The end of another week, and I’ve ended up with 89,444 words for this 2nd rewrite. So, that’s an extra 2,294. I started making sure each individual voice remains consistent through the narrative and, so far, I’ve checked and corrected 11,780 words in that process. Interesting little interruption during the work: Scrivener decided it was …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #29

On 15/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice

This series aims to help writers use the right words to express their meaning and emotional content. 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 …

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The Democracy Delusion, UK.

On 13/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, opinion, politics4 Comments

From time to time, some topic fires me with enough passion to express a view. However, this website is really about readers and writers, so I've joined a website more appropriate for such outpourings. If you click on this link, it will take you to my first post on that website. It's a longish piece …

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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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Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

On 10/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

The end of the week, and I’ve ended up with 87,150 words at the end of this 2nd rewrite. I’ve spent a fair amount of the time available in moulding passages originally created for the pov’s of 4 antagonists so that each is consistent. It’s difficult to get into the mind-set of evil people, so …

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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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July is eBook Bargain Month on Smashwords

On 05/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction2 Comments

Smashwords, for those readers who don’t know, is a publishing platform for all formats of eBooks. I have several books with them. And the great news is that July is their promotional month, when those of us who wish to participate offer discounts on our books. This gives readers the opportunity to buy our books …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #26

On 05/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice

This series is aimed at helping writers use the right words to express their meaning. Your 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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Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

On 03/07/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

This week I’ve reached 83,803 words in the second rewrite, so another 18,231 words processed this week, and 12,049 new words added to the original story. I was hoping to start on the next phase at the end of this week, but I felt the story needed some additional povs, so I’ve included some passages …

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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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Future Gone, by Alexandar Tomov Jnr, Reviewed.

On 30/06/201630/06/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Literature, Review

Translated from Bulgarian by Margarita Dogramadzyan. This collection of short stories is bizarre, dreamlike, surreal. The stories themselves hold both intelligent insight and moral lessons. Unfortunately, either the translation or the original writing lack proper editing. They read like first drafts. The thoughts are put down but there’s no sign of revision and they therefore …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #24

On 28/06/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice

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Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

On 26/06/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

This week I’ve moved up to 65,572 words in the second rewrite, so another 32,290 words forced through the processor. With luck, and application, I should start on the next phase at the end of the coming week. That’s the part where I make sure exactly the right words are in place and check that …

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