Research or Write? That is the Question.

On 30/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress11 Comments

How much research should a novelist undertake before setting out on the creative journey? How much should be done before editing to produce the final work? These are questions that probably occur to most of us at some time during the writing process. I was inspired to visit these questions this week when I finally …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #7

On 29/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice5 Comments

Hoping to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love? Or, perhaps your story needs the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “I watched the road as it took us …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #6

On 26/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “I had only ever seen a television briefly …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #5

On 22/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar2 Comments

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Fear of Dying, by Erica Jong, Reviewed.

On 20/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Review

I was introduced to Fear of Dying by a friend after I’d read and reviewed Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying. Inevitably, there’s a temptation to compare, which I’ll attempt to resist. I’m of the same generation as the author, though a few years younger, so I’ve lived through the years she’s experienced and understand many …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #4

On 19/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice2 Comments

Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. I started out this series with the …

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Searching for the Right Word? Tip #3

On 15/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse fear, romance with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Delicate Delicate is an adjective with many subtly different …

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Searching for the Right Word? Tip #2

On 12/04/201612/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse fear, romance with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Abundance: Listed in Roget’s under the header, Productiveness (noun), …

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Searching for the Right Word? Tip #1

On 08/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

In this series of posts, I’m looking at how certain words can influence readers. Do you want to inspire with joy, encourage fear, romance with love, or does your story now need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts will look at ways of influencing mood by selecting …

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Seems I’m One of Goodreads’ Top 1% of Reviewers!

On 06/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review16 Comments

I feel I should share this piece of good news with you all. I hope you'll find it interesting. It's a copy of an email I received today: Hello Stuart, In our community of readers, you stand out in a notable way: You're one of the top 1% of reviewers on Goodreads! With every rave and …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 50.

On 05/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice2 Comments

This series, concentrating on ways to trim writing, whilst providing examples aimed at stimulating imagination, has come to its natural end with this post. Next, I’ll be looking at expanding effective vocabulary by using the right words to convey the idea, mood, or meaning. Lift up: It’s pretty difficult to lift in any other direction, …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 49.

On 31/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice4 Comments

In this series, I've aimed at trimming our writing. I’ve tried to include examples that might seed ideas for your writing. Our readers will appreciate the absence of common redundancies and flabby expressions. This post, however, is the penultimate offering on the topic. Next, I’m going to be looking at expanding effective vocabulary by employing …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 48.

On 29/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice2 Comments

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve our craft. This series aims at trim writing, using examples intended to stimulate the imagination. Readers will appreciate the absence of common redundancies and flabby expressions. Penetrate into: Is it possible to penetrate out of? No, I didn’t think so. e.g. At that exquisite moment of union, the man …

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Easter Walking in the Forest of Dean

On 28/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Nature15 Comments

Some places inspire. The Forest of Dean is one such place for me. Living within the forest, with access just a hundred yards or so from our front door, we have the opportunity to walk amongst the trees every day, and do our best to do just that. The weather has been very variable this …

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The Ubiquity of Sacred Curses.

On 26/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, question, Word Choice10 Comments

Are you ever stuck for a suitable expletive to place in the mouths of your characters? I’m currently writing a science fiction novel set in the near future on Mars. I’ve imagined a new world where, amongst other things, the society is effectively agnostic. In devising dialogue, I suddenly became aware of just how pervasive …

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