Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 47.

On 24/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

We writers share ideas to improve our craft. This series aims to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Joint collaboration: Let’s dispense with the ‘joint’, unless you feel the need for a fix, of course. All collaboration is a joint affair, after all. e.g. Joint collaboration …

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Is it Time to Re-evaluate our Attitude to Religious Freedoms?

On 23/03/201630/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, opinion, question24 Comments

From time to time, I feel compelled to express an opinion about some matter or other. As a writer, with my own blog, I consider this the most appropriate place for such things. Please join the discussion. And, if you’re easily offended, please avoid these topics. # It has happened again: a terrorist attack on …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 46.

On 22/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

We writers share ideas to improve our craft. This series aims to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Meet with each other: If you’re getting together, you’re meeting. You don’t need ‘with each other’. e.g. They met with each other to discuss her offer. Try: They …

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The Influence of Place on Content.

On 20/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer1 Comment

We’ve just returned from a visit to another county where we were engaged in family research. Essex is a place I lived for 18 years, when employment took me there. I haven’t been back for 30 years, but we have ancestors in the area. Time to visit the county records office in Chelmsford, to dig …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 45.

On 17/03/201612/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Have a great St. Patrick's Day! Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Eradicate completely: When something is eradicated, it is completely removed, so we don’t need ‘completely’. e.g. We must eradicate completely all …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 44.

On 15/03/201612/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Equal to one another: Wordy! e.g. The authors were equal to one another in terms of books published, but she was a better writer. Try: The authors …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 43.

On 10/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Grammar, Word Choice

We writers often share ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim your writing. Readers will value the absence of redundancies and flabby expressions. Emergency situation: Situation is extraneous here, so we can manage without it. e.g. They have an emergency situation at the flower festival; all the petals are falling off! …

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First Draft of the Mars Book Finished.

On 09/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress10 Comments

Much to my surprise, I finished the first draft of the current WIP, yesterday. This science fiction novel set on Mars currently has no title, other than ‘the Mars book’, which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly inspiring! Why was I surprised? I write as a pantster, so I don’t work to a plot, merely a …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 42.

On 08/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice1 Comment

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Enter in: Since you can’t enter out (that would be an exit), let’s leave it out, eh? e.g. Jenny was prepared to enter in the dragon’s den …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 41.

On 03/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Eliminate entirely: To eliminate something is to eradicate it, therefore ‘entirely’ or ‘completely’ or any other tautological qualifier is just that; tautology. e.g. The leader said, ‘If …

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Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury, Reviewed.

On 03/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review1 Comment

Ray Bradbury was one of my earliest writer heroes. I read a lot of his work when I was a teenager and young man. Along with Asimov, Clarke, Aldiss, Heinlein and Wyndham he was one of the authors who created my love of science fiction. I hadn’t come across this collection of essays aimed at …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 40.

On 01/03/201601/03/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Dwindle down: Can you dwindle up? I don’t think so. e.g. Attendances at football matches have dwindled down since clubs started paying players ludicrous amounts and charging …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 39.

On 25/02/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Writers like to share ideas to improve their craft. Here are some ways to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the removal of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Desirable benefit: Do you know of an undesirable benefit? I thought not. e.g. What desirable benefit does a racehorse owner obtain from his horse? Try: What …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 38.

On 23/02/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice4 Comments

As writers, we generally share ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Descend down: I’m fairly certain it’s not possible to descend in any direction but down, so the qualifier is not needed. e.g. The pirate captain forced …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 37.

On 18/02/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

As writers, we generally share ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Depreciate in value: Can something depreciate in anything other than some form of value? I can’t think of anything, but by all means educate me. e.g. …

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