G.D. Maher's Blog

Knowing Me - Vanilla or Chocolate

💭 well. This is easy for me but I'm keen to know about you. Chocolate! 🍫 Everything. I have to be moderated when it comes to choccie. No willpower. At all.

What about you?? 🙃

Plural... Plurals? Pluralae?

Hello Hello!

As I sit here tap tap tapping away, I am distracted by a comment made by an American writer on a British writer’s piece.

The British writer had used “pence” as a word to describe more than one penny. The American writer advised the correct plural is “pennies”.

Who is right? Well, they both are.

Pluralisation changes from generation to generation and country to country as popular words ebb and flow.

Some other words have more than one plural form, all of which are correct – I’m looking at you:

formula / formulas / formulae
index / indexes / indices
staff / staffs / staves
brother / brothers / brethren

There are also words like “die” which have different pluralisations depending on the context:

Die (a cube with spots used in gaming) – Plural: Dice
Die (an instrument used in manufacturing) – Plural: Dies

So when writing about more than one of something, check the plural. Who knows, it may have changed!

See you soon!

G.D.

x

Tips and Tricks!!

Hello Hello!

So, have been doing this (blogging) for a little while and the other (writing) for a while longer).

Time, I think to share fifteen little hints and tips, that I have found useful on the pathway to publication.

1. Write every day – “the secret of getting ahead is getting started” – Mark Twain
2. Write for thirty minutes minimum – you need to be able to get into a flow.
3. Write your first draft in one continuous flow. Sure, it will be a mess but get those words on the page.
4. Read great writers in your genre for inspiration – their style will rub off on you.
5. Use adjectives like salt – just a pinch if it will add to the recipe.
6. The thesaurus is your friend / acquaintance / ally / buddy / companion / chum / comrade / mate
7. Don’t always add tags (he said etc) to dialogue. Instead, accompany words with an action.
“You’re going down boy!” With the bat in his hand, Kyle was focused on victory.
8. Avoid long sentences. Like this one.
9. Follow a realistic writing schedule – if like me you also work full time, be kind to yourself in terms of how much time you can dedicate each day to writing.
10. Learn the rules of good writing … then selectively smash them to pieces.
11. For fiction, have a plot - even if this is a basic plot. It will help you co-ordinate your thoughts and is great for placing red herrings or clues.
12. Don’t rely on spell check – it is ammazing how meny timez an errror wont be picked yp.
13. Learn to take criticism and use it constructively. Remember to thank those who offer (constructive) criticism for taking the time to read your work.
14. Don’t edit immediately on completion, give it a couple of days – you need to switch your brain from craftsperson to critique.
15. When you are editing, read the work aloud – you will hear the flow of the work and pick out where punctuation is required.

What are your top tips for smashing out works of literary joy?

Can’t wait to hear them 😊

G.D.

x

Carpe Diem! and his siblings....

Hello hello!

How do you add a little Ox-Bridge style flair to your work… By adding a little Latin of course!

Whether it is a school motto or a wizarding spell, Latin in various forms is rife throughout the books we love.

So how do you slip a little in? Well, you are probably doing it in your current work without realizing it.

Have you ever given a character an alibi (elsewhere) or a bonus (good)? Maybe they have a huge ego (me/I) or a dermatological (skin) condition.

You will also use good old Latin prefixes all the time:

Semi (half)
Duo (two)
Tri (three)
Octo (eight)
Extra (in addition to)
Hyper (over)
Inter (between)
Micro (small)
Mono (single)

Writing crime / a court room drama / legal thriller … These beauties are your friend:

Quid Pro Quo (something for something)
Pro Bono (for the public good)
Mens Rea (guilty mind)
Ipso Facto (by the fact itself)
Bona Fide (good faith)

Want to drop Latin into light conversation… How about:

Vice Versa (the other way around)
Per Se (by itself)
De Facto (common in practice)
Ad Hoc (to this)

Finally, to really make your character raise some eyebrows, have them use one of these famous Latin phrases:

Deus Ex Machina (God out of a machine)
Carpe Diem (seize the day)
Cogito Ergo Sum (I think therefore I am)
Veni Vidi Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)

I can’t wait to see how you squeeze a little Latin into your work.

If you have any others you have used, drop me a note!

G.D.

x

The time has come to ... Pluralise!

Hey!

Me again.

A short but oh so sweet lesson for this week – how do you make a noun plural?

Here are the ‘rules’ as always there are exceptions which are sent to test us:

Simple nouns you just need to add an ‘-s’ (e.g. one bat and two bats).
When a noun ends with ‘s’, ‘x’, ‘ch’ or ‘sh’, you just add ‘-es’ (e.g., one church, two churches).
If a noun ends with consonant and a ‘y’, the ‘y’ is replaced with an ‘i’ and you add ‘-es’ (e.g. one story, two stories).
When your noun ends with ‘-o’, you add ‘-es’ (e.g., one tomato, two tomatoes)
When a noun ends with ‘-is’, change the ‘-is’ to ‘-es’ (e.g. one crisis, two crises)
If a noun ends with ‘-f’, change ‘-f’ to ‘-v’ and add ‘-es’ (e.g., one calf, two calves)
When your noun ends with ‘-fe’, change ‘-f’ to ‘-v’ and add ‘-s’ (e.g. one leaf, two leaves)
When a noun ends with ‘-us’, where you change ‘-us’ to ‘-i’ (e.g. one stimulus, two stimuli)
If a noun contains ‘-oo’, change ‘-oo’ to ‘-ee’ (e.g., one tooth, two teeth)
When your noun ends with ‘-on’, where you replace ‘-on’ with ‘-a’ (e.g. one automaton, two automata)
Finally, you may have a noun that is happy as it is (e.g. fish, deer, moose)

Try telling these rules to:
Booth / Booths
Root / Roots
Monkey / Monkeys
Sunday / Sundays

Good luck everyone!

G.D.

x

To Persecute or Prosecute...that is the question...

As I sit here drafting up an idea for book three in the Tiny Tales series involving bullies, I am struck with a question….

Is it Persecute or Prosecute?

Persecute has a wide scope. It spans from annoying someone by refusing to leave them alone (hence the bullying train of thought), to treating another cruelly and unfairly over a prolonged period due to their religion, race, political belief, or other perceived difference. Children and adults alike can be the subject of persecution from groups such as bullies to extremists, and the impact can be widely and deeply felt.

On the other hand, prosecution means the bringing and conduct of legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge.

So, whilst the definitions of the two may give the impression they stand alone, the law as it stands means if you have been persecuted you may be able to prosecute your persecutor.

Just some food for thought.

Kindness for the win.

G.D.

x

Welcome To My World

Hey there.
Hi there.
Hello.

Forget the Fountain of Youth... here we have a Fountain of Knowledge. Well. Less of a fountain, more of a leaking tap... but still.

As I embark on my literary journey, I wanted to share with you my thoughts, processes, tips and tricks, and together we can master this wordy world.

First off it's only proper that I should share a little about me. So, here we go with my five fleeting facts.

1. My name is a pseudonym and encompasses the initials of my nearest and dearest.

2. A native of England who now makes her home in Sydney, Australia.

3. I love tea. Tea all day. Tea for President. Earl Grey a favourite for the morning win.

4. I have a love hate relationship with the ocean. Love the sound and the smell. Hate the feel of seaweed on my foot.

5. The extent of my imagination staggers most people.

More will be shared as our journey continues.

I love to write, always have had, and will take any chance I get to go stationery shopping. I blame (thank!) my old man for this addiction, taking me on trips to buy his home office stationery in my youth.

Writing such tiny tales (see links for current works), each word much be meticulously chosen. A whole idea must be conveyed in just 100 words. No more. No less. Each word tells part of the story on its own. Each word is a representation of me, and the character who is the focus of the tale.

The tips, hints and exercises I will share are not just for those who write like me, but for anyone putting pen to paper or keyboard to computer.

Expanding your vocabulary, learning the nuances of language and structuring sentences the right way, benefits all.

So, if you want to write, but fear the page will forever be blank, let’s start together and now. It’s never too late to become a creative, so what are you waiting for?

G.D.

x

The Journey Begins.....

My name is G.D. Maher, and like many of you checking in here, I am first and foremost a reader.

I have always had a longing to learn and spent much of my childhood consuming books.

At school, English and History became fantastic bed fellows, learning the words which would bring the past to life.

Unfortunately a focus on academia and grades stifled my creative flair, and it wasn't until my late twenties that the dragon was awoken.

As I have so many thoughts and ideas, choosing just one topic to write about doesn't come easy to me, which is where Tiny Tales comes in!

My calling has truly begun to blossom.