Stuart Aken's Blog, page 185

Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated

This is the first monthly reminder to let you know I’ve updated the writing contest table. Make sure you get your entries submitted in plenty of time, there are some really spectacular prizes to be had. And think of the kudos! The table updates each time I save it, which is frequently, so whenever you … Continue reading Creative #Writing #Contests TableUpdated

Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

Close to the end! I spent a little over two days on the read aloud edit. That’s a demanding task both physically and mentally, but it’s the only way to detect certain mistakes and find those passages that fail to read well. Correcting the errors I found has taken another couple of days. The … Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in theMaking.

Looking for the Best Word? Tip #01

English is a startling language, as those who use it know. Amongst many claims about language, most of which are difficult to prove, English is recognised as one of the top 3 most widely spoken languages. It’s also a second language in many countries. Whilst ‘Chinese’ is spoken by more people, this gives a … Continue reading Looking for the Best Word? Tip#01

Searching for the Right Words? Tip #40

This is the final post in the series aimed at helping authors express the full meaning and emotional content of their fiction. However, I intend to start a new series, again about word choice. I’ll begin that on Thursday with the next post. Keep an eye out for it. It’ll be titled, ‘Looking for […]

Hot Flashes, by Barbara Raskin, Reviewed.

A literary novel, seeking to reveal the internal lives of a group of friends who grew up just after WWII, Barbara Raskin’s ‘Hot Flashes’ concentrates on menopausal feminist Jewish women in the USA. As such, it lacked some appeal for me. At the time of its initial publication, it was a NYT bestseller. But time […]

Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

Almost there! The end of another intense week. The MS now stands at 86,671 words, which is a reduction of 5,316 on last week’s total. All that has now been edited. I’m awaiting the verdict from the beta read, which I should have in final form in the next couple of days. Then, after […]

Searching for the Right Words? Tip #39

This is the penultimate post in the series that aims to help authors express the full meaning and emotional content of their fiction. However, I intend to start a new series, again to do with word choice, and will begin that after the last post in this series. Keep an eye out for it. […]

Searching for the Right Words? Tip #38

This series, now reaching its natural close, aims to help authors express the full meaning and emotional content of their fiction. As writers, we seek to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror, inflame their passions. This set of posts examines how we can influence mood, […]

Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

Another week gone, and the MS stands at 91,987 words, which is a cut of 4340 from last week’s total. It’ll reduce a little further as the rest of the piece is edited. I’ve now edited 64,687 words, which is an increase of 30,902 on last week. And my beta reader’s dealt with 45,469 […]

Searching for the Right Words? Tip #37

This series aims to help authors express the full meaning and emotional content of their fiction. As writers, we seek to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror, inflame their passions. This set of posts examines how we might influence mood, illustrating how word choice and […]