Stuart Aken's Blog, page 200
February 2, 2016
Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 32
We writers tend to enjoy sharing ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Completely filled: When something has been filled, it is full, so ‘completely’ is redundant. e.g. She blew up the beach ball until it was completely […]
February 1, 2016
False Starts and a Solution?
How many times should you start a writing project? Odd question? Well, I normally have my books ready in my mind, that is, I know where I want to end up even if I don’t know the route, long before I place a single word on paper (for which, read ‘screen’, since I compose at […]
January 29, 2016
Name a Character in my New Novel.
Characters are fundamental to my stories, as readers will know. I’m in the initial stages of writing a new science fiction novel, set on Mars. For a while, I’ve been beset by a mysterious barrier to getting on with the story. Lots of preparation, research, and reading round essential topics of interest. And I have […]
Quick Reminder that the Writing Table is Updated
The promised note to those interested to let you know the Writing Contests Table has been updated.Filed under: Author, Creative Writer, Prizes Tagged: News, Writers Resources
January 28, 2016
Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 31.
Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing common redundancies and flabby expressions. Completely engulfed: When something is engulfed, it’s completely enclosed in whatever is engulfing it, so ‘completely’ is a tautology. e.g. The flames completely engulfed the high rise building. Try: […]
January 27, 2016
Whistles After Dark, by April Taylor, Reviewed.
This novella introduces amateur sleuth, Georgia Pattinson, early music soprano and a lady with guts. Sound a little specialist? Not a bit of it. Whilst there are references and interesting details relating to both her skill and the musical world she inhabits, this isn’t one of those elitist books that allows a special interest to […]
January 26, 2016
Amazon: a Solution to the Review Problem?
Perhaps, Amazon can be persuaded to do something positive for authors who provide it with a living? The company currently has a policy preventing honest reviews from writers giving opinions on the books of other writers they may know. The whole policy is a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. It’s intended to prevent dishonest reviews […]
Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 30.
Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing common redundancies and flabby expressions Completely eliminate: To eliminate is to remove entirely, so ‘completely’ is superfluous. e.g. If you want your dog to really love you, completely eliminate all competition for your attention. […]
January 22, 2016
The Mother Tongue, by Bill Bryson, Reviewed.
Subtitled, ‘English and How it Got That Way’, this is typical Bryson wit and erudition at his best. I confess, I was tempted initially to disagree with some of his numbers on the speaking of English, but a quick gander at Google soon put me right on that issue. The book is divided into 16 […]
Writing Contests and First Names, 2 Free Listings.
Here’s the weekly post to alert users of updates to the Writing Contests Table on my Writer Resources page. This one has been quite extensive, so have a look and get your entries in. Think of all that cash from your writing, not to mention the kudos of adding, ‘Winner of such and such a […]
