Stuart Aken's Blog, page 225

#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 9

The theme for today is, 'Favourite book about a bookshop'. No contest for me. Helene Hanff's 84 Charring Cross Road is the obvious answer. A brilliant evocation of the bookshop and its characters, spanning the Pond and bringing life to its era. A lovely, feel-good book, which I enjoyed immensely. If you haven't read it, go get a copy, borrow one, but read it. Gentle humour, emotional engagement, and a social message well expressed.
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 8

The theme for day 8 is, 'Best bookshop find'. Difficult for a true reader. I mean, where do you start?

I've bought hundreds, possibly thousands, of books during my life so far. How to select the best ever from a bookshop? That means leaving out dozens and dozens of really good books, potentially giving the impression they weren't up to scratch, simply by their exclusion. But a choice must be made.

Mine would therefore be Dorothea Brande's excellent work, Becoming a Writer.

Why this book out of all those I've bought and read?

Whenever I'm asked to give advice to would-be writers, I always suggest that they read this book BEFORE they put pen to paper. And I do this because so many wannabes really shouldn't be trying to write. Too many have poor English skills and many more simply see it, erroneously, as a way to make a quick fortune. It isn't: The average income from writing for an author in the UK is less than £1000 per year. Yes, you read that correctly. Less than £1000 per year. And that average includes such best-selling authors as J.K. Rowling. Imagine how that skews the figures and means that most writers actually earn significantly less than the wonderful £1000.

Dorothea Brande's book sets exercises designed to let the reader see whether the life of the writer is actually the right life. She uses a great deal of common sense and the accumulated knowledge from teaching would-be writers to explain what being a writer really means.

For those who do her exercises and discover they can develop the discipline and application required, her book is a constant encouragement to do well. I first picked this up in a bookshop in the mid 1980s, when the book had been reprinted after a number of years of unavailability. I pounced on it the moment I saw it, as I had read a borrowed version some years earlier.
So, that's my choice for today. Do you have one?
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 7

Today, the theme is 'Last book I bought in a bookshop'. Oops! I have to admit that it's a while since I bought a book in a bookshop. There are a number of reasons for this. I've tended to avoid buying books recently, as I have a reading list around 150 titles long, and those books are on my shelves! I agreed with my long-suffering wife that I would read most of these before I bought any more. But, of course, I'm a writer and therefore a reader, so I've been either buying ebooks to go on my iPad, or reading free classics on the same device. Bit of a cheat, I know, but all readers will understand that.

Anyway, to the theme. The last book I bought at a book shop was at a writer's book-signing. It was Penny Grubb's excellent crime thriller, 'Like False Money'.

Now I've exposed my shame, I suppose I'd better go and buy a book on the day this promotion is supporting. What will it be, I wonder...?

Don't forget to stay involved by visiting the site, Books Are My Bag.com via this link. And, when you tweet, use the #tag #bookadayUK.
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Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? Tips on Word Choice #5

Be Happy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Certain words/phrases can induce fairly specific responses in readers. As writers, we all know this, but do we use the power of emotion in our work?
For the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at something subjective: how to choose between emotional and intellectual words for effect.
In this series I’m looking at the difference between words that seem intellectual as opposed to those that invoke a more emotional response. How you use them is obviously up to you. The point is that the alternatives have the same, or very similar, meanings, but their effect upon the reader can be markedly different. I’ve made some suggestions here, but I’m sure you can think of others.
Intellectual: AllowEmotional: Let
Never allow your prejudice to blind you to the potential in others. (intellectual – a call to reason)Don’t let the bastards grind you down. (emotional – a plea to the more basic instincts)
Intellectual: DiscernEmotional: See
Gervaise was convinced he could discern signs of fakery in the item on display. (intellectual – removed from emotional response)‘I don’t know why you can’t see how upset I am!’ (emotional – a cry to the heart)
Intellectual: PleasedEmotional: Happy
Peter was pleased when Jenny agreed to sign the contract. (intellectual – illustrating a professional relationship)
Jenny was so happy when Peter proposed to her. (emotional – of course!)Related articles Facial Expression Recognition Helps Boost Compassion: Is Emotional Intelligence More Important Than IQ? Kicking Your Characters into High Gear What's the Difference Between Emotional and Intellectual Maturity? Video Blog

#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 6

Today's theme for the Books Are My Bag bookshop promotion, is the 'first book I bought in a bookshop'. Two things strike me about this one. The first is that bookshops were the ONLY place you could buy a book when I started out on my long career as a reader. It's only relatively recently that other options arrived. The second is that I can't possibly remember the first one: it was centuries ago! However, (for those of you of the grammar police that object to this sentence's opening, click on this link), I can recall the first purchase I can remember. It was Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence. I bought the Penguin Classics edition when I was about 18. Very formative to a teenager, I can tell you! I no longer have the book: when I divorced from my first wife, she insisted on taking half our books, though almost all of them were, in fact, mine. For practical reasons, I couldn't take them all anyway. That first book was lost in the process of separation and moving out.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #2

Returning from Friday's running session.This week’s update on progress.
The running continues to the training programme. This week I did a 20 minute brisk walk on Tuesday. A running session on Friday, consisted of running for 4 minutes and walking for 2 minute, repeated 3 times, so a total of 12 minutes running. And today I took a 3 mile walk over 50 minutes with my wife, in place of the required ‘30 minute easy walk’. The training plan I’m following is intended to prepare someone who isn’t very fit for a twenty minute running session at the end of 8 weeks. I’ve just completed the first 4 weeks, and I’m managing to keep to the programme, or to exceed it, so all going well so far.
The writing of the ME/CFS book hasn’t gone far yet  - I’ve been working on some appendices to go into the back of book 3 of the epic fantasy trilogy. My publisher wants to publish Convergence: A Seared Sky in time for Xmas, so I need to ensure it’s absolutely ready for him. And I decided I would include all the myths and legends that form the basis for the actual story as appendices in the final volume. It’s one of those jobs that you feel should be straightforward, until you start on it. Then you discover there are more than you remembered, names have changed during the writing, and some changes to format need doing. But it’s all great for me, as I enjoy the writing.

However, on the ME/CFS book front, I’ve resurrected the files of the diaries I kept during the period of illness. They’re a bit patchy, but they contain details I’d forgotten, so will be a useful resource when I start the actual writing.Related articles Apologies for Absence, And a 5 Star Review! Joinings: A Seared Sky. Couldn't put it down The Full Reveal and 5 Stars Romancing the Fantasy - Stuart Aken Partings; A Seared Sky Now Available on Amazon

#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 5

Today's theme is 'Favourite cinema/film reference in literature.' Since I can't think of a single instance of this in anything I've read, I can hardly have a 'favourite'. Loads of references the other way round: let's face it, many very popular films have their roots in literature. But literature that references film? Not something I've come across. I'm sure someone will enlighten me. It may even be that I've read such a thing without recognising the references. Film, for me, is generally something I use for entertainment. Not a 'buff', I enjoy the lighter side by and large, though I have watched some pretty strong drama. So, there you have it. For me, a non-event in the programme. But I imagine that's my loss.
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 4

Today's event asks participants to present a book with a beautiful spine. Appearance and content are
inextricably linked in the minds of most readers. One book with a beautiful spine? I must have read hundreds. And then there are all those ancient tomes I've perused on the shelves of crumbling stately homes. How to select a single volume, and display it here? Well, it clearly has to be a book from my own shelves. Most of these are relatively modern. And, scanning my shelves, seeking out those spines that make me tingle (sorry for the pun) I recollect that I went through a period when I removed the dust covers from most of my hardbacks. That means a lot of the good 'uns have now vanished into the paper recycling bin of history. Which leaves me with a rather smaller selection from which to choose.
But I can't select a single book. I find a group, whittle that selection down to a handful and then further reduce to a few. Here they are. Please forgive the inclusion of my own book here: I didn't design the cover, my publisher put it out to a brilliant cover designer. As for the rest, I think they speak for themselves.
Don't forget, if you want to get involved as reader or writer, or both, here's the link to the website.
And don't forget to use the #tag, #bookadayuk for any tweets you send out there. Let's get support going for our high street bookshops, eh?
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 3

Cover of The Satanic VersesToday's 'event' involves naming a book you love from one of the Cheltenham festival authors (to discover who they are, click this link). For me, it will have to be Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. Yes, I actually read the book, not simply bought it for the kudos. Once you've read this volume you realise the real reason why he was subject to a fatwah.
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 2

Today's 'event' is to name your favourite fictional dog. I can't recall a fictional dog in any recent
reading, to be honest. So, for this particular 'event' I'll have to nominate my own fictional pooch: Shaulah, who appears in my fantasy trilogy, A Seared Sky, in all 3 books, Joinings, Parting, and  the yet to be published, Convergence. She's a working dog, acting as Okkyntalah's aid as he goes about hunting for food.

If you'd like to get involved, please visit Books Are My Bag by clicking this link.

And don't forget to use the hashtag, #bookadayuk when you tweet.

Readers and writers unite to save the high street bookshop!
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