Stuart Aken's Blog, page 288

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Deism

Deism: noun - a doctrine or belief employed by deists; a belief in acreator God who doesn't intervene in the universe; natural religion.
'As an adherent of deism,Ruth considered the world a place of wondrous divine creation in which her fatewas neither predetermined nor governed in any other way by her God.'
Pic: A summer sky.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Sensual or sensuous?

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Sensual or sensuous? Sensual: adjective- concerning the senses or sensation, sensory; depending only on the senses andnot the spirit or intellect; appealing to or involving appetites or desires;carnal, fleshly, lewd, depraved; immersed in material or temporal mattersrather than intellectual and spiritual interests; worldly; excessively devotedto physical pleasure or gratification of the senses; self-indulgent sexually, orwith food and drink.
Sensuous: adjective- concerning the senses or sensation; derived from or affecting the senses; affectingthe senses aesthetically rather than sensually; readily affected by the senses,keenly responsive to the pleasures of sensation.
Traditionally, the distinction between 'sensuous'and 'sensual' makes 'sensuous' a more neutral term with the meaning of 'concerningthe senses rather than the intellect', while 'sensual' relates to gratificationof the senses, especially those of a sexual nature.
Although the words, like so many of thesedifficult pairings, are more or less interchangeable, general usage suggeststhat 'sensual' be used for sexual or erotic matters, and 'sensuous' be employedmore neutrally for those things that provide pleasurable sensations of a moregeneral sort.
'Eileen, a sensual creature,who loved the feel of other skin on her own, was always seeking a mate withwhom she could experience all the wonders of sex.'
'George blamed the size ofhis belly and the girth of his waist entirely on the sensuous pleasures ofeating foods that filled his palate with delight and treated his mouth to manyvaried textures and tastes.'

Mementoes of Mai, by Helmy Kusuma, Reviewed.

Written by a writer for whom English is not hisfirst language, this novelette reads rather like a piece of autobiography.Although Helmy is writing in a language which is not his native tongue, he hasa better grasp of idiom, grammar, spelling and sentence structure than a lot ofindie authors who claim English as their mother tongue. That's not to say thereare no errors; there are slips in tense, structure and word order. There areoccasional odd characters (textual rather than fictional) scattered amongst thewords, suggesting that the conversion from a PC document to the format neededfor an ebook has not been totally successful. But I'm nit-picking. The storyhas a charm and innocence about it that drove me to finish the book in spite ofits slight deficiencies. It is a coming of age tale, a story of personalenlightenment and epiphany. Some of the language borders on the poetic andHelmy paints word pictures that are both evocative and instructive. I feel I nowknow a great deal more about his homeland and those places he visits in the pursuanceof his dream, and, more importantly, my wish to visit these places has grownstronger.The philosophical asides chime well with thenarrative and rarely come across as author intrusion, since they seem to comenaturally from the mouth of the viewpoint narrator. I enjoyed this story. It is a good book in searchof an English speaking editor to make it into a very good book. But, even as itstands, I can recommend it as a gentle and feelgood read.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Cable

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Cable: noun - a thick and strong rope made from hemp or wire; in nauticalusage – a strong rope attached to an anchor; a cable length is 200 yards; alength of insulated wire or wires, sheathed in protective casing, used to carryelectric signals and/or electric power; a cablegram; cable TV; system oftransmitting television signals by cable.
'Mick received a cablethat suggested he remove the cable TV he'd illegally installed in his house byfeeding a cable through to his own set from his neighbour's receiver.'

19 September 1911 One ofmy writing heroes, William Golding was born.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Regrettably or regretfully?

Regrettably or regretfully? Regrettably: adjective - undesirable, unwelcome, deserving censure; something deservingor worthy of regret.
Regretfully: adjective - Feeling or showing regret.
Something that is 'regrettable' is somethingundesirable or unfortunate. If, on the other hand, someone is'regretful', they are full of regret and wish they had not done or said whateverinitiated the regret.
So:
'Nancy's overindulgence in alcohol, whichcaused her to perform a spectacular striptease on the top table at her sister'swedding, was regrettable, especially since the groom posted a video of theevent on Youtube.'
'Nancy was regretful that she'd allowed toomuch alcohol to influence her into performing a humiliating strip before allthe guests at her sister's wedding, especially when the groom, who she wastrying to impress, exposed her to the world by posting a video online.'
Pic: The sea front at Staithes, North Yorkshire.

Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story

Reading A Writer'sMind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished StoryLaunch Offer: 99c /86p
S.A. Linda Acaster isa writer whose name long-standing readers of this blog will recognise for thediverse range of her fiction. But she has another life…

L.A. Ho-ho… I have several actually, but this one began manyyears ago when I was better known for my short fiction. A creative writingtutor at a local Adult Education establishment asked if I'd mind stepping in whileshe visited her sister in Australia.The gig was two hours a week for five weeks.
Those five weeks turned into three years, and along the way Ifound I laid bare the mechanics of my own creative process. A stint with a distancelearning college tutoring creative writing courses honed my explanatory skillson the page, and a host of how-to articles on the techniques of writing fictionfollowed in the writing press both in the UK and the USA. It is thisexperience that has been distilled into ReadingA Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story.
I've never been a writer who wrote in one style, in onegenre, using one method of delivery, and this became key to the format of thebook. Taking ten stories, I lead the reader from the initial idea trigger, throughthe story itself, to an in-depth commentary covering the options considered andthe decisions made during the writing. The stories were chosen to highlightparticular techniques within a specific genre, for instance:
* Lyrical narrative v terse dialogue; using tone as adescriptive tool (Mainstream) * A calendar structure using the Tell technique (Women'sFiction)* Working with parallel storylines via past and presenttense (SF)
There are suggestions for experimenting with each set oftechniques discussed, and the book wraps up with a section on common editingconcerns. Like this blogpost, I use an accessible, chatty style and pull nopunches about rewrites and the problems I faced. I aim for my experience tofeed into your fiction.
Other books focusing on aspects of writing fiction are inthe pipeline, each under the banner ReadingA Writer's Mind.
For the rest of September Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought toFinished Story is on a launch offer:
Kindle UK –86pKindle US –99cSmashwordsfor I-Pad, Nook, Sony, Kindle, etc, use the 66% discount code BN46H at checkout.
For more information on all Linda Acaster's work:blog: http://lindaacaster.blogspot.comwebsite: http://www.lindaacaster.comhttp://twitter.com/#!/lindaacaster

For my review of this excellent volume see http://stuartaken.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-of-reading-writers-mind.html  It's just a short scroll down this page!

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Backbite

Backbite: verb - speak ill of someone or slanderthem behind their back.
'Janice was full ofgossip; not the everyday sort that does no harm: instead, she would backbiteabout all and sundry, never caring what damage her lies and slanders might doto the reputations of people who were supposed to be friends.'
17 Sep 2011 - Great NorthRun takes place up in the north east of England. Great charity event inspiring effort from folk who often wouldn't normally run.
Pic: A Spring landscape just a few minutes from my front door.

Review of 'Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story' by Linda Acaster.

Writing manuals come in many guises. Linda Acaster's 'ReadingA Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story', ifyou'll forgive the reference, does what it says on the tin. If you're a reader, you'll find this book worthwhile andentertaining simply for the stories it presents for examination by writers. Thefiction is varied in genre and style but consistent in its good quality. Eventhe stories specifically written for the 'women's fiction market' are wellstructured and populated by rounded characters who will be familiar to mostreaders.If you're a writer, this is a book that will help developyour short fiction. The sample stories illustrate the author's points perfectlyas she explains her reasons for the various selections a writer must make as apiece of short fiction is constructed. Here you'll find advice on character formingand building, plot structure, language choice, viewpoint selection and muchmore. Linda introduces each story, and then presents it for reading in full.She follows this with an explanation of the processes she used in theconstruction.  Finally, she sets thereader an exercise in order to consolidate and fully bed in the lesson of thesection. Most writers are resistant to exercises: I certainly am.However, as with the excellent suggestions made by Dorothea Brande in her'Becoming a Writer', Linda's practice pieces are designed to make the reader abetter writer and will pay dividends to those who attempt them.I'm not a lover of writing manuals, but I place this onealongside the excellent Dorothea Brande's book, already mentioned, and StephenKing's 'On Writing', both of which have been formative in my writing. Linda Acaster's concise but comprehensive work onapproaching short fiction now has a permanent place in my library and I shallreturn to it each time I begin a new short story, in the hope that I canimprove on my skills and reach the market I am aiming at.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Abduct

Abduct: verb - lead away or take a person byillegal force;
'Many of the world's moreextreme groups, along with the most selfish and grasping of criminals, abductindividuals as a means of either gaining funds or promoting their indefensiblecauses.'

Pic: Sunflowers near Sissi, Crete: brightness to illuminate a dark definition.

Author, William Horwood, Interviewed.

 Hello William, please tell us about you, as a writer.
67 years old, 5'11", 18 novels published since 1980
Your latest book AWAKENING is an adult fantasynovel. Perhaps you'd you give us some             insightinto it in a few sentences?
Awakening, adult fantasy fiction. This is the second in aquartet of books about the Hyddenworld, a parallel universe of little peopleThe overall story arc is how some hydden and human heroes combine to save theuniverse from destruction caused by human abuse of the Earth. (SA – This was published by PanMacmillan on 5thAugust 2011)
How did you come towrite this particular book?
I had the idea a decade ago while driving along a motorway andimagining that little people (hydden) lived on the verges. I sold it toPanMacmillan.
Do you have a favouritecharacter from the book? If so, who and why this particular one?
Yes, Bedwyn Stort, a scholarly hydden. He's a true hero, meaninghe doesn't know he is.
Where can people buyyour books?
In book-stores or as an e-book. (SA, see William'sauthor page on Amazon UK – orin USA )
What qualities does awriter need to be successful?
Persistence, a reading habit, abilty to work alone.
What's your workingmethod?
2000 words a day, then revise previous words. I rarely achieveit, but that target means that the books get written.
What's the singlebiggest mistake made by beginner writers?
Two connected ones: crazy belief that what they're doing isREALLY important and an inability to ruthlessly self edit. The quickest cure isto read what you've written aloud into a tape recorder, and listen to it. Trustme, you'll soon hear the errors of your ways and appreciate you are notShakespeare or Chekhov.
To what extent aregrammar and spelling important in writing?
Important. Especially now books are so badly copy-edited bypublishers.
How much do you reviseyour MS before sending it off?
Hugely.
As awriter of fantasy fiction to what extent do you think genre is useful in thepublishing world?
The only thing useful in the publishing world is what givesreaders pleasure and sells well enough to be worth repeating.
Manyauthors see marketing as a bind. What's your opinion on this, and how do youdeal with it?
Marketing is vital. Study it. Even more so now that selfmarketing is possible via the internet. We are less in the hands of thepublishers than we were so it's gotten easier.
What sort ofdisplacement activities keep you from writing?
Everything you can think of and more. When, during the writingday, I get a sudden conviction that I MUST do something other than writing, Iknow it's displacement. Too often I do it anyway.
Whatsupport, if any, do you receive from family and friends, writing group, ordedicated professionals?
A lot from a very, very few. The rest simply do not understand.
Is presentation of theMS as important as agents and publishers suggest?
Yes.
How long does it takeyou to write a novel?
About 14 months. Quickest was 31 days; longest 4 years.
Who or what inspiresyour writing?
Many other novelists, films and a desire to share my vision withothers.
If there's a singleaspect of writing you find frustrating, what is it?
Wish I could work faster.
Is there a particularfeature of writing that you really enjoy?
Field research and writing the last chapters of a book.
Do you believe creativewriting is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
Both. People with no talent get published and make money; peoplewith loads often never do.
What are you writingnow?
The third novel in the Hyddenworld Quartet.
Do you have a website orblog where readers can visit?
http://www.williamhorwood.co.uk/index.php
Given unlimitedresources, where would you do your writing?
In an airy, summery room with instant access to a hamam,swimming pool, boule ground, my partner, a great kitchen, wonderfulingredients, a top restaurant, and a deserted beach.
Where do you actuallywrite?
In my living room.