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Sunday 28 December 2014

Writing and Running for ME/CFS No.14

A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph...
A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph Tidemand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Writing:
The book is more or less where it was last week. Why? Many reasons, but mostly because it was Christmas and I had other things to do, people to see, happy times to have. Yes. I was having a break from the general work of writing. The coming week promises to be busy for a number of reasons, but I shall be making a real effort to spend some real time on the book. The house move is approaching, and we're awaiting an actual date, which will inevitably lead to more disruption. But things will settle down eventually, and I'll be able to get on with the job. Patience, they say, is a virtue. And it's a quality I came to understand only too fully whilst suffering with ME/CFS. We will get there.

Running:
This week the programme had me down for 2 ten minute runs and a fifteen minute run. I did the one on Monday, no problem. The next was due for Christmas Day, and I decided it was too cold to risk the wild outdoors, so completed that indoors before the family rose for present opening and the day's celebrations. Saturday was a fifteen minute run. Again, the temperature and icy conditions mitigated against an outdoor run and I ran indoors, wending my way around furniture and up and down the hallway for the full time required. Oddly, the indoor attempts seem to be less taxing than those outdoors. I suspect I take shorter strides when indoors; perhaps that takes less effort. In any case, the training continues on course, regardless of weather.

Saturday 27 December 2014

The Writers’ Toolkit, by Penny Grubb and Danuta Reah, Reviewed.

Interested in the inner workings of commercial fiction? Then this book is for you. The authors, both good commercial writers with that extra talent that separates them from the rest of the field, have produced a book that gets straight to the heart of what makes fiction commercial but also eminently readable.

Their advice is illustrated with samples, given in a clear and easily followed form so that writers can apply their methods to their own writing. Split into seven sections, the book deals with everything from overall structure, through opening sequences and tension building and releasing scenes, to bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. The path is easy to follow and the information given in easily digested bites. Plenty of room for manoeuvre is allowed: this is not a dictatorial piece, but a guide to best practice for the general writer of good commercial fiction.

For readers, it will give insight to the way in which novels are constructed and what goes on in the mind of the writer during the building of the story. For writers, it provides detailed and sensible guidance in the most effective way of constructing a story and delivering it to your readers.


A small but comprehensive and practical ‘how-to’ book that should be on the shelves of all serious writers who want their books read by more than the minority. I shall use it in my future writing and thoroughly recommend it.

Friday 26 December 2014

VAT shocker for Ereader Users in EU.

Read ebooks? Just got one for Christmas, perhaps? Well, you may not know it, but your local MP and
that friendly crowd of MEPs in Europe have got their heads together and imposed new regulations regarding VAT on digital items. The legislation was intended to stop mammoths like Ebay and Amazon taking advantage of low VAT rates in places like Luxemburg, but with the usual attention to detail shown by our political representatives (sic) they neglected to make allowances for small businesses.
For you, as a reader, this means that any digital book you purchase from 1st January 2015 will be more expensive. In some cases, depending on your country of residence, the price could rise by 25%. In UK, the VAT will go up from 3% to 20%, if you buy via Amazon.
So, it might be worth looking for and buying those new books for your Ereader before 1st January checks in.

And, if I might be a bit cheeky, perhaps you'll understand if I alert you to the fact that my own adult epic fantasy trilogy, A Seared Sky, is available at a special price at present, which means you'll make double savings if you buy before 1st January.  Click here to reach that deal
.

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? Tips on Word Choice #16

Green Party of England and Wales
Green Party of England and Wales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sorry for the delay, this should have been posted yesterday, but I was otherwise occupied.

Some 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 these few weeks, I’m looking at something subjective: how to choose between emotional and intellectual words for effect. You won’t always agree with me, of course; you’re writers. But, hopefully, my suggestions will get the thought processes going.

In this series I’m looking at the difference between words that seem intellectual as opposed to those that evoke 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: Beneficial
Emotional: Good For

Voting for the Green Party will be beneficial for your pocket as well as for the planet.

Try on a smile; it’s good for you.

Intellectual: Experiment
Emotional: Test

‘Our experiment in convincing voters that they should continue to support the wealthy and powerful continues to go well. Of course, keeping the silly buggers ignorant and ill-educated has more or less ensured our success in this venture.’

‘Great to see you here. Let me introduce you. This is George, Anna, Fred, who has a crush on all girls, Sarah, Jenny, who’ll do more or less whatever you want, Alf, Georgina, Mary, Peter and Penny; there will be a test later.’

Intellectual: Sufficient
Emotional: Enough

‘We believe there is sufficient evidence to support the majority view that global climate change will become an unstoppable phenomenon unless the political leaders act immediately.’


‘That’s enough! I’m not going to tell you again. If you don’t stop, I’ll smack you!’

Monday 22 December 2014

Writing and Running for ME/CFS No.13

http://fmp.cit.nih.gov/hi/ Title: Coronary art...
http://fmp.cit.nih.gov/hi/ Title: Coronary artery bypass surgery Image ID: 657 B Photographer: Jerry Hecht Restrictions: Public Domain Image Date: 10/1/1981 Slovenščina: Kardiovaskularna kirurgija: koronarni bypass arterije. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Running:
Managed three runs, but one was truncated due to time constraints and travel. Still, managed to fit the regulation 3 in. Read below for the reasons for the shorter effort. Still on track with this. Believe it or not, I'm down to do a 10 minute run on Christmas Day!

Writing:
Been a very busy week for many other things. A visit to my wife's relatives and friends in Washington, (that's the original, not the USA copy), took us away from home for a couple of days. Then a diversion to visit my younger brother in hospital in Middlesborough. He's had a double heart bypass and, as a type 1 diabetic, he is taking longer to recover than most. But he's a tough old bugger, so he's now out of Intensive Care and in the recovery unit. I'm hoping to collect him and get him home to his wife before Xmas, all things being equal.
Still struggling to get some sense out of the buyers of our house so we can organise our move. But they're proving less than helpful. Patience,  it seems, is essential in this one.
My publisher released the last book in my fantasy trilogy, A Seared Sky, so I've been to visit him and sign some of the paperback versions. And, of course, been doing some marketing, especially as he's organised a special deal with all 3 digital versions for the Christmas period.
The truth is that I haven't been able to get to the book at all this week. But it's still there and still in preparation. I intend to do some more work on it once I've finished this post and posted it, in fact.
And, just to make life simpler at this time of stress and effort, a couple of the vital programs on my computer decided to play up this week. I think I've more or less sorted those now, but I'm not convinced!
The current week, of course, is Christmas. So, I'll be a little less busy with writing and associated things. A short spell of relaxation is necessary if I'm not to start dropping back into the ME/CFS: stress is definitely a serious factor in the condition and I refuse to allow it to take over my life again.
So, let's see what this week brings, eh?
Merry Christmas to all.

Sunday 21 December 2014

It’s Out! Book Three of A Seared Sky Hits the Shelves.

For all you fans of fantasy, the third book in my epic fantasy series, A Seared Sky, is now out, completing the trilogy. At present, Convergence is available in digital form only, but the print version will be out soon in the New Year.

So, what is book three, Convergence, about? I assume that you’ll have read, or intend to read, books one and two, as this is a sequential story set over the three books.

Wise woman, Ivdulon, finally discovers how the world is in danger, but knows only young Tumalind, a gifted female mindtalker, has the means to save it.
Dagla Kaz, fanatical High Priest, fights to prevent changes that will undo all his power and prestige, engaging with evil forces to get his way.
Aklon-Dji, fighting to save the future of his islanders, faces war, treachery and violent death to bring justice to his land and security to the woman he loves.
Tumalind, gifted and brave, faces unknown terrors and the peril of utter destruction for herself, as she sends her beloved Okkyntalah into great danger in hope of saving the world from evil.

As a gift for the Christmas period, my publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing, is offering the new book as part of a package of all three in digital form with a substantial discount. Bought separately, they’re £9.27 (already good value for 660,000 words of adventure, excitement and character-driven action), but you can have them for £7.99 as a set, saving you 14%. Just click this link.
And remember, 10% of all proceeds go to charity, funding research into ME/CFS.

To buy book one, Joinings, in digital form, click here. In paperback, click here.
For book two, Partings, clickhere.
And for all three in digital form, either separately or as a bundle, click here.

How to Market a Book, by Joanna Penn, Reviewed.

The third in a package of books on writing in the digital age, this one deals with the nuts and bolts of getting your books to market. That may sound daunting or technical or simply distasteful to many writers. It did to me. We are, after all, artists. We have souls and care about the words we share, the stories we tell, the characters we invent. Surely selling is a dirty world full of shysters, slimy creeps and people bent on separating the gullible from their money for personal gain, isn’t it? Well, it turns out that isn’t actually what it’s about.

The author, a writer of both nonfiction and fiction, explains in great detail, and to great effect, the reality behind the art of selling your books. You are a writer. Writing is communication and entertainment, as well as many other positive things. You have talent, you have imagination, you have knowledge. Are you writing to keep these things to yourself? I hope not. I certainly aren’t. We write to pass on our gifts, knowledge, imagination. But hiding your work in a cupboard or drawer is hardly going to get those words out there, is it?

In reality, marketing a book is passing information to people, readers, who are actively seeking your words. You are providing a service to the very people you wish to reach. They want to know about your books. They want to read your stories. They want to be able to find and buy your output. Are you going to prevent them by being all precious and mistakenly coy about the act of actually selling those works?

If you want to remain in obscurity, keep your efforts hidden from public gaze, hide away from the possibility of having readers actually read your books, then don’t read this book. It will educate and convert you. It will place you on the path to reaching readers. It may even make you see selling your wares as an honourable and desirable part of your craft that you could enjoy!

The book has multiple sections, all of them giving practical advice and some attempting to put right the ill-informed attitude that I and others may possess regarding the marketing of our books. I was one of those who considered himself an artist and unsuited to the world of sales. Mind you, I have a brief and troubled background in that world that undoubtedly tainted my opinion. But that was a different world, a commercially predatory place where the customer was seen as a target for the unscrupulous to cheat and legally rob. Marketing and selling your book does not have to be like that at all. In this field, potential buyers are actively seeking your books. And this book has left me feeling positive, enthusiastic and ‘clean’ about marketing and promoting my own work.


So, if you’re a writer just starting out, uncertainly stepping into the world of words, or a veteran with many titles under your belt, all unsold and under-promoted, this is definitely the book for you. Read it. Act on the advice. And sell your books to people who want to read them. Thoroughly recommended.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? Tips on Word Choice #15

Love Bliss
Love Bliss (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Some 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 these few weeks, I’m looking at something subjective: how to choose between emotional and intellectual words for effect. You won’t always agree with me, of course; you’re writers. But, hopefully, my suggestions will get the thought processes going.

In this series I’m looking at the difference between words that seem intellectual as opposed to those that evoke 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: Contact You
Emotional: Write To You

‘We will contact you in writing to confirm the termination of your employment.’

‘I’ll write to you everyday, so you’ll know where I am and what I’m doing whilst we’re apart.’

Intellectual: Famine
Emotional: Hunger

The likelihood of devastating famine in much of Africa during the coming decades is increased by the effects of Global climate change.

‘I feel such hunger for you, for your body, for your touch, for your utter surrender to my desire.’

Intellectual: Ill
Emotional: Sick

‘The man is ill; that much is obvious. I expect we will have to terminate his employment, since we cannot afford to have idle hands on the payroll.’


‘I’m sick with longing for you. My every waking hour is haunted by my want of you.’

Please Note: regular visitors, I'm currently developing a new blog/website with Wordpress, due to its larger spread and versatility. You'll find it here:  In the not too distant future, I shall probably migrate all my posts to the new site. For now, I'm trying to keep the content similar, until I get used to the new site and have settled into my new home (moving just after Xmas).