The Cunning Man, by John Yeoman, Reviewed.

This ‘fictorial’ as the author calls it, should start a trend amongst authors with a desire to help other writers improve their craft. That is precisely what John Yeoman does in this collection of historical mystery stories. He tells a tale and inserts footnote links in the text, these lead to the footnotes, which explain what the writing sample has done, and how. It’s a fascinating and extremely useful tool for those wanting to become better writers of fiction.

The stories? Well, John Yeoman is an author with a very long history of writing both fiction and nonfiction. He’s a teacher and mentor who runs an excellent blog and he knows what he’s doing. These are great stories: amusing, full of historical detail, populated by characters with whom you can empathise and posing mysteries that will keep even the most jaded of readers hooked until the end.

Best read on a Kindle, as that will allow the links to work exactly as planned, but readable on any eReader you choose. I read my copy on an iPad and found the read a great experience.

This innovation, using great stories to illustrate writing practise and inform the editing process, is a great idea, and one I expect to be copied many times. If you love historical mystery, enjoy it as a reader. If you’re a writer seeking advice and inspiration, then read it with those aims in mind. You won’t be disappointed, whatever motivates you to read this one.

Writing and Running for ME/CFS No.14

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.

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.

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.

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

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).

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Let’s Get Digital, by David Gaughran, Reviewed.

A book I bought as part of a package for indie authors. I’m glad I did. So far, and this is the second in the pack of three, it has been a thoroughly worthwhile investment in terms of time and money. In fact, I would happily have paid significantly more for these books.

This volume is very much about the nuts and bolts of indie publishing. There is a good deal of history and background, which it is tempting to skip. Don’t: you’ll miss out on some very useful information. There are sections on the craft of putting a book out there as an indie author, and sections on why you should do this.

It’s a real eye-opener; giving background to the now fast-decaying idea that self-publishing is naff, or for those who can’t get a ‘real’ publisher, or is a route to poor quality. Self-publishing has been accused of all these things and, in the recent past, there has been some justification for this. However, bear in mind that Thackeray, Dickens and Johnson all self-published. And, these days, many well-known mainstream authors are turning to self-publishing simply because it gives them complete control over their books and invariably leads to much higher returns than those made with traditional publishers. I exclude small independent publishers from this description: many of them do a very good job indeed.

Ever since the bean-counters overtook the running of the now corporate structures that play, badly, at publishing, the author has been viewed as a necessary evil by most of them. Instead of seeing the creators of their books as an asset, these ‘bottom line’ merchants consider most authors a distraction from the making of money.

Self-publishing is a route to real success for a growing number of writers. But if you’re wondering whether it’s for you, read this book first. It will smooth out a lot of the kinks you might otherwise encounter and it will guide you through the process in easy steps.

There is a wealth of information within these pages (screens) and the appendix alone is worth the price of the book; the resources section is invaluable. Easy to read, easy to absorb. I fully recommend it to any writer considering self-publishing, and even for those who have already started along the path.

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