Stuart Aken

Sunday 30 August 2015

THE VERY LAST POST

This is the last post on this blog.

From today, all new posts will appear only in my new website at http://stuartaken.net/ Please join me there.

I would like to thank all my readers for their support here on Blogger over the past few years, I really appreciate it.

So, why am I giving up this blog? Well, for one thing, as a free blog (thank you Google, for your support) it's open to the whims and fancies of its owners and controllers.

Also, as a free blog, it has no real facility as a website.

I've migrated to a hosted site on Wordpress, where I have much more control over the style and content, where I can present my content in exactly the way I want it.

Please do join me there. You'll find it easier to comment as well, should you be so inclined.

Once again, thank you all for your valuable support here on Blogger. To those who don't wish to follow me into the new venture, I'm sorry to lose you. To those of you who click on the link above and join me on the new site, 'Welcome' and enjoy the read!

Tuesday 3 March 2015

The Last Post

This is the last post on this blog.

From today, all new posts will appear only in my new website at http://stuartaken.net/ Please join me there.

Also, as a free blog, it has no real facility as a website.

I've migrated to a hosted site on Wordpress, where I have much more control over the style and content, where I can present my content in exactly the way I want it.

Please do join me there. You'll find it easier to comment as well, should you be so inclined.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? Tips on Word Choice #20

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint (left to right) at the world premiere of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 in London, England (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 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: Intelligent

Emotional: Bright

‘Hermione Granger is one of most intelligent students, combining a retentive memory with a thorough understanding of the rules of magic.’

‘Oh, come on, Hermione; you’re a very bright witch!’

Intellectual: Superior To

Emotional: Better Than

‘There is no doubt in the minds of the establishment that children educated in fee-paying schools are superior to those who attend state schools.’

‘You might like to think you’re better than me, mate, but the evidence is that you’re simply more educated in those things that have no real connection to ordinary life.’

Intellectual: Courageous

Emotional: Brave

‘Sir Humphrey considered Jim Hacker’s decision to tell his constituents the truth to be courageous, which translated into “foolish”.’

‘How brave of Emily Parker to fight her cancer in public.’

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Running and Writing for ME/CFS #17

Writing and Running:

Everything’s been on hold whilst we set up in the new home. But, we’re on top of the most urgent aspects now and things are starting to return to normal.

Due to the heavy manual work I’ve been involved in during the past 2 weeks, I’ve ditched my old training plan for the running and instituted a new one, which means a 10 minute run on Thursday, and then 3 runs a week to build distance and stamina.

Not even looked at the book since the move. But that will also change now that my study is up and running, all the shelves put up and the rest of my working paraphernalia in place.

So, bear with me. The usual Sunday report should return this weekend. I’m still waiting to see whether my application for a place in my chosen race has been accepted: should hear some time in the next two or three weeks. I’ll then start looking for sponsorship so we can raise some funds for ActionforME and give some help to those who need it.

Thursday 22 January 2015

Buried Deep, by Penny Grubb, Reviewed.

The wonderfully idiosyncratic heroine, Annie Raymond, appears first in Penny Grubb’s detective

novel, Like False Money. Buried Deep is the fifth book in the series, and this well-imagined detective has significantly developed along the way.

This story holds the reader’s interest from the beginning and never lets go. The reader easily understands Annie; her faults making her a believable creation and endearing her to us as she struggles with the difficulties sent her way. In this book, she has to work with the flawed police detective, Webber. He brings his own problems, prejudices, insights and skills to the tale, building the book into something bigger than a simple crime novel.

Penny has a way of wearing the skin of her characters, even the villains, so that the reader cares what happens. But Annie and Webber are the ones we really empathise with, in spite of their faults, or maybe because of them.

The nature of the crimes in this story will disturb some readers, but crime fiction is designed to make people think, to bring the real world into the safe environment of our homes where we can experience it without personal danger.

As always, with this author’s work, there are shocks, moments of unexpected illumination, many twists and turns, and a complex puzzle to solve. And the developing pace of the story engages the reader as both Annie and Webber are led into great danger. The denouement builds slowly at first, then the pace increases with the tension until it becomes impossible to book the book down until it’s finished. And a satisfying finish it is.

Buried Deep is more than just a crime novel. It is a well-written, engaging, absorbing and truly attention-demanding piece of fiction. If you like your crime enlivened with humour, human failings, realism, and intelligence, this book is for you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it.

Friday 2 January 2015

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.