How many characters should a book have? While some set down rules about how many primary and secondary characters you have, few books really adhere to this rule. Some very big sellers have enormous casts of characters. Ken Follett, Edward Rutherford and other writers of similar epics spring to mind. JK Rowling is another, try listing all the primary and secondary characters from Harry Potter and you might be surprised. Continue reading “How Many Characters is Too Many?”
Category: About Writing
Writing advice and tips
The Language of Politics: When Sh*t Doesn’t Stick (The Corybn Election Earthquake)
Let me start with a disclaimer: I am not a Labour member, supporter or voter. I have not voted Labour in a General Election since 1997 when Tony Blair came to power. Most elections, I have flitted between Lib-Dem and Green; this year I became a member of the Green Party of England and Wales but feel a Lib-Dem at heart. Continue reading “The Language of Politics: When Sh*t Doesn’t Stick (The Corybn Election Earthquake)”
Wrong Word Wednesday #72
I used to do these every week, but now I do them when I have to stop and think about whether I am using the right word or see people using them interchangeably or using one when they mean the other. This is one that made me pause for thought because I’m sure I’ve used it interchangeably too. Continue reading “Wrong Word Wednesday #72”
Post on ILPPS regarding the Refugee Crisis
I’ve resurrected my science blog Illuminati, Lizard People & Pharma Shills with a post about the refugee crisis and how the media (especially social media) is twisting and distorting two separate elements. Please read the thread here.
Thanks everyone.
Figurative Speech: Oxymorons
Oxymorons – they can be amusing or ironic, or they can give you a headache as you try to get your head around them. We use oxymorons all the time. They are terms that make sense initially, but appear to present a contradiction by fusing together two different and opposing words or terms. Continue reading “Figurative Speech: Oxymorons”
On Learning American English (My Dubious Claim to Being Bilingual).
A very good friend of mine has been in the US for just over a year. Similar to some of the musings on the differences between AME and BE I’ve written about recently, here’s a great analysis from somebody who is living it.
There are some elusive skills that you can obtain in life that will make you the envy of all of your fellow humans. Being visible to the wait staff in a restaurant when you want to settle your bill is chief among these but
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Using Content Marketing Tactics to Write a Killer Dating Profile (Yes, Really!)
You probably wonder precisely what content marketing and writing a great dating profile have in common, but this week a friend asked me to review her profile to improve the quality and quantity of the men who contact her. This was not the first time I had rewritten somebody’s dating profile, and I don’t think it was the first time I rewrote hers, but it occurred to me that there are similarities between web content marketing and writing a good dating profile. Continue reading “Using Content Marketing Tactics to Write a Killer Dating Profile (Yes, Really!)”
Words With Different Meanings (US vs UK): Cider Edition
A bit of a follow up from a previous post here. As a west country lad, it is pretty much expected of me to like cider. I freely admit to this being a recent addition to my alcohol tastes. I have friends in Bristol, lived in Devon for five years and my girlfriend lives in Cornwall. It’s only a surprise that it took so long for me to acquire the taste of fermented apple juice (sparking or otherwise). Summer days like this are perfect for sitting in the garden or on the harbour enjoying the sea breeze sweep over you, cooling the sweat. What better way to enjoy a good cider? Continue reading “Words With Different Meanings (US vs UK): Cider Edition”
Using all of your senses 3 – Smell and Taste
Smells and the description of odours can be used to good effect in fiction writing and similarly to sound, can invoke a wide range of emotions. The smell of fresh bread baking can invoke childhood memories of a much-loved grandparent, or it can emphasise that the character is in a supermarket. Continue reading “Using all of your senses 3 – Smell and Taste”
Words With Different Meanings (US vs UK)
(Depending on where you live in the world and which version of English you speak).
I went to an Asian pre-wedding party on Saturday night. The person getting married is the best friend of my brother. But hold it there for a moment. When I used the word “Asian” what did you assume I meant? Which part of the world did you presume the ancestry of most of the attendees was? Continue reading “Words With Different Meanings (US vs UK)”