Books
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Inspired by Nathan Bransford, who asked the question on his blog. He gets hundreds of comments though and I didn’t feel like getting lost in the cloud. My favourites were:Wuthering Heights by Charlotte BronteThe Dragonlance Chronicles by Tracy Hickman and Margaret WeisJerusalem Fire by R M Meluch I wonder if it’s time for a re-read…
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A few posts ago I promised a comparison of the first series of True Blood and the first novel of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead until Dark. The UK airing of True Blood has now finished and I thought I’d better get on with it before I forgot entirely. The purpose of the comparison…
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Should historical fiction be considered speculative fiction? OK, no, I know. I’m only asking because I want to talk about a novel that isn’t SF, fantasy or horror. The book in question is Slammerkin by Emma Donaghue. It was inspired by a true story about a teenaged servant who murdered her mistress. First of all,…
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It’s been a week and a half into the new job and I’ve read two books! Probably could have done better if I’d chosen easier books, but that’s cheating. This morning, I finished Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, by Kate Wilhelm. This was an interesting read from a style perspective. It was published in…
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Well, it’s been a busy time lately, what with finishing up one job and preparing for the next. One last work-related out of town trip didn’t help either. Tomorrow I start my new job with all that entails and I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine. As I’ll be commuting, I plan to…
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This week I’ve been reading lots and may actually have had a breakthrough on the work-in-progress. Self-editing for Fiction Writers, Rennie Browne and Dave King. This was a really useful book and the sections on inner monologue, sophistication and voice were illuminating. I think in an effort to avoid expository lumps and explaining dialogue or…
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I’ve just started reading The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, by Christopher Vogler. It came quite highly recommended. Like most (if not all) writers, I’ve read a goodly pile of books on how to write. Some of them were more helpful than others and I’ve put a list of the ones I use as…
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Again, a long delay in posting. I’m job hunting again as my current contract finishes at the end of the year. Happily, I’m using working on my novel as displacement activity for finding a job. This weekend I managed to get my act together enough to update my CV and apply for a couple of…
Boudica Marginalia 