Criticism versus Reviews

Good advice…

Have We Had Help?

What any writer dreads the most are attacks by members of the public, often with an axe to grind…

In days gone by every writer knew that the only individuals who offered opinions about their work were journalists working for leading newspapers, in the guise of literary critics. Back then they encapsulated the essence of a new work of fiction in one line of carefully chosen words taken from the text in question. Never once did their newspaper’s editor allow them to speak harshly against a given work. Instead, they chose to beguile future readers with the use of a single sentence from the book in question as an enticement like the following:

“A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.

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A Breakfast Conundrum

More from Peter…

countingducks

I am at that age when it is possible to look straight past a lady to the vision of culinary excellence before her: in this case a breakfast of two sausages, a poached egg and a modestly displayed collection of baked beans escorted towards taste heaven by two slices of toasted brown bread: all good and marvellous, I am sure you will agree, and accompanied by a small bowl filled with brown sauce.

Like a man bewitched I saw her assemble her first forkload of food, about a fifth of a sausage, dunked in the egg yoke and then placed under a soothing blanket of beans before being carefully inserted into her waiting mouth.

By the third mouthful I was overwhelmed by curiosity and emotion and could not stop myself walking up to her table and saying, “I’m sorry to bother you but don’t you find a small element of…

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Envy is an ugly trait in a writer!!!

Watch out for envy!!!

Have We Had Help?

It has to be said that in the current world of the written word, occasionally good old fashioned green eyed envy rears its ugly head. Along with envy comes jealousy and professional hatred, combined with personal loathing for you when your books sell in their thousands each year. In particular this usually applies to an ‘Indie’ after he or she parted company with his or her former publisher, editor or agent, to strike out on their own. A few of the aforementioned simply cannot stomach the idea that you have succeeded without them.

It is a fact that in the world of the written word, there is still a hell of a lot of professional snobbery. How many independent writers of your acquaintance have ever received a begrudging “well done” from their former trad or small press publishers? I’m betting that its next to none.

Instead, what the vast majority…

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…Ellwyn Autumn – a sensible approach to senses for Authors…

More from unca Seumas

Seumas Gallacher

…here’s a terrific piece from my friend, Authoress, Ellwn Autumn, on how we scribblers can ‘show, not tell‘, through awareness of our five senses… enjoy….

Story Starter: Use The Five Senses To Describe A Scene

   A great way to spice up a piece of writing is to use the five senses to set the scene. It immerses the reader in the story and as the title implies gives them a more sensory experience that is engaging and relatable.

   In the writing world, they constantly tell authors  to “show” not “tell”.  For example, if I were to “tell” about the photograph above I could say: It was a nice day at the park. My statement is accurate and to the point but where’s the panache? Did I engage the reader? Pull them in? Capture their imagination with my words? No, I didn’t.

   However, if I were to…

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A Review

JacquiP

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets you thinking

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Jack’s newest novella certainly makes you think – what if the ancient monuments were not quite what we think they are? What if we started questioning the way things are made, or were used for?
With a slight political slant, it makes for interesting fictional commentary on the world as we know it. Really interesting read, and I can’t wait for more!

 

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Keep the reviews coming folks…

 

Leap years, ill-Fated Years?

More from my Bella friend Stefy…

e-Tinkerbell

2020 is a leap year, but I don’t like that confident about it and do you know why? Because I am Italian and in these latitudes leap years are believed to be bad luck. Of course, there must be a reson that gave origin to this common belief and we have to go back to Roman times to find it .

A year is said to be a leap year, when instead of lasting 365 days, it has one more day, exactly in February, which therefore counts 29 days in all.The reason for this change is to be found in the exact duration of the solar year, that is, the time taken by the Earth to make a complete tour around the sun. History traces the origin of this ancient practice to the time of the Ancient Romans: Julius Caesar in 46 BCalready knew that the calendar year…

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Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – New Book on the Shelves – #Scifi – The Magisters – Book One by Jack Eason

Thanks Sally 😉 xx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Delighted to share the news of Jack Eason’s latest release – The Magisters: Book One.

About the book

The Magisters is a science fiction story with a difference. Apart from chronicling the ultimate change of life for a select few individuals, it questions all accepted ideas by closeminded academics that leave no room for alternative thinking by some among their number. It is also about a woman born ten years after the Romans left Britannia forever and a man born in the twentieth century. Add to that everything that is currently environmentally wrong with our planet today, and you have all the necessary ingredients for an enthralling tale. Now read on…

One of the early reviews for the book

Jan 06, 2020M.J. Mallon rated it Five Stars –  it was amazing

This engaging story makes the reader wonder. What if our ancient monuments were resurrected, what would the outcome…

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