What Is Your Greatest Strength as a Writer, and Why?

Brits, in general, are fitted with a built-in crap-o-meter that overrides their personal pride and prevents them blowing their own horns too loudly. Yanks, we’re told, have no such inhibitions. So, as a Brit, I’m going against national stereotyping when I decide to tell you how great I am at…well, at anything at all really. But I have to get the ball rolling, if I’m to get any answers to my question. So, here goes:

I suppose my greatest strength is my ability to sit down at the keyboard, without an idea in my head, and, during an hour or so, come up with the first draft of a short story. Sometimes, of course, these stories come to nothing as they stand but will work after some fiddling. Sometimes, they simply need minor editing. Sometimes they’re completely lost causes and I toss them carelessly into the bin, recognising that at least I’ve learned something along the route to their creation.

As to why this should be the case for me; I’m at a loss to determine. But I can speculate. Let’s face it, most of what a writer of fiction does is speculation, so I should be pretty handy at that as well, I suppose.

I suspect the facility came along after I read Dorothea Brande’s excellent Becoming a Writer and actually engaged with the exercises. One of those is the suggestion that the writer should emerge from sleep a little earlier than usual, go straight to the keyboard (or pen and paper if that’s your modus operandi) and start making marks on screen or said paper. No stopping to read emails, or snail mail, no reading anything at all, no stopping for coffee, fags or any other artificial stimulant (Okay, so you’re addicted and can’t face wakefulness without your fix. Make it quick; have everything ready the night before so you’re not spending any more time than necessary at it). You are, however, allowed a post-sleep visit to the smallest room (no one operates well, creatively, with a full bladder).

Initially, the writing is simply words strung together. Soon it develops into diarist type ruminations relating to the previous day or, perhaps, a dream. But, once you’ve been doing it for a short while (you need to do this every morning for a period determined by your success or failure), you’ll start to tap into the creative aspect of your subconscious. That’s when the magic starts. Your characters come to life even as you name them, the story develops out of your experiences mingled with those themes and ideas that most engage you. And, suddenly, inexplicably, you’re writing a story. At any rate, that’s how it goes for me.

I urge you to try it. But read the book first. There’s more to it than my simple explanation, and a little preparation is also necessary before you embark on this adventure. Also, Dorothea helpfully explains why it’s necessary to do it her way.

Of course, your own particular strength may mean that you have no need of such exercises. You may be brilliant, superbly creative, never short of ideas, always raring to go with some new project. If that’s so, or whatever your strength is as a writer, please share it with us. The comments box is just below and it’s begging you to fill the space: we all know how nature abhors a vacuum.

Next week I’ll look at weaknesses.

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Four Weeks in: How Are You Doing?

Been a funny week for me. As many regulars will know, I’ve suffered from ME/CFS for around 10 years. It’s a weird condition, coming and going, fooling you into believing you’ve recovered when things are going fine for a while, and then returning to bite you on the bum when the stress increases. That happened this week and I had to take the last day of my day job, Friday, off. It drains my batteries and makes everything much harder to do. It also means I have to take more frequent and longer rests in order to recharge those batteries. Today, Tuesday, I’m feeling as though I’m back on the road to recovery, so I hope to be up to normal speed shortly. At any rate, I managed an hour’s ballroom dancing with my wife last night and I’m not suffering too much this morning.

So, what have I managed this 4^th week of the year?

I’ve edited 2 chapters of the fantasy, written a new short story, started another, edited another 2, submitted 2 contest entries and sent 2 stories off to magazines, thereby catching up on last week’s targets. I’ve reviewed my 6^thbook of the year and started reading the 7^th of my target of 52, and written and posted another blog post.

All in all, not bad. I’d have liked to have completed the story I’ve started (maybe today I’ll manage that). I’d like to have done a couple more chapters of the fantasy. But one thing I’ve learned over the last 10 years is that I can do so much and no more. Once I try to exceed the work my batteries will power, I simply become drained and then have to spend more time recovering than I’ve used in producing. In the end, it’s not worth the wasted time and energy. So, I have to pace myself in order to get at least something done. I have a theory, which will shortly be either borne out or shattered, that it’s my day job, the part-time employment, that causes the ME/CFS. I cease that work in late March and retire from the wage-slave arena in early April. We’ll see then just how correct have been my suspicions.

So, that’s me for this first month of the year. How about you? Keeping those resolutions? Reaching your targets? Enjoying what you’re doing?

The pie chart, explained:

'Writing' - initial creation of stories, blog posts, reviews and longer works.

'Editing' - polishing of all written work to make it suitable for readers.

'Research' - discovery of info for story content, market research, contests and blog posts.

'Reading' - books and writing magazines.

'Networking' - emails, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook activity.

'Admin' - story submission, blog posting, marketing, organisation and general admin tasks.

(You’ll note, if you’re a regular visitor, that I’ve substituted ‘Networking’ for ‘Emails’ here; it seemed a more accurate label.)

Share your triumphs and disasters here, so your fellow writers can commiserate, congratulate or simply empathise.

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The Good Guy, by Dean Koontz, Reviewed.

Wow! This book held my attention from the first page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Only the necessities of daily life intruded to make me read it in instalments.

Exciting, moving, sensitive, sometimes violent, thought-provoking and carrying a love story that explains the amazing action of the main protagonists, this is a thriller with heart. I generally don’t much like thrillers; they often lack character development and rely too much on action. This is an exception. Mind you, having read previous books by Koontz, I was unsurprised at the depth of character in all the players in this tale of murder, conspiracy and action. The political manipulation, the suggestion of some controlling force beyond the obvious, the arrogance of the chief antagonist and the quiet confidence and credible fear of the two major protagonists gifts the story with more depth than is usual in the genre.

I’m not going to attempt to synopsise the plot; it would be a pointless exercise and would provide a less than adequate explanation of the story. Suffice it to say that we are in contemporary USA, with all the bluster, hype, overblown confidence and mad over-consumption familiar to those of us in the West but not of the States.

Of course, there’s action that borders on the incredible; this is a thriller. But Koontz has a way of persuading the reader to extend his suspension of disbelief just enough to go with the tale. Because the book is so well written, the language so apposite yet poetic, the characters so beautifully drawn, the reader is willing to accept certain aspects of the story that would become a hindrance in the hands of an inferior writer.

As the tale comes to its climax and the denouement builds, the tension is so palpable that the reader speeds through the pages, hoping for an ending that will satisfy all aspects of the story without leaving a taste of either sourness or disappointment. That the final pages tie up the necessary loose ends and manage to leave the reader satisfied, is testament to the craftsmanship and skill of this excellent storyteller.

If you like your action books with emotional punch, suitable humour, larger than life but credible heroes and heroines, and respect for the reader’s intellect, you’ll enjoy this book. Thoroughly recommended.

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#Imagine: Penny Grubb Interviews Author Stuart Aken

Recently, I was interviewed by crime writer, academic, and Chair of ALCS, Penny Grubb, on her blog.
For those who are interested, but missed that interview, here it is in full, with Penny's kind permission.

#justimagine Author Stuart Aken on Fusion, alien gastronomy and other delights

It’s a real privilege to have been asked to interview this group of very talented authors for Fantastic Books Publishing’s Fusion spotlight. There are some amazing admissions, surprising secrets and fascinating insights to follow in this series of interviews. Fusion itself is a brilliant anthology – twenty-five of the best tales of sci-fi and fantasy.

My first interview is with prolific author, Stuart Aken.

Stuart describes himself as a husband, father, novelist, playwright, short story writer, blogger, word wrangler, committed agnostic, romantic open-minded radical liberal, sometimes dangerous to know. He was born, against the odds, to a widowed artist, in a neighbour's bed, raised by a mother who knew what love meant and a step-father who lacked imagination but loved and educated him in things natural and worldly. Stuart tells me that he wrote the wrong things for half a lifetime, until he learned who he was and understood his opinion was as valid as that of anyone else.

Stuart was invited to contribute to the Fusion anthology as one of two professional writers. He says, ‘I was honoured and delighted to be one of the professional writers invited to contribute. Thank you to Fantastic Books for that opportunity to reach more readers, the very life-blood of the author.’ Of the other professional invited to contribute, Stuart says, ‘Danuta Reah is a well respected and popular writer and I was pleased to be published in company with her. Knowing the judges in the contest, I was confident only the very best stories would make it through the filtering process, so I was more than happy to be included with the winners.’

Anyone who is familiar with Stuart’s writing will know what a compelling tale he can weave. I wondered which of his own stories he would recommend to someone wishing to fight the tedium of a long haul flight. He had many to choose from, but went for one of his science fiction pieces, saying, ‘The Methuselah Strain is a science fiction novelette set on a not-too-distant future Earth. Those who’ve read the book, and commented, have found it absorbing and compelling, so it should distract your attention enough to make the time whizz by. There are no references to air travel, so you won’t be induced into panic by a simulated crash, but you might find yourself considering the message once you’ve finished and you doze off toward the end of your long flight.’

Smashwords

UK Amazon

USA Amazon

Taking the flight theme up into space, I wondered how Stuart would see Earth through an alien’s eyes. Mentioning something he’d written a while ago, he reminded me, ‘I made this the subject of a short story. It featured in Ten Tales For Tomorrow: A Gastronomic Treat at the Edge of the Galaxy.’

This ‘light-hearted’ tale is presented in the form of a spoof review by a restaurant critic. I read it several years ago. It’s one of several of Stuart’s stories that have remained etched on my brain and that make me glance at the night sky with some trepidation. As Stuart himself says, ‘Within the seasoned folds of the soufflé lurk sharp surprises for the unwary. Try it, you might develop a taste for something unexpected.’

Smashwords 

UK Amazon

USA Amazon

What I really want to know of course is what will come next from Stuart’s pen. ‘My epic fantasy trilogy for adults is well under way,’ he tells me, ‘with book one complete and book two undergoing the penultimate edit. Book three lurks in the fog of my subconscious, making increasingly frequent demands to be allowed to take material form. I intend to start writing that volume in the very near future. Also, I continue to produce short stories and, of course, make weekly posts on my blog.’

Stuart’s story, Rebirth, appears in the Fusion anthology but where else can his readers find him?

He says, ‘Find me, and my fiction, the only place I ever bend the truth and which, after love, remains my raison d’être, on my blog http://stuartaken.blogspot.co.uk/. This gives details of all my published work, with links to the outlets where you can buy them.’

Thanks, Stuart, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. Best of luck with the writing. Can’t wait for that epic fantasy to hit the shelves.

Stuart also has an Amazon Author page; UK readers can find it here and International readers can click on this link 

He has a profile page with Smashwords 

And a Facebook Author page 

You can follow Stuart’s Tweets 

And the last word goes to Stuart, who says, ‘Thanks, Dan and Gabi at Fantastic Books Publishing, for this opportunity to be part of your publishing concern. I wish you well with what I believe will be a very successful enterprise, bringing quality work to a growing circle of discerning readers.’

CLICK HERE FOR FANTASTIC BOOKS PUBLISHING FUSIONSPOTLIGHT

This interview was originally posted by Penny Grubb - crime writer at  http://pennygrubb.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/justimagine-author-stuart-aken-on.html

For the rest of these interviews, every one of them fascinating, visit Penny’s blog at http://pennygrubb.blogspot.co.uk/                  

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Interview with Linda Acaster from Hornsea Writers.

Some of the motley crew making up Hornsea Writers.

As a member of this group of supportive and talented writers, I thought I'd pass on this interview with Linda, one of our founding members. It originally featured on the blog Rebeccah Writes and I reproduce it in full here with her blessing. The picture's from my own files, though.

Welcome to my interview with Linda Acaster from Hornsea Writers.
         
*****

Hello Linda.  Can you please tell us a bit about your writing group?

Hi Rebeccah, thanks for inviting us to participate. We’re based in a seaside town in East Yorkshire, but we pull our small membership from across the Riding because we aren’t your usual writing group. 

Ooh that sounds interesting.  

How are you different?

Hornsea Writers is a support group for professional writers. Among our membership we have a Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger winner who is also the current chair of the Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society, two past winners of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, and winners of various national writing competitions. Individually we’ve written and had published/produced radio plays, a plethora of newspaper and magazine articles in the UK and overseas, how-to and academic books, short fiction in a variety of genres, and historical, fantasy, SF, crime and romance novels. The very last thing we do at our weekly meetings is write.

If you don't write, what do you do?

After gaining a drink at the bar – all writing groups should have access to a bar, even if it sells only tea – it’s a round-table news and hard copy information exchange to augment the closed Yahoogroup we maintain for fast exchanges of hyperlinks to anything pertinent to our business. To members, writing is a business; no one at Hornsea Writers carries the attitude that it’s a pleasant hobby. For most it’s a big part of our working day; for some there are deadlines implicit in publishers’ contracts.

The reason we turn up weekly – Christmas off for good behaviour – is for the detailed criticism of read aloud work-in-progress. This is where prospective new members wilt just listening to the measured but detailed exchanges, and why we are now an invitation-only group. We feel we’ve put off for life too many beginner writers, even when they’ve never read out a word of their own fiction.

What kind of feedback do you give each other?

No one says that’s nice or didn’t like that. Because individually we work with agents and publishers’ editors we evaluate our work through that level of filter: if the character does x and y there, why is he doing z further on? Why would that character think in those terms at that point? If no cast-iron answer is forthcoming the work is deconstructed across the table and suggestions offered. There are always suggestions for remedies or new routes when a possible problem is recognised. No member is ever left hanging, and it takes as long as it takes, so we might spend an entire evening on one person’s work. This is rare, but it can be beneficial at the opening of, say, a novel where a better starting point might be identified thus later saving hours, or even days of rewriting when cracks start appearing in the structure. The beauty of such a diverse group of individuals is that we each have our areas of expertise borne from experience. 

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Hornsea Writers’ tip: find a writing group that both supports your level of engagement and challenges your current expertise. Most of all we urge you to never stop writing.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I used to be a creative writing tutor and still critique novels for a London agency. My Reading A Writer’s Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story does what it says on its e-cover, and it’ll soon be a paperback. Penny Grubb, our crime-writer, has distilled her university and conference teaching intoThe Writers’ Toolkit – A Handbook for Writers of Commercial Fiction. Making up the trilogy, April Taylor has condensed her librarian skills into the very useful Internet Research for Fiction Writers after continually having to explain the easiest way of gaining the research members needed. We embody the ‘write about what you know’.

Readers of Rebeccah Writes may well find of use the blog of SF/F writer Stuart Aken where, among other interesting content, he maintains a comprehensive and useful list of current writing competitions. 

Does your writing group have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook? 

Hornsea Writers has no internet presence but has produced a group e-anthology of prize-winning short fiction, A Sackful of Shorts. Connect with members mentioned above at:

Linda Acaster: how-to, historical, supernatural thriller, fantasy and short fiction

http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com

Penny Grubb: crime, academic, how-to, short fiction

http://www.pennygrubb.com   http://www.alcs.co.uk/

April Taylor: how-to, alternative history (Tudor), short fiction

http://treasonsstratagemsspoils.blogspot.co.uk/

Stuart Aken: SF/F; literary, romance, horror, SF short fiction and a useful blog

http://stuartaken.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Thank you very much Linda.

Posted by Rebeccah Giltrow at 10:32 

To Linda's thanks, I'd like to add my own, Rebeccah. This was generous of you and all group members appreciate the opportunity for exposure.

Do You Duotrope?

If you write shorts, factual or fictional, you should seriously consider joining Duotrope. On site, you’ll find up-to-date information, with links, for 4588 publications. The information is extensive and gives a really useful guide to help you decide whether to visit the publication’s website for more details. This is a real time-saver. Magazines, journals, online publications, anthologies and some contests are all listed here. You can search by publication name, subject, genre, word length and many other search topics.

BUT, here’s the real clincher. I bet you have difficulty keeping track of your work once you send it out there into the wild world of publishing. Well, fear not; Duotrope has a very efficient and comprehensive submissions tracker. Use this, and you’ll never again wonder where or when you last sent that story, or whether you’ve already sent it to the publication you’re currently considering. No more egg on face, no more embarrassing responses from fed-up editors telling you they’ve already seen this piece, thank you, and ‘no, they still don’t want it, and, oh, by the way don’t send the effin’ piece again! In fact, don’t send me anything again!’

Now, none of us want that sort of response from an editor, I know I don’t. It’s never happened to me, but I’ve kept my own spreadsheet of submissions for over a hundred years, so it isn’t likely. But I make use of Duotrope’s submission tracker as well, as it’s actually easier and more comprehensive than my own. And, since it’s online, I won’t lose all those details next time my PC takes a nosedive.

No, I’m not on commission for Duotrope. I doubt they’ll even know I’ve done this piece. I just think that when one of us finds something that’s clearly of use to writers, we should share the information, spread the word, encourage the usage. The site, once a free resource, has recently become a subscription service, costing £31.51 ($50)per year or £3.15 ($5)per month.

So, there you have it.

Have a look, and if you feel you can’t spare £31.50 on spec, try it for a month and see whether you feel it’s worth that small annual sum. If you’re a serious writer, you’ll make the subscription back with your first sale anyway, and it’s tax-deductable! 

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A Partial Success, or a Partial Failure?

Depends on whether you’re a glass half full or half empty type. For me, it’s always half full. Optimist. Always have been.

So, this is the 3^rd week of the new year and how have I done with my targets?

1 story sent to a contest? Missed, but I’ve sent 1 today and will attempt to do another this week.

1 story to a magazine? Missed, but I’ll attempt to make that up this week.

Reading target is for a book a week. I’m currently reading book number 6, so well ahead of target there. Good.

Editing? I’ve done another chapter of the fantasy and a short story.

Writing? A short story finished and another written from scratch.

Excuses? Well, I had a doctor’s appointment on Monday, which took up the morning. On Sunday, I took my daughter back to university, which took up the whole day. I’m still doing the day job, which takes up another 2½  days. And I still need to take my regular rests to deal with the ME/CFS. And, from time to time, I like to relax a little, take a walk with my wife, spend some quality time with her, you know?

So, how do I feel about the week? All things considered, I’m satisfied I’ve done what I could.

How goes it for you? Brag about your successes, confess your sins: there’s a space for comments below.

The pie chart explained:

'Writing' includes the creation of stories, blog posts and reviews.

'Editing' includes the polishing of all written work to make it suitable for reading.

'Research' includes discovery of info for story content, market research, contest info and blog post research.

'Reading' includes books and writing magazines.

'Emails' includes emails, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook activity.

'Admin' includes story submission, blog posting, marketing, organisation and general admin tasks.

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Play With a Tiger, By Doris Lessing, Reviewed.

One thing that can be said with little fear of contradiction is that Doris Lessing's work is anything but simple and straightforward. She loves to wrap her characters and plots in multiple layers, through which the reader must pick his way, often with only minimal guidance as to direction and even, sometimes, intent.

Play With A Tiger was first performed at the Comedy Theatre, London, on 22^nd March 1964 and is set in the city. Whilst it's very much a play of its time, it nevertheless carries some of its themes fairly well into the modern day. Attitudes to unmarried mothers have changed for many, political normality has become anything but, and extramarital affairs are now so commonplace as to be almost expected, but the war of the sexes continues, for some, at any rate.

As Anna and Dave reconstruct their pasts and possible futures, their dialogue exposes their sometimes opposing, sometimes similar stances. The descriptive passages that take them back in time explore their development as people and depict the lives of their parents and families in ways that explain, to some extent, the way they are now. But there is an underlying tone of self-absorption and mutual distrust that was, as I recall, a very common situation for men and women at the time. I'm not convinced it is any better now than it was then, but the development of family planning aids has definitely made things different for the single woman in search of love without the wish to raise a family. This aspect of the relationship between men and women is so different now that modern audiences may have difficulty understanding the dilemma facing maturing women back in those early days of burgeoning sexual freedom.

Dave is careless and unaware of the reality of the effect of his philandering on the women he seduces and uses as an excuse to bolster his ego. He's not a character I can find much sympathy for, with his utterly selfish concerns. Anna is singularly confused and seems unable to make up her own mind about much that troubles her in life. She yearns to be as free as she believes Dave to be, and it's easy to understand this desire when set against the strictures society places on her.

There are asides, set-based devices, and other interactions that illustrate the differences between the male and female views of life at the time, and I suspect these would have worked very well in performance.  They don't translate well via the text alone, however. Would I go to see the play in performance?  I wish I'd seen it at the time, when so much more was immediately relevant, but I don't think I'd watch it today, unless it was substantially re-written to accommodate what has changed. For all that, I enjoyed the read.

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The Royal Hunt of the Sun, by Peter Shaffer, Reviewed.

This play was first performed at the National Theatre in Chichester on 7^th June 1964, when I was a young man of 16. I've never seen a performance, but I wish I had. Bernard Levin described the work as 'The greatest play of our generation', and I can see why, having merely read the text.

This is a piece of fictionalised history with much taken from recorded sources. It reads as true. It reads as a commentary on the utter hypocrisy of the early Catholic Church, the greed of those who would make Empire their ambition, the incredible courage of some and the cowardice of many. In the characters we find historical personalities and other figures developed to illustrate the generality of those men who accompanied Pizarro on his epic journey to rape and plunder the civilisation of the ancient Incas in Peru.

The motivation of the majority was a desire to escape abject poverty coupled with a promise of untold wealth. In an age when the promise of an afterlife was taken as fact by many ignorant and ill-educated people, the value of real life was held to be low, of course. Others who ventured forth on this great adventure of corruption and theft were driven by political or evangelical ambition. The 'royal' representatives of Spain are drawn with savage honesty, corrupt, self-serving and totally driven by an ideal of royalty that has nothing to do with the older idea of noblesse oblige. Those representing the Catholic Church are drawn with brutal truth as purveyors of a falsehood they are determined to force on the innocent in the hope that conversion of such souls might bolster their own insecurities and bring them the selfish reward of everlasting life for their own souls, regardless of the cost for those they thus pollute.

But it is greed that most drives the characters of this play, as in the real journey. They desire gold, at any price and regardless of the cost in human life. There is no hiding from the facts here. Pizarro, although trying to present himself as a complex character with mixed motives, is, in reality, simply a bully and opportunist with a lust for gold that drowns out all reason. He slowly comes to realise what is defining his life and, to his credit, develops some scruples as events unfold and he discovers that the man he would slaughter as a savage is anything but.

My only slight cause for complaint rests in the depiction of Atahuallpa as an entirely noble sovereign. He is undoubtedly more versed in nobility than any of the western characters, but he is also the head of a state where sacrifice and strict rule exist, circumscribing the lives of his subjects to the extent that they are mere shadows of men. Individuality in this state is definitely not permitted and the word of Atahuallpa is law on pain of death. But I suspect the elevation of the Inca leader is simply a device to make him more admirable than the ruffians, cowards, hypocrites and thieves who invade his land in order to destroy a civilisation simply for monetary reward. The destruction of the art into simple blocks of gold, as a means of sharing, is unforgiveable and underlines the wholly material concerns of the men concerned in the looting.

This is a powerful, disturbing and moving piece of drama. It reads on the page with a presence of power and emotional thrust that performance must render into an amazing experience. If I ever get the opportunity to attend a performance of this play, I will definitely go. In the meantime, I recommend any reader with an interest in the frailty of man, the iniquity of empire, the place of brutality in history, to read the text. It is a worthy use of your time.

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Do Expletives Have a Place in Your Writing?

IMG_1075 (Photo credit: tantek)

Swearing in literature is probably as old as the written word. It offends many, amuses probably as many, and huge numbers remain indifferent to it. So, its use results in mixed reactions. Is there justification for it?

'Fuck off, mate. 'Course there is.'

Okay, so some of you flinched, others smiled. Others expected this sudden interjection.

'You're a cunt!'

Different? Of course. For two reasons, I think. Firstly, of course, this statement is an insult, downright offensive in intention as well as tone. Secondly, the word 'cunt' is possibly the last expletive available that has any real shock value. We're all subject to the once taboo 'fuck', and its derivatives, on a daily basis. It's used by all classes, all ages, both genders. It no longer has any emphatic value and has become merely a 'filler' for those without the intelligence, imagination or energy to come up with a more apposite epithet. It's a shame that something once so full of the power to startle and shock has, through too much usage, become no more than a lazy way of filling space whilst the speaker has time to think of the next thing he wishes to say.

'Cunt', on the other hand, is most definitely taboo is many circles, profoundly shocking in others and considered offensive in most. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives its root as the Old Norse word 'kunta' and I recall coming across it in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, which I studied for my 'A' Level English Lit exam, as 'queynte'. Its definition is straightforward; meaning either female genitals, the vulva; or a person who is either very unpleasant or stupid, or both. Why the name for the most desirable part of a woman should also be used as an insult referring to horrible or stupid people is a matter for another discussion. Suffice it to say that it probably reflects on the way the Abrahamic, and most other, religions have viewed women from before Christian times.

In my youth, had I referred to my father as a 'bugger', I'd have received a clip round the ear. Later, as we both aged, I was able to call him, 'the silly old bugger' as a term of affection understood by all, including him, and make him smile. Such is the fluidity of language subject to usage. The same could be said of 'sod', once a pejorative term for a homosexual man and now a word used so casually that many have no idea of its original derivation as 'one who engages in sodomy'.

What, for one person is an offensive expletive, is, to another, a harmless epithet with little or no real meaning. I know, for instance, that in the Bible Belt of America, where the myths of ancient misogynistic men still have greater relevance than modern inclusive philosophies, words such as 'hell' and 'damn' are more than merely frowned upon. In the more enlightened cultures of the West, they are, of course, viewed as mild in the extreme and few parents would consider reprimanding a child heard uttering such innocuous words.

So, if you're tempted to use expletives in your writing, it's essential that you consider your readers. There is absolutely no doubt that whatever expletive you employ you will offend some. It's inevitable because of narrow-mindedness, cultural implanting, ignorance, taste or simple preference. Therefore, I suggest you think very carefully before you use words that some will see as 'bad'. That there are no 'bad' words is self-evident, of course, but there is 'inappropriate usage', and it is this that the writer should avoid.

It may be perfectly acceptable and, indeed, essential to the story for the writer to place long strings of extremely offensive words into the mouth of a character, because that is the way that particular character would speak.  The quoted speech of a coarse man may be absolutely necessary to the understanding of his character. And 'You fucking, shitty cunt!' may express exactly what such a character would say to another in certain circumstances, and therefore be perfectly acceptable. But, as the author, the narrator, it might be very unwise to employ the same string of words in describing that same character. The reader frequently reads the words of the narrator as those of the author, regardless of how inaccurate that assumption may be. So, beware.

Context is everything in this issue. If the use of an expletive is appropriate in the circumstances, then it's incumbent on the writer not to substitute it with something mild in the hope of avoiding offence. It is less than honest to turn down the heat, so to speak. But remember the old expression; call a spade a 'spade', by all means, but perhaps avoid calling it a 'fucking shovel', unless that's how the speaking navvy would refer to it.

I hope this has been useful. I'd appreciate your observations and comments. We can all learn from each other and that's my intention in these short posts that are intended to help writers entertain their readers without unnecessarily offending them.

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So, How's It Going For You So Far?

Some time ago, I posted a piece on time and the way it can be misused without us really noticing. At the end of last year, I posted a piece on my activities during 2012, detailing the results of my work as a writer.

For this year, I've decided to post at the end of each week on my activities. This is as much for me as it is for visitors to the blog. For me, it will act as a motivator and keep me on track, I hope. For visitors, it will illustrate the value, or otherwise, of those activities we engage in as writers.

I was unprepared for the first week, so I've combined the first 2 weeks here. In any case, that first week of the new year is always a little different, with the aftermath of the holiday season inevitably encroaching on normality.

Let me explain the pie chart:

'Writing' includes the creation of stories, blog posts and reviews.

'Editing' includes the polishing of all written work to make it suitable for reading.

'Research' includes discovery of info for story content, market research, contest info and blog post research.

'Reading' includes books and writing magazines.

'Emails' includes emails, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook activity.

'Admin' includes story submission, blog posting, marketing, organisation and general admin tasks.

And, for this post, I also had to spend some time both devising the timesheet I used for recording my time usage and learning how to render the results into the pie chart that illustrates it.

I'm hoping that this visual presentation will make the reality of my time usage much clearer. Certainly, I'm staggered by how much of my time has been spent on the various 'Emails' activities. I accept that much of that time has been used in reading webpages that some emails have introduced, and that, as a result, I've learned things about the current state of the book world. But a good deal has also been spent on less fruitful pursuits, such as Pinterest. One thing is clear already; if I'm to spend more time actually writing, I need to reduce the time I'm currently spending in what are largely irrelevant pursuits.

I set myself a couple of targets at the start of the year. I intend to submit at least 1 story to a magazine and 1 entry to a writing contest per week. I'm pleased to report that I've achieved both. 2 contest entries and 2 stories sent off to magazines.

Under the heading of 'Writing', I've created one new short story of 4,000 words and written 3 book reviews. Not enough, but a reasonable start.

Under 'Editing', I've edited the 4 stories I've submitted and 3 chapters of my fantasy trilogy. Again, not enough, but better than it might have been.

It's my intention to return to the weekly posts on writing, giving views, opinions and advice where I'm able and, hopefully offering useful, or at least, contentious information to stimulate thought and debate on writing topics. It's possible I may indulge in the occasional opinion piece on other matters from time to time, when an issue particularly fires my passion.

But, more than anything else, this year I intend to spend as much time as possible in creating new writing and in preparing the fantasy trilogy for publication. The first and second books are written and the first edited. The second is currently undergoing the penultimate edit and, when that's complete, I shall start writing the third book. I shall also, at that point, publish book one. Watch this space for announcements.

One further post that might be of interest dealt with procrastination.

So, that's how it's going so far for me. How's it going for you in this new year? Made and kept your resolutions? Let me know. It's easy to add a comment at the foot of the post, you know.