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Six Writing Rules for Finishing your Novel

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Writing a book is something many people want to do. Some people actually start doing it and a few complete it. I am one of those few and, the biggest lesson I learned when I finished my first book was… Wait for it… …that I could actually write a book. Please note, I didn’t say, “Write a good book.” Just that I could do it. Since that first book, I have written seven or eight novels (four of which have been published) and a dozen or more short stories (several of which have been published, too). I have come up with a concise list of rules that, when followed, will allow you to finish a novel (again, note I didn’t […]

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Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

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I’ve got to make a confession regarding this book: I read it because the movie interested me. I also read it prior to the movie because I am well-aware movies often gloss over (or change) aspects of the book. For the record, there were some rather obvious changes to the movie. I’m not going to say what they were. Just that they exist (other than a condensed timeframe, of course). The Martian largely reads like a diary. Purposely done since most of the book has the main character, Mark Watney, living and working alone. The entries are sometimes very long and other times extremely short. There is often humour involved as the snarky character of Mark Watney (which I personally […]

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Leave a Tip on Your Way Out

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In North America tipping is a common (in most cases, expected) thing in restaurants. You get good service, you leave a gratuity for the server. The theory is (created by and propagated by the hotel and restaurant industries) that serving staff is making minimum wage, works hard and should have their income subsidized by tips. Before you go thinking I am anti-tipping, I’m not. I was a server in my youth and I was making minimum wage. The tips made a difference. It’s just unfortunate that this is a manufactured thing much like *name that Hallmark Holiday*. Today, I’m going ask you to consider tipping those authors whose work you enjoy. Not in cash or cheque but in reviews. This […]

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Review: Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook by Terry Pratchett

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Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook isn’t a typical novel. In fact, it isn’t a novel at all. Instead, it is a companion book to Terry Pratchett’s extremely rich Discworld universe. Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook was originally mentioned in Terry Pratchett’s novel, Raising Steam. For the uninitiated, Raising Steam is the book about the invention of the railroad on the Discworld. Mrs Bradshaw is a widowed lady of means who is smitten by rail travel who endeavours to write a traveler’s book for all who wish to follow in her footsteps. That little bit of background out of the way, let me say, if you are not familiar with the Discworld, do NOT pick up this book. In fact, even if you are a […]

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