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| Today, I came across the word Adumbrate: "to foreshadow vaguely, or to suggest/outline partially, or to overshadow". This led to me to discovering the existence of a horrifying-sounding children's book by Mervyn Peake set in the Gormenghast "universe." If you're familiar with Peake's extremely intense gothic writing, you'll see why this is not likely to be a friendly or fun kid's book, but more like the kind that still gives you a shiver down your spine when you half-remember it forty years later...  |
Just caught up on Party Central and the new emoticons for Day 7. Is it just me, or are things getting... steamy...     |
| I'm spending a lot of time on buses and trains this weekend visiting my friend who's in hospital in Cornwall. No surprise, then, that when I start writing a scene from my Time Travel Novel (TM) (untitled, and not even started!), the protagonist is sitting on a bus! Sometimes the influences are just a straight line  |
| I thought I'd better brush up on "that" vs "which" a bit (prompted by Raven's post yesterday). I was unexpectedly entertained by Merriam-Webster: Do you suffer from ambivalence? Do you have bouts of ennui or difficulty making decisions? Do you find yourself unable to decide whether you should use that or which when composing a sentence? In the event that you answered “yes” to either of the first two questions you have our sympathies, but as a dictionary we can offer little else. However, if the source of your trouble is the issue of that and which we may be of some small assistance. Full article here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/when-to-use-that-and-which |
I have several Merriam-Webster dictionaries and occasionally consult the online version. I've read that and was also entertained. Dictionaries aren't always the stuffy, old volumes most folk think they are. |
Reply A continuing series of extracts from my commonplace book "There are two principal ways to write speculative fiction - write about people, or write about gadgets." - Robert Heinlein, 'On the Writing of Speculative Fiction.' *** Doing some thinking about genre today...  |
Busy day. Went on a bunch of heritage trains and had curry for dinner. Just dropping in here maintaining my streaks...  |
| A continuing series of extracts from my commonplace book "My lad," gasped the captain... "There's many a words I could wish to say to you, but I don't rightly know where they're stowed just at present." - Dombey and Son, by Charles Dickens *** Haven't we all been there?!? |
| Damn, almost missed my newsfeed streak so posting on here and running. Oh well, tomorrow's another writing painting my spare room day! |
| A continuing series of extracts from my commonplace book "Ke ne dune, ke ne tine, ne prent ke desire." "He who has and does not give will not receive." - Inscribed above the (now demolished) Painted Chamber in the old medieval Palace of Westminster. *** I've been doing some more bits of research into the trial of Charles I - the evidence of the witnesses was taken in the Painted Chamber rather than the larger Westminster Hall in front of the public. It's a bit difficult to find out what the Painted Chamber looked like in 1649 when the only two descriptions we have of it are from 1250ish and 1799. I guess that's where writerly imagination comes in... |
I was getting frustrated trying to slot in some description to a chapter today so started looking up some reference imagery - and as part of my research found out that Townsville (Queensland, Australia) is named after a man called Mr Towns, not just because no-one could think of anything else to call this particular town...  I've visited there, too, and didn't know or had forgotten this particular piece of etymological delight! |
Castle ~ Fishing For Answers  - Great fact from the other side of the world! Also... "Kill Bridge" isn't great optics |
citruspocket  - The term kill goes back to the day that NY and its environs where Dutch territories, before we became English possessions. "The Dutch word "kill" means "creek," "channel," or "stream". It's a term used to describe bodies of water, particularly in areas influenced by Dutch settlement in North America, like the Hudson and Delaware Valleys. You'll find it in place names such as Schuylkill, Catskill, and Fishkill." Though, I do agree, going over a bridge where Arthur might kill me is a bit daunting! |
| A continuing series of extracts from my commonplace book "Folk magic is all about replicating the experience with things that look similar - maybe you could try oscillating an olive?" *** From the work groupchat. IDK how we even got onto the subject... |
| A continuing series of extracts from my commonplace book "… There is one special piece of magic that trumps all that [other writing advice] and we're going to tell you right now: Sit your arse on a chair and put words on a page." *** From the irreverent but excellent newsletter I subscribe to from the UK-based "Writers' HQ." |
| A continuing series of extracts from my commonplace book This particular blunder is known as "deus ex machina", which is French for "Are you fucking kidding me?" *** Someone on here recommended How Not to Write A Novel, by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman. If this quote tickles you, then I would highly recommend the book!! |
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