January 31, 2022
My first is in puzzle, but not in quiz; my second is in bubble, but not in fizz, my third is in snappy, but not in bite; my fourth is in sunny, but not in light. What am I? Too easy? You don't have to be a literary genius to work it out, but few readers or writers can resist word puzzles. They might seem like a waste of time, but writers have a good excuse for indulging.
Crosswords are great for waking up and/or extending your vocabulary. Codewords where you are given a couple of letters on a crossword-type grid and have to work out the rest to fill in all the words, stretch your knowledge of spelling and letter frequency and combinations. Trackwords, wordsearches, anagrams–they all increase language skills, such as familiarity with synonyms and antonyms; develop a sense of the rhythm of language; how to think laterally and how to use language in a more subtle way.
Word puzzles are far more fun than trying to cram grammar books, and if they have you reaching for a dictionary, that's no bad thing either. If you're like me, you can never simply look up one word, but find one leading to another.
To really put your word skills to the test, don't stop at solving acrostics or filling in the blanks, try devising some of your own. It's far harder devising puzzles than solving them.
Bearing that in mind, maybe you'll look more kindly on my simple effort above. The answer is, of course: play. You'll find another on the Exiles of Ondd Facebook page, and I'll post the answer there next week. I hope you have as much fun solving it as I did coming up with it.
Enjoy!
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
January 25, 2022
Contests can be great for writers. If your work is shortlisted you know it's of a high standard, and if it's a prize-winner both your bank balance and your reputation are likely to benefit.
Most writing contests are run by people with literary or publishing experience, some are organised by charities, and some are organised by charlatans. The latter will take your entry fee, and it's doubtful that any of the entries are ever read, let alone judged by anyone with any literary credentials, and ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions
January 16, 2022
Pardon me, but I want to mention one last thing about Christmas before everyone starts thinking about St Valentine's Day. One of the maddest things of all the Christmas madnesses can seem like sending Christmas cards. It can feel rather pointless and simply an extra chore that people only do because it's expected of them. To be sure that the people you send cards to know that you've truly given them some thought and care, you don't have to buy big, fancy cards that will cost as much again to ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
January 8, 2022
I don't believe in 'em–New Year resolutions that is, mainly because I know I'll have fallen short before the end of January. However, I do have a long writing to-do list.
While I was writing the Exiles of Ondd novels, I gathered a big folder of ideas for everything from novels to essays, micro-fiction to monologues, and I want to dive into these. I'm not daft enough to think I can write them all in a year, even if I did think they were all worth it, but I should at least be able to finish s...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
January 1, 2022
This is such a strange time of year. All the anticipation leading up to Christmas has gone, but the new year has not really got into swing. Many people have been back at work already, but the decorations are still up. Before you can decide what might happen and what you'd like to achieve in 2022, you need to assess where 2021 has brought you.
Personally, I expected to complete
Discord's Shadow far sooner than I did. By the time it was finally launched on 6th November there was little time lef...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
December 26, 2021
This is the time of year when submission calls and competition deadlines can be thin on the ground. Editors and contest organisers deserve a break too! It gives writers a chance to look about them and gather some ideas for all the opportunities that are coming up in January. Here's a round-up of a few.
Playwrights should get writing now if they want to send work to the next BBC Script Room call. They're looking for stage, television, film or radio scripts at least 30 minutes long. You'll have...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions
December 18, 2021
I don't have a secret door to a fantasy world in the back of my wardrobe, nor can I flip open my phone and ask Scotty to beam me up, but I shall be running away for Christmas. There will be no last minute rush to the shops, nor any family arguments about which old film to watch on TV. I shall be in my own world, or more likely, a someone else's world.
If I'm not scribbling notes and ideas for my own writing, I shall have my nose in a book or two. There will be no shortage of choice as the Sma...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
November 20, 2021
Technology is wonderful but I've had quite enough of it for a little while, thank you very much. I've been trying to add details of
Discord's Shadow to Goodreads and the cover won't upload. I've tried everything I can think of without success, although I had no problems uploading it anywhere else, so I've had to ask the Librarians for help. They're very good, and I'm sure they'll manage it straight away, but to escape the frustration I've turned to the latest Third Flatiron anthology,
Things ... Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
November 16, 2021
Just when you think everything's under control, something comes along and slaps you in the face.
I came up with the title of
Discord's Shadow before I even started on the first draft. At the time, I did an internet search, and was happy that it didn't clash with anything–book, song, game,
anything else. At intervals, I repeated the search. When I put the novel on Smashwords and Amazon for pre-order I checked again. Now, only a week since
Discord's Shadow was released, I put the title in on ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : FantasyFiction
November 4, 2021
With only a couple of days to go before the publication of
Discord's Shadow, it's now available to pre-order on Kindle and in paperback at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KQRY6MS and
B09KNCZR3D respectively, as well as on Smashwords. This has been such a long time coming that I wanted to make it a little more special, so you can also download the first in the series,
Discord's Child, from Smashwords
FREE until 6th November using the coupon you'll find at
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ks... Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
