Synopsis blues

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Reducing a story with 52 named characters, 68 chapters and over 250,000 words into a single page synopsis is the equivalent of distilling the essence of a forest into a single phial. But the result has to be good enough to catch the attention of a busy literary agent long enough to get the piece read and to induce the agent into reading the first 3 sample chapters that form the staple diet of such power brokers. Publication without an agent is so unlikely as to be hardly worth considering these days. Publishers are sure to publish only those books written by the already well-known, having forgotten that such people were once themselves beginners and had to be helped into the spotlight. Everything is numbers these days, with the accountants running creative businesses that once had the vision to take risks, putting the likes of Graham Greene, John Fowles, J.K. Rowling onto shelves where the reading public could access their storytelling genius. Now, the first hurdle is to reach the literary agent in the hope that the writing will be sufficiently impressive to encourage them to take the next step. So, on with the job of condensing 250,000 quarried words into 700 gemstones that will sparkle whilst imparting all the agent needs to know about the story. Wish me luck!

Frustrations of titles

For some years, I've been writing a fantasy novel; volume one of a trilogy. I'd always planned on calling the series 'Skyfire'. So, somewhat belatedly, I checked Amazon for the title, having failed to do that with Breaking Faith and then discovering umpteen books with the same title. The search came up with 75 results for Skyfire, so, back to the drawing board. But I've come up with an alternative, which I think will work as well; watch this space for more news on that. Whilst I was at it, I devised titles for each volume and checked those out online at Amazon and on Google, as well. All OK on that score. I'm on the final edit before I start the search for an agent on this one; working on chapter 16 of 68 at present.
Spent a little while bringing the website up to date. There are links to over 220 sites of interest to writers and readers on http://www.stuartaken.co.uk. Give it a look, if you're interested in books, fiction or stories.
Had a bit of good news yesterday; I've won an unspecified prize in the LaScala Studios short story contest. I'll discover what at the prize-giving ceremony at the end of July.

Editing

The first chapter of my fantasy novel is now edited for all but the final check for consistent spellings etc. That shouldn't take too long. I'll be starting my next volume of the trilogy shortly. Would it interest anybody if I shared my progress via this blog? Let me know.

Sunday, not so bloody Sunday

Day of rest? Well, at least I had a short (3 Miles) walk this morning with my wonderful wife. The final chapter of volume 1 of my fantasy novel is now complete, and the map is ready to print off. Now, all I have to do is check all 68 chapters, 677 pages, for typos, grammatical and spelling errors and continuity. So just a couple of minute's work, then. I've updated my website for those interested in writing and reading, with now over 200 other websites introduced and linked under headings to make your search easier. It's all free, so have a look and use the information I've collected to make all our lives easier.
Now, since we haven't had the predicted rain, I'd better go and water the plants in a garden that's rapidly threatening to become a desert.

Here come the Human Rights again

So, another would-be terrorist is freed by the courts under the protective umbrella of the Human Rights Act. Sorry, but I thought the Human Rights legislation was suppose to protect the rights of those of us who actually uphold the law and not those who place themselves outside its jurisdiction by breaking it. I suppose we must have such legislation, in order to deal with those states and individuals who will otherwise bully unmercifully. But can't we counterbalance it with some Human Responsibilities legislation? A bit of balance here would go a long way toward convicting the criminals and toward re-invigorating a piece of legislation that is rapidly becoming worse than a joke, a very bad one, to most right-thinking people.

Busy Day

Almost completed the re-write of the fantasy novel now. Had to spend a good deal of time on the map to go with it today. Most place names pass the 'Google' test but I discovered one of the cities I had marked had a name which means something like 'shithole' in Croatian. Thought it best to alter that one. Still a lot of work to do on the map but Photoshop can be so tedious and it certainly strains my old eyes.
Short story completed and ready for the off. And, since I didn't win any of the lottery draws this weekend, looks like I'll have to continue with the day job. Time, now, I think for a rest.

CFS or ME, call it what you will

I've suffered, and that's the right word for it, from CFS/ME for about seven years. It's an odd condition, in that it affects sufferers in different ways. Mind you, with over 180 recognised symptoms, that's hardly surprising. I've had periods of almost complete normality and others when I felt almost as bad as I did at the start, but I am convinced it can be defeated. The medical profession is little help; what they don't understand, they can't treat, of course. Today I awoke with the most common symptoms; utter exhaustion. Fortunately, that was all. But it curtails activity and makes for another less than useful day. Still, tomorrow will be better.

The day after

OK, so I'm old enough to know it's not a good idea to eat or drink too much. But, it's only once a year and I knew I had today booked as leave to recover. So far, I've managed to do some more updates on my website; a venture intended to help readers and writers as well as to bring attention to my writing; have a look - http://www.stuartaken.co.uk - if you're a reader or writer.

Another birthday

So, 62 today. Do I feel any different? Of course not. I’m still about 23 inside, sometimes 17, sometimes 90. We all seem to exist in a timescale divorced from our physical shells. Is this a defence mechanism, some biological device that enables us to live our lives without the constant reminders of our mortality? Or is it a refusal to acknowledge the passing of time, which is, in any case, an illusion? Are we more truthful in our minds, ignoring the wrinkles, aching joints and increasing visits to the toilet, than we are in our everyday lives, where such evidence can only be discarded with the consent of those around us? Who knows?

Today's the day

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So, have you made your mark, or are you one of those who can't be bothered, think it won't make any difference, has no interest in politics, as if somehow you;re insulated from the effects of the political decisions? There was always only one way to vote today, unless, of course, you have a vested interest in maintaining fat cats in luxury at your expense, and mine. The old ways have served us so poorly for over six decades that it just had to be the Lib Dem's turn. I'm sad enough to be staying up to watch the results; wonder how far I'll get before I fall asleep?
Been an interesting day. Rewritten 2 chapters of my current fantasy novel, completed and submitted a short story to a national competition, shopped for groceries, and voted, so far.

A new start

I started this blog some months ago, when I had no real idea how the whole blogging scene worked. Now, a little more savvy (though still confused by much of the associated technology) I will start again.
The General Election is fast approaching and, having read those words, you've just abandoned my blog. Can't say I blame you. But you've got this far, so let me at least point you to my view on the whole charade, for charade it is. Governments have little to do with running states. Most power is enshrined in the hands of multinational corporations, which, I can assure you, have your interests very much not at heart. What governments can do is regulate to some extent and try to harness the unelected power brokers to help rather than hinder their citizens. Does this mean I think voting is a waste of time? Not really, but it is as well to be aware of the reality of the situation. Of course, in Britain, we have a fundamentally flawed system, which renders the votes of more than half its electorate meaningless. With luck, we might just get a chance this time to alter the way your vote and mine is used. Now, wouldn't it be wonderful if a politician somewhere actually reflected your views? No matter how left, right or central your opinions, at present they are discounted by our 'first past the post' system. You are disenfranchised by placing your cross. But this time you can change that. One party is eager to make real changes to the voting system. The other two will tell you that a hung parliament is dangerous and will never come to any conclusions; no decisions will be made, disaster will occur. Yeah, right! So the see-saw of Labour/Conservative has served the country well, has it? Perhaps it's time for us to consider government by consensus rather than by conflict. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of the sixth form antics of Parliament, where games take precedent over serious discussion  and name calling is ranked above sensible dialogue. We pay our MPs huge salaries; isn't it time they gave us value for money and actually got on with the job? And, as for a hung parliament causing fewer decisions to be made, I'm all for that. There are so many laws in this land that the lawyers have a field day every time there's a dispute. Such complexity is to no-one's advantage, so fewer laws is fine by me.
Well, I've ranted enough for now. I'll try to rant and rave a little more regularly now I know what to do. Please leave your comments. I won't promise to respond straight away (I live a life and spend most of my spare time writing, so I shall visit less often than perhaps I should. But I will respond, where I think it is worth it.)