A prompt for my friend Claire, who’s thinking about a ghost story…
Category Archives: Writing
That second language thing
So, it went like this… yesterday I posted the link to Sasha A. Palmer’s post on the e-Books India blog.
This morning my friend Claire1 did her take on Palmer’s post – you can find her thoughts here.
And I thought, why not?
Sort of like a pinball effect – ideas bouncing back and forth.
After all I’m doing my writing in English most of the time, nowadays, and Karavansara, that started out as an experiment, has now become my primary blog.
So, here’s my own take on writing in what is still my Second Language, and the benefits thereof. Continue reading
Writing Prompt: Get in the car!
… in case you were missing your Friday Writing Prompt, something vaguely reminiscent – to me – of P.G. Wodehouse. Whose aunt is this lady?
Snakes
From Swedish magazine Fenix.
I must write a story based on this.
Writing Prompt: Scissors
This photo was taken in 1886, in England, by Adam Diston – it’s called “Cutting a sunbeam” and it’s very famous.
And there’s enough weirdness in it to fuel some writing.
Any ideas?
Shakespearian Insults – a Primer
We discussed briefly in the past the art and practice of Latin and Greek profanities.
But when it comes to colorful language, I stick by the Elizabethans, and indeed a lot of Shakespearean insults are not only useful as we write fantasy (historical or otherwise), but also in real life.
Sure it takes’em by surprise.
And despite what some may think, a well-placed insult can carry a lot of information and push the narrative forward.
And here’s a short round-up of Shakespearean insults as narrative devices, for starters… Continue reading
Cackling swords
The things one does for the sake of plausibility…
Anyone that witnessed the Great Swape Debate probably knows that I sometimes can go at weird lengths to find the right words to describe plausibly what’s happening in my stories.
Language is the main tool of anyone who’s writing, and it must strike a balance between elegance and function.
That’s the tricky bit, if you will.
Now, a few days back I read a page from a book in which the sound of swords being drawn was described as a cackle.
This sort of surprised me because… Continue reading
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