Tag archives for Writing
What would we take to settle new Colonies?
I've written about motivations for sending new colonies on starships to settle earth like planets on other star systems. Astronomers have found thousands of these, so assuming that we don't wipe ourselves out before we develop the technology, one day we'll land on planets lit by another star. Technology for New Colonies First some assumptions. Planets we settle are in the Goldilocks zone and have breathable atmosphere. We can travel faster than light (either Einstein was wrong, or there's some alternative dimension or something) There are people with both money and motive to start new colonies With that, what technology do we take with us to start new colonies? Bear in mind that a lot of common tech is constrained by its history and the pre-existing infrastructure. On the new colonies there won't be any infrastructure, so there's more freedom…
Hell No! I won’t go! – World Poetry Day 2017 [Poetry]
English: The RedBalloon office - an example of an open plan 'Bullpen'-style office. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) World poetry day was yesterday, and it prompted me to write some poetry on the train home. This first draft is provisionally titled "Hell no! I won't go!". The inspiration for this poetry is a proposed series of office moves to bring our teams into fewer buildings. Many colleagues have been grumbling about moving office. This is intended to be a comic take on it and bears no relation to any real reason people may have cited. All this is purely imaginary, and I hope it brings a wry smile. Hell No! I won't go! The bosses have decided. We will be better together, in a new office. The new office is where everyone will be. Enjoying their coffee, except for me, I commute…
Editing – What is Editing and why must you do it? Part 1
Editing is an essential part of the writing process. None of us are perfect, so we need to edit. Editing improves the quality of writing. Editing also has various forms and stages. If you don't understand exactly what editing is then you won't get the best quality texts. Green Ink vs Red Ink when editing Types of Editing Not all of these, strictly speaking, are editing. They are all essential parts of the post production process for writing. Spell checking Development editing Copy editing Formatting Proofreading I've listed them in the order that I think that they need to be done when you've finished the first draft. I cycle through 1-3 until I am completely happy that I have a publishable product. Only at that point would I go through 4 & 5. Spell checking It should go without saying,…
Geas or How to tie your character in knots
In my fantasy world Skyss they use geas to control people. Not everyone is under a geas, but those in public office have it as place of their oath of allegiance. Similarly prisoners get a geas of public service compelling them to atone for their offences. Also I had my bad guy put one of my characters under a geas, just because it sort of made sense to the plot. What is a Geas? English:a design from the Book of Kells, fol. 29r. Traced outlines in black and white representing three intertwined dogs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) A geas (pronounced gesh) is a sort of unbreakable vow. It's a celtic thing that appears in Scots & Irish folklore and legends. It's a bit more than a curse, in the sense that there are positive benefits to accepting a geas. Being under…
Writer’s Bookshelf – Bookshelves Abound = #Shelfie 07
Given that November is National Novel Writing Month, the Bookshelves Abound series naturally continues with my Writer's Bookshelf. This is the fifth of the five bookshelves on the upstairs landing. It sits between the New Bookshelf and my bedroom door. Writer's Bookshelf My writer's bookshelf, where all the books on the craft of writing go, as well as useful reference works. The Writer's Bookshelf is where I've collected books about writing, language and other reference works that I think might be useful for writing or editing stories. It also has some general background works as potential research for stories that I have planned outlines for, or have written as short stories and think that I could expand. Let's start with the top and work down. Reference Works The very top shelf has a whole bunch of popular science and practical reference works. Most…