Writer of the Fortnight and Hiatus

Welcome to Writer of the Fortnight. I know technically it has been more than a fortnight, but oh well. This is also going to be my last post for the foreseeable future. After receiving my exam results today, I have decided to cut back on a lot of things, and seeing as this blog doesn't get many views, it makes sense to stop posting and focus on my studies. Perhaps I'll start it up again during the Summer Holidays, I don't know.

This fortnight's award goes to a writer I have mentioned before. Her dark tales and sharp wit make her stories and poems horrifically enjoyable reads. She has many short stories published and has recently written one aimed at young adults. As she intends to publish this too, I won't post a snippet, but here is the link to it in her portfolio.

It is, of course, Kat Hawthorne:

I may not be able to post a snippet of the story, but I will post an excerpt from her poem, The Cuckoo Clock (with cuckoo missing):

It hangs behind the nightstand yonder, lost amongst the work I ponder,Tickless cogs left long forgotten, its voice mismatched and now uncertain Muted chimes which thump asunder are nothing but a twitching blunderIt measures not the time nor hour, its eyeless face drawn and dour The cuckoo clock with cuckoo missing‘d long lost track of faithless hoursLost amongst the work I scour.

This poem was entered into a contest (not yet judged) to write a poem to feature on the front of the CSFS's dark fantasy forum, The Grind. The poem had to draw influence from Edgar Allen Poe's, The Raven. I think it does so very well and with a hint of dark humour.

Thanks
Matt Bird

What is Newton's Second Law?

Science for Writers:  Newton's Second Law
'Apple on books' from stockvault.net. Science for Writers Logo and text created by me.

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed Newton's First Law. In this, the second of a three part mini-series, I will explain Newton's Second Law of motion.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in physics and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

What does it state?

Newton wrote in his book, Principa:

Law II:  The alteration of motion is ever proportional to the motive force impressed; and is made in the direction of the right line in which that force is impressed

Lets break it down before going further:

• Alteration, means change.
• To motion is movement.
• Proportional means a change in the first thing causes a change in the second.
• A motive force is what makes something move
• The right line means the direction in which the movement is happening
• Impressed means acting on the object

Now we've split it up, it is easier to understand. In actuality it is just a wordy way of saying, 'the amount an object's motion changes is equal to the force making it change'.

As with all good laws in physics there is an equation to go with it.

Vocab Builder: K

Vocab Builder:  K
Logo by me (my best, personally ... hence the size)

Welcome to the eleventh of the Vocab Builder series. Last time we covered the letter J. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter K.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're trying to implement a kanban system in your company or keelhaul a kibitzer, or even offering a king's ransom whilst  kvelling over your recent success in a bank heist, you need a strong vocabulary.

It has been commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

kanban

noun

Meaning:  just-in-time manufacturing/delivery strategy

Sentence:  The orcs weren't known for their organisation, so when the elves took over they implemented a kanban in all the major manufacturing chains

Origin:  Japanese. 看板 (pronounced kanban) means 'billboard' in Japanese. Toyota first developed the technique

Writer of the Fortnight

Welcome to the second Writer of the Fortnight (plus a day). Last time I gave the award to O. G. Patterson. As before, this time the award goes to a member of Writing.com - a fantastic site for all aspiring (and in some cases published) authors.

The award this fortnight goes to an writer who has supported me on the site from very early on. She is very insightful when it comes to writing, and not just in technical areas. She always looks at the story being told and the characters telling it far more than comma usage and is always full of suggestions for how to improve and enhance a story whilst keeping the author's voice in tact.

The recipient of the Writer of the Fortnight award this time is Amanda Willcox. Specifically for her tale The Halls of Neptune.

Writer of the fortnight - A. E. Willcox
Original image from boundbytheword.wordpress.com, edited by me

The Halls of Neptune really shines in its voice. That of an ex-captain telling his tale. Here is the opening paragraph:

What is Newton's First Law?

Science for Writers:  Newton's First Law
'Apple on books' from stockvault.net. Science for Writers Logo and text created by me.

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed storing data in DNA. In this, the first of a three part mini-series, I will explain Newton's First Law of motion.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in physics and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

What does it state?

Newton wrote in his book, Principa:

Law I:  Every body persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as  it is compelled to change its state by force impressed.

Lets break it down before going further:

• A body, is an object. An apple is a body. A car is a body. You are a body.
• To persist means 'to continue'.
• A state is the condition something is in.
• Rest means not moving. Being in a state of rest means the body is not moving.
• Uniform means constant. Being in the state of uniform motion means moving in a straight line at a constant velocity (for now just think of velocity as speed).
• Change means to do something different to what it is currently doing.
• A force makes a body do something.
• Impressed is just a fancy way of saying that the force acts on the body.

Now we've split it up, it is easier to understand. In actuality it is just a wordy way of saying, 'Every object continues what it is doing until a force acts on it that makes it change.'

As with all good laws in physics there is an equation to go with it:

Vocab Builder: J

Vocab Builder: J. Image logo created by me.

Welcome to the tenth of the Vocab Builder series. Last time we covered the letter I. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter J.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you make jardinières, or are a jeunesse dorée you should have a strong vocabulary suited to your situation.

It has been commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

jardinière

noun

Meaning:  an ornamental stand for flowers
or             a garnish made of cooked pieced vegetables used for meat

Sentence:  The orcs may be a feared race, but they were partial to jardinières on their human meat stew.

Origin:  Old French. Jardin means garden, jardinière means female gardener

Beta Testing

I was lucky enough to receive a key for the Closed Simcity Beta on Saturday. Whilst this beta only allows you to play 1 hour at a time and it ends tomorrow, it did make me think about how we as writers can test our ideas.

All betas need beta testers. In games they are gamers, in writing they are readers and reviewers.

So what are the purposes of the Simcity beta test and how do they relate to writing?

Simcity Closed Beta Cover
Image from bearvilleinsider.com

Server Stress Testing

For a game like the new Simcity making sure the servers can handle all the users (as it is an online only game). Server stress testing essentially checks how many users a server can handle before it buckles. The Maxis team would then know how to configure the real game servers when it is officially released.

For writers we can liken stress testing to character limit testing. How many characters can a single scene, or indeed the whole story, handle before the reader buckles and says 'I can't handle this many characters!'

If a reader says they are confused, it may be that you have too many characters. Look at each of your characters and work out if they are strictly necessary. If not then you might want to consider cutting them.

Performance

Can you store data in DNA?

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed the a variety of topics in The Top 4 Questions you Never Knew you Wanted to Ask. In this post I will be investigating a piece of cutting edge technology that could revolutionise data storage this century. Even if it doesn't, it can certainly make a massive impact in your science fiction stories.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in science and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

What is DNA?

DNA
Image from astrochem.org

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a double helix that is essentially the genetic instructions that everything in a living organism follows.

Each 'rung' on this ladder like structure consists of two nucleobases. These bases are parts of the genetic code. There are a total of 4 bases that can appear in a DNA molecule: Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine.

There are specific rules to how these bases can combine. A can only connect with T, and C can only connect with G. Each base pair is made up of one of those pairings. A is connected to T by 2 Hydrogen Bonds (that is connected by the Hydrogen atoms in their structure), and C is connected to G by 3 Hydrogen Bonds.

But, DNA is more than just 4 types of bases. Each base is also part of what is known as a Nucleotide. A Nucleotide consists of a Phosphate group, a sugar with 5 Carbon atoms  (called deoxyribose) and the base (A, T, C, or G). The Phosphate group connects to the sugar of another Nucleotide, and one side of the ladder is formed. The other side is formed in exactly the same way. Both sides are then connected to each other by the Hydrogen Bonds between bases I mentioned earlier.

Writing Link:  If DNA is what codes for everything in our bodies, imagine the power a villain would

Vocab Builder: I

Vocab Builder: I. Image logo created by me.

Welcome to the ninth of the Vocab Builder series. Last time we covered the letter H. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter I.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're an inimical person with insouciance who is irrefragably ineffable, or live in indigence who's intransigent, you should have a strong vocabulary suited to your situation.

It has been commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

indigence

noun

Meaning:  severe poverty

Sentence:  The elves were driven to indigence by the orc overlord.

Origin:  Latin. Indigere means 'to need'.

Greetings, Harold

My written exams are over. My Chemistry practical exam is complete. My Biology practical (ISA) is tomorrow and the written part of the practical element on January the 29th. However, my ISA preparations are going well, so I still have time to blog today. Most of the prep is in lesson time anyway.

Tomorrow I am going to start on The Magician's Tattoo properly again. In the latter part of 2012 I essentially deleted everything and started again. Three chapters have been written so far, and I hope to get chapter four completed this month and at least one chapter a month.

Image from maxfarquar.com

A few days into 2013, I started thinking about my characters. One thing that I couldn't get passed was Kwaad's name. As the novel isn't very long at the moment anyone who has read it won't notice the issue with his name, but I do. After all, I have done world building for the novel and so I'd hope I'd spot discrepancies within the world I created.

Every magician in the The Magician's Tattoo has a normal name. There is a little bit of comedy in the opening chapter when it is revealed the eccentric 'magic man' in the purple dressing gown is called Brian. However, despite this comedy, normal names are common in the magical world. They have different cultures to normal people (which will be developed later in the novel) but not so drastic that names are different. The normal people and magician populations developed along side each other. The only major difference is that magician's are magic and so have developed a religion (or religions on the world wide scale) based on how they get magic. But because they developed together their naming conventions aren't going to be too different.

Writer of the Fortnight

Welcome to the first of what I hope to be a fortnightly (who'd've guessed) Writer of the Fortnight. On Writing.com there are many great writers, and I enjoy reading much of the brilliant work people post on there. As part of my fantasy writing group there is a contest titled Magic Words where entrants are tasked with writing a short story that includes all five words from one of two lists of words. The contest isn't ran by me, but I help judge it.

The winner of the last round chose the word list with Symbiotic, Ring, Halcyon, Penumbra, and Diffuse. His tale was one with a gripping plot and disturbing protagonist, plagued with lifestyle dictated by a mystical living ring. The ring wants nothing other than to survive, but to do this will lead its master to commit terrible, murderous deeds.

So, I would like to award Writer of the Fortnight to O. G. Patterson (Sir Various) for writing Crux of Madness.

Writer of the fortnight - Sir Various
Original image from boundbytheword.wordpress.com, edited by me

You can follow Patterson's blog at orensrealm.com.

To entice you to read the story, here's the opening paragraph:

2013 Resolutions

2013 Image Courtesy of FutureSoBright

I got an email today from FutureMe.org reminding me of my 5 New Year resolutions I made at the start of 2012. The year was certainly an annus mirabilis with the Olympics and jubilee, but let's see if it was on a personal level for me:

Write 52 blog posts

I wrote 53 in 2012 so I did that one! Not much else to say here, really.

Write More than in 2011

I may not have stuck with my writing a proper article every month, but I think I made up for it with the greater amount of blog posts. Vocab Builder and Science for Writers certainly upped the number of words I wrote in 2012. I also wrote a short story for a contest, a Halloween story, and a Christmas story. However, I went backwards with my novel. I completely rewrote what little I already had and now have only 3 chapters. All in all I think I matched my writing output of 2011 and perhaps beat it. I know it's not less, but I can't conclusively decide if I succeeded here.

Revise more than 2011

I revised for the January AS exams more than I did for the GCSE exams so I succeed on that front. However, I did become complacent with my revision for the AS summer exams. But, December was a major revision month and I definitely have beaten this resolution.

Inspiration

Last December I wrote about how Christmas is Inspiring. In the article, I covered how to use Christmas to your advantage: using the ready-made character sets and letting yourself loose with a fun, quirky story. This year I’m going to discuss inspiration again, but this time specifically focus on how I generate ideas. This list won’t work for everyone. Some people won’t find the same things inspirational as I do. I will describe my top three techniques to generate ideas. Bear in mind that you will have to take on the role of some unusual characters.

Toilet based inspiration
Image courtesy of Behance.net

Character 1:  The Faux-eco-nutter
Next time you go to the toilet at night, don’t turn the bathroom light on. People around you will think you an eco-nutter, but really you’re not trying to save the environment (I guess that just leaves nutter, then). Whilst you relieve yourself of urine and faeces, let your mind wander. Direct it down paths your characters could take, but then twist it at the last moment. The reason you do this in the dark is that images form in your mind much easier without glaring lights.
This technique is fantastic for generating fantasy fight ideas. If you go in knowing you want a fight, turn the lights off, sit on the bog and let rip (with ideas, of course). If you are anything like me, you will get fight scenes popping into your head a rate of ten a second. If any idea lingers, let it. Toy with it. Remember you are in the dark, nobody will see if you start waving your hands around to manipulate the scene unfolding in front of you.
Once you’ve finished you excretion get up, wipe, and flush. Then whilst washing your hands (still in the dark) you can finalise your concept. Work out who wins, and, equally importantly, who starts the fight. Now, with your bowels emptied and your hands cleansed you may leave the bathroom, no doubt to the concerned eyes of your co-habitants.



Character 2:  The Virtuoso
This one isn’t quite as mad as the first character, but if you get into it, your hands start conducting and well...

Top 4 Questions You Never Knew You Wanted to Ask

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed the Nobel Prize winners in Peace and Economic Sciences. In this post I will be doing a quick fire of the top 4 questions you never knew you wanted to ask. The questions are a mix of those you thought too obvious to even contemplate asking and those that just weren't even on your radar.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in science and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

Why Does Salt + Water = Pain?

In this video we see a bunch of idiots doing the Salt and Ice Challenge. Before I even go into the science of this I think I should take a moment and say not to try this at home, though I doubt you'll want to after reading the background to this challenge.

Let's think a bit about what they're actually doing here. They pour salt onto their hands, add an ice cube, and squeeze; seems harmless enough. But then they start crying out in pain and laughter. The laughter is likely because they don't want to cry in front of their friends, but the pain ... the pain is definitely real. To give them credit, they lasted longer than some other people on YouTube doing this challenge have.

So, why does squeezing salt and ice cause pain? Well it's to do with the type of reaction happening. In this case it is an endothermic reaction. That means it takes energy in from its surroundings, which in this challenge in the person's warm hand. The salt wants to react with the water in the ice. When it does the ice will melt at a colder temperature. This is why we grit roads with ice in the winter; the ice will melt despite the colder temperature. But doing that means it draws energy from your hand, much more than just normal ice would.

But why does it burn if it's getting colder? Those burns are frostbite. When you do this challenge you give yourself second degree (and sometimes third) frostbite burns that take weeks to heal and can leave a permanent scar.

Who Won the 2012 Nobel Prizes? Part 3

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed the Nobel Prize winners in Medicine and Literature. In this post I will be discussing the Nobel Prizes in Peace and Economic Sciences.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in science and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

Peace

As these posts are more about science, I won't be spending too long on the Peace Prize, which this year went to the European Union that  'for over six decades [has] contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe'.

EU Countries
Image Courtesy of Euro-Dollar-Currency

World War II saw many deaths and truly highlighted the 'need for a new Europe'. Germany and France had been at war 3 times in the space of just seventy years, but now, thanks to the EU, the thought of the two being at war is 'unthinkable'.

The EU gained Greece, Spain and Portugal in the 198s which meant they all had to have a democracy. Having a democracy is one of the key requirements to joining the EU. When the Berlin Wall fell, EU membership became possible for many Central and Eastern European countries. This has been dubbed as the opening of a new era for the EU.

Next year Croatia will join the EU on the 1st of July 2013 and will be the 28th country to do so. In addition Montenegro and Serbia are both candidate countries with the potential of becoming members in the future. This is dais to be 'strengthening' reconciliation in the Balkans.

Vocab Builder: H

Welcome to the eighth of the Vocab Builder series. Last week we covered the letter G. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter H.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're a harbinger, bringing about a halcyon change, or are a histrionic guy with hubris, you should have a strong vocabulary suited to your situation.

It has been commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

halcyon

adjective

Meaning:  calm/peaceful / happy / prosperous/affluent

Sentence:  The dragon slept, dreaming of those halcyon days where knights didn't try to slay him.

Origin:  Greek. Alkyone was the daughter of the Greek god of the winds. Her husband dies in a shipwreck and threw herself into the sea becoming a kingfisher (as you do). The ancient Greeks then called kingfishers 'halkyon'. Myth was that they had floating nests on the sea and the god of the winds made a period of calm between eggs being laid and hatched.

Vocab Builder: G

Welcome to the seventh of the Vocab Builder series. Last week we covered the letter F. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter G.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're a writer on Grub Street, or talking to your gormless friend, you should have a strong vocabulary suited to your situation.

It has been commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

gloaming

noun

Meaning:  twilight / dusk

Sentence:  In the gloaming it was hard to tell if it was a sleeping dragon or just a statue.

Origin:  Old English. Glōmung is the Old English, from the stem Glōm meaning twilight.

Who Won the 2012 Nobel Prizes? Part 2

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed the Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry and Physics. In this post I will be discussing the Nobel Prizes in Medicine/Physiology and Literature.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in science and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

Medicine or Physiology

This year the prize was in Medicine and was awarded to Sir John B. Gurdon of the UK, and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan for 'the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent'.

In easier terms, this means they have found that cells in the adult body can be changed to be able to become any type of cell we want (with limitations).

It had previously been thought that a developing foetus had many pluripotent (stem) cells and these then specialised to become skin, muscle, nerve cells, etc... It had always been a forward process. It was thought not to ever go backwards. There are some animals which can regrow lost limbs because they have stem cells, but that is a limited ability.

Who won the 2012 Nobel Prizes? Part 1

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed The Placebo Effect. This week we are entering the realm of prized scientists with a look at the Nobel Prize winners for 2012. This is the first of a 3-part su-series looking the 6 Nobel Prizes this year. This week we look at the Physics and Chemistry Prizes.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in science and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

About the Prize

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish who was interested in science, social and peace issues, and other technical stuff. He is perhaps best known for his work on trinitroglycerin (TNT) in the late 1800s. He died in 1869 and left a large sum of money in his will for a new prize. The Nobel Prize.

Despite the prize being for advances in science it wasn't until 5 years after his death the first prize was awarded. The reason was his family didn't agree with the amount of money being left for the prize.

Part of the will was as follows:

Vocab Builder: F

Welcome to the sixth in the Vocab Builder series. Last week we covered the letter E. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter F.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're a funambulist entertaining a crowd or or if you're flyting, you should have a strong vocabulary.

Last week it was commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

Fainéant

Adjective

Meaning:  idle/ineffectual