With traffic to my websites and those of a number of other people that I know diminishing, it makes me wonder "Is Social Media killing blogging?". Going back 10 or even 20 years, when blogging was something new and innovative and many people realized they had a means to express themselves through writing, sharing their … Continue reading Is Social Media Killing Blogging?
Location, Location, Location #1
If you are writing a novel, one of the key parts of your research must be to visit the locations in the story.
Come on a journey with me…
The setting is very important to a novel: the sense of place, time and social environment contextualizes the story so that the reader can visualize and experience it.
I thought it might be fun over the coming weeks for us to go and visit some of the places where my novels have been set. Each time I’ll give you a little of the background as why these locations were important to my story and important to me, and you can read how they fit into the narrative of the book.
We’ll begin in Rufford, a little village in West Lancashire, England, where my debut novel, The Silver Locket, is mainly set.
My route to work each day took me through this pretty little place with its traditional houses, surrounded by flat, fertile farmland. In…
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cookie, cookie, cookie.
Are they cookies or biscuits? Depends on where you live in the world, but here is an interesting history of them.
“happiness isn’t a fortune in a cookie. it’s deeper, wider, funnier, and more transporting than that.”
-elvis costello
—
NATIONAL COOKIE DAY – December 4
The English word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word koekie, meaning “little cake.”
Hard cookie-like wafers have existed for as long as baking has been documented. Not surprisingly, they traveled well, too, though were usually not sweet enough to be considered cookies by modern-day standards.
The origin of the cookie appears to begin in Persia in the 7th century, soon after the use of sugar became common in the region. They then spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. Cookies were common at all levels of society throughout Europe by the 14th century, from the royal cuisine to the street vendors.
Cookies arrived in America in the 17th century. Macaroons and gingerbread cookies were among the popular early American cookies. In…
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Stonehenge versus Avebury
Everyone who visits the UK wants to go to the legendary Stonehenge, but just 17 miles north is an equally impressive site, Avebury.
Avebury is the largest stone circle in Britain and also has burial mounds and more to see and experience.
The world-famous Neolithic monument of Stonehenge is on everyone’s bucket-list, or seems to be – going by the droves who visit it every year – but many miss out on its sister UNESCO World Heritage Site at Avebury, only 17 miles away. What are they missing out on, and is it even better? Does it out-henge Stonehenge?
Stonehenge has long been a must-see for any visiting England and venturing beyond the capital – and rightly so. The iconic stone circle, standing proud on Salisbury Plain, is one of the seven ‘modern’ wonders of the world (as opposed to the classical ones, of which only the Great Pyramid of Giza
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The Coronavirus – a brief guide
Thought as this was topical and way too funny to not share widely, reblogging would be in order.
Unlike people, viruses are smart and evolve quickly, making them a challenging adversary.
Scientists are racing to perfect a vaccine, but in the meantime what can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones?
Here’s the handy halfbananas guide to the (almost) pandemic.
Avoid drinking Corona beer, a possible source (allegedly) of infection. You’ll be safer with Sol!
One meaning of corona is a crown, so it makes sense to avoid royalty at all costs. They travel a lot, spreading all sorts of nasty bugs.
Cheap surgical masks are not very effective, but add a few drops of chloroform and voila! You can stay home and take a nice nap instead of going out and risking infection.
Viruses can be disrupted or destroyed by heat and possibly by certain sound frequencies. Initial lab results show promise, especially with Christian rock music and anything by Vanilla Ice.
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A Poem About How To Rhyme When Writing A Poem
This is an excellent play on words from Jame Proclaims. He has a great way with words, enjoy.
When trying to rhyme, it isn’t a crime
To use the same word twice
Or thrice or quatrice
Quatrice is not a real word
But it isn’t all that absurd
To make up words
If you poetate with a valid license
But never poetate without a license
Otherwise people won’t be able to tell
That poetate is not meant to be potato
And you just can’t spell
And when I’ve lost my muse
A simple ruse is to overuse
Poetry to express my views
But I often confuse the rules
Of the various forms
Though it isn’t a crime not to rhyme
And when you rhyme, it isn’t a crime
To use the same word twice
Or thrice or quatrice or even quintice
It’s better to say twice twice
Than say rice, if rice has no context
Any more than mice or lice
And frankly it isn’t nice to talk…
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SEO: Using WordPress Categories To Your Advantage
Although I have been working with WordPress based sites for a number of years, it only dawned on me recently how best to use Categories and Tags to improve the SEO on your sites. I think most of us know that it's essential to organise your posts into Categories and to limit the number of … Continue reading SEO: Using WordPress Categories To Your Advantage
Blogging Is Harder Than It Used To Be
I don't know about you, but I find these days that blogging is harder than it used to be. There was a time when I could just write what about whatever came into my head, and the words would usually just keep flowing, often faster than I could type. Now though, it's not enough to … Continue reading Blogging Is Harder Than It Used To Be
It’s Hard To Keep Up With The Blogs These Days
In times where my full time job takes up a lot of my creative energy, it's hard to keep up with the blogs these days. I have so much that I really want to write about, but finding the time to write and the ability to focus on a topic when I do have time … Continue reading It’s Hard To Keep Up With The Blogs These Days
No Gardening This Weekend
Well it looks like no gardening this weekend, as Storm Doris is making it's way across the UK, bring lots of wind, rain and further north snow as well. We woke up this morning (and a few times during the night as well) to strong gusts of wind, but so far no reports of damage. … Continue reading No Gardening This Weekend
