The Well-read Naturalist’s Post

Are you looking for honest, precise reviews for your work of fiction? I provide descriptive reviews and constructive criticism of up to 10 chapters for any book you give me. Head to Fiverr if you're interested! #bookreview #critique #betareader #proofread

Apart from my defence contract work, I'm also a voice actor and audiobook narrator, and both those skills are mutually supportive. Meanwhile, and failing miserably to being able to stick to any kind of diet unless it contains cheese toasties and chocolate, I've been quietly working away at a debut novel. This is now nearing readiness for pitching to traditional literary agencies. The art and craft of writing a compelling story is a skill set I've had to learn about these last 18 months along with getting it beta-read, developmentally edited, copy edited, and leaning about how to draft an effective pitch, or query letter, to potential literary agents. With everything else going on professionally and domestically, it's been, and continues to be, a long, hard road - but the end is now in distant sight. In a nutshell: George’s ancestor was killed in Flanders in May 1915 at the infamous Hill 60. On the 100th anniversary of his passing and in commemoration, George wears authentic repro uniform and kit, and walks his ancestor’s marching route to the former trenches. He sleeps in the same barn as his ancestor did and wakes up the next morning. Except everything is catastrophically wrong – he's somehow been transported back in time to May 1915. He is marooned. His world, his fiancée, and an entire century have suddenly been stripped from him. British soldiers demand to know who he is. Without thinking, he produces his 2015 Reserve Officer military ID showing his rank of Major. A mistake. Now they see an officer, masquerading as a private. Probably a deserter. And there is only one punishment for deserters - execution by firing squad. Meanwhile, in May 2015, his fiancée and friends launch a frantic search, unaware of how he vanished. When George's haversack reappears - beaten, torn, and inexplicably aged beyond its years - they begin to fear the worst. What they don't know is that George is desperately trying to return to them, racing against time and only one step ahead of the firing squad. If he can’t get back, he faces execution, and the love of his life will be gone. Here's an audio clip from my manuscript, if you have two minutes and forty seconds to spare: https://lnkd.in/eFDnfTmA   ...and if you haven't, it will hopefully be published early next year. Well, they did say try something different, outside of one's normal run of life.....

It's clear to anyone that studies short stories and novels, even autobiographies and other literary forms that good stories are made up of characters overcoming obstacles. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AWE3X #SleeplessNightDowntimeRecently #StudiesShortStories #CharactersOvercomingObstacles #MakeFictionalStories #FictionalPeople #FinallyMoved #HumpingBoxes #BitLate #FreelanceWriter #MassiveVideo

🔔NEW BLOG! - Converting a Drama into a Book – not as easy as it sounds! 🔔 The Last Thursday Ritual in Little Piddlington started life as a radio play. The whole story, including all the action, was told through sound effects and speech. An absurdist comedy, it owed a big debt to the comedy masters who had gone before: The Goons, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the Ealing Comedies and the Carry On films. One of the joys of working through pure audio, is that the writer can take the audience to places and events which would be challenging or impossible to create through other media. The printed word, in comparison, needs to be much more precise. A scene which could be depicted in a few audio seconds by some folk music and a bleating sheep, will take a paragraph or two to describe in text, slowing down the action and pace.... For the full blog, head over to my website or click the link: https://lnkd.in/ekRpPXrh 🦋 Maggie Shaw eregendal.com Author & publisher of fiction and poetry You can purchase my books on my website I Amazon I Lulu #newblog #writingprocess #fromdramatobook #author #micropublisher #cheshire #ukauthor #fictionauthor #ukpoetry #writingabook #selfpublishing #fictionuk #converttoabook #writertips #authortips

Here is today's author presentation from my column In the Book Nook with ... Please, click the pic to read. Hope you enjoy! https://lnkd.in/gkTmjhMz

Narrating romance novels requires sensitivity and strategy. Learn key narration tips for the genre, including how to handle spicy scenes and character consistency. ❤️🔥🎙️ https://brnw.ch/21wLcGN

Sad Boy  by Chris Schneider (Author) “Each poem is short but is packed with emotional intensity, creativity, and dark entertainment, which shows off the author’s skill at storytelling.” “The poems paint a masterpiece mural of love, loss, the strength to persevere.” Sad Boy by Chris Schneider masterfully weaves clever wordplay, striking pop culture references, and hauntingly dark themes into a poignant exploration of alienation, depression, and the absurdity of life. In his collection of free verse poems, each line strikes like a blow, a raw scream of pain echoing through the verses. With an acute eye for the absurd and the troubled, Sad Boy speaks to the deepest longings and strangest truths of the human experience. These poems weave raw emotion with dark humor, making sharp and unexpected connections to pop culture that amplify their impact. Gloomy yet touched with wit, this is tough, unrelenting poetry that finds moments of grace amid the chaos. THIS POETRY COLLECTION IS FOR… Fans of dark humor, quick-witted wordplay, and poignant storytelling. Readers who enjoy works like Our Numbered Days by Neil Hilborn or the existential wit of Charles Bukowski. Anyone navigating their own struggles, seeking solace in art that reflects life’s chaos, absurdity, and fleeting moments of beauty. Sad Boy is more than a collection of poems—it’s a reflection of life’s darker corners and the strange, resilient laughter we find within them. Get copy here: https://a.co/d/h7yauV7

It used to be that most writers complained about lack of time to finish their novels, even their short stories, and articles. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/Aam1b #HundredYearsAgo #TotalInformationOverload #OptionsAustraliaOffers #DesignatedChargingPoints #StartedEditingManuscripts #SellCleanAir #WatchingBlack #WhiteDrama #VarietyShows #StoppedBroadcasting

𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣! As a fiction writer, reading Nigerian fiction is one of my favourite passtimes especially on the weekend! I believe that Nigerian stories are worth your time especially the ones with a lot of drama. This story is one that I wrote a while back and it's one of my best ones. Let me know what you think in the comments and what are your favourite fiction novels to read? #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma #Saturday #weekend

Crime fiction, detective stories, murder mysteries, mystery novels, and police novels - boil down to stories that feature a crime, usually a murder. The main focus is on how this crime is investigated, by either a professional detective or someone else taking on the role. #MurderMystery #CrimeFiction #DetectiveStories