Don't Call Us...

April 8, 2012
I never thought I'd say this, but I miss old-fashioned rejection slips.  Most of the time they would be nothing more than an impersonal compliments slip, but at least I could put they to some other use.  I could scribble ideas for my next great work on the back of them, or shopping lists, or I could fold them into wads to stop cupboard doors swinging open, or to prop up table legs.  I could do origami with them, make paper planes, scribble doodles....  If they arrived on a bad day at least I could lighten my mood by tearing them up.  I used various techniques: the long, smooth rip that produced a sizzle of sound; the quick snap of the wrist that divided the slip with an electric crackle.
Now, most replies to submissions are e-mailed, even if you have to send your manuscript via snail mail.  Clicking delete might obliterate the distasteful news in an instant, but it simply isn't as satisfying.  That's why I intend receiving as few of them as possible!

Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

How to Win

April 1, 2012
Writing is supposed to have therapeutic qualities.  Setting things down on paper is meant to help get them out of your system. I'm not sure how true that is.  Reading through what you've written afterwards might make you see how ridiculous you or your worries were, on the other hand it might keep old grievances alive.
For writers, there's always the benefit of being able to use your outpourings on paper in future work.  Writing about arguments can be particularly satisfying.  You can make you...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Sound Advice

March 24, 2012
In An Essay on Criticism Alexander Pope writes: 'The sound must seem an echo to the sense.'  He continues:
'When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw,
The line too labours, and the words move slow:
Not so, when swift Camilla scours the plain,
Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main.'
It's still great advice, and I endeavour to follow it.  More than that, I find that it isn't only the words that change tempo, but the speed at which I write them.  If I'm writing somethin...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

A Bolt from the Blue

March 19, 2012
Tell someone you write and one of the first things they'll probably ask is where you get your ideas.  My usual answer is, "I only wish I knew."  This week I'd be able to tell them something more definite, if not more useful.

1.  A television programme about moving house visited the river side in Bedford and sparked a memory of playing in a samba band at the festival, and the basis for a short story.

2.  In another television programme, a soprano spontaneously bursting into an aria in a town squ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Oo-er!

March 13, 2012
Marketing my novel, Discord's Child, has had some unexpected side effects.  When I first set up this blog and website, and joined Twitter and Facebook, it was because a prospective publisher had asked about my 'online presence'.  At that time I didn't have one.  I'm not sure that any of these things have gained me readers, but they have brought me other things.
I have found work writing copy for web designers and various businesses via Facebook.  Getting my cover contest in Network Arts' news...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

US vs. UK

March 3, 2012
When e-publishing is it better to use American English (spellings, vocabulary and grammar) or UK English?  If you're submitting to an e-zine or publisher, they will usually say which they prefer in their guidelines and, if they like your work enough, will correct one or two oversights that might occur if, say, American English isn't your first language.  However, if you're self-publishing you have to decide which one to use–or do you?
There's less risk of making mistakes if you stick to UK ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Tweet, Tweet

February 23, 2012
I'm not sure whether I'm more admiring or envious.  Since joining Twitter, I aim to tweet something of my own at least every couple of days.  Often it's a struggle.  I'm constantly amazed at how some people come up with not one or two tweets a day, but more than a hedgeful of sparrows.  Where do all the ideas come from?  How do they find the time?  Do they do anything else?  Why do they do it?  There are some people (myself included on occasion) who tweet to draw attention to their other work...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Dear Readers, Readeresses, Readerlings

February 13, 2012
I recently edited Discord's Child again (the new version is online now), and for the first time I used the proof-read feature on my computer.  It was worth doing.  Every time you make changes to a manuscript you run the risk of making new mistakes, and the more familiar you are with the work, the less likely you are to notice them.  
The computer proof-reader spotted several instances where I'd removed a word and left an extra space, and drew my attention to a tendency to repeat certain phras...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Deadline Extended

January 27, 2012
It's been suggested to me that people might like a little more time to perfect their entries to the contest to design a cover for Discord's Child (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006KRYYOK), so I've extended the closing date to 30th April 2012.  With all that extra time, why not enter twice?  After all, it's free!  You'll find all the details here.
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions 

 

Cover Contest Arrives

January 19, 2012
I know it's a little late but - happy New Year! To start 2012 off with a bang, here at last is news of my contest to find the perfect cover for my new fantasy novel, Discord's Child (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006KRYYOK). Entrance is free, and you could win £20, plus a copy of the novel and the satisfaction of seeing your work published. All the details can be found on my website at www.ksdearsley.com. The closing date is 31st March 2012, so get designing. I can't wait to see what you come up...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions 

 
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About Me


My writing career began as a freelance feature writer for the local press, businesses and organisations. Now a prize-winning playwright and short story writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic. I write as K. S. Dearsley because it saves having to keep repeating my forename, and specialise in fantasy and other speculative genres.

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