Observations on the world and its inhabitants
Imagine it is 1989. I am sitting before an Amstrad PCW, a cream-coloured machine with a small green screen, a substantial keyboard and a three-inch floppy disk drive. When the disk is accessed, the machine whirs. When the printer begins, it clatters with mechanical determination. I do not think of it as a computer. People ...
You will probably read a few thousand words today if you’re surfing websites for news, opinion, advice, or reviews. Like you, most people will assume that a person wrote those articles. Until recently that assumption was safe. “Be very, very careful what you put in that head, because you will never, ever get it out.” ...
After a two-week break, work on Book 2 – The Kael’Nyrin Scrolls: The Atlas Edict – of the complex metafictional trilogy resumed. Within hours, something became apparent. The text looked different. Not because it had changed — but because the relationship to it had. Sentences that had seemed acceptable now carried visible excess. Words that ...
It’s more than enough to ‘do your head in’ but as a developing creative writer of Sci-Fi metafictional scenarios, many posts on this blog will present ‘alterations of reality’ for higher purposes. My sojourn into metafiction started with by first novella: The Kael’Nyrin Scrolls: Our Children of Starlight. This will expand into two other books: ...
This post is really a note to myself. The guide is me teaching myself as a new author. The bottom line is that ‘writing’ books is not just about making sentences and having them make sense. It’s about thousands of words painting pictures. This is very different to writing a journal paper or some academic ...
For the independent author, the “final pass” of proofreading is often the most daunting phase of production. Traditional advice suggests separating the creative act of writing from the analytical act of editing. However, with the advent of sophisticated AI and custom automation, a new “proactive” strategy has emerged: the Integrated Workflow. By managing proofreading iteratively ...
In the early stages of a writing career, the focus is often on the “mechanics”—the foundational rules of grammar, syntax, and punctuation. While these are essential, the transition from a competent writer to a compelling author occurs during the final checks of a manuscript. This is where prose is transformed into an immersive experience. For ...
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is widely recognised as the industry standard for software development. However, its core strength—managing complex text files with precision—makes it an exceptionally powerful tool for authors of fiction and non-fiction alike. Luddites and lazy folk should stop right now – leave this blog and get back to Netflix, Instagram and ...
1. The Problem: “All or Nothing” Microsoft Word’s built-in word count feature is binary: it counts everything or nothing. For an author, this is often insufficient. A 50,000-word manuscript might be heavily dialogue-driven or dense with internal monologue, but Word treats “Hello” (dialogue) exactly the same as Hello (thought). There will be times when an ...
The Challenge of the Sequel Writing a duology is a delicate balancing act of memory and tone. This is particularly true for my current project, KNS. Before diving into the methodology, it is important to acknowledge that there is nothing fundamentally wrong in using AI as a tool to assist with drafting. Like any sophisticated ...
I’m totally uninterested in whether you or anyone else who reads this has no need to italicise text between quotation marks. As I don’t like wasting time I find automated solutions. A common task is italicising text between quotation marks. When using the Writage plugin to edit Markdown files within Microsoft Word, a common formatting ...
For writers, journalists, and professionals operating within the United Kingdom, adherence to correct UK English spelling is not merely a preference; it is a fundamental requirement of competence. Official and academic audiences expect consistency, and mandate the use of British conventions. Using the established standards ensures clarity, maintains editorial authority, and respects the national linguistic ...
The chances of anybody becoming an expert brain surgeon is small and not going to happen overnight or over a specified period of nights. We’re talking years of training and work. But.. but when it comes to authorship and ‘sales’ there are people out there who think: ‘Put book on the market and rake in ...
This document outlines the evolution of a print distribution strategy for an independent paperback title, detailing the journey from an ambitious “Hybrid” objective to a pragmatic final execution, and the subsequent pricing strategy adopted for market entry. The Search for the Perfect Distribution Model This case study documents a specific strategic journey taken to solve ...
Rationale: The project was initiated after a significant discovery: new Gemini-TTS models offer high-quality, expressive, multi-speaker audio generation. A cost-benefit analysis revealed a dramatic disparity between professional human narration (previously sourced at ~£490 for 1.6 hours) and AI-driven production (estimated at ~£1.51 for 100 minutes). This project was undertaken as a long-term investment to build ...
I recently discovered two books that have quietly become my new writing bibles: New Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide (2nd Edition) and The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. And honestly? I wish I’d read them years ago. As I’m deep into drafting my second novel, The Kael’Nyrin Scrolls: The Atlas Edict, I’ve ...
1. Introduction The motivation for this workflow exploration was the necessity of converting existing Microsoft Word documents (.docx) into well-structured Markdown (.md) files automatically. While Markdown is an ideal format for documentation, version control, and lightweight text editing (such as in Typora), manual conversion or reliance on simple tools often results in corrupted formatting, particularly ...
Publishing a first book on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) can feel overwhelming. This guide consolidates practical lessons learned from the self-publishing process. Whether publishing fiction or non-fiction, these insights will help avoid common pitfalls. If you’re one of those people who will go, “Why would I want to publish a book, let alone use ...
Someone on a forum asked for assistance with putting in a complaint to a regulatory authority. I gave them my tips. So I put them up here as well to help anyone and for my ease of reference. This is absolutely not a ‘one size fits’ all. Read that again – slowly this time – ...
As ‘some’ may have realised, something is happening in the background. So, I’m sharing Scrivener which is a nifty piece of software – or an ‘app’ for those who like the new terminology. This post is not a software review. Before anyone goes there, I derive no pecuniary or other advantages (in the past, present ...
It’s a new year and there will be new developments. Walker is breaking out on Substack! Interestingly, Substack blogs can accept paid subscriptions quite easily when linked to Stripe. Everybody calm down! This blog will remain in place and continue to be posted to at the usual average frequency. Several Substack blogs will develop in ...
Captain Walker
Captain Walker
