Rest in Peace, Tata Madiba

By now you’ve probably heard the news that Nelson Mandela has died at 95 years of age. I’m sure many will write tributes in the days to come. I’ve already seen a few, with at least one turning it into a soapbox to criticise our current government and others rushing to point out that Mr Mandela had been a terrorist in his early life, thus hardly deserving of our tribute and respect. This saddens me, for though he was far from perfect, he was still a great man in the way that very few men in history have been. Continue reading “Rest in Peace, Tata Madiba” →

On NaNoWriMo – The Aftermath

I can’t believe National Novel Writing Month is over. After writing that intensively for so many consecutive days, after updating my word count on the website after every writing session and watching the graph grow, and after keeping track track of my writing buddies’ word counts and the forums, it feels strange not to be doing all that anymore.

I think therein lies the biggest value of NaNo: it provides community and a tool to help you visualise your writing progress. Both of these have incredible power to motivate. Continue reading “On NaNoWriMo – The Aftermath” →

On Spotting a Lie

The saying goes the truth is often stranger than fiction (have you seen the movie, by the way?) and that becomes immediately apparent when we start to think of the more unusual events that have transpired in our lives.

I came across this excellent post idea today on John Howell’s blog, Fiction Favourites, and he in turn ~~stole~~ borrowed it from Aussa Lorens on Hacker. Ninja. Hooker. Spy. (Brilliant blog name, don’t you think?)

Here’s how it works: I’m going to tell you six things about me, but one of them is not true. See if you can guess which one. I’ll reveal the truth next week.

And if you decide to also ~~steal~~ use the idea, be sure to leave me a link in the comments so I can read your as well.

#1 Continue reading “On Spotting a Lie” →

Song Title Challenge #25: Shaving Cream – Benny Bell

It’s time for this week’s Song Title Challenge, back after the disruptions of NaNoWriMo.

Write a short piece of fiction, around 300 words, using the song title as your story title but don’t listen to the song. You can pick your own genre or use the one suggested to me. Remember to link back to this post so I can find yours.

If you would like to suggest a song title for a future post, you can do so from the challenge page. You can also leave a suggestion on the Facebook page.

This week’s song is Shaving Cream by Benny Bell and the genre is Fantasy/Sci-Fi. Thanks to bumblepuppies for the suggestion.

Warning: I banged this post together in a very short time, so I’m not so sure about its quality. There’s a bit of strong language in there as well.

Shaving Cream

Continue reading “Song Title Challenge #25: Shaving Cream – Benny Bell” →

On winning NaNoWriMo

That’s right. I did it. At eleven this morning I validated my word count and officially won my very first National Novel Writing Month ever. I actually wish someone would ask me what I did this November just so I can say, “I wrote a novel. What did you do?” It feels great. Thanks for all of you who’ve been cheering me on. You all had a part in helping me get this far.

Continue reading “On winning NaNoWriMo” →