Blog Posts

Plotter, Pantser or Planter? You may have heard the term plotter and probably pantser and I've been mulling these writing styles over in my head and while doing so I've come up with a combination of the two, planter! What on earth is she talking about? All will become clear... Plotters In terms of writing, a plotter is a person who sits down and outlines a plot of their story following a structured approach. This approach will most likely drill down to chapter headings and a rough outline of the contents of each chapter ending with a finale.  A story outline such as this is a requirement for submissions to agents and/or publishers and it is an approach many authors follow rigidly. Pantser The opposite to a plotter, the pantser sits down and writes, allowing their creativity to take over. There is no plan, the story develops itself on the hoof as the author writes. Authors who rebel against the traditional plotting already mentioned might swear by this approach arguing that the former inhibits their creative side.  Some people argue that pantsing results in better stories while others say that it is damaging. Who's right? Neither. It's whatever works for the author or more importantly, the reader as he/she is the ultimate judge of whether it is working. Planter  In reality many authors use a combination of the two approaches and you can see what I've done here - creating one word from the two. I personally use a combination and when I was playing with this word initially it was a bit of fun.  The more I think about it though, planting is what I do as an author. I have a seed of an idea, I start to write and for me as the story develops or the plant…

Tears of Fire by Gordon Bickerstaff This is another gritty and gripping political thriller from Gordon Bickerstaff. This is the second book I have read in the series but works as a standalone if you haven't read any of the others. Zoe is a ex SAS soldier and ferocious opponent with a softer side and her character makes the book compelling. In this book Zoe is being hunted by the very people she has saved from terror and they will do anything to capture and kill her. The story features evil twin sisters who have a love for torture and will mete out suffering in any way they can. It is a well-woven plot that starts with a bang and then continues full throttle right through to the end. If you are a fan of thrillers and don't mind some graphic violence then this book is a great read. Another page turner by a talented author.

Portrait of Stella, Susan Wuthrich Book Review 17th June 2018, Dawn Brookes A Great Start I loved this story from the beginning when Gemima finds out that her birth certificate is a forgery. The story spans two different times which took a bit of getting used to for me. The first timeline is that of Gemima searching for the truth of her birth and the second one goes back in time and follows the events of her mother, Stella. Apartheid History At times the story is sad and tragic and the history of apartheid is covered well and I learned a lot more about the era. I followed the protests about Nelson Mendela's imprisonment over many years but the experiences that people like Stella and even Gemima had were insufferable. Could have been a saga trilogy Initially I found the moving from one time to another tricky but I think the author introduced it in a creative way and made it a good read. I think the book could have been told in two or three parts as a family saga but it was an intriguing and enjoyable read. It could have done with a further proofread as there are a number of typos which, although they don't take away from the story, they can be irritating from a reader's perspective. I still think this is a great story though and loved it. It has a bit of everything included from World War II to the year 2000 and spans three generations and three continents which is why I think it could have been three books.