Gordon Johnson: Blog

I find myself having to point out to a few authors that they have chosen the wrong word in a sentence, where the words SOUND the same, but have different meanings.
For example, REIN and REIGN. Rein is to do with controlling a horse, and similar effect, but Reign is what a monarch does in a country.
Another common pair is COMPLEMENT and COMPLIMENT. To Complement is to add to, while to Compliment is to say thanks for a job well done.
There are many more, but words do have meanings,so using the right one is important.

If I am reading your story and there is a long section about your character playing an American football game, how relevant is it to the actual story? If paying this game has little relevance, please do not waste the reader's time wading through detailed description of moves in the game.
Would you like it if I wrote a romance and spent a thousand words of it about the playing of a shinty game?
In the same way, a few authors show how much they know about firearms by spending ages in description of what each weapon and type of ammunition can do. Is it relevant to the story? If the story is about a firearms-obsessed man, then yes, but if the weapons are a side isuue, then don't bother with all the unnecessary detail. You can display your expertise in a single paragraph, if you are a good writer.
The gist of the above is, please self-edit your writing to keep it to the story line. That will improve the tale.

I am about ready to start posting this continuation of 'Nowhere Man', at a chapter a week. I have managed to write over twenty chapters, to keep my writing ahead of the posting schedule.

It is assumed you have read 'Nowhere Man', all near-half-a million words of it. That is the only way to fully appreciate what is happening in the story.

The blurb of a new story uses the word widow (a female word), whereas the story is clearly about a WIDOWER (a male word). Someone should get to know the difference.

While writing "Nowhere Man" I was sent a suggestion for linking the Reginald series to another of my series, and the idea struck me as interesting. However, I could not start work on it without stopping "Nowhere Man", so I eventually did halt in (to be continued later).
So, I have got the new Reginald story written - 19 chapters - ready to start posting in the next day or so. I am aiming tom post one chapter per week, to let me work on "Nowhere Man" again..