More than Writers

  May 27  It’s Only Words Hello everyone. I’d like to begin with an apology and a big thank you to those of you who left me such lovely comments last month. I haven’t quite got the hang of blogging yet and I only found them when I started on this month’s piece… So… I’ve been thinking a lot about words. And what wonderful things they are.   Our stock in trade. We are wordsmiths. As I wrote that magical word I suddenly felt a need to ask Google. After reading the following definition my head is so swollen (on behalf of all of us) I may not be able to get out of the door. Wow. Just Wow. A  wordsmith  is someone who expertly crafts beautiful sentences and uses language in ways that move and resonate with readers and listeners. A wordsmith excels in the art of playing with language to create beautifully written pieces. This term describes someone who can weave words into compelling stories, persuasive arguments, or powerful poetry, showcasing a deep underst...

If you sell your Paperback books via Amazon KDP, changes are afoot? Ebooks aren’t affected. An author currently receives a 60% royalty minus print costs, but this will change on 10 th June. These changes may see you giving your books away. At the very least, you could see a reduction in royalties. If you have paperback books priced at £7.99 or less, be aware. The new royalty rate will be 50% less print costs. Example ·        Trim size : 6" x 9" ·        Page count : 300 pages ·        Print type : Black & white interior, white paper ·        Marketplace : Amazon.co.uk ·        List Price : £7.99 Current Royalties (Before June 10, 2025) Royalty rate : 60% Printing cost (UK) : approx. £3.60 Royalty Calculation : £7.99 × 60% = £4.79 £4.79 − £3.60 (print cost) = £1.19 royalty per sale New ...

Long ago, when I was young, Sunday was a strange day. In Calvinist northern Scotland, everything was shut - except the church. And the two ice cream shops. (They were owned by Italians who were Roman Catholics and apparently did things differently so that was all right. Actually a lot more than all right, especially in the summer!) But there were rules for us about what you could do on a Sunday. Mainly what you couldn't do. Like cut your nails. If you did, you were inviting the Devil to be in charge for the rest of the week! We were allowed to read books and go for walks. But nothing more strenuous. I recall the local newspaper covering the scandal when one of the younger ministers in town was seen playing football with his young son on a Sunday afternoon! The shock and horror that this outrage produced was... Well, it was of its time. I wonder what those folk would make of the Sundays we find ourselves in nowadays. I actually enjoyed the peacefulness of a traditional Scottish Sund...

Flickr, Andrew "Bob" Brockhurst     That’s one type of waiting: the excited anticipation. Waiting for something we expect to be good, like a theatre show or an imminent holiday; a delicious-sounding meal. At that moment, the waiting is everything. Our focus is on that and that alone. But it’s not the only type of waiting.   T here’s the long, tedious wait. For a bus that never seems to come. For the doctor when all you can feel is the pain that prompted the appointment in the first place. The sort of wait that dominates, not because of the adrenaline of anticipation, but because there’s nothing else to do, or nothing else we can do, until the wait is over. This third type of waiting is in the background. Life goes on despite it. The waiting is always present, sometimes urgent, but it doesn’t block out everything else. It might be the wait for a distant hospital appointment or a child waiting for Christmas. It might be waiting for God to act. We kn...