Grammar and the Radio...

Well I hope my grammar will be right on the radio...

Thursday lunchtime- Catherine Dalling and I will be on BBC Radio Nottingham talking about the One Word Anthology, with Gareth Evans.

If you want to listen to the show live, you should be able to access it via the BBC iPlayer Radio pages in the UK.

Family members who are not otherwise occupied will be at home listening. And numerous friends will be tuning in to hear our efforts.

It is a bit scary- I did a short guest slot one New Year about five or six years ago, so it will be interesting to see how much has changed since then...

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Now I mentioned grammar earlier, and I know how some writers struggle with it - there are bits I'm still not sure of too. So a good book that explains every aspect clearly, with examples, is a very useful addition to the bookshelf.

So I'm going to suggest you have a look at 'Grammar for Grown-Ups' by Katherine Fry and Rowena Kirton. Amazon has a look inside option, and it's cheaper than at Waterstones (where I bought my copy). It even has a Table of Tenses which I know I'll find useful...

I didn't know about this book until I saw it in Waterstones today, when I was browsing the reference section. I've since discovered a couple of people I know have also bought a copy.

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I'll be doing my next blog post late Thursday, so I can include a link to the interview.

 

(That's assuming I don't get struck down with any seasonal bugs between now and then. :-) )

 

 



Bond is Back and Writers Will Like It...

Now you may not think that the latest Bond movie has much to interest a writer, other than you might like Daniel Craig as 007, the fast cars and the action scenes- the escapist fun.

But I have to say this was actually a film that a writer can truly appreciate.

At the end I came out feeling that the story had been done properly.

On previous Bond films I've seen, by the end I've felt dissatisfied, that something was missing, but this time I knew it had been done right.

(Yes, I know a lot of that is due to the Director, Cameramen/Women, Stunt Artists, and the Editor to name just a few- and the credits are long.)

Just as in a novel there are the recognisable ups and downs that a story needs. And it certainly had a beginning, middle and an end.

There were lots of little mysteries which were all tied up by the finish of the film, but even then heralded a new beginning.

You had the big climax of the film, but just as in a good book there was that final winding up that left you with a resolution.

There was a lot of character development- 'M', you really see how tough a woman in such a high position has to be to do the job- I know it's fiction, but I bet there are women in all areas of life with big responsibilities who would probably recognise aspects shown by Judi Dench's 'M'.

There's a new young 'Q' ( Ben Whishaw) - forget the gadgets, it's all up to date now with technology- but nothing's perfect...

I even had some sympathy for the villain (Javier Bardem as Silva) at times, but he was still the baddy and got what was coming to him...

Then we have Bond. We all know that our past experiences shape us, and in this film you actually get to find out some of his back-story- someone has really thought this story through.

And if you wonder why it's called 'Skyfall', like I did, you'll find out as the story builds to a climax, as long as you're paying attention...

The final thought, technology can do a lot of things, but sometimes the old ways get the job done, which is probably the appeal of Bond...