Mini-rant on book reviews

Why, oh why do folk on Goodreads feel obliged to summarise the plot of every book when they review it?  Waste of time when the blurb is already available (and presumably includes all the author wanted to reveal in advance) and too often way too much information for the reader who's wondering whether or not to read it.

Prediction fiction

As it says "it's only words" - and this week's are middle, turmeric and wail.  To use, along with up to ninety-seven others.  Before  Friday 26th.  On http://predictionfiction.blogspot.co.uk/

Prediction Fiction - 13 participants, 195 comments

An astonishing response to my first week as Prediction host!!  The last time comments went into treble figures was June 2013, although those on Lily Childs Friday Prediction often exceeded 200.
Not only were pieces of startlingly vivid writing submitted but almost everyone, knowing how we writers crave recognition from our peers, took time to comment on others.

Judging was hard, because, above all else it was the imagery evoked that grabbed me, beginning with blue-eyed rats and ending with careening space ships - both from first-timers to the site.

Next week’s words are:  cost, exquisite, slow

Entries by midnight Thursday 18th June, new words and winners will be posted on Friday 19th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialized fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine.

Prediction Fiction

My first Prediction post was in February 2011.  Overawed by the standard of entries, and feeling more than a bit of a fraud, since I didn’t write in the required genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir, my participation was intermittent.  Did a dozen in 2012, and was thereafter hooked.

The need to tell a story in 100 words, incorporating three prompt words forced me to tighten my prose, make sure each word fully merited its place and sharpened my vocabulary.

I also found I am a serial serialiser - from this grew The Blacksmith’s Wife, and several other serials, the tale necessarily twisting back and forth each week so as to include the prompts.

The other thing is that the majority of participants READ what others write, comment on it.

And as Host I get to choose the best each week.

This weeks words are ‘army’, ‘break’ and ‘blue’ and I’d be delighted if some of you could make it part of your weekly writing routine.

Entries, this week, by no later than Saturday.  Next week I’ll be a bit more organised.

It’s at http://predictionfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/five-minutes-into-job.html