tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49404421776259843422024-02-21T02:05:35.462-08:00Philip NeweyHi I'm Philip Newey, author and editor. Here are some thoughts, ideas and other nonsense. I may, at times, express some views that offend some readers. I make no apologies for that. Read on at your own risk. Be sure to also visit my writer's page: http://philipnewey.com. I also run a manuscript services business called All-read-E: http://philipnewey.com/All-read-E.htmPhilip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.comBlogger342125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-77659646790201730582019-07-25T17:52:00.002-07:002019-07-25T17:52:50.651-07:00Revisiting the Comma Splice
One of the difficulties as an editor, particularly when working with fiction, is to know when to be a stickler for the rules. For some people this is not an issue: rules are rules, and that's the end of the matter. Some of us, however, acknowledge that grammar does not have rules in the same sense that mathematics has rules. If you break the rules in mathematics, what you are trying to achieve Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-34174075537833872752019-03-27T18:05:00.000-07:002019-03-27T22:14:16.404-07:00Gratitude, therefore God?
I recently saw a video where a prominent TV personality was interviewing another TV personality who is a self-proclaimed atheist. The interviewer explained that he looked at the wonder of the world around him and experienced a sense of gratitude, and that he needed someone to express that gratitude to, i.e., God. I don't think the atheist's response to this was particularly insightful, but here Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-72983300708891741262018-12-10T16:49:00.000-08:002018-12-10T16:49:19.158-08:00My Take on Doctor Who
I have been a Doctor Who fan since its inception in 1963. Even more so of its modern incarnation, beginning with Christopher Eccleston. Of course there have been ups and downs: classical, memorable story lines and utter clangers. So what do I make of the new series, featuring Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who?
I was really looking forward to a female Doctor. What a great opportunity to develop Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-68018234251571856602018-11-20T22:08:00.000-08:002018-11-20T22:08:19.566-08:00A question to Amazon
As well as an editor, I am an independent author in
Australia, and I have been using Amazon KDP (and previously Createspace) to
publish my paperback books for some years. I have also assisted other
Australian authors to do so. Since 1 July 2018, changes to Australian law
regarding GST have led Amazon to make the decision to no longer ship proof
copies and author copies to Australia. Instead, IPhilip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-13172034286565605802018-06-08T18:39:00.000-07:002018-06-08T18:39:03.108-07:00Loving Our Leaders?
'Loving our leaders' is not a condition with which we are much afflicted in Australia. For the most part, they are regarded somewhere below used-car salespersons and paedophiles.
We might aspire to admiring our leaders, or respecting our leaders - should they earn such admiration and respect. But 'loving' them? I don't think so.
No matter how worthy of respect and admiration a leader mightPhilip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-53326743097463926922018-05-20T20:26:00.001-07:002018-05-21T05:42:01.485-07:00The Perils of Pluto
I am a regular quizzer. I love answering
questions. I know it's sad, but I get a kick out of knowing something really
obscure that few others know. I'll take my thrills where I can get them.
This is a note to quizzers about that pesky
solar system object known as ‘Pluto’. Planets come up quite often in quizzes,
and there is frequently a discussion about Pluto—planet? dwarf planet? orbiting
Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-72132467730812776562018-05-01T19:39:00.000-07:002018-05-01T19:39:04.059-07:00New Release!My new novel, The Woman by the Urn, will be released on 21 June 2018. You can pre-order the Kindle version here.
A young boy in Glasgow.
A young man at theological college.
An aging painter.
Sean Burnett is all of these, viewed through his own eyes and those of the people closest to him. 'Are our lives a single thread,' he asks, 'flowing smoothly from one instant to the next? Or are they Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-15036510883728705192017-11-05T20:25:00.001-08:002017-11-05T20:25:18.576-08:00Poem (2): For FearFor Fear
As I fear to bend and break
The grass upon which I walk ...
As I touch not the lustrous bubble
For fear of ending its fragile life;
As I fear to tread upon the virgin snow
And savage its perfection ...
As I speak not in the dawn's light
For fear of shattering its calm.
So I fear to touch you with my love
For fear of bending and breaking yours.
(24 September 2017)
Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-87313125124669112102017-09-28T20:16:00.000-07:002017-09-28T20:26:59.883-07:00A Little PoetryI have not posted anything on here for several months now. I thought I might use it to occasionally air some poetry. Like most of my writing, this doesn't come easily to me, so don't expect me to churn the poems out.
Here's one I prepared earlier 😀
*******************************************
Spring’s Demise
There is, in the breaking of an arm,
In the breaking of an arm of a small Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-65303658186651254962017-04-13T20:39:00.000-07:002017-05-03T00:08:53.066-07:00The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (by Henry Fielding): Not quite a review
I've
finally finished this. Although it took me a long time, it was surprisingly
easy to read. Bear in mind that it was published in 1749, and I expected to
have more difficulty with the English. A few words were oddly (and variously)
spelt, but otherwise the language was almost entirely modern. Only a few odd
words and phrases failed to yield their meaning within the context.
Of
Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-5905069014873939942017-01-31T21:45:00.000-08:002017-01-31T21:45:28.349-08:00The New Normal
Last year was a
fascinating year in many respects, especially politically around the world. I
haven’t commented about much of it. Plenty of others have done that. To be
honest, I’m not sure what any of it means, or what the long term consequences
might be.
I am aware, though,
that human beings have an incredible (and not always helpful) capacity to
adapt. It does not take long for us to ‘get Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-1193934960700859332016-12-06T22:55:00.000-08:002016-12-06T22:57:43.043-08:00Review: 'Defenestration' by Matthew W McFarland
Almost four years ago now I reviewed a collection of short
stories by Matthew W McFarland entitled Fifty/Fifty and Other Stories. Among those stories was what is
now (more or less) the opening chapter of this novella. It was also called
‘Defenestration’, and I gave it 4.5 stars. The question is, does this novella
measure up to its namesake?
The short answer is: almost. There was a Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-1975134307259830012016-11-16T22:15:00.000-08:002016-11-17T00:01:59.996-08:00Review: 'Tzippy the Thief' by Patricia Striar Rohner
Tzippy is the story of a vain, self-indulgent, superficial, pampered
and narcissistic 80-year-old woman, at the head of a dysfunctional family. She
lives in Florida with her live-in, African-American maid. In her latter years,
she is in a relationship with Stan, a long-time friend of the family, and
especially of her late husband.
This is a well-written and well-edited story. The prose Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-40754985222895910052016-06-22T22:48:00.000-07:002016-06-22T22:48:00.450-07:00Political Mandate (or not)
There has been a lot
of talk recently in Australia (with a federal election on the way) about the
meaning of a political mandate. When a party is elected into power, does that
mean it has a mandate, a right, to put into place all the policies which it
took with it into the election?
The answer is NO, and
the reasons are quite simple.
When I go to the
polling booth I have to make a choice Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-44816005426737868092016-04-24T17:42:00.000-07:002016-04-24T17:42:39.591-07:00ANZAC Day
My overseas readers
may not know what ANZAC Day is. It has to do with the Gallipoli landing during
the First World War. It is a very big day in Australia, and seemingly becoming
bigger every year.
It is almost sacrilegious
and possibly even considered treasonous to say anything that might be regarded
as a criticism of this day. Few in Australia regard Christmas or Easter
celebrations with Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-43153571222747204122016-04-19T20:57:00.000-07:002016-04-20T02:44:31.152-07:00'Naturalistic' Dialogue
We writers often try
to write dialogue in what we regard as a naturalistic style, but this can be
fraught with difficulties. The result may not be what we intended.
We know that the
spoken word is very different from the written word. We rarely speak in nice,
complete, neat, grammatically correct sentences. Our speech stops and starts;
words slide together; we leave the beginnings and Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-84757649624733028382016-01-11T02:19:00.000-08:002016-01-11T02:19:35.375-08:00David Bowie and me
I know. I suppose
everyone will want to have their say about David Bowie, which goes to show what
an important influence he has been.
The very first song I
heard by David Bowie on Australian radio, and the first to which I attached his
name, was ‘Queen Bitch’, from the ‘Hunky Dory’ album. A song with the words
‘queen’ and ‘bitch’ in the title? Would that get airplay in the US even today?
Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-8597967353357876472016-01-10T18:31:00.000-08:002016-01-10T21:58:39.382-08:00Hemingway, the App
Every now and then a
new application pops up that will claim to make you a better writer, or that
will offer to edit your work for you. Of course, MS Word itself offers to do
some of this, with its spell checker and grammar checker, and I think we all
know that the results are chequered at best.
I came across an app recently:
the ‘Hemingway App.’ It claims ‘to make your writing bold and clearPhilip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-83574678141299259942015-12-29T16:09:00.000-08:002015-12-29T16:09:02.772-08:00Review: 'A Yellow-Winged Stranger' by Imran Usman
This is an interesting book and worth persisting with,
despite the flaws that I will mention in a moment. It is difficult to allocate
it to a genre. I suppose it fits into the ‘literary fiction’ catchall, but that
doesn’t say much. There is almost an air of magical realism about the book. I
say ‘almost’, because the elements that contribute to this impression turn out
to have a logical Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-76682173885617607062015-12-17T17:17:00.000-08:002015-12-17T17:17:10.299-08:00When World Views Clash (and when don’t they?)
The former prime minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, recently stated in an article in an Australia newspaper: ‘Cultures are not all equal. We should be ready to proclaim the clear superiority of our culture to one that justifies killing people in the name of God.’
Where to begin with the issues raised by a comment like this?
First of all, I want
to make some obvious points, which Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-7067962585434551572015-12-14T19:32:00.000-08:002015-12-14T19:32:24.529-08:00Filter Words
What are filter words?
These are words we, as writers, use to place a character as a filter between
the reader and the experience of that character in the story we are writing.
There are a whole host of such words and expressions, and the best way to
understand their importance is to give some examples.
As she climbed over a pile of timber she noticed a sudden movement, which made her
jump; Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-29751662614956533842015-09-16T19:31:00.000-07:002015-09-16T22:01:45.842-07:00Tony Abbott's Lacklustre Legacy
I am always hesitant to
discuss Australian politics in this blog because most readers within Australia
care only the tiniest fraction more about Australian politics than readers
outside Australia. But am I completely deluding myself in believing that on
Monday night, when Tony Abbott was dumped as PM, there was a spontaneous sigh
of relief across the nation? And did I not, perhaps, hear an echo Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-80388063109887622632015-09-11T19:52:00.000-07:002015-09-12T17:19:54.927-07:00Not the 7.30 Report
Presenter: Welcome to the show, Prime Minister.
PM: Thanks for having me, Dee. Always a pleasure.
Presenter: Well, Prime Minister, the big news today, of
course, is the ending, at last, of the Middle East crisis.
PM: Yes indeed, Dee, yes indeed. We’re very proud
of our achievement. Very proud.
Presenter: It certainly was an inspired idea.
PM: Yes indeed, Dee. It was inspired. Inspired.
Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-9442491588428729152015-09-05T05:08:00.000-07:002015-09-05T05:08:00.313-07:00I am what I write
I wonder if this is as
true for you as it is for me.
Those of you who
subject your writing to the scrutiny of others will know the anguish that can
bubble in the belly as you await their verdict. So much of who I am is invested
in my writing. That’s why criticism of it is so hard to take, even when well
and truly justified.
Those who don’t
experience this ... Well, I wonder how they Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940442177625984342.post-69318498892425531622015-09-01T18:27:00.000-07:002015-09-01T18:34:02.557-07:00Re-Visiting Asylum Seekers
How does the rest of
the world perceive Australia’s response to asylum seekers (if the rest of the
world notices at all)? Our current ‘liberal’ (for which read ‘ultra-conservative’
and ‘right wing’) government won the election based (or so they claim) on their
determination to ‘stop the boats’. There seem to be only three elements to this
government’s policy towards asylum seekers: (1) stop the Philip Neweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475726979138674979noreply@blogger.com0