Recent content by Mad Swede

OK, writing this as someone whose books have been translated into another language. To produce a readable book what you need is an interpretation, not a one-to-one translation. That's because you have to deal with things like word play and cultural references (which may be explicit or implicit)...

This is something which is incredibly specific to country and region so I wouldn't pay too much attention to what was said in that video.

I was introduced to the book by a French colleague when I was serving with UNIFIL in the Lebanon. It did seem a little surreal reading a book of verse about medieval courtly romance whilst sitting in the shadows of Le Château de Terre (Saint Louis Castle) in Sidon...

Well, first you should finish your books. That in itself may be a bigger achievement than you think, as it takes quite a lot of dedication to write a complete novel. As for finding a publisher, you're in the US so you'll need to find an agent who will then find you a publisher. Some small and...

Ah, Le Roman de la Rose. A very interesting read if you enjoy verse, espceially if you're able to read the original Old French (versions in modern French are also good). Written by two people, Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meune. It seems to have been intended as a sort of psychological...

As The Dark One says, writers discuss this a lot. My view is that whatever we may think our characters do reflect aspects of both ourselves and people we have met. There's no other way we as writers can get the knowledge and insights we need to develop our characters and give them that...

Possibly you mean that they swear a little more openly? I've known quite a few of what some would call the upper class, and even they swear like troopers when they think no-one else can hear them. I'd also suggest that swearing depends on what sort of community or group you happen to fnd...

OK, given your background you won't need any sensitivity readers for that first book you want to write. In fact, your background is likely to make it a bit easier to find both an agent and then a publisher for the book. As for the second book, write it and see how you get on. Allegory covers...

Is it your screens or the graphics card/chip on your computer?

Might I recommend Jim Colville's translation of " الروض العاطر في نزهة الخاطر " ("The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight")? I'm sure you'll find any number of alternatives ways of expressing those sorts of things... ;)

Yes, I do my best not to make my stories war porn/fight porn/weapons porn/macho men BS. The people, their personalities and their reasons are a lot more interesting. Sure, I include the odd fight and I try to keep the weapons and the setting reasonably realistic. But it's the characters that...

Probably the earliest examples of fantasy authors putting their real life military experiences into their world building are JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. They weren't what we would now call special forces soldiers, they were infantry officers and served on the front line in some of the most...

Start with the various UK Census, especially those from 1851 onwards. Look at the local trade guides and the local newspapers, and also at the church records. Personally I'd get accounts on Ancestry and Find My Past to do this. Then do straight internet searches for people and things like pubs...

C S Lewis did not dislike Lady Chatterley's Lover. Far from it, he saw it's literary qualities. He seems to have felt that it could have been improved by using prose which was more erotic and perhaps less direct when it came to sex. By then (and by the time of the interview I mentioned) Lewis...

The trouble is, things like supposition and inclusivism are not tidbits in C S Lewis writings. So many people get blinded by the fact that he was a Christian apologist that they miss the fact the C S Lewis was primarily a philosopher. The Chronicles of Narnia may contain some Christian elements...