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In a word: Incline

When you first think of this word, it is with a slippery slope in mind.

I’ve been on a few of those in my time.

And while we’re on the subject, those inclines measured in degrees are very important if you want a train to get up and down the side of a mountain.

For the train, that’s an incline plane, the point where traction alone won’t get the iron horse up the hill.

Did I say ‘Iron Horse’? Sorry, regressed there, back to the mid-1800s in the American West for a moment.

It’s not that important when it comes to trucks and cars, and less so if you like four-wheel driving; getting up near-vertical mountainsides often present a welcome challenge to the true enthusiast

But for the rest of us, not so much if you find yourself sliding in reverse uncontrollably into the bay. I’m sure it’s happened more than once.

Then…

Are you inclined to go?

A very different sort of incline, ie to be disposed towards an attitude or desire.

An inclination, maybe, not to go four-wheel driving?

There is another, probably more obscure use of the word incline, and that relates to an elevated geological formation. Not the sort of reference that crops up in everyday conversation at the coffee shop.

But, you never know. Try it next time you have coffee and see what happens.

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Writing about writing a book – Day 2

Hang about. Didn’t I read somewhere you need to plan your novel, create an outline setting the plot points, and flesh out the characters?

I’m sure it didn’t say, sit down and start writing!

Time to find a writing pad, and put my thinking cap on.

I make a list, what’s the story going to be about? Who’s going to be in it, at least at the start?

Like a newspaper story, I need a who, what, when, where, and how.

Right now.

I pick up the pen.

Character number one:

Computer nerd, ok, that’s a little close to the bone, a computer manager who is trying to be everything at once, and failing. Still me, but with a twist. Now, add a little mystery to him, and give him a secret, one that will only be revealed after a specific set of circumstance. Yes, I like that.

We’ll call him Bill, ex-regular army, a badly injured and repatriated soldier who was sent to fight a war in Vietnam, the result of which had made him, at times, unfit to live with.

He had a wife, which brings us to,

Character number two:

Ellen, Bill’s ex-wife, an army brat and a General’s daughter, and the result of one of those romances that met disapproval for so many reasons. It worked until Bill came back from the war, and from there it slowly disintegrated. There are two daughters, both by the time the novel begins, old enough to understand the ramifications of a divorce.

Character number three:

The man who is Bill’s immediate superior, the Services Department manager, a rather officious man who blindly follows orders, a man who takes pleasure in making others feel small and insignificant, and worst of all, takes the credit where none is due.

Oops, too much, that is my old boss. He’ll know immediately I’m parodying him. Tone it down, just a little, but more or less that’s him. Last name Benton. He will play a small role in the story.

Character number four:

Jennifer, the IT Department’s assistant manager, a woman who arrives in a shroud of mystery, and then, in time, to provide Bill with a shoulder to cry on when he and Ellen finally split, and perhaps something else later on.

A photograph from the inspirational bin – 27

This is the staircase down to the bedroom level of a two-story holiday apartment at the Rosebud Country Club on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria Australia.

It was the first time we stayed there for a long time.

However…

Innocuous stairs leading downwards to a black hole suggest a great many other things, especially if you left your imagination run wild.

For instance:

What if you are an only child being dropped off by your parents at your creepy grandparent’s place in the middle of the woods. Imagine driving up on a cold, wintry, windy, cloudless dark night, and when you get there, this old rambling mansion looks like the coven for witches.

What if when you get to the door this creepy old man who looks more dead than alive answers the door, and when you step over the threshold you hear what seems to be a high-pitched scream coming from outside the house.

What if, when you are being taken up the staircase, every single wooden step creaks or groans, that at the top of the stairs, every painting you pass, the eyes seem to follow you.

What if, when you explore, against the express wishes of your grandfather, you come across a door that leads down into a basement. There has to be some interesting stuff down there, a torture chamber, a medical laboratory with a half-finished Frankenstein, a workshop with coffins stacked in a corner.

The possibilities are endless

The cinema of my dreams – Was it just another surveillance job – Episode 46

I’m back home and this story has been sitting on the back burner for a few months, waiting for some more to be written.

The trouble is, there are also other stories to write, and I’m not very good at prioritizing.

But, here we are, a few minutes opened up and it didn’t take long to get back into the groove.

Chasing leads, maybe

It was all over in the blink of an eye. The swat team had secured the scene, zip ties, and shoved me into a corner with two burly men standing over me, guns ready in case I tried to escape.

Before the next wave, I had time to consider what just happened. Obviously, Dobbin or Jan had set the scene. She lied about being able to track Maury, they found him, brought him back to the room, tortured him, and then killed him. The few seconds I had to look at the body showed signs of intense interrogation.

A side benefit was to stitch me up for the crime. The fact the police were at the door a minute after I’d arrived meant they had been waiting for me to come back. That pointed to Jan as the informant.

But to what end. If they considered I was the only one who could find the USB, why let me get caught by the police.

Jennifer would be safe. She had been in the foyer a full ten minutes before I arrived, and was sitting in a corner when I passed her. If they knew she was involved, she would have been missing. Hopefully, she would have seen the swat team arrive, and leave.

A few minutes after the swat leader spoke into his two-way radio, a middle-aged woman and a young man in his late 20’s arrived, the woman first, the young man behind her. A Detective Chief Inspect, or Superintendent, and Detect Sergeant. He was too well dressed to be a constable,. One old, one new.

The young man spoke to the swat leader, the woman surveyed the scene, looked at the body, then at me, shaking her head slightly.

I tried to look anonymous if not invisible. The fact they had found no ID on me would not count well for my situation, or so I had been told. Nor was the fact I preferred not to speak.

Never volunteer information.

A nod from her and the two swat guards took several steps back. She pulled a chair over from the side of the bed, and once three feet away, sat down.

“I’m told you are refusing to answer any questions.”

“Refusing to answer and simply not talking is not the same thing.”

“You do speak.”

“When appropriate.”

“What are you doing here?”

“This is my room, along with a young lady, who as you can see, is not here. That much you should have gleaned from the front desk.”

She pulled a card out of her pocket. “Alan, and Alice Jones. Not your real names I suspect., nor very original. Do you know who the man on the bed is?”

“He told me his name is Maury, not sure of his first name, but that wasn’t his real name. His other name was Bernie Salvin, but that might also be a fake. He was one of two men who were in charge of my training.”

“For what?”

“I suspect it might be above your pay grade.”

If she was shocked at that statement she didn’t show it. In fact, I would not be surprised if she had suspected it was likely it had to do with the clandestine security services. Torture victims were not an everyday occurrence, or at least I hoped for her sake they weren’t.

She gave a slight sigh. “And who do you work for?”

“There’s the rub. I have no idea. I’ve just been caught in the middle of a bloody awful mess.”

The second rule is always to tell the truth, or as close to it as possible so you don’t have to try and remember a web of lies, and trip yourself up at later interviews. And keep it simple.

“So, no one I should be calling to verify who you are?”

“No. Not unless you can revive the man on the bed. I’m only new, been on the job after training for about a week. I was part of a team running a surveillance exercise when a shop exploded and the target disappeared. I’ve been trying to find out what happened.”

Her expression whanged, telling me she was familiar with the event.

“Do you find out anything?”

“Only that the would be a body in the shop, a journalist, that was trying to hand over some sensitive information. I have no idea what it was, or who he was. The target, whom I suspected was there for the handover, is now also dead. So, quite literally, two dead ends. Do I look like someone who could do that to a man?” I nodded in the direction of the body.

“You’d be surprised who was capable of what. Do you have a real name?”

“I do, but I won’t be telling you. You have my work name, that’s as much as I can volunteer.”

“A few days in a dank hole might change that.”

“A few days in a dank hole would be like a holiday compared to the week I’m currently having.”

She smiled, or I thought it was a smile. “I daresay you might.”

There was a loud noise and some yelling coming from outside the door. A man burst into the room, two constables in his wake.

A man I didn’t recognize.

She stood. “Who are you?”

“Richards, MI5.” He showed her a card, which she glanced at. She’d no doubt seen them before.

“We’ll be taking over from here.”

“This person?” She nodded her head in my direction.

“Leave him. We’ll take care of him.”

“Johnson, Jacobs, let’s leave the room to them. We’re done here. Places to be, gentlemen.” She nodded in my direction. “Good luck, you’re going to need it.”

…

365 Days of writing, 2026 – 40

Day 40 – Reusing the same old words

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Re‑Spinning the Same Old Words: How to Make Familiar Language Feel Fresh

“The same words have been used over and over, and each writer puts a different spin on them… Has it all been said before? Probably, but not exactly. How do we reuse the words and make them stand out, or use words no one else has?”

If that line ever appeared on a sticky note in your notebook, you’re not alone. Every writer, from the teenage poet scribbling in a cafeteria to the seasoned novelist polishing a bestseller, wrestles with the same paradox: language is finite, but the stories we want to tell feel infinite.

In this post, we’ll unpack why repetition is inevitable, why it’s actually a good thing, and—most importantly—how you can give tired phrases a brand‑new coat of paint without inventing a secret dictionary. Grab a coffee, take a deep breath, and let’s turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

1. Why “Everything’s Been Said” Is a Myth (And a Helpful Reminder)

1.1 The Illusion of Originality

If you Google “love is…”, you’ll find an endless stream of metaphors: love is a battlefield, love is a rose, love is a hurricane. The truth is, we all pull from the same cultural wellspring—myths, movies, news headlines, memes. That doesn’t mean you can’t say something new; it means you have to re-contextualise the familiar.

1.2 The Power of Constraints

Ironically, limits can spark creativity. Poets have written entire collections using a single word (“The Waste Land” by T. S. Eliot includes “sea” 19 times). Constraints force you to explore angles you’d otherwise ignore.

1.3 The Brain’s Pattern‑Seeking Bias

Our minds love patterns, so when we hear a phrase we recognise, we automatically categorise it as “old”. By breaking that pattern—changing cadence, tempo, or point of view—you reset the mental shortcut and force the reader to engage again.

Bottom line: The fact that a phrase has been used before isn’t a death sentence. It’s a starting line.

2. The Six “Spin” Techniques Every Writer Can Master

Below are the most reliable ways to give a well‑trodden expression a fresh spin, illustrated with concrete examples.

Technique	What It Does	Quick Example
Change the Lens	Shift perspective (who is speaking, who is listening, who is observing).	Original: “The city was a jungle.” Spin: “From the rooftop, the city unfolded like a tangled canopy, each neon vine pulsing with sirens.”
Swap the Metaphor	Replace the old metaphor with a new concrete image from a different domain.	Original: “Time is a thief.” Spin: “Time is a silent librarian, slipping a new card into the checkout slot before you notice the overdue notice.”
Flip the Syntax	Play with sentence structure—start with a verb, end with a noun, use an inversion.	Original: “She walked alone through the rain.” Spin: “Alone, she walked, rain stitching silver threads across her shoulders.”
Inject Sensory Details	Add smell, taste, touch, sound—make the abstract tangible.	Original: “He felt nervous.” Spin: “His stomach churned like a washing machine, the metallic tang of fear licking his tongue.”
Use Unexpected Juxtaposition	Pair two incongruous ideas to shock the brain into paying attention.	Original: “The meeting was boring.” Spin: “The meeting droned on, a marathon of beige wallpaper that could have been narrated by a sloth on a caffeine break.”
Borrow from Another Discipline	Slip a term from science, sport, cooking, etc., into your prose.	Original: “She was determined.” Spin: “She set her will like a GPS waypoint—no reroute could deter her.”

Mini‑Exercise: Spin a Cliché in 60 Seconds

Pick a cliché you love (or hate). Pick one of the six techniques above and rewrite it on a sticky note. You’ll be surprised how fast the magic appears.

3. Going Beyond Spin: When to Create New Words

Sometimes a spin isn’t enough—your story demands a term that simply doesn’t exist. Here’s how to coin responsibly.

3.1 Identify the Gap

Ask yourself: What am I trying to convey that no existing word captures? If it’s a nuance of feeling, technology, or culture, you’ve found a candidate.

3.2 Keep It Intuitive

A good neologism feels like it should be a word. Use familiar morphemes (roots, prefixes, suffixes).

Example	Breakdown
Glowsome	Glow + awesome → “Radiantly impressive.”
Techno‑soul	Techno + soul → “A personality shaped by digital culture.”

3.3 Test It in Context

Write a short paragraph using the coined term. If the surrounding sentences make its meaning clear without a dictionary, you’ve succeeded.

3.4 Beware of Over‑Coining

Even J.K. Rowling, who invented Muggles and Quidditch, kept the list short. Overloading your prose with invented vocabulary can alienate readers.

4. Real‑World Case Studies: Authors Who Mastered Reuse

4.1 Ernest Hemingway – “Iceberg Theory”

Hemingway repeated simple, declarative sentences but made each one feel new by omitting—letting the subtext do the heavy lifting. His reuse of plain language was a spin on the minimalist tradition.

4.2 Margaret Atwood – “Speculative Metaphors”

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood repurposes biblical language for a dystopia. She re‑contexts ancient phrasing, turning “Blessed be the fruit of thy womb” into a chilling political slogan.

4.3 Ta-Nehisi Coates – “Historical Collage”

Coates blends modern slang with historical speech patterns, creating a juxtaposition that feels both familiar and revolutionary. His sentence “The dream of the past is a nightmare we keep trying to remember” twists the classic “American Dream” into something personal and urgent.

5. Practical Toolbox: How to Turn the “Same Old Words” into Your Signature

Tool	Description	When to Use
Voice Journal	Record a 5‑minute monologue in different moods (angry, wistful, sarcastic). Listen for words that feel uniquely yours.	Early drafts, developing a distinct narrative voice.
Word‑Swap Map	Write a list of common adjectives (big, small, bright). Next to each, write 3 unconventional synonyms or sensory equivalents.	When you notice you’re leaning on “big” a lot.
Constraint Sprint	Set a timer for 15 minutes and write a scene using only 10 different nouns.	To force creative substitution and reduce reliance on clichés.
Cross‑Domain Reading	Read a cookbook, a physics textbook, a comic strip. Highlight any jargon that strikes you as evocative.	When you need fresh metaphors that feel authentic.
Feedback Loop	Pass a paragraph to a trusted beta reader and ask: “What word feels stale?”	After you think you’ve nailed a spin, but want external validation.

6. The Bottom Line: Embrace the Echo, But Change the Tune

The truth is simple: language is a shared resource, and no one owns a phrase forever. What makes a piece of writing memorable isn’t whether a word has been used before—it’s how it’s used. By mastering the six spin techniques, learning to coin responsibly, and building a disciplined creative toolkit, you’ll turn even the most overused expression into a signature flourish.

So the next time you catch yourself thinking, “Has it all been said before?” pause, smile, and answer: “Maybe, but not exactly. And I’ve got a new way to say it.”

Happy rewriting!

If I only had one day to stop over in – Oslo – what would I do?

One‑Day Stopover in Oslo?  Make It Unforgettable With a Visit to the Oslo Opera House

If you’ve only got 24 hours in Norway’s capital, there’s one spot that captures the city’s spirit, history, and modern vibe in a single, unforgettable experience – the Oslo Opera House.

Why the Opera House Is the Perfect One‑Stop Choice

What you’ll love	How it ties into Oslo’s identity
Iconic Architecture – A marble‑white “iceberg” rising from the fjord, designed by Snøhetta.	It’s a bold statement of Norway’s design excellence and its close relationship with the sea.
Free Roof Walk – Climb to the roof for panoramic views of the fjord and city skyline.	Offers a bird’s‑eye glimpse of Oslo’s blend of urban life and natural beauty.
Cultural Hub – Home to opera, ballet, concerts, and cutting‑edge performances.	Shows Oslo’s vibrant arts scene, from classic works to avant‑garde Norwegian productions.
Central Location – Just a 10‑minute walk from the bustling waterfront Aker Brygge and the historic Gamla Oslo.	Lets you easily combine the visit with a quick bite, a coffee, or a stroll through the old town.

In short, the Oslo Opera House packs art, architecture, history, and stunning scenery into a compact, easily reachable venue—exactly what a one‑day traveller needs.

How to Make the Most of Your Visit (Even If You’re On a Tight Schedule)

1. Get There in 5 Minutes

From Oslo Central Station (Oslo S): Hop on the Tram 12 (direction Kongens gate). It drops you off right at the Opera House after a single stop—about 3 minutes.
From the Airport (Gardermoen): The Flytoget high‑speed train to Oslo S, then the same tram. Total travel ≈ 25 minutes.

2. Time‑Smart Itinerary (≈ 4 Hours)

Time	Activity
0:00 – 0:20	Enter & Explore the Lobby – Admire the sweeping marble staircases and the giant “Seahorse” sculpture. Grab a quick coffee at the on‑site café (the “Operabutikken” serves great espresso).
0:20 – 1:30	Roof Walk – Follow the sloping ramps to the top. Walk the entire 500‑meter “runway” for three distinct viewpoints: the Oslofjord, the city’s rooftops, and the surrounding islands. Snap photos at sunrise or golden hour for epic lighting.
1:30 – 2:00	Quick Cultural Bite – Pop into the Kunstner restaurant on the ground floor for a light Norwegian snack (smoked salmon on rye, or a mini “lefse”).
2:00 – 3:30	Mini‑Performance or Guided Tour – Check the day‑of schedule; many days feature a free lunchtime concert in the main hall. If you prefer a deeper dive, book a 30‑minute backstage tour (available on the official website).
3:30 – 4:00	Souvenir Stop – The Opera House gift shop offers beautifully designed Norwegian design items—think wool scarves, minimalist jewelry, and limited‑edition prints of the building’s blueprint.

Pro tip: If you’re traveling with kids, the roof walk is a “playground” in disguise—no tickets, no lines, just endless imagination.

3. Practical Details at a Glance

Item	Details
Opening Hours	Public areas (roof, lobby) open 7 am – 11 pm daily. Performances and tours follow separate schedules; check operaen.no.
Admission	Free for roof access and lobby. Concerts, operas, and tours have ticket fees (often discounted for students and seniors).
Accessibility	Wheelchair‑friendly ramps all the way to the roof; elevators inside the building.
Nearby Food	Aker Brygge (15‑minute walk) offers a vibrant waterfront dining scene—think fresh seafood, craft beer, and Nordic pastries.
What to Wear	Comfortable shoes for the roof walk; a light windbreaker (the fjord can be breezy).

The “Secret Sauce” – Making It Memorable

Capture the Moment – The roof’s glass‑backed edges reflect the sky, turning every photo into a living postcard. Use the golden hour (just after sunrise or before sunset) for the most dramatic contrast.
Listen to the Fjord – While perched on the roof, close your eyes and listen to the gentle lapping of the Oslofjord against the pier below. It’s a surprisingly meditative pause amid a busy travel schedule.
Blend Past & Future – Inside, the modern interiors sit beside a historic marble staircase that once served as a gathering place for Oslo’s elite. Feel the continuum of Norwegian culture in one space.

Bonus: If You Still Have an Hour to Spare…

A short 15‑minute stroll northwards brings you to Karl Johans gate, Oslo’s main boulevard. Pop into a bakery for a kanelsnurr (cinnamon roll) and watch locals hustle between the Parliament and the royal palace. It’s the perfect “after‑opera” slice of everyday Oslo life.

Wrap‑Up: One Day, One Icon, Endless Memories

A stopover in Oslo can feel fleeting, but the Opera House transforms those 24 hours into a vivid, multi‑sensory story—architecture that you can walk on, sea views that you can breathe in, and cultural moments you can hear.

Next time your itinerary says “just a layover,” make it a standing‑ovation layover at the Oslo Opera House.

Ready to book your runway walk? Check the official schedule, grab a last‑minute ticket for a lunchtime concert, and let Oslo’s “iceberg” welcome you home—if only for a day.

Feel free to share your Oslo Opera House experience in the comments!
Happy travels.

What I learned about writing – Writing with accuracy of detail

I guess this means don’t write badly, but whether your writing is bad or not is subjective.

But there is such a thing as bad writing. There are rules, and as long as you try not to break any, or more than a few, then everything’s OK.

Of course, there’s always the fallback, sending the manuscript to an editor and paying for them to iron out all the spelling, grammatical and other errors. It will cost you, but it is worth it.

The last thing you want to do is offend the reader charged with deciding whether the publishing house will publish your novel or not.

Then there’s that other problem, especially if you do not have a comprehensive time scale and extensive character definitions, such as family trees with dates that make sense and continuity.

I am guilty of that, starting a character with one name and ending with another, forgetting the names of other characters, getting plot points out of order, having things happen before they’re supposed to, and even worse, weaving an actual event into the story and getting it wrong.

Even very expensive Hollywood productions sometimes get things wrong, and the research on what’s available, like a 1920s Rolls-Royce Phantom, a particular watch, or a certain item of clothing.

There’s no substitute for meticulous research.

Coming soon – “Strangers We’ve Become”, the sequel to “What Sets Us Apart”

Stranger’s We’ve Become, a sequel to What Sets Us Apart.

The blurb:

Is she or isn’t she, that is the question!

Susan has returned to David, but he is having difficulty dealing with the changes. Her time in captivity has changed her markedly, so much so that David decides to give her some time and space to re-adjust back into normal life.

But doubts about whether he chose the real Susan remain.

In the meantime, David has to deal with Susan’s new security chief, the discovery of her rebuilding a palace in Russia, evidence of an affair, and several attempts on his life. And, once again, David is drawn into another of Predergast’s games, one that could ultimately prove fatal.

From being reunited with the enigmatic Alisha, a strange visit to Susan’s country estate, to Russia and back, to a rescue mission in Nigeria, David soon discovers those whom he thought he could trust each has their own agenda, one that apparently doesn’t include him.

The Cover:

strangerscover9

Coming soon

If I only had one day to stop over in – Dublin – what would I do?

One Day in Dublin? There’s Only One Place to Start.

You have a single day. A fleeting stopover in a city with a thousand stories. You want it to be memorable, not a whirlwind of checklist tourism. You want to feel Dublin, not just see it.

Forget the rush. Forget trying to cram in ten sights. There is one anchor point that will give you the essence of the city—its history, its soul, its stunning beauty—and set the perfect tone for everything else you might discover.

That place is Trinity College Dublin. And more specifically, the Old Library and the Book of Kells.

Why This? It’s Not Just a Library.

Standing in the heart of the 16th-century college, you’re stepping into the very womb of Dublin’s intellectual and cultural identity. This is where Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett walked. But the true magic is the Long Room.

You walk through a hushed, majestic corridor. Two levels of dark oak bookshelves stretch 65 meters before you, holding over 200,000 of the library’s oldest volumes. The vaulted ceiling, the marble busts of philosophers, the scent of aged paper—it’s a scene of profound, cinematic beauty that feels both ancient and alive. It’s one of the most breathtaking rooms in the world, and it’s right here in the middle of a bustling city.

And at the very heart of it, the centrepiece: the Book of Kells. This isn’t just an old book. It’s a 9th-century masterpiece of insular art, a luminous gospel where every page is an explosion of intricate symbols, mythic beasts, and dazzling swirls of colour. Seeing it in person—the sheer artistry and devotion it represents—connects you to an Ireland of monks and scholars, a profound creative spirit that has endured through centuries.

How to Make That Day Unforgettable:

Go First Thing (Book Online!): Get your timed ticket for the Book of Kells exhibition and the Old Library for as soon as it opens (usually 9:30/10 AM). This is non-negotiable for a one-day visit. Do not wait in line. Book in advance on the Trinity College website.
Take Your Time (90 Minutes): Don’t rush. Read the panels explaining the Book of Kells’ history. Stand in the middle of the Long Room and just breathe. Find the oldest book in Ireland (the Book of Durrow). Let the awe sink in.
Wander the Grounds: After your library visit, stroll through the beautiful, tranquil Trinity College grounds. See the beautiful Campanile bell tower, the quieter Parliament Square, and the serene Fellows’ Square. It’s a peaceful, green oasis that feels worlds away from the city outside.
Let It Anchor Your Day: From here, you are perfectly positioned. The college borders Grafton Street (for shopping and buskers) and the Temple Bar area (for cobblestones, galleries, and a true taste of the city’s vibrant energy). Have your classic Irish coffee or a pint in a pub nearby, but you’ll do it with the weight and wonder of Irish history fresh in your mind.

The Real Secret:

This experience gives you context. Yes, you’ll see the Guinness Storehouse or the Guinness Storehouse, but you’ll understand the why. Dublin’s famously literary pub culture, its love of debate and storytelling, its resilience—it all grows from roots like those found in the Old Library. You’ll step out onto the street not just having seen a famous attraction, but having connected with the founding story of the city itself.

So, for your one precious day: Do not miss the Old Library. See the Book of Kells. Stand in the Long Room.

It’s the one place that turns a stopover into a story you’ll carry home. It’s the key that unlocks the rest of your day, and the real meaning of Dublin.

P.S. – Afterward, find a traditional pub with a roaring fire (like The Palace Bar on Fleet Street, a Trinity favourite). Order a simple half-pint of Guinness, sit quietly, and listen to the murmur of conversation. You’ll hear echoes of every writer, scholar, and ordinary Dubliner who ever walked out of those library doors. That’s your memorable day, complete.

The story behind the story – Echoes from the Past

The novel ‘Echoes from the past’ started out as a short story I wrote about 30 years ago, titled ‘The birthday’.

My idea was to take a normal person out of their comfort zone and led on a short but very frightening journey to a place where a surprise birthday party had been arranged.

Thus the very large man with a scar and a red tie was created.

So was the friend with the limousine who worked as a pilot.

So were the two women, Wendy and Angelina, who were Flight Attendants that the pilot friend asked to join the conspiracy.

I was going to rework the short story, then about ten pages long, into something a little more.

And like all re-writes, especially those I have anything to do with, it turned into a novel.

There was motivation. I had told some colleagues at the place where I worked at the time that I liked writing, and they wanted a sample. I was going to give them the re-worked short story. Instead, I gave them ‘Echoes from the past’

Originally it was not set anywhere in particular.

But when considering a location, I had, at the time, recently been to New York in December, and visited Brooklyn and Queens, as well as a lot of New York itself. We were there for New Years, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

One evening we were out late, and finished up in Brooklyn Heights, near the waterfront, and there was rain and snow, it was cold and wet, and there were apartment buildings shimmering in the street light, and I thought, this is the place where my main character will live.

It had a very spooky atmosphere, the sort where ghosts would not be unexpected. I felt more than one shiver go up and down my spine in the few minutes I was there.

I had taken notes, as I always do, of everywhere we went so I had a ready supply of locations I could use, changing the names in some cases.

Fifth Avenue near the Rockefeller center is amazing at first light, and late at night with the Seasonal decorations and lights.

The original main character was a shy and man of few friends, hence not expecting the surprise party. I enhanced that shyness into purposely lonely because of an issue from his past that leaves him always looking over his shoulder and ready to move on at the slightest hint of trouble. No friends, no relationships, just a very low profile.

Then I thought, what if he breaks the cardinal rule, and begins a relationship?

But it is also as much an exploration of a damaged soul, as it is the search for a normal life, without having any idea what normal was, and how the understanding of one person can sometimes make all the difference in what we may think or feel.

And, of course, I wanted a happy ending.

Except for the bad guys.

Get it here: https://amzn.to/2CYKxu4

newechocover5rs

365 Days of writing, 2026 – 40

Day 40 – Reusing the same old words

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Re‑Spinning the Same Old Words: How to Make Familiar Language Feel Fresh

1. Why “Everything’s Been Said” Is a Myth (And a Helpful Reminder)

1.1 The Illusion of Originality

1.2 The Power of Constraints

1.3 The Brain’s Pattern‑Seeking Bias

Bottom line: The fact that a phrase has been used before isn’t a death sentence. It’s a starting line.

2. The Six “Spin” Techniques Every Writer Can Master

Below are the most reliable ways to give a well‑trodden expression a fresh spin, illustrated with concrete examples.

Technique	What It Does	Quick Example
Change the Lens	Shift perspective (who is speaking, who is listening, who is observing).	Original: “The city was a jungle.” Spin: “From the rooftop, the city unfolded like a tangled canopy, each neon vine pulsing with sirens.”
Swap the Metaphor	Replace the old metaphor with a new concrete image from a different domain.	Original: “Time is a thief.” Spin: “Time is a silent librarian, slipping a new card into the checkout slot before you notice the overdue notice.”
Flip the Syntax	Play with sentence structure—start with a verb, end with a noun, use an inversion.	Original: “She walked alone through the rain.” Spin: “Alone, she walked, rain stitching silver threads across her shoulders.”
Inject Sensory Details	Add smell, taste, touch, sound—make the abstract tangible.	Original: “He felt nervous.” Spin: “His stomach churned like a washing machine, the metallic tang of fear licking his tongue.”
Use Unexpected Juxtaposition	Pair two incongruous ideas to shock the brain into paying attention.	Original: “The meeting was boring.” Spin: “The meeting droned on, a marathon of beige wallpaper that could have been narrated by a sloth on a caffeine break.”
Borrow from Another Discipline	Slip a term from science, sport, cooking, etc., into your prose.	Original: “She was determined.” Spin: “She set her will like a GPS waypoint—no reroute could deter her.”

Mini‑Exercise: Spin a Cliché in 60 Seconds

Pick a cliché you love (or hate). Pick one of the six techniques above and rewrite it on a sticky note. You’ll be surprised how fast the magic appears.

3. Going Beyond Spin: When to Create New Words

Sometimes a spin isn’t enough—your story demands a term that simply doesn’t exist. Here’s how to coin responsibly.

3.1 Identify the Gap

Ask yourself: What am I trying to convey that no existing word captures? If it’s a nuance of feeling, technology, or culture, you’ve found a candidate.

3.2 Keep It Intuitive

A good neologism feels like it should be a word. Use familiar morphemes (roots, prefixes, suffixes).

Example	Breakdown
Glowsome	Glow + awesome → “Radiantly impressive.”
Techno‑soul	Techno + soul → “A personality shaped by digital culture.”

3.3 Test It in Context

Write a short paragraph using the coined term. If the surrounding sentences make its meaning clear without a dictionary, you’ve succeeded.

3.4 Beware of Over‑Coining

Even J.K. Rowling, who invented Muggles and Quidditch, kept the list short. Overloading your prose with invented vocabulary can alienate readers.

4. Real‑World Case Studies: Authors Who Mastered Reuse

4.1 Ernest Hemingway – “Iceberg Theory”

4.2 Margaret Atwood – “Speculative Metaphors”

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood repurposes biblical language for a dystopia. She re‑contexts ancient phrasing, turning “Blessed be the fruit of thy womb” into a chilling political slogan.

4.3 Ta-Nehisi Coates – “Historical Collage”

5. Practical Toolbox: How to Turn the “Same Old Words” into Your Signature

Tool	Description	When to Use
Voice Journal	Record a 5‑minute monologue in different moods (angry, wistful, sarcastic). Listen for words that feel uniquely yours.	Early drafts, developing a distinct narrative voice.
Word‑Swap Map	Write a list of common adjectives (big, small, bright). Next to each, write 3 unconventional synonyms or sensory equivalents.	When you notice you’re leaning on “big” a lot.
Constraint Sprint	Set a timer for 15 minutes and write a scene using only 10 different nouns.	To force creative substitution and reduce reliance on clichés.
Cross‑Domain Reading	Read a cookbook, a physics textbook, a comic strip. Highlight any jargon that strikes you as evocative.	When you need fresh metaphors that feel authentic.
Feedback Loop	Pass a paragraph to a trusted beta reader and ask: “What word feels stale?”	After you think you’ve nailed a spin, but want external validation.

6. The Bottom Line: Embrace the Echo, But Change the Tune

So the next time you catch yourself thinking, “Has it all been said before?” pause, smile, and answer: “Maybe, but not exactly. And I’ve got a new way to say it.”

Happy rewriting!

The first case of PI Walthenson – “A Case of Working With the Jones Brothers”

This case has everything, red herrings, jealous brothers, femme fatales, and at the heart of it all, greed.

See below for an excerpt from the book…

Coming soon!

PIWalthJones1

An excerpt from the book:

When Harry took the time to consider his position, a rather uncomfortable position at that, he concluded that he was somehow involved in another case that meant very little to him.

Not that it wasn’t important in some way he was yet to determine, it was just that his curiosity had got the better of him, and it had led to this: sitting in a chair, securely bound, waiting for someone one of his captors had called Doug.

It was not the name that worried him so much, it was the evil laugh that had come after the name was spoken.

Doug what? Doug the ‘destroyer’, Doug the ‘dangerous’, Doug the ‘deadly’; there was any number of sinister connotations, and perhaps that was the point of the laugh, to make it more frightening than it was.

But there was no doubt about one thing in his mind right then: he’d made a mistake. A very big. and costly, mistake. Just how big the cost, no doubt he would soon find out.

His mother, and his grandmother, the wisest person he had ever known, had once told him never to eavesdrop.

At the time he couldn’t help himself and instead of minding his own business, listening to a one-sided conversation which ended with a time and a place. The very nature of the person receiving the call was, at the very least, sinister, and, because of the cryptic conversation, there appeared to be, or at least to Harry, criminal activity involved.

For several days he had wrestled with the thought of whether he should go. Stay on the fringe, keep out of sight, observe and report to the police if it was a crime. Instead, he had willingly gone down the rabbit hole.

Now, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, several heat lamps hanging over his head, he was perspiring, and if perspiration could be used as a measure of fear, then Harry’s fear was at the highest level.

Another runnel of sweat rolled into his left eye, and, having his hands tied, literally, it made it impossible to clear it. The burning sensation momentarily took his mind off his predicament. He cursed and then shook his head trying to prevent a re-occurrence. It was to no avail.

Let the stinging sensation be a reminder of what was right and what was wrong.

It was obvious that it was the right place and the right time, but in considering his current perilous situation, it definitely was the wrong place to be, at the worst possible time.

It was meant to be his escape, an escape from the generations of lawyers, what were to Harry, dry, dusty men who had been in business since George Washington said to the first Walthenson to step foot on American soil, ‘Why don’t you become a lawyer?” when asked what he could do for the great man.

Or so it was handed down as lore, though Harry didn’t think Washington meant it literally, the Walthenson’s, then as now, were not shy of taking advice.

Except, of course, when it came to Harry.

He was, Harry’s father was prone to saying, the exception to every rule. Harry guessed his father was referring to the fact his son wanted to be a Private Detective rather than a dry, dusty lawyer. Just the clothes were enough to turn Harry off the profession.

So, with a little of the money Harry inherited from one of his aunts, he leased an office in Gramercy Park and had it renovated to look like the Sam Spade detective agency, you know the one, Spade and Archer, and The Maltese Falcon.

There’s a movie and a book by Dashiell Hammett if you’re interested.

So, there it was, painted on the opaque glass inset of the front door, ‘Harold Walthenson, Private Detective’.

There was enough money to hire an assistant, and it took a week before the right person came along, or, more to the point, didn’t just see his business plan as something sinister. Ellen, a tall cool woman in a long black dress, or so the words of a song in his head told him, fitted in perfectly.

She’d seen the movie, but she said with a grin, Harry was no Humphrey Bogart.

Of course not, he said, he didn’t smoke.

Three months on the job, and it had been a few calls, no ‘real’ cases, nothing but missing animals, and other miscellaneous items. What he really wanted was a missing person. Or perhaps a beguiling, sophisticated woman who was as deadly as she was charming, looking for an errant husband, perhaps one that she had already ‘dispatched’.

Or for a tall, dark and handsome foreigner who spoke in riddles and in heavily accented English, a spy, or perhaps an assassin, in town to take out the mayor. The man was such an imbecile Harry had considered doing it himself.

Now, in a back room of a disused warehouse, that wishful thinking might be just about to come to a very abrupt end, with none of the romanticized trappings of the business befalling him. No beguiling women, no sinister criminals, no stupid policemen.

Just a nasty little man whose only concern was how quickly or how slowly Harry’s end was going to be.

…

One writer's experiences, and battles with words

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1. Why “Everything’s Been Said” Is a Myth (And a Helpful Reminder)

1.1 The Illusion of Originality

1.2 The Power of Constraints

1.3 The Brain’s Pattern‑Seeking Bias

2. The Six “Spin” Techniques Every Writer Can Master

Mini‑Exercise: Spin a Cliché in 60 Seconds

3. Going Beyond Spin: When to Create New Words

3.1 Identify the Gap

3.2 Keep It Intuitive

3.3 Test It in Context

3.4 Beware of Over‑Coining

4. Real‑World Case Studies: Authors Who Mastered Reuse

4.1 Ernest Hemingway – “Iceberg Theory”

4.2 Margaret Atwood – “Speculative Metaphors”

4.3 Ta-Nehisi Coates – “Historical Collage”

5. Practical Toolbox: How to Turn the “Same Old Words” into Your Signature

6. The Bottom Line: Embrace the Echo, But Change the Tune

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Bonus: If You Still Have an Hour to Spare…

Wrap‑Up: One Day, One Icon, Endless Memories

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The Real Secret:

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1. Why “Everything’s Been Said” Is a Myth (And a Helpful Reminder)

1.1 The Illusion of Originality

1.2 The Power of Constraints

1.3 The Brain’s Pattern‑Seeking Bias

2. The Six “Spin” Techniques Every Writer Can Master

Mini‑Exercise: Spin a Cliché in 60 Seconds

3. Going Beyond Spin: When to Create New Words

3.1 Identify the Gap

3.2 Keep It Intuitive

3.3 Test It in Context

3.4 Beware of Over‑Coining

4. Real‑World Case Studies: Authors Who Mastered Reuse

4.1 Ernest Hemingway – “Iceberg Theory”

4.2 Margaret Atwood – “Speculative Metaphors”

4.3 Ta-Nehisi Coates – “Historical Collage”

5. Practical Toolbox: How to Turn the “Same Old Words” into Your Signature

6. The Bottom Line: Embrace the Echo, But Change the Tune

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