Tag: Poetry

The Dog That Wouldn’t Sit 3 Finished & New Video

I am pleased to say that the third in the series of the Dog That Wouldn’t Sit is finally finished. It is currently being edited and will hopefully be on sale within the next week or so.

I have enjoyed writing this as much as any book I have written, as it flowed so well and I have come to know the characters so well. I love how the dog Champion has such a character of his own and comes across as being so daft but so intelligent.

I will be sure to post here as soon as the sale goes live.

I have narrated a new video, which is a poem by Susanna Moodie, and is very appropriate for the time of year, the subject being winter. I enjoyed narrated it and creating the video. It is live on YouTube and available to watch here on my official site.

Winter by  Susanna Moodie

My latest novel is my 16th, and I am loving everything about it. I have no set ideas of what is to be next, but I will be back at it writing for my next novel, set for release in the new year.

I have spent time looking back at some of my old works, and can see how much work some of these need, from editing to formatting, and a lot of my time over the next couple of months will be dedicated to fixing them all.

All of my novels were edited, but as I have found not all editors are equal, and not all of them are real. Just because someone is an avid reader it doesn’t mean they are a capable editor.

My newer books demonstrate the much higher level of work gone into making them and should be as perfect for your enjoyment as possible.

I will update you all again soon once my latest noevel is on sale.

I hope you are all well.

Take Care.

David.

Please feel free to follow me on Amazon.

Email: djcowdall@gmail.com

DJ Cowdall – Official YouTube Channel

Official DJ Cowdall Amazon Author Page

New Poem Narrated By DJ Cowdall.

Rain In Summer By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Here is a new poem, Rain In Summer, which is another reading and created as a video on YouTube. This is a longer poem and another beautiful piece of creativity about the countryside and nature.

Comments and suggestions are welcome, here or on YouTube.

If you would like to see new content like this and have any suggestions, they are always welcome.

More poems will be made available on this site and YouTube and then next up will be longer pieces, such as first chapters of some of my books and whole audio books, read by me.

My new book, the Dog That Wouldn’t Sit 3 is coming along nicely. As usual Ethel and Champion are antagonizing each other and engaging in a never-ending battle of wills. I am sure this will be on sale soon.

As always, enjoy.

David.

Audio Narrating beginnings.

YouTube Videos

As promised, I have started creating audio content with a view to, in time, narrating all of my books as audio books. I created a simple YouTube channel which I can add videos of me narrating poems, snippets of my books, some full audio books and more.

The first two poems are on the channel, and are lovely poems which are focused on nature, suitable for the new beginnings that Spring brings.

The first poem is The Country Beautiful, Poem by Paul Bewsher, which is short but beautiful. The video is simple and was recorded by my daughter, Maya Cowdall. She has recorded a lot of similar clips for me to use, but they are background B roll footage where what matters is the audio.

I have recorded and tested these aimed at Audible requirements, although YouTube compression may make an impact on this quality played from there.

I will post more on here as I add more, and once I have a reasonable size catalogue of narrated content, I will post them elsewhere, possibly on the likes of Spotify.

This is of course all for rehearsing and learning how to narrate to a professional standard, simply because I would like to narrate all of my own audio books to go alongside my many published titles.

Please feel free to leave comments here or on YouTube regarding anything to do with the narration, sound quality, my narrating, or the choice of poems, and if you have any suggestions for what I might narrate then you are very welcome to contact me and suggest some anytime.

Please enjoy.

David.

The Country Beautiful, Poem by Paul Bewsher

What is more important, the story or the prose?

It would be easy to immediately say that the story is much more important than anything else, because a novel or short story without an actual story, or plot, is nothing but a passage of words. The reality for many people is very different. There are genres of fiction such as Slipstream, which has few boundaries to define what it means or stands for. Those who enjoy traditional fiction may read some of these pieces and struggle to not only understand them, but also enjoy them. Often within these pieces are words or phrases which catch the eye, and resonate a deeper meaning, where the end result of what a story might be is less important than how it is actually written. Here the matter of communication stands out, like a whisper in the night, speaking to us in a way in which many have become immune to hearing, or feeling.

Beyond something like Slipstream are novels which are expressly and expansively written, soaking every sentence in words and descriptions which help to being the scene alive. One such story is called The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, by Angela Carter. The way in which she describes every single thing is rich and full, using every word possible to express every moment of the tale.

Some find it annoying, unable to get past the language to enjoy the story, but others (such as myself) find it accompanies the piece beautifully, as if the words weave a tapestry, stringing it altogether in a unique and fascinating blend.

Even a book such as The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger could be said to be similar, as if the author has poured out every single thought into an endless array of words, clawing at trying to convey her feelings throughout the novel, as if a free flow of words might somehow impart as much emotion to the reader as she might have felt when writing it.

It is a difficult balance, for sure, as a writer. I have heard some say J.K Rowling isn’t a very good writer, because her words and sentences are poorly written, but then this would surely miss the entire point of the Harry Potter books, in that the story and the worlds they create are everything. Does a book have to be written with perfect grammar and spelling, and with the guile and wit of Dickens for it to have any merit?

Truthfully, only the reader can decide this. Some find an awkwardness of grammar or syntax make it impossible to enjoy a novel or story, and that has to be respected, but it cannot be the end of it, because often a truly superb story will override this, and ensure proper enjoyment for the reader, no matter what the story’s limitations in how it is written.

What of those who somehow manage to marry it all perfectly, a wonderful story, superbly written, without a deluge of prose? Perhaps they would be the Mark Twains of the literary world, and rightly recognized for it. If so, perhaps it is something we might all strive for.

Email: djcowdall@gmx.co.uk
DJ Cowdall on Twitter
Facebook Pages of DJ Cowdall
DJ Cowdall on Goodreads

Sign Up For My Newsletter To See When New Books And Stories Are Released.