Latest Articles from The Vandal AKA Derek Haines

Writers – Do You Know How To Use The Gerund?

How well can you use the gerund? One of the most used, but misunderstood points of grammar is the gerund. Although it is something that as writers we use naturally and without thinking, a little understanding of its use can improve one’s writing considerably. Especially in forming interesting sentence forms that avoid overuse of the standard subject-verb construction. So, let’s have a look at this wonderfully flexible grammar point. There are four basic rules governing the use of the gerund. The gerund is the -ing form of a verb that is used as a noun but is not to be confused with the present participle, which is always preceded by the verb

It’s Relax And Wait Time

You have finished your manuscript. Now what? The most difficult stage in writing a new book for me is when I’ve finished writing the story, and then send off my first complete draft to my fantastic little group of beta readers, and wait anxiously for their reactions. No matter what I think, it’s only when totally independent eyes read the story for the first time that I’ll know if what I’ve written is either good, bad or a load of old rubbish. It’s easy as a writer to fall in love with what you write, but that counts for nothing in the end. It’s what readers think about it that

Free Publishing – Do You Know The Rules?

When you use a free service such as Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), do you know what you are agreeing to when you publish your ebook? What rights do you have and what rights do KDP have when you publish your book? As with almost all free services, the KDP Terms and Conditions you need to agree to are not written with your interests at heart. You do not sign an agreement and have no rights to negotiate any part of it. You simply agree. But how many read these conditions? My guess would be very, very few. We have all become so accustomed to clicking the ‘I Agree’ button on

Writing – The Easy Way To Lose Weight

There is too much truth in the starving artist stereotype. Whether it be painting, sculpture, dance, singing, opera, or artistic vandalistic impressionism, the arts have rarely led to the road paved with gold. Writing, of course, is one of the easiest ways you can join this brigade of hopeful fools and dreamers. Yes, we all know of the rich and famous who have been so talented or so lucky usually, that they have made their way to the top of the pile and can afford an Iranian caviar and Russian Vodka diet. But for the remaining millions of hopefuls, we eat, well, what we can, when we can. This though has