All Categories - Denisa Carroll

Springing into action

1/4/2016

Much as I enjoy the crisp, fresh days that Winter can sometimes provide, I cannot deny that I am always delighted when we come up to the end of March, and we get to see those first few signs of Spring's arrival.

First it's just the odd crocus, then you see that the daffodils are budding, and before you know it, the signs are accelerating all around you, with leaf buds unfurling on trees, lawns that need cutting once again, birds busy building nests and even the odd spell of warm weather (in between all the inevitable showers).This is the time when the days start to become noticeably longer, and the urge to get out in the garden and dig something starts to kick in with a vengeance.

And never was a season more aptly named, with all the new life springing forth. In fact the season was originally referred to as 'Springing Time' in the 14th century, which was inevitably shortened as time went by to 'Springtime'. By the 16th century, it had been shortened even further to 'Spring'.

It would be hard to choose a favourite season, since each one provides its own unique charms, but Spring - with all its focus on new life, new birth and renewal - would take some beating.

Which all brings me nicely to my latest novel which I've just published. This one is called 'A Springtime Obsession' and is set in the beautiful and romantic city of Venice during what some have called 'The King of Seasons.' It's available to download now on Amazon.

Hope you enjoy it, and happy Springtime!

Here comes Winter...

3/1/2016

I always feel that Winter doesn't start properly until after Christmas and New Year are all done and dusted. The month of December is usually too interesting and exciting to be able to concentrate on the fact that the weather is getting so much colder. It's only after the last forlorn Christmas decoration has been taken down, and the final glass of bubbly has been drunk to celebrate the incoming year, that normal service resumes, and we are back to grumbling about our climate once more.

So now, here we are, at the beginning of probably two or three months of pretty miserable weather, with no imminent festivities to take our minds off it. But I am glad to live in a place where all four seasons are so clearly marked, and like the other three seasons, winter has plenty to recommend it if you think about it long enough. In fact, one of my favourite types of weather is a crisp, clear winter day, with a cloudless and brilliant blue sky. There is something so fresh about a day like that, and it just begs you to wrap up, get out there and enjoy it.

Conversely, there is a major appeal in returning to a warm home after a day out in the cold. An interior is never so cosy as when it provides the nice warm contrast to a cold and gloomy exterior. And one of the most attractive things to do when it is cold outside, I find, is to curl up inside with a mug of something hot and a book that I am enjoying. If you're looking for a sweet winter romance, then I've just the thing! Just published this week, 'A Winter Connection' is available on Amazon now. It features a jilted bride, a handsome Australian vet, and a few crazy animals too! Hope you enjoy.

Happy New Year!

Do you like Christmas?

6/12/2015

Ever since I was a very small child, Christmas has always been my very favourite time of year. Here in the UK, we can usually expect some bleak, grey weather around late December, and so weather-wise, it can be a cold and gloomy period, but nonetheless, the air seems to be alive with a kind of magic at this time of year.

But – just occasionally – we get to experience a true white Christmas. That, for me, always brings an extra special sprinkle of magic – of being tucked up in the warm at home, enjoying Christmas feasts and games and music with family and friends, looking out onto the gorgeous wintry landscape outside. I was checking the longer range weather forecast this morning, wondering if we were likely to have any snow during the Christmas period, but there seem to be conflicting projections. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

Interestingly, while I was discussing this with a friend, I said 'Wouldn't it be great if we really did see snow this year on Christmas Day for a change?'

She responded that that was the very last thing she wanted to see as she had to drive north that day to see relatives. So of course for her, snow would be pretty unwelcome.

And of course that's how people are. In any given situation, people often hold entirely different views, just because they are different people. I've just written a short story for Christmas – called 'A Christmas Dream' –which is about a newly married couple who are quite different people, and who tend to have generally opposing views about things, too. It's available on Amazon now.

I hope if you read it that you will enjoy it!

Words old and new

15/5/2015

One of the most fascinating things about our language is its ability to reshape itself to suit our needs. The English language is extraordinarily malleable and is able to live and flex within the requirements of our dynamic and ever-changing society.

To meet our changing world, words are being added on a daily basis. Some of these new words, although they are useful for a specific period, may not remain in favour – when was the last time you heard someone talk about a charabanc? This diminishing popularity may be because other synonyms become more prominent, or the objects or practices to which they refer become obsolete in themselves. However other new additions will remain as essential components of communication.

It's extraordinary to consider how our tongue broadens to accommodate the requirements of our age, as in, for example, with current technological advances. Who amongst us now does not use the net daily to google search terms, to tweet, to download emails and upload photos and videos, to check social media, or to write blogs or even vlogs? Even thirty years ago, that sentence would have made no sense whatsoever to the average English speaker.

What a fabulous thing it is that the language can stretch to such an extent! We now have access to all the language that has gone before us, and we also have all the new vocabulary that helps us to communicate in our changing times. And of course, the greater the number of words that we know and comprehend, the greater our ability to identify and express our thoughts and ideas.

Talking right

1/5/2015

Carrying on with the political theme this week, I've been thinking about how politicians adjust their accents to better connect with their audiences. Back in the Seventies, Margaret Thatcher had elocution lessons when she was contesting the general election. The objective was not only to lower the tone of her voice, so that she would sound more authoritative (and indeed more masculine) to listeners, but also to modify the cut-glass accent of her youth into a more ordinary, accessible accent that more voters could identify with.

Tony Blair famously had an accent for every occasion, and he would deploy the appropriate voice depending upon which listeners he was currently addressing. Similarly, when Ed Miliband met with Russell Brand this week, he launched into full-blown Mockney, talking about the 'National 'Ealth Service' and telling Russell that 'it ain't gonna be like that, it ain't.' Not quite the enunciation we are accustomed to hearing in the House of Commons during PM's Questions.

Even in the Sixties, it was noted that Harold Wilson would become notably more working class in his speech when talking to the trades unions

This all seems to be a comparatively recent development, and I suppose reflects the modern obsession with politicians projecting the 'right' (i.e. carefully stage-managed) image. Since we're just about to celebrate the 70th anniversary of VE day, it might be worth observing that Winston Churchill never seemed to feel the need to adjust his extremely upper-crust accent – and that nobody listening to him then would have expected him to.

Electioneering

24/4/2015

As we are currently knee-deep in election fever here in the UK, I thought it might be interesting to have a look at political rhetoric, another fascinating example of the power of language. Skill in this area can make a tremendous difference to a politician's success or failure at the ballot box. Barack Obama's electoral victories are widely credited to his ability to connect with the American people through his excellent public speaking skills.

One of the most common techniques that is employed by any persuasive speaker, and particularly by politicians, is repetition, or 'anaphora' as it is usually known. It usually involves repeating a phrase at the start of consecutive statements. A particularly famous example is Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech given during the March on Washington in 1963. Such repetition assists the speaker in making an idea particularly memorable.

Another very common method that orators use to make their speeches effective is to make use of the Rule of Three. This is based on the idea that people have difficulty remembering a long laundry list of ideas or benefits, but generally seem to recall three things. Hence, we hear things such as 'Winston Churchill's 'This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.' And even more obviously: 'Education, education, education' from Tony Blair.

And yet another technique that orators often employ is hyperbole: intentional exaggeration used to emphasise a point. It is actually quite hard to find a political speech that is not awash with hyperbole, particularly during election campaigns. During this last week we have had Tories claiming that Labour economic policies would be 'a disaster' and 'cause chaos' in the country. In the same way, Labour politicians warn that a Tory win would lead to the 'end of the NHS.'

Even if you're finding the interminable round of political speeches, that are popping up like mushrooms all over the television news, to be tedious and unmemorable in themselves, it still proves interesting to watch them, just to see if you can spot these kinds of features.

Making judgements

17/4/2015

I've been thinking recently about the kinds of judgements that we make upon each other based upon the way we speak the English language. Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins will immediately spring to mind!

Whether you have an accent as clipped as the Queen, or have a broad Yorkshire brogue, someone, somewhere, will make some sort of judgement about you, either positive or negative. We make all sorts of assumptions based upon the way that someone pronounces a given word, although those assumptions do seem to be changing over time.

Back before the Second World War, a regional accent was largely regarded as improper, and the BBC would never have considered using a broadcaster who could not converse in pure received pronunciation. Those who decided to take up acting were often taught how to speak 'properly' at drama school, regardless of their regional origins. These days, those attitudes are changing, thank goodness, and the airwaves are awash with the rich diversity of the regional accents of these Isles, as well as the accents of those who have come to live here from overseas.

But we may be in danger of losing our dialects. In the South of England, spreading through Kent, Surrey, Essex and Susses, much as been made of the emergence of 'Estuary English', an accent which seems to be spreading fast, taking much from working-class London speech, or Cockney.

Change is inevitable in all things, particular in languages, which are living instruments, formed and re-formed by those that use them. But what a shame it would be if the nation's dialects were eventually all homogenised into one, and we lost the musicality and rhythm of those dialects which create such uniquely interesting diversity.

Words, words and more words

10/4/2015

Don't you just love words? Particularly those in the English language.

I think the most striking thing about writing using the English language is the element of nuance that is available to the writer, where each synonym of a word offers a finely graded distinction of meaning . To cite one example, of very many, if we are looking for an adjective that describes the feelings of a father, we can opt for either 'fatherly' or 'paternal'. But these two apparent synonyms do not communicate precisely the same meaning. 'Fatherly' is more protective and affectionate, whereas 'paternal' communicates more of a sense of an official standing as parent.

This richness in the English language owes itself to the massive influence of other languages throughout the centuries. Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, Norman French and Latin influences have all combined to shape the vocabulary that is available to us all. In the example above, the word 'fatherly' comes from the Germanic word for father, 'vater', whereas 'paternal' is rooted in the Latin 'pater'and reflects Roman society where the role of a father was more based on stern duty than affection.

The English language is such an extraordinary tool that it is not surprising that these islands have produced so many exceptional writers. Perhaps not many of us will rise to their hallowed ranks, but how marvellous it is for anyone with any interest in writing to have such a well of meaning and nuance available!

Random musings on language and writing

about
Denisa Carroll

Now that the family are all that little bit older, I'm fulfilling a life long dream to write the kind of novels that I enjoy reading. I also like to write the occasional blog on various topics, and particularly on the English Language - one of my very favourite subjects.

Join in with your comments if you would like to!

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'There is nothing
to writing.
All you do is sit down
at a typewriter
and bleed.'

- Ernest Hemingay