A Scanner Darkly is one of Philip K Dick’s most famous but also most divisive novels. Written in 1973 but not published until 1977, it marks the boundary between PKD’s mid-career novels that were clearly works of science fiction, including The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and hisContinue reading “Transrealism: the first major literary movement of the 21st century”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
David Foster Wallace on why nobody wants to read your sh*t
The iconic 90s novelist interviewed in 2004 talks about the challenges of teaching creative writing.
My best Scifi & Fantasy novels of 2010 to 2019
I read a LOT of SF/F this decade for The Guardian, SFX, BBC etc. These were the books that made the decade for me. 2010 – The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang. This is how AI will really happen, and it’s terribly sad https://amzn.to/2QfmOgC 2011 – Embassytown by China Mieville. Like all ofContinue reading “My best Scifi & Fantasy novels of 2010 to 2019”
Day One
I’m journalling my 30 day Attention Recovery program. You can follow my progress here. This week my Facebook account was hacked. I can’t re-activate it without a code sent to a mobile phone number I haven’t owned for a decade. Two days ago I de-activated my Twitter account. I’m using this as an opportunity toContinue reading “Day One”
It’s not your writing
The mental shift that separates young writers from old writers. “I wish I had more time for my writing.” “I quit my job to work on my writing.” “My writing is very important to me.” What do all these sentences have in common? It’s that little word, MY. MY words. MY stories. MY WRITING. ButContinue reading “It’s not your writing”
How to make your Kill List (and ditch your ToDo list)
We put a lot of effort into getting things done. Could we be more creative by simply doing less? In my 20s I was a To-Do list fiend. I had to-do lists for my to-do lists, a fact my girlfriend at the time was happy to mock me for. To get back to being creative,Continue reading “How to make your Kill List (and ditch your ToDo list)”
Meditation ain’t no ancient thing
We’ve made up meditation out of thin air and desperate need. But that only makes it more important.
I stopped reading novels last year. I think you did too.
I’ve gone from writing a regular column of scifi books for The Guardian, to a year without reading novels. What happened?
6 signs your novel may be pretty damn good
Why do readers love some novels, but not others? Often we do hand wavy gestures at this kind of question, while intoning the magic word “subjective subjective subjective”. Yes, different people like different things. But there are a few qualities which many, many popular stories have in common. There are six core qualities for aContinue reading “6 signs your novel may be pretty damn good”
Why am I worried that Cyberpunk 2077 will suck?
It looks like the slickest open world AAA video game ever made, but have CD Projekt Red found new meaning for old cyberpunk metaphors? Damien Walter writes on culture, politics and sci-fi for The Guardian, WIRED, BBC, Independent, Buzzfeed and Aeon magazine. The girl in the black vinyl minidress, shit-kicker boots and neon hair braidsContinue reading “Why am I worried that Cyberpunk 2077 will suck?”
You can be creative, or productive, but not both
We love the idea of productivity, but most productivity systems are killing our creativity Here’s a familiar event many artists will have encountered. You hit some creative milestone. Your new book is finished maybe, and a well-meaning friend responds, “I wish I had time to write / paint / sing / INSERT CREATIVE DREAM.” Yes,Continue reading “You can be creative, or productive, but not both”
The 4 skills of the full stack writer
A stack of 4 core skills are key to success as a freelance writer. Mastering them unlocks huge opportunities. I landed my first paid writing gig when I was 14. I had a paper route, and one day the local Indian restaurant invited me in, made me a chai tea, and asked how to getContinue reading “The 4 skills of the full stack writer”
Damien Walter 