Author Archives: Damien Walter

FINALLY! The true hero of the Star Wars saga…REVEALED AT LAST! * Our story begins on a forest moon in a distant sector of a a faraway galaxy. For generations this diverse world has been protected, a sanctuary, home to dozens of sentient and semi-sentient species. Now the Galactic Republic has fallen, an Empire hasContinue reading “This conspiracy theory will change how you see Star Wars…forever!”

Myth still conjures a strong negative reaction in many of us. For most of the millions of people awaiting the release of Star Wars : The Force Awakens, myths are an entertaining diversion. For the rigorously scientific and many people of a skeptical mindset, myths are nothing moe than glamorous lies. But for millions ofContinue reading “Joseph Campbell on why we must create our own mythologies”

It’s remarkable how many science-fiction fans hate Star Wars. To those who like their SF grounded in science, Star Wars is reprehensible “skiffy” in the pejorative sense, a flight of fantasy cloaked in science-fiction’s clothes. For most under-40s, Star Wars is where their love of sci-fi began, but for those who remember the genre’s goldenContinue reading “The sci-fi books that inspired Star Wars”

I write a regular column on sci-fi & fantasy books for The Guardian. About this time every year I sit down and think what the year ahead in sci-fi publishing has to offer. And right now, I’d love you to help me with that. It’s a big field, and while I do keep a burningContinue reading “Fans! Writers! Publicists! Tell me about the best sci-fi in 2016”

Reading back through the first draft of a story, I noticed that I’d slipped into first person for a couple of paragraphs. Not big problem, right? Most of my first drafts are handwritten, and I can easily fix the point-of-view when typing up. But to judge by the proto-fascist attitude to POV I see expressedContinue reading “Point-Of-View matters, but it doesn’t matter that much”

Some years ago I had a friend who didn’t believe recipes had any place in the kitchen. He would start cooking a meat pie, then decide it needed some fruit. Too sweet? Add some paprika. Maybe it’s not a pie after all. Now it’s a desert. Cover it in honey! I’m not joking. My friend valuedContinue reading “Yes stories are formulaic. No that’s not a bad thing.”

Jennifer Brozek’s new YA series, the Melissa Allen trilogy, features a young female protagonist who carries a baseball bat when she’s fighting monsters. In this special guest post, Jennifer explains why Melissa named it Mister Bat, and how it became a repeating factor in all three books. While most people might think a baseball batContinue reading “When it comes to fighting monsters…why the bat?”

The Sad Puppies are, once again, frolicking in my twitter feed after WIRED magazine’s take on the 2015 Hugo awards was republished in an extended form. It’s a good read, followed by the usual tail of comments with members of the Mad Harpies “movement” publicly humiliating themselves by repeating the same old tired excuses forContinue reading “Gus. A case study in Sad Puppy ignorance.”