Author Archives: Damien Walter

Sorry Jonesy, but I can write for The Guardian AND love Terry Pratchett

Written with the support of my most excellent patrons. I never had the good fortune to meet Terry Pratchett, but I’ve been reading his books since I was eleven. My favourite Discworld tomes – Mort, Small Gods and Going Postal – have been read a half dozen times each at least. I also hold aContinue reading “Sorry Jonesy, but I can write for The Guardian AND love Terry Pratchett”

Why quiet is essential to your creative practice

For the last 15 days I’ve been writing a series of posts on creative fear, to take myself – and anyone else who wants to follow – past the barriers that keep us from creating. The series began with a personal essay on the need for quiet if we’re to be creative at all. OriginallyContinue reading “Why quiet is essential to your creative practice”

The next publishing craze? Weird Westerns.

It’s a little-known fact that one of the all-time bestselling writers of westerns lived most of his life in the English market town of Melton Mowbray. JT Edson, who died in 2014, wrote more than 137 novels, most of them westerns, and claimed in all seriousness “never to have even been on a horse”. AContinue reading “The next publishing craze? Weird Westerns.”

Too scared to create? Join my journey to the other side of creative fear

This is a thank you to the nineteen patrons who have helped get me to my first Patreon milestone. You are great friends to me and your support means the world. I started this Patreon because I was stuck. Instead of picking a story and writing it until the end, I was flitting between differentContinue reading “Too scared to create? Join my journey to the other side of creative fear”

What is geek culture’s big problem with criticism?

This essay was written with the support of my patrons. If you find value in my writing, please consider becoming one of my backers on Patreon. Or if a regular donation isn’t possible, you can purchase my short story collection. I do understand why people often react poorly to cultural criticism. If I was in a dark,Continue reading “What is geek culture’s big problem with criticism?”

I answer questions on digital marketing for Leicester Writes

My old home city, the wonderful multicultural metropolis of Leicester, has a festival called Leicester Writes. Despite being far away on the Indian sub-continent I will be taking part, with a live Q&A on Twitter about indie publishing and digital marketing. Join in! *** Twitter Q & A with Damien Walter JUNE 25, 2015 /Continue reading “I answer questions on digital marketing for Leicester Writes”

A pioneering work of of “Neuro-Scifi”.

God Bless The Dead by Evan Geller A pioneering work of “neuro-scifi” and tech start-ups, where Breaking Bad meets American Gods. (This is the first in my series of paid reviews for indie writers. Find out more about book reviews and my other services for writers.) We’re accustomed to thinking of the space inside our heads asContinue reading “A pioneering work of of “Neuro-Scifi”.”

Can you read role-playing games?

You don’t have to actually play a role-playing game for it to fire your imagination, so why don’t RPG manuals count as books? I’m a lifelong fan of role-playing games, but I rarely play them. Dungeons & Dragons. Call of Cthulhu. Vampire: The Masquerade. Cyberpunk 2013. Traveller. I’ve been enchanted by the words and illustrations,Continue reading “Can you read role-playing games?”

How hard is it to go from traditional publishing…to self publishing?

Josh Powell is a successful non-fiction author making the transition to self published fantasy author. In this guest post Josh answers the question…what is it like to transition from traditional to self publishing? In a word… tough! I’m an acknowledged expert in web development; I didn’t need to shop around to find a publisher. TheContinue reading “How hard is it to go from traditional publishing…to self publishing?”