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.”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
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?”
Thoughts on Neil Gaiman’s Ocean
A review of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, it’s relationship to other stories by Neil Gaiman, and the trauma of fantasy. All great fantasies are formed in response to experience. And often, the experience of trauma. J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings takes us in to a fantasy worldContinue reading “Thoughts on Neil Gaiman’s Ocean”
Writer as Wise Friend
When I pick up a Discworld novel, it’s not because I want to know what happens in the story. I likely know what happens, unless it’s one of the few I haven’t read (these are being saved for emergencies). Most times I pick up a Discworld novel it’s beacause I want to spend some timeContinue reading “Writer as Wise Friend”
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?”
Update on a Patreon
I’ve been promoting my new Patreon page for the Geek Culture essay series and the response is making me pretty happy. At this point I have 13 backers at $36 a month. That’s great, and I think I’ll likely get a couple more before I start the essay series. I made the choice to doContinue reading “Update on a Patreon”
Geek Culture and why the editorial process is broken
“Geek culture is stupid and its fans are losers.” “Sci-fi novels are trash and their writers are hacks.” “Superhero movies are just about muscular blokes blowing stuff up.” “Role-Playing Games are for total nerds!” Support Geek Culture on Patreon! I don’t believe these sentiments. Well, not all of them and not completely…but they are widelyContinue reading “Geek Culture and why the editorial process is broken”
The big story and the small story
Very few stories are only one story. The common writing exercise of encapsulating a story in a single sentence often shows this. Yes, Jack and the Beanstalk is the story of a boy who fights a giant. But it’s also the story of a giant pestered by tiny humans. And of a beanstalk forced toContinue reading “The big story and the small story”
Damien Walter 