Spent the day at a Writing and Meditation retreat on Queens Road in Leicester. The area seems to be a hot bed of Buddhist activity, with at least half a dozen different meditation groups around and about. The day has left me thinking about how writing and meditation combine. I’ve always made relaxation and visualisationContinue reading “Thought and Dream”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
The Princess has been eaten
The story in progress is currently under the working title of Princess, Eaten by Beetles – Regurgitated. (PEBBR) I’m happy to report that the Princess in question has been eaten, and over the weekend will likely be regurgitated. I might post an extract here if and when I find the end of the story. JustContinue reading “The Princess has been eaten”
Entities underrepresented in weird fiction
So weird fiction has developed a fondness for certain..things, bordering on the fetishistic. Fungus and squid feature prominently. Insects, arachnids and beetles are also reasonably common place. For which we have Vandermeer and Mieville to blame. Thank. Blame. Thank. But there are so many other weird forms of life that deserve representation! For example, whichContinue reading “Entities underrepresented in weird fiction”
Retreat
I seem to have a growing desire to hide in a dark room, or more likely a quiet library, for a year or so and write something mammoth. To take a journey into the far reaches of imagination and see what is out there. Right now the world is keeping me more than a littleContinue reading “Retreat”
Why is literature so miserable?
Between reviewing, critiquing, research and work commitments, it seems like I rarely get to read a book just because I want to. But every now and again I get the desire to read something purely for pleasure. And quite often when that happens, I want to read a book that I might loosely describe asContinue reading “Why is literature so miserable?”
Kraken by China Mieville
China Miéville has a passion for London. The multi-award winning author has reflected the city’s surreal side in Un Lun Dun, set it to a drum’n’bass beat in King Rat, and inundated it with vampire imagoes in The Tain. Now, in his new novel, Miéville threatens to destroy the nation’s capital entirely in the tentacledContinue reading “Kraken by China Mieville”
The Accidental Expert
I gave a talk this afternoon to the DemonCrew, a very nice group of creative writing students at De Montfort University. Preparing for the talk made me realise just how much I know about the topic of Weird and Speculative fiction(s), (quite a lot, without sounding like a trumpet blower). It’s odd to find yourselfContinue reading “The Accidental Expert”
Is there any decent Bizarro fiction out there?
So the term Bizarro fiction has crossed my path three times in as many days. That trips my curiosity circuits, which in turn activate my data collection probes, which tell me that I need to read some of this stuff. Bizarro fiction styles itself as ‘literature’s equivalent to the cult section at the video store’.Continue reading “Is there any decent Bizarro fiction out there?”
The Internal Editor
One of the things about reviewing (and blogging, and developing literature) is that it determines your reading. At any given time I can have a dozen or more books being read in one professional context or another. And while many of the books are wonderful, its always a joy when you get the opportunity toContinue reading “The Internal Editor”
Alt.Fiction 2010
It may not be the biggest Fantasy, Horror and Sci-Fi convention in the world, or even in the UK, but the Alt.Fiction festival (Saturday 12th June, Derby) is one of my favourites. If some festivals are like a leisurely stroll through SF fandom, Alt.Fiction is the equivalent of a high level triathlon. One day ofContinue reading “Alt.Fiction 2010”
End-of-the-world literature
I’m on the Guardian book podcast again this week, discussing literature of the apocalypse as the Angry Volcano God put us all in that frame of mind. At the end I call Kraken ‘H.P.Lovecraft via J.G.Ballard’. Not sure if that will make it into the final review, but it certainly has a ring to it!Continue reading “End-of-the-world literature”
Is fantasy just entertainment?
Just because fantasy is everywhere doesn’t mean it has to appeal to the lowest common denominator. We must keep sight of its roots in ancient storytelling and its power to transform. There are few things people love more then a well-told tale. We’ve been gathering around the fire (or that 20th-century equivalent, the television set)Continue reading “Is fantasy just entertainment?”
Damien Walter 