Writers do not live in sync with the rest of humanity. Normal people have free time. Writers have time when they should be writing. This weekend I have been trying to combine the two. I’ve been on a tour of the new cultural institutions around my city, including the Fabrika independent arts centre, Phoenix SquareContinue reading “Writing on the Hoof”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
Is Madmen Science Fiction?
Now work with me here. I know its a leap, but I’m starting to think that the hit television show Madmen is a work of science fiction. I’ve been geeking out over Madmen season two for the last fortnight. And when I say geeking out, I mean obsessing. Having watched season one three times (friendsContinue reading “Is Madmen Science Fiction?”
Phoenix Square
Today was the official public opening of Phoenix Square, Leicester’s new independent cinema and digital media centre. As a mobile worker my main demand of any new cultural centre in my city of residence is that it provide a decent place for me to sit and answer emails, and I’m happy to say that PhoenixContinue reading “Phoenix Square”
Name the best science fiction titles
You should never judge a book by its cover, but should you judge a story by its title? If the recent success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is anything to go by, then for many readers today the answer is yes. Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling mash-up of Jane Austen and George A Romero became oneContinue reading “Name the best science fiction titles”
Story McNuggets
Today I observed a pattern in my writing. I have been working on a story that goes by the working title of Clocks for some months now. It is one of those stories that emerges by accumulation. Every so often I add another paragraph, or a sentence, or even just a word. It is nowContinue reading “Story McNuggets”
Leicester vs. Nottingham
It’s just over mid way through NaNoWriMo and my home city of Leicester are down 1,101,763 words to 1,471,111 against nearby Nottingham. Come on Leicester…just write fish over and over again! I made the sane choice of not doing NaNoWriMo this year, I have another writing target that takes precedent which I will reveal atContinue reading “Leicester vs. Nottingham”
Best SF of the Noughties
Sarah Crown over at The Guardian book blog today asks readers for their top books of the noughties. Unsurprisingly my picks are quite speculative in nature, and there are so many that I eventually gave up trying to list them all. It was also complicated by the fact that many of my favourite books readContinue reading “Best SF of the Noughties”
The Entrepreneurial Writer
I will be giving a talk next Monday on the theme of The Entrepreneurial Writer as part of the New Ways With Writing series of talks organised by Writing School Leicester. Come along. The talk is about succesful writers are part of and contribute to many communities. I think it costs a few quid toContinue reading “The Entrepreneurial Writer”
Listening to – The Bible: A Biography
Recently I’ve discovered the non-fiction author Karen Armstrong, via her short book A Brief History of Myth. I found the book fascinating and brilliantly well written. Armstrong is currently in the news for her book The Case for God, which has been vying for position in the bestseller lists with Richard Dawkins The God DelusionContinue reading “Listening to – The Bible: A Biography”
Writing by Hand
I’ve been typing up from the first draft of my ninja story this evening. Moving from first o second draft is my favourite part of the writing process. First draft is exciting, so hence also scary. Its like a new relationship. You have all these great expectations and lots of passion, and sometimes things turnContinue reading “Writing by Hand”
Bookshops are not Churches. But.
Earlier this week the Guardian book website unleashed a tumult of anger and frustration against the UK’s largest bookseller, Waterstones. The thrust of Stuart Jeffries article was that with its increasing commercialisation (3-4-2 sales, celebrity biogs etc etc) Waterstones had gone from saviour to destroyer of bookselling in just over a decade.
Franchise Heaven
Over at Ecstatic Days, Mark Charan Newton talks to Black Library superstar Dan Abnet about the strengths of fiction franchises, a conversation which should be had more. Franchise novels are a much derided form of fiction. In some cases, the derision is spot on. Many franchise novels are poorly written, utterly generic and bottom lineContinue reading “Franchise Heaven”
Damien Walter 