As regular readers will know, over the last few months I’ve been dedicating some of my professional time to building a Patreon. In around 6 months I went from $18 of support, to over $2oo per month, which buys me a couple of extra days each month to work on my own writing. But mostContinue reading “Writers…do you know your Revenue Per Reader?”
Category Archives: Essays
What is the rhetoric of story?
It’s that moment when you look up from Lord of the Rings, and it hits you, BLIMEY! I’m not in Middle Earth. It’s the feeling when the lights go up after three hours of King Lear and you remember you’re not a tragic hero. It’s the sensation of being so lost in the world orContinue reading “What is the rhetoric of story?”
Why is the Kindle store so cheap and seedy?
Imagine if your local bookshop was modelled on a Cash & Carry. Towering 3 storey riveted steel shelving units, housed in a cavernous warehouse unit on the edge of a nameless industrial park, echoing tinnily with the greatest hits of boy band One Direction. It has all the books, but they’re stacked inside cardboard boxes,Continue reading “Why is the Kindle store so cheap and seedy?”
Why writers have more to learn than ever
We live in exciting times for writers. There are more ways then ever to tell stories, and huge audiences hungry to consume them. It may sound strange if you’re not used to the idea, but the story is a kind of technology. Like the sword, or the motorcar, or the computer, the story has evolvedContinue reading “Why writers have more to learn than ever”
The storytelling technique that made ROCKY a classic
https://youtu.be/GkKTuONTgoc From the second talk in the Rhetoric of Story course…I make a short detour to wonder what it is that makes ROCKY the movie a champ, that people keep on watching. HINT: it’s all about desire. Learn more about the Writing Practice: http://damiengwalter.teachable.com/courses/rhetoric-of-story
I don’t just want a woman to be Bond, I want a woman to KILL Bond!
Why should we cast a woman as the next James Bond? To prove that women are dangerous and corrupt too. A woman actress as Bond isn’t a fantasy. It’s a chance to give Bond more realism. A new rumour seems to pop up every week – Idris Elba will be the next James Bond! No, AidanContinue reading “I don’t just want a woman to be Bond, I want a woman to KILL Bond!”
Will the book be replaced…by the block?
An interesting article over at Rhizome speculates on the future of Blockchain as a disruptive technology within publishing. What does the verb “to publish” mean in a society where every thought, movement, and moment is recorded and stored? Let’s say that publishing is the act of making something public and drawing attention to it. AndContinue reading “Will the book be replaced…by the block?”
Geek critique: Neil Gaiman and Kameron Hurley pick apart pop culture
Two new nonfiction collections – Gaiman’s The View from the Cheap Seats and Hurley’s The Geek Feminist Revolution – present contrasting perspectives on geek culture today. So what’s the state of it? Geeks were once like Victorian children: seen, but not heard; talked about but mocked, rarely given their own voice. But the newfound popularityContinue reading “Geek critique: Neil Gaiman and Kameron Hurley pick apart pop culture”
Why is DIE HARD so great?
Damien interrupts his second lecture on the Rhetoric of Story for an unscheduled talk on the greatness of DIE HARD…it’s all about the small story hidden within the big story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnXA0V6rxYg Join the Rhetoric of Story course to see the full talk.
Dune deserves a new film adaptation
Confusing sequels, terrible prequels and poor adaptations aside, Frank Herbert’s masterpiece still stands up as the one of the truly great sci-fi novels. I first discovered Dune through David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s SF masterpiece. The “Lynchian” style, that novelist David Foster Wallace would later define as “a particular kind of ironyContinue reading “Dune deserves a new film adaptation”
I found the ultimate digital nomad shoulder bag…the maker surprised me.
For the best part of three years now I’ve been living as a “digital nomad”. Nobody I know, including hundreds of digital nomad friends I’ve made along the way, really likes the term, but it’s less clunky than “location independent entrepreneur” and generally conveys the idea of working whilst travelling. Or as one of myContinue reading “I found the ultimate digital nomad shoulder bag…the maker surprised me.”
Dear Damo : Why isn’t my space opera novel selling?
Welcome to the first in a new series of blog posts where I answer your questions about life, love, and self publishing. All names are changed to protect the innocent. Send your questions to me on Twitter @damiengwalter using hashtag #DearDamo * Dear Damo! I’ve always wanted to be a BESTSELLING writer! So, a few weeksContinue reading “Dear Damo : Why isn’t my space opera novel selling?”
Damien Walter 