A follow up to last weeks video asking why is writing hard…why is writing easy! What is the first story you were ever told? The huge number of stories we absorb just by being alive can make writing easy. Take that natural storytelling know-how, add some solid skills and you can enter the flow stateContinue reading “Why is writing easy?”
Category Archives: Writing Journal
Why is writing hard?
I bet you’ve always wondered what I look like, right? Well now you can find out in glorious 720p video! “Damien gets passionate about writing, and talks about the thing that makes it hard, the clash of two very different sides of our personality, the conscious mind and the subconscious imagination. OR. The crazy oldContinue reading “Why is writing hard?”
Have the Locus awards been hit with “myopic sexism”?
An all-male shortlist for YA fiction has left the Locus awards mired in controversy – but prejudice is an unavoidable part of any literary prize. Literature has always been a tribal world, and the internet has only made that worse. The romance readers on one forum, the crime buffs on another. The LitFicers trade snarkContinue reading “Have the Locus awards been hit with “myopic sexism”?”
Who is Chuck Tingle?
While I can only speculate on the identity of the cult erotica author, I suspect Chuck Tingle is the future of publishing. Hours after the announcement of the 2016 Hugo Award shortlists, one of the nominated authors published a book to express his feelings on the matter. Slammed In The Butt By My Hugo AwardContinue reading “Who is Chuck Tingle?”
Thoughts on the 2016 #HugoAwards
Last year I compared the Hugo awards to the Wacky Races, a comedic and mostly harmless event in which competitors bend the rules to get ahead…or a nomination in this case. That was before the “Sad Puppy” affair made them something much nastier. Last year the Hugos escalated from Wacky Races to twenty car motorwayContinue reading “Thoughts on the 2016 #HugoAwards”
The 0 best productivity apps for writers
The Mac app store has a dedicated section of Apps for Writers. It contains Scrivener, and some “distraction free” text editors, and a whole bunch of to-do list apps, pomodoro timers and other productivity aids. I sometimes find myself scrolling through these apps, which I’ve learned is a good indication that my writing day isContinue reading “The 0 best productivity apps for writers”
The indie author’s secret weapon – market intelligence
I’ve been covering the indie publishing revolution both here and for The Guardian since Amazon announced 70% royalties for authors selling ebooks through their Kindle store. It was clear that move was going to create a huge opportunity for indie published authors, and in the six years since that’s certainly been the case. “I amContinue reading “The indie author’s secret weapon – market intelligence”
The book marketing secret that doesn’t get said enough
Either your book is its own best marketing, or it’s doomed for the bonfire. This gets rephrased in polite publishing circles as the importance of “word of mouth” marketing. IE, either people are interested / excited / enthralled by your book and hence tell others who in turn become interested / excited / enthralled by yourContinue reading “The book marketing secret that doesn’t get said enough”
On Virtue Signaling
If your actions are so repugnant to the world, so self evidently wrong, and so lacking in basic human empathy, that people who speak out against you happen to gain the respect of others, then you’re the one with a problem. read this, you’ll like it
Fisking “An open letter to Rey from Star Wars”
OK. I am going to post a link a few lines down the page. You…probably will be happier if you don’t read it. But…we both know you’re going to. It’s by a chap named Nathan Alberson, writing on a website called Warhorn media, which appears to be a group blog by members of a church.Continue reading “Fisking “An open letter to Rey from Star Wars””
I have been blogging for 10 years! This is where it took me.
On 7th April 2006 I set up a blog on WordPress.com, with the intention of publishing book reviews. As first blog posts go, that one is fairly typical. We tend to begin blogging knowing more that we want to write, than what we want to write about. While it can be many things, at itsContinue reading “I have been blogging for 10 years! This is where it took me.”
If you’re a male geek who acts out macho sexist fantasies with video games, you’ve become a mainstream jock
As white male geeks are keen to point out, they’re often as much the victim of “jockish” patriarchal mainstream culture as anybody else. Last year a much publicised post by Scott Aaronson, who as a professor at MIT represents a paragon of geek achievement, articulated the inner conflicts many geek men feel in their relationshipsContinue reading “If you’re a male geek who acts out macho sexist fantasies with video games, you’ve become a mainstream jock”
Damien Walter 