Most writers are still getting used to the idea that almost anybody can get a copy of almost anything on the internet, including the book that took the writer months or years of effort to create. Understandably, many writers get very angry about this, while others think constructively about how copying can help writers andContinue reading “Book piracy is likely a thing of the past”
Category Archives: Writing Journal
This conspiracy theory will change how you see Star Wars…forever!
FINALLY! The true hero of the Star Wars saga…REVEALED AT LAST! * Our story begins on a forest moon in a distant sector of a a faraway galaxy. For generations this diverse world has been protected, a sanctuary, home to dozens of sentient and semi-sentient species. Now the Galactic Republic has fallen, an Empire hasContinue reading “This conspiracy theory will change how you see Star Wars…forever!”
Joseph Campbell on why we must create our own mythologies
Myth still conjures a strong negative reaction in many of us. For most of the millions of people awaiting the release of Star Wars : The Force Awakens, myths are an entertaining diversion. For the rigorously scientific and many people of a skeptical mindset, myths are nothing moe than glamorous lies. But for millions ofContinue reading “Joseph Campbell on why we must create our own mythologies”
The sci-fi books that inspired Star Wars
It’s remarkable how many science-fiction fans hate Star Wars. To those who like their SF grounded in science, Star Wars is reprehensible “skiffy” in the pejorative sense, a flight of fantasy cloaked in science-fiction’s clothes. For most under-40s, Star Wars is where their love of sci-fi began, but for those who remember the genre’s goldenContinue reading “The sci-fi books that inspired Star Wars”
Fans! Writers! Publicists! Tell me about the best sci-fi in 2016
I write a regular column on sci-fi & fantasy books for The Guardian. About this time every year I sit down and think what the year ahead in sci-fi publishing has to offer. And right now, I’d love you to help me with that. It’s a big field, and while I do keep a burningContinue reading “Fans! Writers! Publicists! Tell me about the best sci-fi in 2016”
Point-Of-View matters, but it doesn’t matter that much
Reading back through the first draft of a story, I noticed that I’d slipped into first person for a couple of paragraphs. Not big problem, right? Most of my first drafts are handwritten, and I can easily fix the point-of-view when typing up. But to judge by the proto-fascist attitude to POV I see expressedContinue reading “Point-Of-View matters, but it doesn’t matter that much”
Yes stories are formulaic. No that’s not a bad thing.
Some years ago I had a friend who didn’t believe recipes had any place in the kitchen. He would start cooking a meat pie, then decide it needed some fruit. Too sweet? Add some paprika. Maybe it’s not a pie after all. Now it’s a desert. Cover it in honey! I’m not joking. My friend valuedContinue reading “Yes stories are formulaic. No that’s not a bad thing.”
Why does literary fiction hate genre?
Literary fiction is an artificial luxury brand but it doesn’t sell. So nobody benefits by fencing it off from more popular writing. It’s always a problem when one of literature’s big beasts wanders off the reservation into the badlands of genre. The latest to blunder through the electric barriers erected around the safe zone isContinue reading “Why does literary fiction hate genre?”
When it comes to fighting monsters…why the bat?
Jennifer Brozek’s new YA series, the Melissa Allen trilogy, features a young female protagonist who carries a baseball bat when she’s fighting monsters. In this special guest post, Jennifer explains why Melissa named it Mister Bat, and how it became a repeating factor in all three books. While most people might think a baseball batContinue reading “When it comes to fighting monsters…why the bat?”
There is only one choice for the new World Fantasy Award
Most readers of this blog will already have read the news that, after a long debate within the community of fantasy writers and readers, H P Lovecraft is to be replaced as the face of the World Fantasy Award. Not everyone is taking the news gracefully, not least critic S T Joshi who performed anContinue reading “There is only one choice for the new World Fantasy Award”
Gus. A case study in Sad Puppy ignorance.
The Sad Puppies are, once again, frolicking in my twitter feed after WIRED magazine’s take on the 2015 Hugo awards was republished in an extended form. It’s a good read, followed by the usual tail of comments with members of the Mad Harpies “movement” publicly humiliating themselves by repeating the same old tired excuses forContinue reading “Gus. A case study in Sad Puppy ignorance.”
Open Thread : How can writers protect themselves from social media?
As some of you will know, I took a week week long sabbatical from social media last week. I’ve done this four times this year, each time for one to three weeks. For reasons I’ll come to, I find it essential. I love social media. Twitter is my favourite platform, it connects me with hundredsContinue reading “Open Thread : How can writers protect themselves from social media?”
Damien Walter 