Writing my Weird Things column for The Guardian, I regularly mention books that relate to the theme at hand. And I’ve done a fair amount of reviewing, both professional and For-The-Luv. I tend to be a nice cuddly reviewer, although I have filleted a few books when I thought they called for it. What I’veContinue reading “Aggressive reviewing is here to stay…learn to deal with it”
Category Archives: Writing Journal
Feel THE FEAR…and write it anyway
I did a little whoop of joy, followed by a nod of recognition when I received Gareth L. Powell’s guest post in my email inbox. The first because Mr. Powell is among Britain’s very best science fiction authors. The second because like every writer, I recognise THE FEAR that Gareth describes. You will no doubt recogniseContinue reading “Feel THE FEAR…and write it anyway”
Is there any such thing as Realist Horror?
The latest guest post here on damiengwalter.com comes from Niki Valentine, author of psychological horror and literary fiction under an alternative pen name. But where do we draw the line between supernatural and realist horror? Niki Valentine may be one of the few authors who really knows the answer. Check out her novels and otherContinue reading “Is there any such thing as Realist Horror?”
Guest Post : A New Pulp think tank
Following on from our discussion What is New Pulp and why do we want one? , Andrez Bergen offers up a genuinely intriguing insight in to the varied definitions of New Pulp amongst a wave of writers all engaged in writing it. The excitement of pulp, its working class roots, and the digital revolution all play aContinue reading “Guest Post : A New Pulp think tank”
What is the New Pulp and why do we want one?
Some weeks back I penned a column on the phenomenon of the New Pulp, and since then I’ve enjoyed watching the term continue to emerge as a zeitgeist from the group mind of genre fiction. David Barnett, author of the upcoming Gideon Smith novels, talks here about the Nu Pulp. Geek Syndicate provide a niceContinue reading “What is the New Pulp and why do we want one?”
7 signs you are ready to self-publish (a checklist)
For my work at The Guardian I spend a lot of time looking at new books, and I’ve gone out of my way to look at new books by indie published writers. And my conclusion has been that the vast majority of independently published writers aren’t ready. The books aren’t ready and their authors aren’tContinue reading “7 signs you are ready to self-publish (a checklist)”
Look after your brain. They don’t issue new ones.
Bobby Fischer was arguably the greatest chess player of all time. American chess champion at 14, grandmaster at 15, world champion at 28. A brilliant but brief career cut short by schizophrenia. By the time of his death in 2008 Fischer was a ranting, anti-semetic caricature of insanity. There are a number of possible reasonsContinue reading “Look after your brain. They don’t issue new ones.”
How to bend the masses to your will with words alone
The internet, being composed of 50% text and 50% raw naked ambition, is full of how-tos and guidelines on ways to manipulate the written word to achieve your raw naked ambitions. They are called things like How to Write Compelling Content for the Web or 73 Ways to Manipulate the Weak Willed With the PowerContinue reading “How to bend the masses to your will with words alone”
Who profits in the creative economy?
A Bookseller article today reports that ‘less than 10% of self published authors make a living‘, based on a survey of around 1000 self-published authors. But the remarkable thing about this story is the intensely negative spin it gives to the data it presents. It could easily read “Holy Fuck! A percentage of self-published authorsContinue reading “Who profits in the creative economy?”
First person in The Great Gatsby
If you’ve picked up some corrupted ideas about 1st person narration from bad urban fantasy writing, The Great Gatsby is a good restorative. @damiengwalter Reading The Great Gatsby today, I’ve been struck by how well F. Scott Fitzgerald writes, and in particular how well he writes first person narrative. The Great Gatsby was first publishedContinue reading “First person in The Great Gatsby”
Why the same arguments repeat endlessly online
The internet opens up all forms of discourse to all kinds of people. Just a few decades ago, the dialogues of literary criticism were held between only a small handful of ‘qualified’ experts. Now, for better or worse, tens of thousands of people debate literature online. When a discourse is conducted within a limited community,Continue reading “Why the same arguments repeat endlessly online”
Fantasy must be a struggle with life
The more experienced I become as a writer, the more I realise I was closer to the soul of the art when I started out than after a decade and some lose change years studying its craft. Jonathan Franzen is a writer I discovered through The Corrections some time in the last year or so.Continue reading “Fantasy must be a struggle with life”
Damien Walter 