As my winter hibernation comes to end I’m stumbling like an angry bear from my cave for a few events over the next few weeks. (Actually I’m quite a chirpy bear currently, so no fear for any of the events organisers involved!) Saturday 10th March : I am the Science Fiction Book Doctor at DerbyContinue reading “Upcoming Events *Eastercon Update*”
Category Archives: Writing Journal
Writing Mind, Big Mind, Judging Mind
My friend Amy Sundberg talks about the Writing Mind, in response to Jeff VanderMeer’s missive that forcing your concentration to meet a fixed daily word count isn’t a universally good idea. Even when you aren’t writing, you can still be writing. The imagination is always busy, and sometimes it does its best work when weContinue reading “Writing Mind, Big Mind, Judging Mind”
Selling Out
People used to accuse artists who took the corporate dollar of ‘selling out’. It’s a phrase that seems to have fallen from fashion, perhaps because art has become so aligned with entertainment in the popular imagination that it’s hard for people to see what ‘selling out’ out even means any more. Why would you criticiseContinue reading “Selling Out”
Two. Four. Seven. More. How many stories are there?
Paulo Coelho, in a blog post inviting others to steal his books, recently shared the idea that all writers are only recycling four stories. First, because all anyone ever does is recycle the same four themes: a love story between two people, a love triangle, the struggle for power, and the story of a journey.Continue reading “Two. Four. Seven. More. How many stories are there?”
Why we must reward intelligent fantastic literature
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to direct your attention to the shortlist for the Kitschies, the annual awards organised by the folks at the Pornokitsch blog, which is quickly establishing itself as one of the two or three most relevant awards in fantastic literature. And the nominated novels are: The Enterprise of Death by JesseContinue reading “Why we must reward intelligent fantastic literature”
Why Science Fiction is the literature of change
Science Fiction is often called a “literature of ideas”. Maybe it is better understood as a literature of change. Listen to the Guardian books podcast: Science Fiction now and tomorrow. Today’s Guardian books podcast, which I was lucky enough to be invited to take part in alongside Lauren Beukes, Alaistar Reynolds, Jeff Noon and MichaelContinue reading “Why Science Fiction is the literature of change”
Questionnaire with a Dark Lord.
Éric Poindron’s Étrange (*) Questionnaire. Discovered at the Weird Fiction Review. (*) Bizarre, extraordinary, singular, surprising. Le Robert Dictionary 1 – Write the first sentence of a novel, short story, or book of the weird yet to be written. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Dark Lord in posession of a plot to destroy theContinue reading “Questionnaire with a Dark Lord.”
Meta-content is the future of the book
This evening I bought Jeffrey Eugenides ‘The Marriage Plot’ from the Amazon Kindle store. I would love to say that I always buy books when it would be just as easy to download a pirate version for free, but I would be being dishonest. But buying the book has recently become a far more likelyContinue reading “Meta-content is the future of the book”
I don’t believe I’m about to have this argument, but…
After enough years in fandom there are certain arguments you learn to steer clear of because they are futile and never end. Genre definitions are one of them and I really should know better by now, however… The pugnacious @gavreads earlier tweeted the following definitions, distilled from this IO9 report on a talk between Margaret AtwoodContinue reading “I don’t believe I’m about to have this argument, but…”
Why crap books sell millions
Look, I don’t mean to give you a big head here, but if you’re reading this then you’re probably a pretty smart cookie. Statistical research suggests that people who stop by this way tend to be avid readers, and probably writers as well. Clever clogs like us get used to each others company, and itsContinue reading “Why crap books sell millions”
Tarot and so
Things have been happening and I have been remiss in linking to them here. My Weird Things column in The Guardian continues with thoughts on Todd Grimson, author of Stainless and possibly one of our greatest and most neglected horror writers. At the SF Signal blog we discuss mainstream authors stepping across to genre fiction.Continue reading “Tarot and so”
World Fantasy Convention – diary entry 1
Being in a foreign city alone is faintly terrifying. It’s the fourth time I’ve done this now, although on the third of those I stayed with a friend, which held its own terrors. Between times I look back on the last trip with a rose tinted desire for freedom. It’s only on the plane, onceContinue reading “World Fantasy Convention – diary entry 1”
Damien Walter 