The Rules of Writing
Facebook has a fun little feature called ‘memories’ which shows people posts they made years ago on that day of the year. I go through mine because it’s fun to look at stuff that was important enough to post about … Continued
I wish it would rain
I know, it’s been far too wet in too many parts of Australia. Lake Eyre is still full, farmers in Tasmania and Victoria wish it would all lift its skirts and bugger off elsewhere and there’s STILL snow at Falls … Continued
What’s the opposite of writer’s block?
Writer’s insomnia. That state when you’re on a roll, the story is flowing – but there are holes and questions (there are always holes and questions) and ‘oh hey’ moments and ‘is that plausible’ moments. And they all get together … Continued
A time of endings and beginnings
I’ve just finished reading the last Discworld novel. “The Shepherd’s Crown”. The tile of this post comes from the book’s blurb. A SHIVERING OF WORLDS Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, … Continued
You can’t take the science out of science fiction romance #sfrb
I’m having a rant over at spacefreighters. Come on over and join the outrage.
I’m busy #amwriting but I also talk about genre
The title says it all, folks. I’m writing up a storm – or trying to. Writing is just like any other pastime – cooking, hockey, netball, swimming, tatting. If you stop doing it, the skills atrophy. But I’m around 6k … Continued
Had a rotten review? #amwriting
Everybody gets rotten reviews. It’s part of the territory. Your first one or two star is a coming of age, your movement from beginner to seasoned veteran. I’m not going to lecture you on survival techniques. The world and his … Continued
You can’t be too careful with that precious first page
Authors, you can’t be too careful when crafting that precious first page for your tour de force. This is a case study. Since he retired, my husband has read a lot of books. He tends to like crime, thrillers, mystery … Continued
The Hobbit – how to turn a kid’s book into a block buster movie
I watched The Hobbit the other day. It’s old history, I know, but that’s how it is at my place. Anyway, having watched the movie (part 1) I re-read the book for the first time in many years. It was … Continued
What I learnt from “Slow Lightning” or how to build a riveting plot
Jack McDevitt’s Slow Lightning (or Infinity Beach in the US) was one of those books which I bought and had sitting on the shelf for – years, actually, and that was after the years of prevarication before I bought it. … Continued