Social Media for writers
If you’re reading this then you probably also use Facebook. Or Twitter, or Google+. Or all three. Then there is Instagram. And Pinterest. You might use Tumblr or Flickr for … Continue reading
Book update: editing
The book that I started in 2012 NaNoWriMo, still tentatively titled Briefly Tomorrow, has now been through it’s first full editing cycle. I initially started to edit it online since … Continue reading
Focus
I’m very happy to report that I did, just, complete the London Marathon. It was a great event and a unique experience, but also one of the hardest things I … Continue reading
The Running Man
I haven’t talked about it here, but I like to run. Not in a Stephen King / Arnold Schwarzeneggar type of survival game-show, although I’m grateful for the very tenuous … Continue reading
Learning from the masters
A lot of classic literature is so well known and well read for good reason. For the past 10 weeks, I’ve been reading through some of the greatest, most influential … Continue reading
Q1 standout books and movies
We’re nearly a third of the way through 2013 already so I thought I’d pick out my favourite few books and films that I’ve enjoyed in the year so far. … Continue reading
Fighting Fantasy – Blood of the Zombies
Another nostalgia moment this week. I only noticed recently that the Fighting Fantasy books had been reborn. I remember reading a few in the eighties and enjoying them so I … Continue reading
Black Static
I wrote a review of the classic British sci-fi magazine, Interzone, in January on this blog. Although I thought some elements of the format could be improved, it was a … Continue reading
80s Video Game favourites
I mentioned last time that the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline has got me thinking about and wanting to play again some of games I used to love … Continue reading
Book Review: Ready Player One
I bought Ready Player One after reading a five-star review of it on GoodReads (thanks Aubrey). It sounded similar to a book that I wrote last year and am currently … Continue reading
Updates available
A few updates that I’ve made to the site recently: Top 7 Sci-fi villains. It was difficult to just list seven characters, and trying to compare heroes against the antiheroes. … Continue reading
How to write a great villain
What makes a great fictional antihero? The ones we love to hate, the ones that make us fearful for the fate of the hero, or even make us fascinated by … Continue reading
iPhone vs. Android
As the two dominant smartphone systems, both Apple iOS and Google’s Android have fanatical support. Fanatical is not too strong a word. I’ve seen threads about Windows phones that have … Continue reading
Zombie Movies in 2013
I know, Zombie movies aren’t strictly science fiction, but you could argue for their inclusion if the zombies happen to be created out of a technological change. Regardless, I like … Continue reading
Book Review: Nexus
Nexus was recommended to me by a friend who worked with the author at Microsoft and was one of the early test readers. I had a look at the synopsis … Continue reading
UK SciFi Mags: SFX vs. SciFiNow
When I was visiting over Christmas I picked up a couple of UK scifi magazines, so a review and comparison seemed in order. The magazines in question are: SciFiNow, issue … Continue reading
Repairman Jack
I was introduced to the writing of F.Paul Wilson about two years ago, by a podcast called “Books You Should Read” that was giving a very positive review. I can’t … Continue reading
Interzone
Despite reading plenty of science-fiction novels, I’ve never paid much attention to sci-fi magazines. So it’s about time I did. Are they any good? Are they all about book and … Continue reading
Homescreens
You can tell a lot about someone from the contents of their fridge. Or from their bookshelves, their DVD or record collection or the homescreen on their phone. So I … Continue reading
Resolutions
It’s a tricky business setting good New Year resolutions, but I love doing it. I love thinking about the future, it’s in my nature. I love the possibilities that a … Continue reading
On Writing, Stephen King
I’ve read a few books about writing, but of those I’ve read so far On Writing by Stephen King is by far the best. The first section of the book describes some … Continue reading
Writing approaches
I find it fascinating to hear authors talk about how they go about the process of writing. Everyone seems to have their own approach, or at least peculiarities, in how … Continue reading
Google+ Community
Google+ launched it’s ‘Communities’ feature today, allowing users to create and follow topics of interest rather than just posts from individuals or performing specific searches. It seems like a great … Continue reading
Winning NaNoWriMo
I didn’t know what a NaNoWriMo winner was. Could there really be a panel reading all entries and deciding on the best speedily written text each year? I certainly didn’t … Continue reading
NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is billed as a month of literary abandon. The challenge is to commit to write 50,000 words within the month of November, then update … Continue reading
Hello World!
This is the droid you’re looking for. I’ve always loved science fiction, whether it be Hollywood spectaculars or gritty novels. Most of my writing has, and will have, sci-fi elements … Continue reading
