Interview with a Weird Detective

I was in this bar called Medusa's, minding my own business. Outside, the rain was sheeting down. Dirty jazz seeped from even dirtier speakers and trade was so slow the barman had posted a BACK SOON sign. A man walked in. He was wearing a fedora and a tattered leather coat with bright yellow buttons. … Continue reading Interview with a Weird Detective

Ten Reasons to Write

This list was originally intended as a kind of antidote to my recent Ten Reasons Not To Write. But it's turned out to be rather more than that. Ten Reasons to Write not only outlines the various stimuli that motivate the average writer, but also offers useful clues about which particular genre said writer is … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write

Ten Reasons Not to Write

There are many reasons not to write. Some of them are seductive, like femmes fatales in an old Bogart movie. Some of them are dangerous, like trolls in steel armour wielding nail-studded clubs. Some of them are both (and if the image of a troll wearing one of Lauren Bacall's old dresses doesn't make you … Continue reading Ten Reasons Not to Write

Revisiting Cinefex (14): The Right Stuff, Brainstorm, Twilight Zone

Watch your fingers - the front cover of Cinefex #14 features a sizzling still of John Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule experiencing re-entry in Philip Kaufman's 1983 film The Right Stuff. The capsule's a model and the flames are backlit nitrogen gas, but it still looks like hot stuff. The inside front cover shows a helicopter … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (14): The Right Stuff, Brainstorm, Twilight Zone

The DNA of Storytelling

I blame writer and storyteller Damien Walter for setting me off on this train of thought. In his blog post Two. four. Seven. More. How many stories are there? he discusses various theories on the reduction of narrative to its basic building blocks. Paulo Coelho reckons there are four primal plots, Aristotle says two and … Continue reading The DNA of Storytelling

Revisiting Cinefex (13): Return of the Jedi

I reckon the front cover of Cinefex issue #13 must have shot off the press like a rocket, featuring as it does a dynamic still of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy (AKA that most famous of pirate ships, the Millennium Falcon) speeding through the innards of the second Death Star. Open the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (13): Return of the Jedi

“50 Words For Snow” by Kate Bush

I happen to believe that, as well as being an enduring and popular singer/songwriter, not to mention my all-time favourite recording artist, Kate is also a fantasy author. Sounds crazy? Let me explain. Kate Bush sprang to the attention of both the public and yours truly with her first single, Wuthering Heights, in 1978. In … Continue reading “50 Words For Snow” by Kate Bush

Revisiting Cinefex (12): Something Wicked, Stop-Motion and Dream Quest

There's a creepy beauty on the cover of Cinefex #12, but there's a fair chance you won't recognise her. She's the Dust Witch from the all-but-forgotten 1983 Disney film Something Wicked This Way Comes. On the inside cover is a location shot of Dark's Pandemonium Carnival from the same movie. The main body of the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (12): Something Wicked, Stop-Motion and Dream Quest

“Reamde” by Neal Stephenson

I first stumbled upon Neal Stephenson (not the man himself, you understand) in my local library. I was browsing for something new that I could really get my teeth into, preferably by an author I hadn't read before, when I chanced on Cryptonomicon. I read the blurb and decided it fitted the bill. I borrowed … Continue reading “Reamde” by Neal Stephenson

Goodbye Word, Hello Scrivener

Writing's all about the words. It doesn't much matter what tools you use, just as long as you get the right words in the right places. I used to write with pen and paper, and sometimes still do. I've consigned the typewriters - both manual and electronic - to the scrapheap. These days I'm most … Continue reading Goodbye Word, Hello Scrivener