“Hide and Seek” — A Six Word Story

There's a claim that Ernest Hemingway was one of the first writers of flash fiction with a six-word story that goes: For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn. It's unlikely Hemingway actually wrote this, but you can't deny there's something seductive about the challenge of writing a story in just half a dozen words. Plenty of … Continue reading “Hide and Seek” — A Six Word Story

What’s in a Name?

Naming things – characters or worlds or, well, just stuff – can be a thorny problem for the writer of speculative fiction. Do I keep it simple or go off the deep end? Do I invent new words and languages or rely on the old ones? Portmanteau words are a popular option – bolting together … Continue reading What’s in a Name?

Tracking the Word Count

As techniques go it's a simple one. A no-brainer, you might say. Which makes it perfect for a disorganised clod like me. I'm talking about tracking the word count. I'm on a fairly tight schedule to ghostwrite a novel and deliver the 80,000-word manuscript by the beginning of September. The outline's clearly defined and, since … Continue reading Tracking the Word Count

Big Dumb Objects in Science Fiction

I recently re-read Arthur C Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, having not picked it up since I was a teenager. What struck me – apart from the remarkable clarity of the prose and the clean straight lines of the narrative – was the geometry. Rama, the alien spacecraft featured in the novel, is an enormous cylinder. … Continue reading Big Dumb Objects in Science Fiction

Werewolves Rule

I once wrote a story called Dead Wolf in a Hat in which I fooled around with some of the standard werewolf conventions. In researching the story, I stumbled on a Bavarian variety called a Boxenwolf, whose ability to shapeshift was controlled by a special belt, and I got to wondering what other accessories or articles … Continue reading Werewolves Rule

“A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs

I've travelled many times to Mars, courtesy of Bradbury and Dick and Baxter et al, but never to Barsoom. It's a shameful gap in my reading and one I'm now plugging by reading Edgar Rice Burroughs's A Princess of Mars. I'm about halfway through and it takes me right back to when I was a … Continue reading “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs

“Antarctica” by Kim Stanley Robinson

The protagonist of Kim Stanley Robinson's wonderful novel Antarctica is called X. It's a nickname actually, but I'm pretty sure his real name's never mentioned. Chapter one puts the book's cards on the table by saying, quite simply: "Call him X." Names have great power in fiction, and to reduce one's title character to a … Continue reading “Antarctica” by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Seductive Allure of Speculative Fiction

Why do I like speculative fiction? Am I hard-wired that way? Is there a gene? Was I abducted by aliens as a small child and infused with an urge to read about strangers in strange lands? In short, was it nature or nurture? I don't recall any incidents with aliens (although if they used mind-altering … Continue reading The Seductive Allure of Speculative Fiction

Space Elevators in Science Fiction

According to a recent article in New Scientist, an inflatable tower might one day be built to transport us a long way towards orbit. I can't help thinking you'd need one hell of a puncture repair kit to hand, but it's a fascinating addition to the whole space elevator debate. There's an annual competition, I … Continue reading Space Elevators in Science Fiction

A Stormy Night with John Carpenter’s “The Fog”

It's the middle of the eighties, the middle of a winter's afternoon and the middle of one humdinger of a storm. My friend Andy Wicks and I are in the middle of the stalls of the huge Gaumont cinema in Bournemouth. There are maybe six other people in there with us. We're treating ourselves to … Continue reading A Stormy Night with John Carpenter’s “The Fog”