The Frozen King* is a novel I've been writing, on and off, for about eighteen months. I finished the first draft in the spring of 2012 and, thanks to my agent's tireless work, it soon found its way to the desk of an editor who, after reading it, returned it with a whole host of … Continue reading “The Frozen King” – 2nd Draft
Around the Solar System in 90 Seconds
In 2005, I worked on an in-ride film called Apollo 3000 at the Earth Explorer science centre in Ostend, Belgium. The ride is one of those drop-tower affairs. Visitors enter a space capsule, which launches at high speed to the top of the tower, at which point the film runs. The ride mechanism delivers various jolts and … Continue reading Around the Solar System in 90 Seconds
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
I feel sorry for The Hobbit - Tolkien's original novel, that is. It's a simple story that bounces cheerfully along in episodic fashion, sketching in a delightful fantasy world along the way. It has singing dwarves and talking animals. It's cheerful and charming and sweet. Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit was always going to … Continue reading “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Revisiting Cinefex (28): The Fly, Big Trouble in Little China, Short Circuit
One glance at the front cover of Cinefex #28 should give you good reason to be afraid - very afraid. Staring right back at you is the grotesque visage of doomed scientist Seth Brundle following his metamorphosis into a half-human, half-insect hybrid at the climax of David Cronenberg's horror classic The Fly (1986). Known to … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (28): The Fly, Big Trouble in Little China, Short Circuit
My First Hobbit
When I first met Bilbo Baggins, he was a woman. I was eight years old, on a mysterious school trip to a spooky old building, with no real idea about what was going to happen to me or my classmates. My only clue had come the previous week. Our teacher had told us to memorise … Continue reading My First Hobbit
Revisiting Cinefex (27): Aliens
The human star of Aliens might be Sigourney Weaver, but it's her extraterrestrial adversary - the ferocious alien queen - that features on the front cover of Cinefex #27, No surprise, then, that this issue is devoted entirely to the Oscar-winning visual effects of James Cameron's 1986 blockbuster. The cover shot shows Stan Winston's remarkable full-size queen … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (27): Aliens
The Writer’s A-Z
If you've got as many questions as I have about the craft of creative writing, you'll know how important it is to try out new things. The more you learn, the more it seems there is to learn. Every day, as they say, is a school day. That's what this A-Z is all about. It's … Continue reading The Writer’s A-Z
Digging Up “Saturn 3”
If, like me, you like to read about how films are made, you'll know that movie disasters (as opposed to disaster movies) can sometimes be more interesting than success stories. One such disaster is the 1980 science fiction thriller Saturn 3. I had the misfortune to watch this dreadful film on its first theatrical release. … Continue reading Digging Up “Saturn 3”
The Five Stages of Editorial Feedback
According to psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Most writers will recognise these as matching precisely the five stages of receiving editorial feedback on a manuscript. As in: Denial - "I refuse to believe that what I've written is anything other than an award-winning piece of … Continue reading The Five Stages of Editorial Feedback
Revisiting Cinefex (26): Poltergeist II, Young Sherlock Holmes
Carol Anne's in trouble on the front cover of Cinefex #26, assailed by a whole new host of ghostly apparitions in Brian Gibson's 1986 sequel Poltergeist II: The Other Side. The apparitions come courtesy of Richard Edlund's Boss Film Studios and are thus of superior quality (though most folk wouldn't say the same about the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (26): Poltergeist II, Young Sherlock Holmes
Graham Edwards – Author & Journalist 