Three years ago, I set up my first blog. Only it wasn't me blogging, it was a fictional character. A dragon, in fact. Her name was Monajjfyllena (I'll tell you how I came by that tongue-twister another time). The blog was actually an experiment in online fiction, an attempt to write a fantasy story, narrated … Continue reading “Monajjfyllena” – A “Dragoncharm” Story
Five Scary Monsters
Without the dark there is no light. Here’s a list – in no particular order – of five monsters that still have the power to keep me awake at night if my mind makes the mistake of inviting them in. Are they my top five? It’s hard to say. Ask me again tomorrow and I … Continue reading Five Scary Monsters
Six Word Stories
A couple of years ago I had a brief affair with micro-fiction of the tiniest kind, thanks to a now-dormant website called Six Word Stories. There's a popular myth (and by all accounts it is a myth) that Ernest Hemingway kicked the whole thing off by composing the following miniature masterpiece: For sale. Baby shoes. … Continue reading Six Word Stories
Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras
The name on the cover of Cinefex #15 is Bond - James Bond. To be precise, it's Sean Connery in his final outing as the world's most famous secret agent, facing his latest enemy Maximillian Largo through the holographic display of a tabletop video game. The still is from Irvin Kershner's Never Say Never Again, something of a curiosity … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras
The Spaghetti Western Orchestra
A ghostly wind whistles in from the desert. A saloon door creaks open. Spurs jangle as a pair of cowboy boots treads up to the bar. A trembling hand jostles hard liquor into a clinking glass. There's a sharp intake of breath, then a hush descends as everyone waits to hear what the stranger will … Continue reading The Spaghetti Western Orchestra
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
Graham Edwards – Author & Journalist 