Ten Reasons to Write Crime Fiction

Crime fiction is as popular now as it's ever been. Some readers love it because they enjoy solving puzzles. Others like experiencing all the dark and dangerous things they'd prefer to avoid in real life. Still more just want to see justice done. So much for the readers. What compels crime writers to grab their … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Crime Fiction

Ten Reasons to Edit

Congratulations! That messy business of writing your first draft manuscript is over. At last you can pour yourself a drink, put your feet up, and bask in the knowledge that there's only one job left to do. Edit the damn thing. "Why bother?" I hear you cry. "Writing is all about, well, writing. Right?" Wrong. … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Edit

Introducing “Advice for Writers”

This website has expanded organically over the years. Some might say chaotically. Like a much-loved but ill-tended garden, it's sprouted all kinds of weird and wonderful fauna, resulting in a dense tangle of vegetation that's become increasingly difficult to manage, much less navigate. So, I've done a little pruning. First, I scrambled back through all … Continue reading Introducing “Advice for Writers”

Cinefex Diaries – The Rhythm of Captions

There’s a rhythm to life at Cinefex. No sooner do you get your teeth stuck into a new assignment than the previous one comes knocking at the door again. The new assignment in question is my article for our February issue. The movie I’m covering won’t be released until next year but my copy deadline … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – The Rhythm of Captions

Writing “Star Trek” for Cinefex with Scrivener

I write for Cinefex, a bimonthly magazine devoted to motion picture visual effects. In 2016, one of the many films I covered was Star Trek Beyond. Want to know how I tackled it? I’ll tell you. First up, a few facts and figures. My Star Trek Beyond article was 8,300 words long, about average for the … Continue reading Writing “Star Trek” for Cinefex with Scrivener

Storytelling – When Will It Ever End?

Many stories share a common structure derived from just three component parts: Premise Conflict Resolution Or, if you prefer: “Where the hell am I and what the hell’s going on?” “Aw jeez – can you make this any more difficult?” “Wow – who’d have thought we’d end up here?” Think of almost any story, and … Continue reading Storytelling – When Will It Ever End?

What is Story?

"What is story?" That’s one of the prickly questions tackled by screenwriting guru Robert McKee in his book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, which does a remarkable job of both dissecting the craft of the storyteller, and inspiring the reader to stop shirking and get to work. At the heart of … Continue reading What is Story?

Ten Reasons to Write Fantasy

“Why don’t you write something normal for a change?” That’s what my wife says to me occasionally after she’s read a piece of fantasy I've written. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it (well, not always). It’s just another reminder that one man’s meat is another woman’s poison. So, why bother to write fantasy at … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Fantasy

Ten Reasons to Write Horror

Some people seem to think that, just because a novel is labeled as fantasy or crime, romance or historical, it should be devoid of horror. "I liked your book," they say, "except for that nasty bit in the middle. Couldn't you have left that out?" My response to any such question is: "No! And thrice no!" Why? … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Horror

Another Interview with the Ghostwriter

I've finished another edit. I've submitted another manuscript. That means I'm two-thirds of the way through my latest ghostwriting odyssey, with two novels of a middle-grade fantasy trilogy completed and one to go. Book One is due to be published this summer, with the sequels rolling out in 2016 and 2017 respectively. After finishing Book One, I … Continue reading Another Interview with the Ghostwriter