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Today it was blowing a gale and squally. So, of course, I had to walk down to the sea. Birders will know what I mean. When the ocean is wild, with the wind blowing onshore, you can get all kinds … Continue reading
A house came down my street today, backwards. How’s that for a line from a SciFi novel? Or maybe a Neil Gaiman fantasy? … Continue reading
Years ago — actually, not so very many years –- when I was writing the second book of the Isles of Glory trilogy, Gilfeather, all of the copy editing and proofing was done on paper. Huge piles of paper being … Continue reading
One thing I love about this part of Australia is that winter is not terribly wintery. Flowers bloom, birds nest, and I do without double glazing and any heating whatsoever. Oh, ok, I do sling a hot water bottle into … Continue reading
We all know that feeling. You start reading a book, even perhaps a best seller, and after a few pages you think to yourself, ‘How on earth did this ever get into print? I could do better!’ When you’re unpublished, … Continue reading
The action scenes? The dialogues? The beginning? Climax? Nope, none of the above. It’s those horrible dull bits. Because you’ve got to write them so they aren’t dull. It’s the bits that, if you leave them out, readers are going to ask: … Continue reading
Chuck it. That’s right – throw it away. The odds are ten to one (or worse) that it will ever be published. And yes, I do know that advice is going to hurt… I admire anyone who actually finishes a … Continue reading
I watched – with appalled fascination – some of the early trials for American Idol. It was eye-opening to see so many thousands of young people with impossible dreams: all wanted to be stars. There were so many of them … Continue reading
I have just read the perfect chapter, and that made me fall to thinking about what a perfect chapter should have. And here are my ideas: 1. It should advance the plot. 2. As a corollary to point 1, a … Continue reading
There was an interesting discussion recently (10th April) in the Purple Zone (nickname for the Australian Voyageronline Message Board), on whether published authors were mean – or wise – to tell unpublished writers horror tales about how hard it is to get … Continue reading