As awful as the pandemic has been, a lot of people have used the time to do stuff they’d never previously done. The running joke is that we’re all now banana bread master chefs and massively overweight from all the cakes and biscuits we’ve made and eaten. It’s great some have taken the time toContinue reading “The Cult of Productivity & “Do Nothing” Guilt”
Category Archives: Books & Fiction
My Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block
You’ll find hundreds of articles like this. And yes, I know this article might just get lost in the void. Sure, some of those tips from professional writers and editors, and people with 20 books under their belts. But we’re all different and we all have different tactics for getting through this. Here are mine.
All Forms of Storytelling Are Valid – Yes, Even TikTok Videos!
Anti-ebook and audio book snobbery is silly at the best of times. Let’s celebrate all forms of storytelling.
Exploring Class and Society in Carnival Row and Snowpiercer
NB: I know Snowpiercer season 2 is currently going up on Netflix so I’m going to limit discussion of it to season 1 alone. Carnival Row on Amazon Prime and Snowpiercer on Netflix are two vastly different TV shows. True, they have some big name actors (Jennifer Connolly and Sean Bean in Snowpiercer, and OrlandoContinue reading “Exploring Class and Society in Carnival Row and Snowpiercer”
Who Had Wildfires, Pandemic, and Mass Protests on their 2020 Bingo Card? (My Year in Review)
When I have looked back on past posts defining my expectations for the year ahead, change seems slight and incremental. Little changed between the January and the December though I’m typically heading in the right direction. But this year, all bets were off. The post from December last year looking forward to 2020 seems likeContinue reading “Who Had Wildfires, Pandemic, and Mass Protests on their 2020 Bingo Card? (My Year in Review)”
This World Mental Health Day, Give Yourself Permission to be Creative
It’s 10th October and that means one thing – World Mental Health Day. Last year, I essentially “came out” to my family about my own struggles with depression. It took me a long time to come to terms with the mood swings, the inexplicable low periods, the periods of anxiety and especially the SAD. NowContinue reading “This World Mental Health Day, Give Yourself Permission to be Creative”
How You Can Support Independent Sellers This Pandemic Christmas
Article originally published in 2018 updated in 2020 with pandemic information. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Over the last few years, there has been a movement in retail trends imploring consumers to have an #IndieChristmas – buying Christmas presents from places other than big business and to prioritise independent sellers.
Frank Herbert’s Dune: “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.”
This was actually one of the first articles I wrote on this blog way back in 2011. It had an overhaul in 2016 or thereabouts and now, with the new film due, a second revamp. Science fiction is often about technology, yet there are some fictional universes where some technologies we take for granted areContinue reading “Frank Herbert’s Dune: “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.””
The Pandemic Has Given Me Time to Write Fiction, and Think. How About You?
It’s been a weird year. I don’t know any other year like it. Even 2016 with its celebrity deaths, Brexit vote, and Trump’s shock election doesn’t even come close to the worst Australian wildfires ever, the biggest social justice marches ever, and a pandemic that led to many countries shutting right down.
Do You Believe Book Buying is a Choice of Monolithic Amazon vs Plucky Indie Bookshops? Think Again
Since the lockdown started in the UK, there has been a move to help small businesses. When non-essential retailers were permitted to reopen across the UK this week, it began a wave of “Don’t buy from Amazon! support your local indie bookshop instead!” Ultimately well-meaning and driven by a desire to help the smallest businessesContinue reading “Do You Believe Book Buying is a Choice of Monolithic Amazon vs Plucky Indie Bookshops? Think Again”
