Anyone who knows me will know I am a big dessert person. Since 2015, I have made a Christmas Pudding every year without fail. I also occasionally feel the need to make a Spotted Dick or Jam Roly Poly. After watching the Fantastic Beasts Harry Potter prequel I made my most ambitious yet – AppleContinue reading “I Made Inauthentic Roman Honey Cake – My Excuse is “Research””
Tag Archives: Books & Fiction
The Most Difficult Scenes A Novelist Will Ever Write
Or, a recipe for psychologically torturing your characters. 250g of resenting dependency of others 150g of feeling like a failure 100ml of selflessness and being used by people 100ml of social pressures 3tbsp essence of personal injustice 5 medium sized organic unrequited love pods
Learning to Murder Your Darlings
Although most of my focus has been on releasing Salmonweird, (just two weeks away from release now!) I’ve made a lot of progress on Children of Phobetor this year. I’ve made more progress in one year than I ever thought I would for a book that’s 6 years in the making. Now I’m staring atContinue reading “Learning to Murder Your Darlings”
Some 21st Century Character Archetypes
This first appeared in 2012. New version edited and updated. I read a lot of books and I watch a lot of films and TV series, typically in the evening to wind down from spending all day on the laptop working. I’ve identified several tropes of the modern age. I don’t know if any appearContinue reading “Some 21st Century Character Archetypes”
10 Books with the Best Closing Lines
(UPDATED AND RESCHEDULED POST) The opening line of a book is vitally important for grabbing the reader by the throat and making them not want to let go. But what about the final line? Regardless of whether there is a sequel in the works, the final sentence – although not as important, still requires someContinue reading “10 Books with the Best Closing Lines”
Feed a Writer AND an Artist: Buy Books New!
“Do you know how much it costs to pay an artist to design a custom cover for your book?” Was a question I recently asked of somebody in a book group. This was in response to how “cheap” self-published and indy book covers look, and that they “put readers off”. While readers are drawn toContinue reading “Feed a Writer AND an Artist: Buy Books New!”
Some Dos and Don’ts for Writing a Prequel
It seems prequels, prequel-sequels and sequels to prequels that remain prequels are all the rage at the moment. This year, I’ve read Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage (the first volume in His Dark Materials follow-up, but a prequel) and last weekend watched Alien Covenant. These two works have got me thinking a lot about whatContinue reading “Some Dos and Don’ts for Writing a Prequel”
How to Create a Book Title That Doesn’t Confuse the Reader
Last week in a Facebook book group I am in, a cover caught my eye and I enquired what the book was about. Both the title itself and the nature of the cover made it look like a fantasy or dystopia novel. Apparently, it was actually about a mother searching for her abducted son.
Using Metafiction in your Writing
Metafiction is a form of metatheatre – it’s probably not a term you’ve come across all that often. However, it’s one of the oldest plot devices (usually used for comic effect) with roots in ancient Greek theatre. We still used it today and there was a great example of metafiction in last week’s episode ofContinue reading “Using Metafiction in your Writing”
Do You Ever Imagine Actors/Actresses as Your Characters?
I’m sure most of us have wondered who would play the characters we create should any of our books ever become films. Few books ever do and I’m sure most of us realise that. However, it’s fun to speculate on who might play them should that eventuality ever come to pass. Sometimes though, I can’tContinue reading “Do You Ever Imagine Actors/Actresses as Your Characters?”
