At the risk of being pretentious and/or presumptuous, I think I’ve come up with a mission statement. No, really. It occurred to me as the latest plot tsunami rolled through my brain. Here it is: I’m trying to write stories which have the tension and intrigue of John le Carre, but where the characters get […]

This one’s really more of a ‘livre de bois’ (‘Prententious? Moi?’). Given how little time I have to read, I probably wouldn’t have tackled Neal Stephenson’s latest doorstop if I haven’t read – and loved – Cryptonomicon. Because I’ve also read – and not loved – the Baroque Cycle (that’s two months of my life […]

Back before he made it big, Lord Pratchett of Discworld used to bring his laptop to conventions and write, usually in the bar. He’d also find time to drink and socialise – he is, as you’ll know if you’ve ever met him, a lovely bloke and as witty in the flesh as he is in […]

All writers, especially those who write fantastical literature, get asked the following question: ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ The short and somewhat glib answer I usually give is ‘Everywhere’. It’s true though: the germ of story might come from something I heard on the radio, or read in a book or on the […]

If anyone reading this blog is in the position I was this time three years ago – you’ve been writing for years and sold a few short stories, but you’re wondering if you’ll ever get that mythical book deal – then don’t read anything after the line marked ‘smug alert’. If you ignore this advice, […]

This week I’ve been considering what I might talk about during my guest slot at Picocon. It’s likely to touch on the fact that the main way I make sense of this crazy mixed-up world is to write stories about it – not that I’m in any way claiming my fiction contains useful or original […]

In some ways, writing a novel that is part of a series is easier than writing a stand-alone. In others, it isn’t. Here’s a few examples: 1. You already have some of your cast in place … so you need to take extra care when creating new characters. 2. You know the universe, and some […]

I’m quite good at feeling guilty about writing. When I did it as a hobby I used to feel guilty about writing when I could be doing something more useful like overtime at a paid job, working on a game, cleaning the house etc. These days I feel guilty about not writing, because it is […]

I don’t do detailed writing metrics like exact number of words written, number of short stories submitted etc. This isn’t because I’m not interested in such matters; on the contrary, they’re fascinating and diverting and a lot less effort than actual work – which is why I don’t do them. However, I estimate that in […]

I don’t do detailed writing metrics like exact number of words written, number of short stories submitted etc. This isn’t because I’m not interested in such matters; on the contrary, they’re fascinating and diverting and a lot less effort than actual work – which is why I don’t do them. However, I estimate that in […]