Writing

  1. Can I get some Science with my Fiction?

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] This sort of follows on from my “In Defence of Genre” post, so you might like to take a look at that first. But anyway, I’ve been thinking about what precisely science-fiction is. It covers a great deal of subgenres, some of which I’ve written in. But the fundamental idea behind it is in the name, I think. Science-fiction. Equal measures of each. Fiction about science....
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  2. Dead trees!

    I used Draft2Digital to expand the publication of my novel, and that included a print version. The process was simple, and while the interior layout isn't perfect (there are a few random page breaks that I don't know where they came from), the general result is excellent. I'm excited about it. It's strange to hold a book in my hand that has my name on it (see the Gallery tab on this post).
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  3. Distractions

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] The amount of writing I’ve been able to do lately has been distressingly negligible. I think it shows from the fact that it’s been over a week since I’ve updated this blog. It all comes down to distraction really. This time of year is always busy academically, but in the final year of a law degree it reaches the point of truly mental, I’ve discovered. I don’t make...
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  4. Extra-Curricular (Unsuccessful CAMRF Entry)

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] I wrote and submitted this 500-word piece for the Campaign for Real Fear but unfortunately it didn’t make the final ten. It was hardly a surprise, as some of the best in the genre were entering, but since I’ve written it, I thought I’d at least share it with you lovely people. And do keep an eye out for the winners. The best ten stories will be published in a future issue...
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  5. Fantasy 101; Characters

    Characters are the bane of my existence. Are they too dry? Too monotonous? I can never tell. So, of course, I chose fantasy as my genre of choice. The genre that requires the most complex characters. After all, I am the dumbest person you will ever meet. Take my newest novel, for instance. The two main characters are supposed to be insanely different, with similarities that aren't really notable. And yet, I can't tell if that point is actually getting made, or if I make the similarities too...
  6. Flash! AAH-aah!

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] This is a follow-up to my previous post on the subject, "The Art of Flashing". It’s not going to be a long piece, but I wanted to write it for several reasons. 1) The awesome title occurred to me only several days after the original flash fiction entry. 2) I do really like flash fiction. 3) I was contacted by Alan Presley, who asked me to pimp the Micro Award. Which...
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  7. Here and Now?

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] I’m currently writing a short story. That’s not altogether unusual. It’s a science-fiction story. Again, nothing strange there. The basic plot of this story revolves around a giant cloud of volcanic ash, hanging over Britain, and causing a general headache for everyone. Hang on, that sounds awfully familiar. Yes, once more I have taken my inspiration from the news....
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  8. I need help deciding on a place for a pack of werwolves

    I need help deciding on where and what area or town on the west coast could be preferably close to what I need for the pack land in the werewolf book I am writing . Any help is very appreciated and accepted . so here it is what is needed exactly : 1). west coast town 2). a small town at least 30 mins from any small city were they would have the necessities like a mall or fancy restaurants and of course humans would be here but not in the werewolf town 3). in this small town I'd like to...
  9. In Defence of Genre

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] I promised myself that I wouldn’t do this, but I’m somewhat annoyed at the moment, so I don’t care. Genre fiction is, amongst writing and reading communities, generally considered to be of a lower quality than so-called “literary” fiction. By genre here I mean crime, romance, fantasy, science-fiction and horror, but I’m going to confine my belligerent ranting to...
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  10. Meet the Publisher

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] I am pleased to announce that at 18:00 Mountain Time Monday 7th June (unfortunately 01:00 BST, Tuesday 8th June), Page Readers will be conducting a live interview with Jessica A. Weiss, the editor of Pill Hill Press' Silver Moon, Bloody Bullets anthology, in which my story "The Mystery of St. Mary's Morgue" will be appearing. I believe a number of my fellow contributors...
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  11. The (Tory)pion and the Fox [Political Flash Fiction]

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] The Tory(pion) and the Fox By Matthew S. Dent There is an ancient fable, told as a warning against excessive foolishness or trust. It tells that there was once a Liberal Democrat fox, called Nick, who lived on the opposition bank, of the river Parliament. One day he heard someone calling his name. Turning around, he saw a gathering of Tory scorpions. ‘Nick,’ they said....
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  12. The Art of Flashing

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] Flash fiction, that is. Get your mind out of the gutter. I’ve been writing a lot of flash fiction lately, for some reason. I’ve written three stories, in the last few days. I think it all started with the Campaign for Real Fear, for which my entry (Extra-Curricular) was regrettably not selected. But there was something fun about it. Trying to get a complete story in...
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  13. The Four Horsemen: An Anthology of Conquest, War, Famine and Death

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] The above named anthology is now on sale in both hardback and paperback from amazon.co.uk (and also on amazon.com, for any US readers interested)! The anthology is published by Pill Hill Press, and contains my short story “Scorched Earth”. The anthology is partitioned into four sections (unsurprisingly entitled Conquest, War, Famine and Death), and mine is in the first...
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  14. The Joys of Paper

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] I sent off a submission today. It was somewhat unusual, in that I had to print out the manuscript, and the cover letter, in physical paper form. And as I stood in the ridiculously long line at the post office, it occurred to me that even though it’s a rarity that I submit in this fashion (the only markets I submit to by post any more, are the stalwarts of British genre...
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  15. Vuvuzelas

    [Copied and pasted from my external blog. Please do take a look. I'm trying to update regularly, every few days or so] Okay, so I promised this would be posted last night (Monday), but clearly it wasn't . The reason for that is an attack of either perfectionism, or crap writing (depending on your viewpoint). Basically, I got the damn thing finished in time, but was particularly unhappy with it, something which most writers will be familiar with. After banging my head against the damn...
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