Category Archives: fiction

Becoming Superman

Posted on February 2, 2020 by

“Style was the clothes; voice was the body. The instant I hit that realization I felt a circuit close inside me, switching on an engine in my brain. Suddenly all the little unrelated things I knew about writing (or brashly … Continue reading →

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Jane Austen and the institution of Marriage

Posted on October 5, 2019 by

“…I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most … Continue reading →

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William Blake in the twenty first century

Posted on September 21, 2019 by

Reader! lover of books! lover of heaven, And of that God from whom all books are given, Who in mysterious Sinai’s awful cave To Man the wondrous art of writing gave, Again he speaks in thunder and in fire! Thunder … Continue reading →

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Sophomore novel: to publish or not to publish

Posted on June 27, 2019 by

“Whether I’ll publish the story depends on whether others like it.” Myself, January 2019. I ended my last post prophesying that the decision about publishing the nearly complete manuscript would be based on my readers’ reaction to the story. This … Continue reading →

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Lighthearted takes on fiction and physics

Posted on June 17, 2018 by

Two comics by John Atkinson, thirst-editions and simplified-physics.

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BBC royal wedding blunder (updated)

Posted on May 7, 2018 by

Fans of royal weddings might enjoy the BBC’s attempt to educate the rest of the world about what to expect on May 19, 2018: A non-Brit’s guide to Meghan and Harry’s wedding (BBC, May 7, 2018). Can you spot the … Continue reading →

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Story Elements: Core, World, Setting

Posted on April 28, 2018 by

C-3PO tells the story of the Rebellion to the Ewoks After trying to get to the root of readers’ satisfaction with a story, I found that a better understanding of what a story is might be in order. On its … Continue reading →

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What makes a good book?

Posted on June 24, 2017 by

“What do you think makes for a ‘good’ book?… Is it too subjective to define or are there specific and universal elements that make up a ‘good’ book? How can you pull the reader in rather than push them away?” … Continue reading →

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Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher

Posted on May 20, 2017 by

“I’ve spent so many years not telling the story of Harrison and me having an affair on the first Star Wars movie that it’s difficult to know exactly how to tell it now. I suppose I’m writing this because it’s … Continue reading →

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The Real Jane Austen???

Posted on March 14, 2017 by

“In the popular imagination, Jane Austen spent nearly all of her life sitting in a parsonage, working on her embroidery, gossiping about the neighbours and writing novels confined to ‘three or four families in a country village’.” From The Real … Continue reading →

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