Articles and Essays

  • Plotting

    Plotting

    I know there’re a great many pantsers out there who feel that writing is just writing and writing and writing until its done. And if that works for you then great. I gave it a try once and found that pantsing is fine for flash or very short stories but anything longer than that means…

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  • A book is a book is a book

    Books. They’re great. I’ve got loads of them and recently entered a competition to win fifty more despite not having room for the one’s I’ve already got. I’ve got shelves full of books in my living room. I’ve got a pile of them on my couch and I’ve got several on a makeshift shelf on…

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  • Word to your Mother

    Words. I like words. They let me say stuff or even write stuff down so I can explain things without having to resort to interpretive dance all the time. Yes, words are damn useful things. I also enjoy dictionaries, especially old ones like the, 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. In this case, vulgar, means…

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  • What is a writer?

    You know those questions that seem so obvious, they shouldn’t need asking? Well this is one of those. Or at least, that’s what I thought. But it seems that some people have different ideas as to what constitutes a writer. Or an author, or novelist for that matter. The main issue seems to be whether…

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  • E-Books vs. Real Books: The Solution

    I’ve wanted to write a post about the on-going battle between lovers of e-books and those who prefer “real” or printed books for quite some time. It was originally going to be an article to be pitched to Writing Magazine and was going to be called, Stop Your Incessant Whining. I’ve never bothered writing it…

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  • Custard Cream of Doom

    Back in 2010, I was invited to write a short piece for the wonderful, but now sadly suspended, Encounters With Remarkable Biscuits. The following is the piece I produced, I thought you might like to see it.

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  • The Problem With Planning

    If, like me you spend so much time planning your stories instead of getting on and writing them, then maybe you can find a use for Mr Uku’s Story Development Technique. It’s free, so knock yourself out.

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