All about stories
Books: More treasure than a pirate’s looted booty.
I’m not really much of a comic reader. I like comics, in general, but my standards are very high, especially for graphic novels. Although I had read Phantom, Captain America, and a few other comics before, my first graphic novel was Watchmen. When you start with the best, it’s hard...
The Word for World is Forest is a science-fiction novel by Ursula Le Guin, although the science-fiction elements are very much just window-dressing. This story is very much an analogue for the US’ involvement in the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, the story has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Right from...
I like making maps. Maps help ground my work, so I know where everything is. They also allow me to work out how long it takes to travel between places. Or where characters are born and raised and how that affects their world view. However, drawing up a map for readers, well that’s a whole different kettle of fish. I find that incredibly difficult.
In comparison, it’s not much, but recently my novel Coils of the Serpent crossed the 10,000 views mark on Royal Road. The more popular works receive that many in a day, but it is almost two years to the day since I posted the first chapter there.
If you ask any professional writer what’s the best way to improve your own writing, they will nearly always tell you to read. Read as much as you can. Read material outside your usual likes, even outside your comfort zone. Read fiction. Read non-fiction. Read biographies. Read history. Just read. But, what if you can’t read? What if the act of reading interferes with your writing? What do you do?
The Three Body Problem is a deeply-flawed science-fiction novel written by Liu Cixin. It is beset with fundamental (even basic) faults, and yet it continues to be nominated (and even win) awards. My question is: WHY? Here are the three biggest problems with The Three Body Problem.
I did not know Terry Bisson. If fact, I barely recognised his name when I saw John Scalzi’s post about his passing. On a whim, I did a little research. I’m glad I did. I may not have remembered his name, but I loved his work.
It’s been just over two weeks since I finished Ursula Le Guin’s, The Left Hand of Darkness. I wanted to pen my thoughts on the matter. I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum. Although the novel is fifty plus years old, it managed to pass unheeded by me until now.
Here’s the pronunciation guide for the first ten chapters of my novel, Coils of the Serpent.
Here are some portraits of the protagonists from my novel Coils of the Serpent.
