Switch Things Up to Break Writer’s Block

When your current writing project has stalled and you’re feeling uninspired, it may be time to try something new. This method of beating the block comes with a warning, though.

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Miscellaneous

Author Jealousy – Is it Necessary?

As a writer who’s wanted to be published since before I hit puberty, and still looking for the Holy Grail of writing – the Three Book Contract – now I’m in my fifties, I have to confess to getting somewhat churlish when I hear some young bright thing’s first novel has been taken up by a trade…

On Writing

Part 2: Blade Runner 2049: fembots and Asian window dressing

Blade Runner 2049 is a film about men trying to control reproduction using artificial slave women. It’s made for the white, straight male gaze by objectifying women and ignoring people of colour and non-binary people.

On Writing

Blade Runner 2049: a cyberpunk world of fembots and Asian window dressing

This is a two part critique, because I have a lot to say about Blade Runner 2049. Part 1: Blade Runner 2049 and cyberpunk’s obsession with Asian culture without the Asians I enjoyed Blade Runner 2049 and breathed a sigh of relief, as the slow, gorgeous cyberscapes unfolded before me, but the more I think…

Writing Tips

Key Ingredients for a Great Thriller Character

A good thriller should be brimming with suspense, high stakes, plot twists and heart-stopping moments, but with all that going on, it’s easy to sacrifice depth of character in favour of plot. So here are the key ingredients for a thriller character.

6 elements of Southern Gothic

Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade, released in 2016, is steeped in southern gothic, a subgenre of gothic literature, takes its cues from America’s deep south.

13 Reasons Why and how not to do suspense

13 Reasons Why is a hit teen Netflix drama based on the YA novel by Jay Asher. It did so many things right, except using false suspense to pad episodes, when it should have just been shorter.

Extract: High Tide in the City

High Tide in the City is a noir cyberpunk novel by Martine Lillycrop. The following is an extract from the book, available now on Amazon Forget the turban, the Asian music, wispy beard and joss sticks, where he lived said more about Sitaroo Man than his appearance. His next-door neighbour was the council’s high-level housing…

Alien: Covenant and how not to fall into the foolish characters trap

The foolish character trap is a wily foe for writers because so many of us fall right in. Alien Covenant, the latest film in the sci-fi horror series and part two of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus trilogy offers us a great example of what not to do.

Raping your Female Characters isn’t the Only Way to Depict a Harsh Fictional World

I recently had THAT conversation again; the one where I criticise a fictional world for gratuitous use of rape and sexual aggression against women, only for fans of said universe to defend it by telling me how it’s a harsh world and that’s what would happen. It’s a tiring conversation, so here’s why you don’t have to use rape to ensure your readers know your world is horrible.

6 Elements of Writing a Thriller

It’s no surprise that many thriller novels have been made into films, as they’ve got all the ingredients for a good cinematic experience. This is a big genre in fiction, but here are six elements to help you write a thriller…

3 Things La La Land can Teach Us About Writing

La La Land is the new musical about two struggling artists trying to make it in Hollywood. It’s also a film about dreaming and it struck me that that’s an important message for writers to remember.

11 Christmas Gifts for Writers

Avoid novelty typewriter-based jewellery, such as cuff-links and get something a writer might actually use. We’ve scoured the web for 10 Christmas gift ideas you won’t be ashamed to give any writer.