blog
Is It Just Me?
Dialogue is one of the most difficult aspects of writing. At least it is for me. First of all, there’s the punctuation. Then there’s the way a character speaks and with it, all the related mannerisms – these have to be consistent throughout. Then, is the character actually speaking at all or am I relating thoughts, not words, passing through his/her head? Then there’s the nature of the character. Good or bad? Yes. Really. It’s important to me. Is it just me?
Origins & Inspirations
Let’s put PILGRIMAGE to one side for a moment. What inspires anyone to write a book? What motivates anyone to devote most of their waking hours (and by that I mean those hours unencumbered by life’s everyday survival tasks - you know the sort of thing: work, paying bills, maintaining a social life…) to such a task? Of course, the question can be applied across all genres but I’m talking specifically about speculative fiction here.
A Line in the Sand…
There’s a balance. Am I right? There’s a line to be drawn where artistic interpretation gives way to pragmatic reality. All too often though that line tends toward the latter in our money-obsessed, bottom-line world. The gatekeepers of contemporary music, literature, and film, seem obsessed with what they think people should hear, read, or see. It’s the studios, publishers and their agents who are calling the tune rather than musicians, writers and directors, who all have to tow a very tight line to get their work to a wider audience.
