Blog Posts

  • Loncon 3: The 72nd World SF Convention

    I’ll be attending Loncon 3, and I hope you are too. ** Final Update 7th August ** Kaffeeklatsch Saturday 13:00 – 14:00, London Suite 5…

  • Parrenthorn Debate @The Portico Library

    “This House Believes that the European Union should not have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” I was delighted to be invited to the Portico…

  • My Advice Remains the Same

    I learned the craft of writing through short stories.  When beginner writers ask me for advice, I always recommend they try the same.  There are…

  • Far Fetched Fables Podcast

    Far Fetched Fables Podcast

    My short story The Blue Magnolia appears as part of Far Fetched Fables No 9

  • Six Things to do When You’ve Finished a Story

    See Also

  • They Can’t Die!

     I overheard a conversation recently about the TV program Endeavour. Someone was complaining that the show had reached a point where the lead character was…

  • The Perfect Scene

    Here’s one of my favourite passages in modern literature. In it, Sue Townsend describes Adrian Mole spending Sunday at his Grandma’s house. I suspect that…

  • Congratulations to Joey HiFi

    Congratulations to Joey HiFi

    Congratulations to Joey HiFi for winning the BSFA award for Best Art for his cover to Dream London. Thoroughly deserved! You can see more of Joey’s…

  • Sue Townsend

    If anyone ever tells you that women aren’t as funny as men, say two words in reply: Sue Townsend. Sue Townsend wrote the funniest book…

  • Six Tips on Writing First Drafts

    A first draft is about getting it written, not about getting it right. Don’t spend too much time on it Think of an artist painting…

  • The Region of Jennifer

    The Region of Jennifer

    The Region of Jennifer: Analog June 2014

  • Nobody Really Knows

    Earlier this week I was listening to a radio program about the discovery of waves of gravitational energy that confirmed inflation just after the big…