Fantasy and Historical Fiction? The Same Thing, Really.
Bold statement – writing Historical Fiction and writing Fantasy (of certain sorts) are almost identical undertakings. A Game of Thrones and Wolf Hall? The same thing, really. Think about it. Writers of both have to introduce and explain an unfamiliar world. Writers of Historical Fiction and writers of Fantasy can’t...
Back cover reveal
And here’s the back cover for Leo da Vinci Vs the Ice-cream Domination League, with lots of teasers. The fabulous Jules Faber does the illustrations, and the book is due out from Random House Australia in August....
DISTRACTION THROUGH ACTION
When advising or teaching people about writing, I often emphasise the usefulness of doing preparatory work before starting to write. With Fantasy and Science Fiction that can mean considering details of the world in which the story will take place. Listing aspects of the world can mean thinking about...
A New Series!
Leo da Vinci. Artist. Scientist. Inventor. Dreamer. Ten year old fighter against supervillains. As promised, it’s time to reveal some details of my new writing project. This is another departure from my writing for Young Adults, and I’m fairly and squarely writing for primary school readers this time with...
From the Work in Progress
Here’s a sneak peek at something I’m working on right now. Dad put both hands flat on the table in front of him and stared at them. ‘You need to shoot your own dog.’ ‘What? Where did that come from? Is this non sequitur week? ‘I can’t let you...
Doctor Sleep – A Masterclass in Character
Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep isn’t a perfect novel. It has inconsistencies, a few plot holes, some ‘What the …?’ moments, but they’re forgiven because King does something surpassingly well, something that drags us into the story and keeps us reading right through. Character. Stephen King does character like few...
Machine Wars Back Cover Reveal
And we now have a back cover for Machine Wars, due April. In the spirit of all good back cover blurbs, read and be tantalised. ...
Machine Wars Cover Reveal
And here it is: the superb, stylish, sensational cover of Machine Wars, my 33rd book, due in April from Random House Australia. I love it!...
‘Year’s Best’? Perhaps not …
It’s that time of the year again, and I’m not talking about the festive season. I’m talking about the end of year musing that gives us the parade of ‘Year’s Best Books’ lists or ‘Holiday Reading Guides’ that are starting to feature in the arts pages and corners of...
Writing Advice from C.S. Lewis
On this fiftieth anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis, I thought I’d bring some of his writing advice to you. This comes from a letter that Lewis sent to a young correspondent in 1956, but the suggestions are eternal. Always try to use the language so as to...