I've seen the growth of specifically writing-oriented university courses and qualifications (e.g. a Bachelor or Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing or Creative Writing, offered by a number of institutions). I can't help but think that these courses and degrees are putting the cart before the horse. They may be able to teach you to write,... Continue Reading →
Sorry!
I've been so swamped finishing my fantasy novel that it completely slipped my mind that I had to post an article this morning. I'm working on it, and I'll put one up in an hour or so. Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, here's the magnificent cover Cedar Sanderson designed for my new book. ... Continue Reading →
I No Can Haz Brane
But teh meenz people sai ai haz to rites. Is no fare. Ai wants to play wif teh cyoot kittehs. K? Thx, bai! (sounds of a scuffle and something being dragged back) Bugger. Sorry. It's been a hectic few days. The day job includes the software development team being second or third tier support (depending... Continue Reading →
What A Mystery
So, in continuing our discussion of genre structure we've hit mystery, which is almost as much of a problem as science fiction/fantasy. I'm not sure why these two genres have moved off so far into different structures, except that for a long time they were very popular and everyone read them. But then why hasn't... Continue Reading →
Formatting for Print Revisited
Formatting. The bane of every author's existence. Whether we're talking about formatting for print or for e-books, we're all looking for the one click version, something that will work each and every time. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Why? It goes far beyond the fact we use different operating systems and word processing programs.... Continue Reading →
UnReality
You’re lucky I am posting at all tonight, as I have at the moment it seems insufficient blood for my brain for much thinking. Most of it seems to be hovering around my Gastro-intestinal tract. We have a nasty batch of Gastric ‘flu that has swept the island (and Melbourne for that matter. It was... Continue Reading →
Random crumbly bits of author stuff
In no particular order. Your mileage may vary. 1) If you're wondering about going indie, consider your lifetime fiction output. General rule of thumb -- from a man I trust to know his business -- is that "entry level" competency is reached when you have at least 500,000 words of books and stories in your... Continue Reading →
A Thread Run Through It
There is always more than one twist. In order to make a strong thread, you have to make many, many twists. In order to sew pieces together, you need a thread run through them. When I was a much younger woman, I spent a couple of years serving as an apprentice shepherdess. In... Continue Reading →
The Dragons Have Arrived!
...and boy are their wings tired! *rimshot* I received my ballot for voting in the 2017 Dragon Awards yesterday (I wasn't without internet, only without a computer... and writing this by phone was impossible) and I wasted no time in perusing through the finalists and making some decisions. Other decisions, like Best MilSF Novel, are... a... Continue Reading →
Where’s Jason?
Here at MGC, we are playing our own version of "Where's Waldo?". It's called "Where's Jason?" and it's up to you to decide where he is. Put your answers in the comment section below. The most inventive will win a -- drum roll -- pat on the back. 😉 Seriously, Jason is in some remote... Continue Reading →
Mad Genius Club 