Creating Flawed Characters

I've been giving some thought to creating truly wicked characters and I came across this article on the science blog about words and how computer analysis makes them windows into the soul of a psychopathic killer. The researchers analysed the stories told be 14 psychopathic male murderers and compared them with 38 convicted murderers who... Continue Reading →

Off to Supanova this Weekend

You have to admire people who go to this much trouble with their costumes! Well, I'm off to Supanova this weekend. Depending on the city, 15 to 25 thousand people come through the door.  It's the biggest event of this kind in Australia. I think it is probably like Comic Con in the US, although... Continue Reading →

Cross Fertilisation of Genres

Or are Hybrids Hardier? I was at the SheKilda crime convention a couple of weeks ago and attended this panel on Cross Genre Writing. It is amazing how many speculative fiction writers also write mysteries. Or you could say, how many crime and mystery writers include a bit of the paranormal in their books. With... Continue Reading →

Creative Burnout

I came across this article about Steph Swainston, author of the Castle Cycle. She's decided to step back from her writing and train to be a chemistry teachers. She says: 'I have to get back to real life again. It wasn't an easy decision, because it took a lot to get to the stage of... Continue Reading →

Dialogue – a powerful tool!

As writers we can't get away from writing dialogue. My son is currently reading Dostoevsky and he showed me a passage he'd just read which was one paragraph that went on for pages. Of course that book was  written 150 years ago, but you only have to pick up a book from the nineteenth century... Continue Reading →

Spec Fic TV Show Trivia

In the cultural desert that was my childhood, there was one bookshelf in my home with about five books on it. There was only a black and white TV- it was all anyone had in those days in Australia. There were 4 TV stations which ran re-runs over and over until I felt ill at... Continue Reading →

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