Gods of the Wild Frontier

George R R Martin talks about two archetypes for writers: Gardeners and Architects. The architect will plan and plot their story, knowing what happens to who from beginning to end before ever writing a single word. The gardener however will go in blind, knowing only the barest of details and discover the story as the write. In truth, most writers sit somewhere between these two polar opposites. But the approaches are so vastly different that people usually identify with one extreme or the other. I’ve always thought myself a gardener, although one that does a lot of thinking. I will have a good idea of the milestones of the story and the overall arcs of both character and story, but anything inbetween is up for grabs. […]

I took a netbook with me to SFX Weekender, and despite all the fun and merriment I still managed to get a thousand words a day done whilst there. I was really proud of that, felt dedicated to my craft, a "real" writer. Then I took an 8 hour journey home, had a day of [...]

Gods continues to be an interesting process. If you’re not aware, this is the first book I’ve attempted to write where I’m discovering the story as I go. It’s a western fantasy with helicopters and spirit animals. There’s part of me that felt as if the ideas needed to ‘cook’ for another couple of years, but I have to say that the results so far have been interesting. The book is going pretty well and most importantly, the voyage of discovery is entertaining me even when it takes me in directions I’d never previously thought of. […]

Sometimes real life gets in the way. It’s safe to say that NaNo hasn’t been going well. And yet, I guess it has. I had bold plans, grand ambitions, and then like the monster at the end of the movie that *isn’t* quite dead, work problems raised their ugly head again and sent me into [...]