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Too Many Ideas - Archive for the ‘On Writing’ Category

How to Make Art

Sunday, September 4th, 2016

A friend asked on Facebook about art they could try / creative stuff they could do.  Here are a few random thoughts… Find a Great Teacher Find a great teacher who can teach you useful stuff.  Don’t find a lazy teacher obsessed with an old orthodoxy who just wants to take your money. My first […]

Bronze Age Pocket Junk

Sunday, April 13th, 2014

I’ve incorporated this blog post into a new page on Pocket Junk.

Secrets and Mysteries

Thursday, January 9th, 2014

I’ve been reading The Secret State by Peter Hennessy and I was struck by the differing definitions of Secrets and Mysteries used to describe what security and intelligence services know and what its very hard for them to know.  Here are just a few initial thoughts on the impact of the difference on writing thriller […]

What Have they Got in their Pockets?

Saturday, November 16th, 2013

I’ve incorporated this blog post into a new page on Pocket Junk.

Accretion

Friday, March 18th, 2011

When I took this picture of buildings all jostling for space with each other on a Liverpool street I was going to just post it as a throw away picture post. However this was one of the views, with its variety of buildings from different eras, that inspired my render Accretion City. So I thought […]

Leave out the (Steampunk) Kitchen Sink

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Daneofwar asked a question on Twitter in the middle of Sherlock on Sunday night… Why are fantasy ideas of settings based on the 19th century always so unoriginal? Steampunk blah blah blah goggles blah blah blah. I didn’t have time for a long answer then (too busy watching Sherlock) but I think Brian has touched […]

Why I Write Reviews

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Why do I write what I call reviews? The short answer: Because it helps me think about my own writing. The long answer: I used to write what I’ll call proper reviews, they’d appear in Valkyrie and Ragnarok.  My review of 7th Sea produced at short notice got me the writing gig with Valkyrie so […]

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