You may read some fiction where the research is very obvious, and whilst that can be attractive to some readers, I prefer to read (and write) stuff that has some factual truth without becoming overly saturated by endless tracts of text devoted to research. When I was younger I never gave much thought about research …
Character creation
Character creation has always been incredibly fascinating, how and why certain characters are who they are, what their purpose is, where have they come from/going to. Storylines, plots, subplots, settings etc are necessary but without characters to move through and experience a world of make-believe, that story can seem lifeless. I remember a time when …
Doggy reflection chasing!
After taking a bunch of photos with my new phone I was looking around for places to put the camera through its paces. Our dog, Tilly, might look fully grown but she's only 9 months old and still very puppy like. I watched her standing in the kitchen staring into space, but suddenly she jerked …
Setting the scene
My works of fiction cover both real world and imaginary, both of which contain at least a loose connection to science fiction or fantasy themes. As I've mentioned before in How I Write, I keep an A4 pad next to me to jot down ideas. These can be recalled later on which seems simple …
How I write
I once read Stephen King's book titled "On Writing" and found it incredibly fascinating. He takes the reader on a tour of his childhood and inside his mental writing toolbox, all in gloriously rich description that keeps your eyes moving along the words. I considered that most writers must have a similar writing process or …
Dave Farmer 