The 2020 Summit and books
Hi all, The “Creative Nation” group at the 2020 summit seemed dominated by film, with nothing said about the Australian book or fiction writing market. I suppose the ailing film industry needs all the help it can get, but perhaps if they made more genre films, like science fiction, it would be more successful. Big […]
Are blogs a waste of creative time?
Hi all, What else would a writer be doing on a Friday night than ensuring he had written his blog entry for the week. I read an article in the Age today about blogging. It reckons that the best blogs are updated every day. Who the hell has the time to do that? And who […]
Male monkeys prefer boys’ toys
Hi all, I found this article in the Newscientist newsletter I receive. I cut and pasted it because I am pretty sure you have to signup to their site before they will let you read it. Male monkeys prefer boys’ toys * 17:28 04 April 2008 * NewScientist.com news service * Ewen Callaway It’s thought […]
ahhhhhhh there’s too much info in the world.
Help me. I’m going nuts trying to keep up with everything that’s going on in the world. I need at least a dozen more of me or a fascist brain organiser that ruthlessly splits potential input into useful or not. But I’m so scared I will miss the one vital bit of info that will […]
what’s happening
Hi all, Well let’s get the important stuff out of the way first. The catscan of my father’s brain revealed some broken small blood vessels which indicate he has suffered a series of small strokes, hence his current lousy memory and difficultly in putting words together when speaking. He called a bag a book the […]
What’s happening? (Or what a bugger of a day)
Hi all, Well the day started off alright. Did my exercises and weights; watered the vegies, pot plants and fruit trees, picked a few tomatoes, thought about mowing the lawns. And then we got a telephone call that my father had collapsed and been taken to the Wang Base Hospital. Went to hospital. My father […]
What’s happening?
Hi all, Sad to hear that Arthur C. Clarke has died. He and Asimov were probably the greatest contributers to the popularity of science-fiction. We have him to thank for the idea of the satellite too. I’ve read a few of his novels – Cradle and Rendezvous With Rama being two of the more memorable […]
What’s happening?
Hi all, Sad to hear that Arthur C Clarke has died. He and Asimov were probably the greatest contributers to the popularity of science-fiction. We have him to thank for the idea of the satellite too. I’ve read a few of his novels – Cradle and Rendezvous With Rama being two of the more memorable […]
Graham’s last ten reads
Rated from * to ***** *** Armageddon’s Children, Terry Brooks, 2006. A young adult fantasy/science fiction novel that is just about all prologue for the coming books in the series. The characters are clichéd, eg a mystical American Indian, but I enjoyed his post-apocalyptic world where magic and genetic engineering are set to battle it […]
How much writing do I need to do before I get published?
Hi all, I was reading a post on Stephen Dedman’s blog on livejournal.com and he mentioned Ian Irvine’s writing rules at www.ian-irvine.com. Ian reckons a writer needs to write for 10,000 hrs before they will complete a publishable novel. That’s the equivalent of treating writing as a full-time job for five years. I estimate that […]