"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." W. Somerset Maugham Similar thoughts are applied to comedy, theater, even to relationships. P.T. Barnum's solution: "There are two rules. One: always leave them wanting more..." Of course, Maugham meant "writing a successful novel", however success is defined. The modern aspiring …
Category: Musings
Then And Now? Spot The Difference?
Oh, what a strange couple of months. Two new "rulers" - a new modernizing Pope and a new Chinese President. Please allow me to congratulate you both on your promotions and please remember to send invitations to your celebration parties using the Feedback form provided! Between them, these two men influence some 2.6 billion people, or …
A setting or a universe?
"Do you create an entire universe for your characters to live in and how much of that do you use in the actual story?" This is a question often posed, most recently by Mirjam Maclean of the LinkedIn Group: Science Fiction readers, writers, collectors, and artists. In my case...I began writing a human-based "far-future" novel (which is …
Oranges as life metaphors?
"The trouble with a book is that you never know what’s in it until it’s too late." Mrs Winterson, adoptive mother of author Jeanette Winterson. Fascinating. Isn't that a perfect metaphor for real life? You just don't know what you will experience or how it will turn out, you just hope for a good resolution and a …
Andy McKell, Speculative Fiction Author 
You must be logged in to post a comment.