Month: October 2017

Song Styles

One of the backstory characters in Surgeburnt, Tahir, is deceased (we learn this very early on, since the narrator inherited his powers, so it’s not a spoiler), and the character appears only in flashback scenes and in the narrator’s memories of h…

Cheats for writing great dialogue

Here are some tips for writing better dialogue which I have picked up through my many failures at writing anything decent. Answer a question with a question. Have your character go off-topic. Don’t forget your action beats. Minimum every four lines of dialogue. Be careful when using ‘word sounds’ instead of action beats. Write: //He …

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Magic is Real

As a fantasy writer, magic is always a part of my worlds. I revel in designing magic systems and exploring how they might change the world around them. Nothing quite stirs the imagination as magic. Yet, with a degree in physics and a long-running fascination with the secrets of nature, I can’t help but feel […]

Wednesday Wanderings

Alas for the internet, for it has one terrible consequence:  it is now almost impossible to go about singing ridiculously incorrect song lyrics, blissfully ignorant of the truth.  A single peek on Google resolves (almost) all questions, so we…

Song Styles

It’s the most wonderful time of the year …No, really.  As a professional musician, I’ve had to start working on my Christmas repertoire, brushing off songs that I haven’t played for nine months.  Many of these tunes have been part of my ann…