Writing Advice

Writing requires both talent and craft. Talent is something you are born with (the recent tendency to reject this comes from confusion regarding the origin of human value), but it’s worthless without the hard work of learning the craft. – Having a talent does not make you a better or …

Semper Fidelis / The Second Step

Here are two more stories I wrote for Phoenix Point. Semper Fidelis. An ex-marine finds himself reenacting history in Antarctica. The Second Step. A journalist interviews two radical scientists in Moscow while the world teeters on the brink of catastrophe. Someone commented to me on the amount of effort going …

Far Out There

Far Out There is another short story I wrote for Phoenix Point. This one is a bit shorter, but it has a flavour all of its own. (The most important aspect of writing a story, I’ve always felt, is voice. I can’t write a story without having found the right …

The Tomb of the Phoenix

The Tomb of the Phoenix is a Lovecraft-inspired short story I wrote for Phoenix Point. I had a ton of fun writing it and I’m really pleased with the result. Sorry if that sounds smug, it’s just one of those stories that show up in your brain almost complete and …

Diversity and Second Chances

I’ve mentioned before that some of my very favourite works of art – the film The Matrix Revolutions, the TV shows Lost and Stargate Universe – were things that I dismissed or actively disliked, usually because I’d gone in with the wrong expectations, or had at some point misunderstood what …

Old Words

I’ve started reposting various things I’ve written that are no longer available or that I feel ought to be available directly from my site(s). This will be an ongoing process, but here are the first three links: Games for Adults A Moment of Perfect Beauty These were originally written for …

Στη σκιά του Αόρατου Βασιλιά

«Στη σκιά του Αόρατου Βασιλιά» Κείμενο: Ιονάς Κυρατζής Εικονογράφηση: Βερένα Κυρατζή Κατηγορία: Εικονογραφημένη παιδική λογοτεχνία Μερικά βιβλία δεν είναι μονάχα ιστορίες, είναι ολόκληροι κόσμοι. Τα ανοίγεις και ταξιδεύεις. Το βιβλίο που κρατάς στα χέρια σου θα σε μεταφέρει σε δύο πολύ μακρινές χώρες, όπου θα γνωρίσεις περίεργα και όμορφα πλάσματα …

The Secret Gates

Remember what I said earlier in the year about accelerating? I’ve been slowed down by some enormously painful tooth problems – which two dentists failed to recognize, meaning the problem got pretty bad and since I’m somewhat resistant to anaesthetics they’ll actually have to knock me out completely to fix …

Diary Of A Man Trapped By A Cat

17:19 The cat has climbed into a drawer behind my chair and is sleeping on Verena’s clothing. Well, not exactly sleeping, more like meditating. She does not like being disturbed, so I can’t move.   17:20 A minute has passed, but I’m still trapped.   17:22 It’s beginning to look …

Games For Adults

Did I mention that I’ll be writing for Nightmare Mode? Well, I will. I already am. I already did. This month’s article is about games for adults. So, a rabbi, a rabbit and a robot walk into a bar. The bartender sighs. Bartender: Is this another joke? Robot: What? No, …