Day 9 Alpha Centauri is the star system nearest to Earth. Actually it’s a binary star system, Alpha Centauri A and B, which revolve around each other. We see it from the southern hemisphere, where it is one of the pointer stars to the Southern Cross. The following is an excerpt from my YA novel, […]
Perseus and Andromeda
Day 8 Perseus and Andromeda are two famous characters of Greek mythology. You can also see them as constellations in the night sky. Perseus was a son of the god Zeus and his mother was a mortal, the Princess Danaë. Taking a break from his busy timetable of heroic feats, Perseus stopped off at The […]
This Rough Magic a SyFy Story
This Rough Magic a SyFy Story “What to do if your robotic parents don’t live up to your expectations.” I am so excited about this, and I was fascinated to hear this interview with Richard Manley about his play, This Rough Magic, a syfy story which deals with the relationship between a boy and his robotic […]
Boilerplates and Handcrafting
Writers Readers & Genre I’m talking about meeting genre expectations here, first with my writer’s hat on. Boilerplates and handcrafting, that is, which plot template should you use, are important considerations at the concept stage. As a reader, becoming a fan of Young Adult (YA) Dystopian, I’ve got stuck into the big names since His […]
Over The Hedge – Meet Cheever The Beaver
Introducing Cheever the Beaver. The intro matters for the next two posts, but don’t tell my writer friends…
Orion The Hunter
Day 6 In Greek mythology Orion the Hunter was placed in the heavens by Zeus, King of the Greek Gods, to honour him for dying in his last battle with a monstrous scorpion. Every true huntsman has a dog; Orion has two, Canis Minor and Canis Major in which you can find Sirius, the dog […]
Hang Out
Hang Out I’m reading THE QUANTUM THIEF by Hannu Rajaniemi. He uses language the way an abstract painter uses paint. Some writers have the universe, or multiples, inside their heads. I’m only at page 15, and I feel like I’m there. To be honest I’m not too worried where the plot goes, I just like […]
Hammy Ain’t Beanbag — Over the Hedge
Hammy has skills. (I love this strip cartoon. I hope Michael Fry is okay with the sharing thing. I do it because there is a “share” button on the site, and presumably if he didn’t like it, he would disable the button. However, publicity is publicity, even to my small audience.) via Hammy Ain’t Beanbag — […]
Astrology and Astronomy
Day 5 As soon as humans became aware of the natural rhythms of the earth and seasonal changes they wanted to create calendars and clocks. Calendars were essential to be able to understand agricultural cycles. Food meant power and calendars were part of the armoury of kings and emperors, jealously guarded by the priests, in order […]
Plots and Patterns
Design Patterns In my IT degree course, we learned about Design Patterns. A design pattern for coding is like a template, evolved and shaped to solve a commonly recurring problem. Why reinvent the wheel? Clever software designers provide patterns for these, upon which to construct your specific solution. The same goes for plots and patterns, […]