Man of Steel: Movie Review

Bombastic, fantastic and heroic Man of Steel brings Superman back to the silver screen, without having the temerity to name him. It’s been a box office hit so far ($600m + wordwide income), despite some critical snarking. The first third of the movie gives us the full origin story with long, lush scenes on Krypton showing a planet falling apart, and …

Writer’s Journal: Character Sketches 01

There are many different ways into a new story. This time I decided to draw the main characters and some of their items for a fantastic new tale. Hunter and Bain feature in a number of stories, but this one is the end of a linear time sequence, so I’m trying to keep the exposition down to a bare minimum which …

Writer’s Journal: Success and the Self-Publisher

Indie Publishing, or self-publishing, is slowly assuming a skin of respectability. It’s a thin skin, subject to the puncture of snobbery, self-doubt and, ultimately, the bruising engagement with readers, but self-publishing  is a democratising force for thousands of people who don’t have the contacts or the desire to submit to the withering forces of traditional publishing. However, anyone serious about …

Writer’s Journal: The Quality vs Time Equation.

Writing brings joy and pain. Any creative effort is a conflict between these two elements. Sometimes you can work all night but end up with ashes in your hands. Lawyers bill their time but a writer / artist / musician can spend hours getting absolutely nowhere.  Obviously there are strategies to narrow in on this, routines that can be developed, but …