Good morning, Readers!

I got next to no sleep last night.  I'm not in a great mood.  I'm tired, I'm grumpy, I'm unable to function like a human being.  So today, I thought that I'd spare myself a tonne of work and instead impart to you the best writing advice you'll ever read.

Are you ready for it?

I mean, it's going to blow your mind.

Ready?

You sure?

​Okay, then.  Here it is:

You're welcome.

Good morning, Readers!

I've been thinking about this for a long while—ever since I started pitching stories, actually.  One of the things I hate most of all is that little question:

"What is the theme of your book?"

Cue deer in headlights look.

The reason I hate this question so damned much is not because my books have no theme, but because they have many, and what someone could or would take away from the book really does depend on the person reading it and what life experiences they're bring to the reading.

In my unpublished military sci fi, Skylark, for example, a reader might latch onto the relationship between the titular character, Commander Bennejin Skye, and the woman he loves.  For them, the theme of the book might be love gives us strength.

Which, I mean, yeah.  That's definitely in the book, and not just between Skye and his love interest, but between Skye and the other members of his team.

Another reader, though, might look at the integration of aliens into Earth's pan-world space militia and see an allegory to race relations.  It might occur to them that, in fact, these aliens are so much like us that they're pretty much indistinguishable and the prejudice against them is stupid.  They might look at the fact that humanity would be utterly lost without the alien aid, and find that the theme of the book is stronger united.

Which, yeah.  That's definitely in the book.

Someone else again might look to Skye himself, and all that the commander did; and all that he endured doing it.  They might take in the losses and the hits and decide that the theme of this story is that heroism is hard. Or, to put it in more Harry Potter-esque terms we must choose between what is right and what is easy.

That wouldn't be wrong.  It's certainly in the story.

Others might look to Commander Skye, and see this clever, broken man and find that the theme of the book is that a hero does not need to be perfect. That it's possible to be a hero even if you aren't all shiny and confident with an unshakeable moral centre.  A hero can be uncertain, and angry, and a little bit of a cheeky bugger with authority issues.

And again, they wouldn't be wrong.

So, which of these should I respond with when someone asks me that god-awful question?

"What is the theme of  your book?"
"Here are four.  Take your pick."

There are would-be writers who love to try and stump authors with that very question, as if it is all that matters about a story.  I've had it more than once.  The question in and of itself wasn't really an issue.  The smirks that accompanied them was too much, though.

It is my firm opinion that the theme of the book isn't nearly as important as people are making it out to be.  What matters is a good story, with depth and heart, and believable characters that are well-written.

I think starting out with a theme isn't the best way to work on a story.  Trying to cram story elements and character actions into a neat theme box tends to stifle the writing, making characters behave out of character just to fit, and creates plot points that feel and read horribly contrived.

That's not to say that themes don't matter, they do, but I don't think they're nearly as important as people make them out to be, and it's a stupid question to ask an author.  It's a brilliant question to ask a reader, though.

Writing, like any art, should be up to the viewer to interpret.

What is the theme of my book?  Read it, and tell me.

Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

I think I may have discussed this here and there in relation to other things.  I know for a fact I mentioned it during one of my many Nights at the Round Table panels.  I also know that I made a brief mention of it while reviewing The Last of Us.

To be honest, I can't be sure if I've written a piece solely on the subject before, so I'm doing it now.  Possibly again?  I don't think so, though.

Anywho, LGBTQA+ in fiction.  First, there's not enough in mainstream fiction.  It's getting so much better, because people are losing the fear of speaking up, but it's still not great.  Mostly, it's not great when cis-het people write about it.  Mostly.  Some, obviously, get it right.  Many do not.

Problematic Writing Faux Pas 1 - LAZY AS FUCK WRITING

Part of the problem for cis-het writers writing LGBTQA+ characters is that they get so, so, so, so fucking lazy.  They fall back to ridiculous stereotypes and stupid tropes instead of treating LGBTQA+ characters as full, complex human beings.  They turn them into caricatures.

Writers, LGBTQA+ people are just that: people.  Write them like they are people.

Incidentally, this is a major problem when writing women and disabled characters too.  In fact, all of this applies.

Problematic Writing Faux Pas 2 - THE QUEER AGENDA

Yay.  Good for you.  You are being a little more inclusive in your writing.  Good.  It's a start.  Now here's a truth bomb: LGBTQA+ are whole people, and no two are the same.  They have a variety of interests, personalities, perspectives, faiths, opinions, and so forth.  They are not a monolith.

There is a persistent problem with representing LGBTQA+ as all one kind of person.  This bleeds from the LAZY AS FUCK WRITING mentioned before.  Once again, writer, write these characters like they're actual people.  Not every queer person is empathetic or sweet.  They're not all villains, seeking to destroy society, either.

Problematic Writing Faux Pas 3 - LOOK! I HAVE A QUEER CHARACTER, GUYS! LOOK! THEY'RE QUEER!

This is perhaps one of the most egregious of the faux pas when writing LGBTQA+ characters, and that is the tendency to make a character's orientation or gender identity their entire character.  Guys, guys... THEY'RE WHOLE PEOPLE.  WRITE THEM LIKE THEY'RE PEOPLE!  Their queerness should be written like straightness; which is to say, part of who they are, but not what defines them.

Making their gender identity or sexual orientation their defining feature robs them of personhood.  It denies them the same kind of complexity given to straight characters, and that's just not on.

Problematic Writing Faux Pas 4 - THE QUEER PLOT

Including LGBTQA+ characters is a great.  Making one's protagonist LGBTQA+ is fantastic!  Making the story all about their queerness is not.  Much like the LOOK! I HAVE A QUEER CHARACTER, GUYS! LOOK! THEY'RE QUEER! problem, this one is all about making everything in a story revolve around a character's queerness.

I've heard this reflected in statements like, "If you're going to make a character queer, make it matter."

Come on!  Writers should be better than that.  No.  Don't make it matter.  I shouldn't matter in anything except who your character might be interested in (or not, if they're asexual).  Alan Turing did not break the enigma code because he was gay.

The idea that there must be some sort of justification for including LGBTQA+ characters is utterly stupid to me.  There are no such justifications for making a character straight.  There should be no requirement for making a character queer.  It boggles my mind and boils my blood that some people think there ought to be.

(Incidentally, I got distracted as I was writing this by a blog post by Chuck Wendig, which was a recap of a Twitter rant where he says pretty much what I'm saying.  You can read it here.  He does it better than I do)

That said, sometimes a person's queerness does have a place in the plot (it could be a forbidden love story, for example, where queer love is frowned upon... so... uh... set today, I guess.  God, now I'm depressed).  But to demand that any inclusion of LGBTQA+ characters be justified by the plot in every instance of inclusion sounds as ridiculous to me as justifying the inclusion of women, or straight characters, or brown characters.

All of which to say, LGBTQA+ people are people.  WRITE THEM LIKE THEY'RE PEOPLE.

If you are unable to, or if you refuse because "it's too hard," then you are, in my opinion, a shoddy writer.

Clue: Writing is hard.  That's why not everyone is a bloody writer.

So, by all means, be inclusive in your writing, but for the love of all things good and green in this world, do it right.  A good way to judge whether or not you're off course, is to turn your character cis-het.  If what you're writing sounds weird when its about a straight person, change it.

Also, you can apply this advice to writing women, disabled characters, or people of colour.

Incidentally, one of my favourite YouTubers put out a video of him and a bunch of LGBTQA+ friends answering questions.  It was sweet and emotional, funny and interesting.  Writers, consider this part of your research:

And now I have to go.

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

So I have been raving about this movie to everyone and anyone for ages, so I figured I should just write a review of it   Before that, though, how about you watch the trailer (turn on the closed captions for English subtitles).

And now onto the review!

I absolutely loved this movie.  It was absolutely stunning.  The battle scenes were amazing.  I have one small gripe about the wooing of the main woman in this movie, but it's a small thing.  This movie was honestly brilliant.  I was so blown away that I intend to buy this on blue ray.

I felt compelled to watch this movie after someone posted an excerpt from one of the battle scenes to my timeline on Facebook.  I was so blown away, I HAD to find out what movie it was from.  I found out, and then found out that you could rent it online.  I pondered over it for a bit, before deciding to take the plunge.  And so I watched it.

Holy. Shit.

​This is a story of a young man who is raised in a small village at the base of a mountain, becoming involved in a multi-generational conflict in a mystical kingdom at the top of the mountain.  I don't want to say much more about the plot than that, for fear of spoiling it for interested viewers.

Be warned, it is quite typical of Indian cinema.  There are random songs and dancing that punctuate the movie.  I, personally, thought they were great.  The music was beautiful and the songs never really did seem starkly out of place.  Some of the scenes were, quite typically, corny, but were endearing all the same.  There is a bit, for example, when his extraordinary strength is revealed; he tears a shrine to Shive from the ground and carries it to the waterfall so that his mother no longer has to walk to the river to collect water to pour over it.  That in itself is fine, but the stone armband around his bicep bursting was a little silly.  Still, it didn't really detract from the movie, so it gets a pass.

I genuinely really loved the music in this.  There is a song, granted it's a little corny if you pay attention to the lyrics, while he's scaling the mountain that is simply heavenly to listen to.  There is not a musical misstep in this entire movie.  I loved the music so much, I'm contemplating getting the soundtrack as well.  I don't understand a word, but the music is gorgeous.

I also want to spend some time loving the visuals.  The movie isn't simply epic, it's stunning.  It's a genuine feast for the eyes.  From sweeping shots of incredible scenery, to the use of colour and light, this film is a delight to behold.  Slow motion is used rather liberally for the film, and it took me some getting used to, but once I settled into the style of the movie, it didn't pull me out of the narrative quite so much.  And honestly, the film is just so beautiful I can easily forgive the overuse of slow mo.

The characters are all great.  The main character, Shiva, is a trickster character, who also happens to possess super strength.  His cheeky side comes out when he falls in love with a woman and part of his invisible courtship is to play tricks on her.  It doesn't go so well for her, incidentally.

And that's another thing.  All the women in this film are whole and complex.  The woman Shiva falls for is a warrior; a freedom fighter whose sole life mission is to free her princess from the clutches of the villain.  The woman who escapes with the infant Shiva at the very beginning is quite clearly a clever and determined woman, who also happens to know her way around a sword.  The princess held captive by the villain of the piece is bitter and angry, and so, so sure of her position that she is building her capture a funerary pyre.  My only gripe is that Shiva's love interest seems to forget herself and her mission when she finally encounters her invisible suitor.  And she somehow loses the ability to fight after that, forcing the hero to rescue her.  Blerg.  That, however, can be forgiven.  I have witnessed first hand strong women forget themselves and their life dreams when they think they are in love.  So, you know, as annoying as I find that trope, it's actually not all that far from accurate in some cases.

I still found it annoying, though.  Part of that is the way it was executed; with her trying to kill Shiva, while he undresses her and applies her makeup for her.  I could have done without that.  I do like that she drugged him 

Still, Shiva's antics were pretty amusing, and provided a side to him needed to be seen, because the movie gets pretty dark afterwards.

I also really appreciate that everyone in the film looked real.  The men were strong and muscular, but without the over-musculature popular in Hollywood currently.  They looked real; a far more attainable muscularity than we're used to seeing.  The women, too, thankfully, looked real; healthy.  They weren't the impossibly slender versions of femininity we're used to seeing here in the West.  There was body fat, and you know what, it looked beautiful.

This movie isn't without its flaws or tiresome tropes, or even moments of unintentional hilarity born from some of the silliness of the scenes, but it is a stunning beginning of a two part epic that I cannot wait to see concluded.  I am so thoroughly invested in this story.

Honestly, if you can stand subtitles, and you enjoy epics, then this movie is most definitely for you.  I genuinely love it.

Good morning, Readers!

This Saturday is C.O.N., a fantastic little flea market choc full of amazing geeky things.

It's a fantastic little market of local artists and artisans, who will be selling their stuff.

On the bright side, it also raises funds for charity, and that's really very awesome.

Naturally, I have a table there.  I will be selling my books.

AND Renaissance Press will be there.  They will also be selling books, among them, Daughters of Britain.  I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THEM IN PERSON AND HOLD THEM AND LOVE THEM.

No, I have not yet done so.

Anywho, do come on down.  It's always a wonderful place to be and there's COOL STUFF!

You can find details of the event on their website.  I do hope to see you there!

Oh, and like it does every year, it looks like it's going to rain.  So bring an umbrella!

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

It is no secret to long time readers of this blog that I am pretty much an open book.  There aren't many secrets I keep from my readership about me and my life.

I have absolutely no issue being utterly frank about what went on or is going on in my life.  Readers all know that I suffer from depression, with occasional bouts of suicidal ideation.  Luckily, those bouts are getting fewer and farther in between.  Therapy and surrounding myself with good people have helped immensely.  I'm also very fortunate in that I can manage my depression without the use of medication (thus far).  That's not to say I think medication is a bad thing.  I don't think so.  For myself, however, I would prefer not to use it.  I will, of course, if things ever get really bad.  I've been very lucky so far.

Most of you reading this will also know that I a sexual assault survivor.  Hi.  Those of you who don't, well, now you do!  I have no issue telling you this.  There are a couple of reasons I do.  The first is that I no longer attach any shame to this.  I am not to blame for the actions of another.  While it certainly continues to affect me, shame is no longer part of that.  I have spent a lot of time and money (therapy is expensive, yo!) getting to a place where this part of my past can no longer injure me.

There are a couple of reasons I'm so open about these things. The first is that there is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health issues and those who have been assaulted.  My speaking out is me doing my part to end that stigma.  There's a reason that talking is one of the main themes of almost all mental health campaigns ever.

I'm also at a place where I am no longer defined by my history or my mental illness.  I can acknowledge them without being hurt by their presence in my life.  They're simply facts now.  I don't think that pretending they weren't there and that they didn't influence the person I am would be useful to me, or anyone.  The fact is they are a part of my life and pretending they didn't or don't influence me would be horribly dishonest.

And I don't want to be dishonest with my readership.  They, you, deserve better than that.

Sharing all this stuff also helps to humanise me, I think.  I know a lot of people spend a lot of time curating their presences so that they seem perfect, their lives are enviably spectacular.  I don't want to be one of those people.  Life doesn't have to be always perfect to be worth living.  A person shouldn't have to be perfect to be worthy of love.  Life, humanity, is messy and complicated, and not constantly glamorous.  I don't want to present it like it is.  What happens if I get famous enough to actually influence people?  I don't want to present a life to them that is entirely unattainable as something that is real.  It's not.  I consider it a personal responsibility.

And, along the lines of personal responsibility, I want to show anyone who might be reading, and struggling with the same things I struggle with, that there is a way.  There is a way to have both depression and to lead a good, fulfilling life.  Sure, it's not easy.  There will be some pretty big hurdles.  But it's possible.  Similarly, I want to show assault survivors that it is entirely possible to not only survive and assault, but to thrive after one.  It's a fight.  Not every day is going to be good.  But a good, fulfilling life is possible.

Of course, I do keep some secrets.  Not many.  But some.

Sometimes, those secrets don't stay secret.  They're just things I'm currently working through and will talk about at a later date.  Sometimes, they're secrets that I keep on behalf of another.  Sometimes they're half secrets, where I talk about something that happened to me, but keep the identities of the people involved a secret.

But the Me you know from this blog is very much the Me that exists in real life.  And I promise to try and always be real with you.

If ever you meet me, the person presented on this blog and the person you meet are pretty much exactly the same; a silly goofball who struggles a lot with the business of life.  This was a very deliberate decision I made when I started blogging.  I didn't want to present myself as something I'm not, only to disappoint anyone who might follow my blog and then meet me in real life.

And on that note, I should get on with real life.

​Ciao!