This year I graduated with an MA in Writing and Literature. Throughout, the emphasis in the writing components was upon 'literature'. We could only use aspects of genre or sneak them sideways into our short stories or essays. However, I'm over artificially constructed barriers. Surely there is nothing unliterary with the works of China Mieville or Ursula Le … Continue reading Genre-trification
Month: November 2014
Review: The Graveyard Book
The care of the living for the dead and the dead for the living It's a pretty grand theme and is nothing less than one of the notions behind Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. I finished it recently. I think I like both this and Coraline better than American Gods, all three of which are … Continue reading Review: The Graveyard Book
Optical delusions
A few weeks ago I posted about art. Admitting I could only see what I couldn't get 'right,' I felt, for a long time, art was something I let down, due some mysterious defect. This attitude limits not only what I think I can do, but what I attempt. Basically, if I don't try, then … Continue reading Optical delusions
Ain’t no Xmas like a Doctor Who Xmas
Thought there was no more Doctor Who til Christmas? There is a lil bit. The Children in Need Special. This particular one is more of a preview for the Christmas Special than a short stand alone. The only thing it proves is that it's obvious Clara Oswald isn't quite gone. And that Father Christmas is real. … Continue reading Ain’t no Xmas like a Doctor Who Xmas
Doctor Who: Relative Heroes
With Death in Heaven and Interstellar I've been thinking about relativity and time, cycles, and returns, and death and how these are represented in narrative. Then I remembered Buddhism. Ouroboros To be Buddhist is to be awake to reality. It occurs to me that to be in suspended animation sleep to cross space is like … Continue reading Doctor Who: Relative Heroes
Doctor Who: Role Play
Upon watching the 2014 finale of Doctor Who I've never been so happy to have Nick Frost appear. He was the ray of weird that lifted Death in Heaven from being one of helluva Halloweeen-ish downer episode to something a tiny bit hopeful. Character assassin If previous series were about fairy tales, this series was solid SF ideas and … Continue reading Doctor Who: Role Play
Interesting Interstellar
This will be a quick-ish review. Or just some thoughts really about Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. If you want to see it I recommend finding a big screen. The score is good too. My first thought is this is how the crew of Prometheus should have behaved. Like professionals and experts. The cast was good. Especially the … Continue reading Interesting Interstellar
Be the Hero?
The new Hobbit trailer is out, partly because of this, and because of The Hobbit fan competition, and Halloween and 'cons' I've been thinking about the fan phenomenon. As The Doctor explained to Charles Dickens it’s about fanaticism. I was going to say such devotion is usually motivated out of a deep appreciation or love, … Continue reading Be the Hero?
Doctor Who: Master of our fate?
Soldier Man Some characters are too good to live. In Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Thomas Hardy created a character he loved, and mourned that the story he created killed his Tess. Hardy, though, didn't change the ending. He let it stand. Tess died and he didn't diminish her sacrifice with her ghost in some saccharine sequel. … Continue reading Doctor Who: Master of our fate?
Writing Bec 