A dream vanishes, and a new flash fiction by yours truly is published.
Hamlet
how prodigal the soul
A writing update, because I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.
Review: Infinity War
Obviously, some spoilers, ok? A couple of years ago, I jokingly mentioned that Marvel's heroes don't feature in films that address issues of import, because they largely fight self-created problems (like Stark raving police bots gone bad in Age of Ultron, or themselves in Civil War, or the son of exiled long-lost relatives in Black … Continue reading Review: Infinity War
A palpable hit
Last night I had my very first German Longsword class, with Fechtschule Victoria. It was two hours of tentatively and ever so gently prodding at sparring partners in a primary school gym. Until we got more comfortable handling very real, very steel, practice swords. Slowly it became easier to tap my sparring partners on their … Continue reading A palpable hit
This April is the cruellest month
It was my birthday last week; not especially an important one, except for one reason. I am now the same age as my mother. Weird. It's weird to imagine me leading her life, when ours diverged significantly. Weird thinking about the responsibilities and worries she had that I don't and never will. Weird to think … Continue reading This April is the cruellest month
Doctor Who: Identity Stakes
Some writing groups I'm in often return to ideas about anthropomorphism and what it means for writers. Almost all aliens we see are humans with traits removed or magnified. Vulcans of Star Trek: basically human + heightened rationality. Daleks: remove empathy + hate & shove in metal box. Cybers: remove emotion and personal identifiers + … Continue reading Doctor Who: Identity Stakes
Conversations in cars
Some of the best conversations I've had and a handy way to get to know people, is to go on a long car journey. A car is a special kind of cone of - well not silence - but privacy. Interruptions and distractions are few and can be mitigated, while the light chit-chat runs out before the … Continue reading Conversations in cars
A Bond’s deeds are his word
Never been much of a James Bond fan. I blame the constant repeats over school holidays when the only other choice on TV was football. The villains were melodramatic and their goals so overblown and their henchmen so expendable. If I were a super villain who invested a lot in training my posse at Bad … Continue reading A Bond’s deeds are his word
Doctor Who & Hamlet: Are we who we say we are?
If you've yet to watch the 2014 Doctor Who episodes, then you probably should. Or you can enjoy this song Who Are You by The Who, which posits important questions thematically linked to Doctor Who and this post. Like: Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?). I really wanna know (Who are you? … Continue reading Doctor Who & Hamlet: Are we who we say we are?
Going Back to Baker Street
'Ere 221B Dragons and Those Who May Spoil Them...mmmkay? Reflexivity When I write something there is me writing it #ObviousStatementisObvious. Yet if there is any art to writing, it is about removing the (obvious) evidence of me. But there is another art, or perhaps a balance, to leaving such evidence in the writing. Sometimes it's … Continue reading Going Back to Baker Street
Writing Bec 