novels | Penstricken

6 Things I’ve Learned About Writing Fiction

Posted on May 28, 2021 Leave a Comment

Today I’ve decided to share a brief selection of some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years which I think has helped to make me a better writer.

Book Review: Steelheart

Posted on May 25, 2021 Leave a Comment

There are two things I really like: Brandon Sanderson and superhero stories, so when I heard that Sanderson had written a series of superhero stories, I knew I had found my next book.

Why Your Fantastic Story Idea Has To Die

Posted on May 24, 2021 Leave a Comment

If you want my advice, you’ll treat your idea as a profane thing from the very moment it’s conceived. It is not sacred. It is not too beautiful to die. Frankly, it’s probably not as clever as you thought.

How to Help Your Audience Suspend Disbelief

Posted on May 21, 2021 Leave a Comment

You as the writer have a responsibility to write a story which makes it easy for the audience to suspend their disbelief…. The issue is not one of what is possible. The issue is of what is likely.

Book Review: Burning Bright

Posted on May 20, 2021 Leave a Comment

Originally published 27/01/2019 SPOILER ALERT Anyone who has not read Burning Bright by John Steinbeck is hereby advised that this post contains spoilers. Well, well, well, believe it or not, I’ve never reviewed a John Steinbeck book before, despite repeatedly implying that he’s one of my all time favourite authors. That changes today with this […]

What Should I Spend My Waterstones Vouchers On?

Posted on May 19, 2021 1 Comment

I’m calling on you, dear reader, to help me decide what to buy from Waterstones this year (while reserving the right to ignore all your suggestions if I don’t like them).

Horror Clichés and How To Avoid Them

Posted on May 8, 2021 Leave a Comment

Well, we’re getting near the end of our series on genre clichés and how to avoid them. Today it’s all about horror.

Romance Clichés and How to Avoid Them

Posted on May 7, 2021 Leave a Comment

I’m just going to come right out and say it: love stories really aren’t my thing…. Nevertheless, romance is a major genre of fiction and we are right in the middle of a series on genre clichés and how to avoid them so it seemed only right for me to take a stab at this anyway. So here goes nothing.

Sci-Fi Clichés and How to Avoid Them

Posted on May 6, 2021 Leave a Comment

For those of you who haven’t read the previous post, get over there and read it for even more sci-fi cliché goodness. But first, and without further ado, I give you today’s top three sci-fi clichés…