Writing in a changing universe
On 19 June 2011 by AdminThe beautiful pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the giant galaxy Centaurus A which appeared on the front page of the Guardian a few days ago are a reminder that – as William Herschel discovered 230 years ago – our universe is not static, but changing all the time. Supernovae explode, and new
More Bright Stars
On 3 May 2011 by AdminThere are some subjects in literature which seem inexhaustible: birth, childhood, first love, marriage, adultery, revenge – and death. What makes these topics of such enduring fascination is their universality, since all of us have experienced at least the first of them, although – if one concurs with Wittgenstein – none of us will experience
Writing about the stars
On 16 April 2011 by AdminHaving just finished a novel about astronomers and the stars – Variable Stars, to be published next month – I thought I’d see what else had been written on the subject. Some of this I’d come across already, in the line of research – although as a rule I try not to read anything too
Dark Matters – writing about astronomy
On 23 March 2011 by AdminWatching the very watchable Brian Cox talking about the universe last night on TV made me think what an amazing place we live in – and for once, the adjective seems precise, not hyperbolic. What is it if not amazing that – as the engaging Dr Cox was at pains to point out – the
Writing in Time
On 28 February 2011 by AdminI’ve been thinking a lot about time, recently. It all started with having a cold. With nothing to do but try and throw it off, and nowhere to go but the few steps from my bed to the kettle and back again, I got down to some serious reading – or rather, re-reading. The book
Inventing real people
On 11 January 2011 by AdminWriting about real people or events in a work of fiction might seem to have obvious advantages. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, where your character is concerned, you have access to previously existing ‘sketches’. These can include actual images – whether photographs, drawings or paintings – as well as verbal descriptions by those
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
On 15 December 2010 by Admin‘Where do you get your ideas?’ is a question most writers get asked – and not a few find hard to answer. One feels almost superstitious about it – as if, by delving too deeply into the mysterious process by which stories are made – or found – one might lose the trick of it.
Books I’ve Read This Year
On 30 November 2010 by AdminNow that the Best of Year book list season is upon us, it seems a good moment to compile my own – a snapshot of my reading over the year. The trouble is that three books – the usual number in such round-ups – isn’t nearly enough. I started off with twenty, thinking I’d probably
What’s in a name?
On 10 November 2010 by Admin‘What’s in a name?’ asked Shakespeare – ahead of the game as usual – and it’s certainly a question I’ve been asking myself a lot recently, with regard to titles. Ah yes, titles… that most difficult of things to get right. Perhaps only naming a rock band is more fraught with complexities, and potential pitfalls…
Living Your Life In Fiction
On 22 October 2010 by AdminNovels don’t always stay within their pages. The revelation, last week, that the Swedish novelist and campaigning leftwing journalist Stieg Larsson, author of the best-selling Millennium trilogy, was instrumental in training Eritrean women fighters during that country’s civil war, might have come straight from one of his own novels. Nor are Larsson’s the only works