Review: Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer

If you’ve spent any time around me at all, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of J Michael Straczynski’s work. Babylon 5 opened my eyes to epic storytelling while never scrimping on the humour or the characters, while his move into mainstream comics soon after still echoes on to this day – especially in […]

Writing Heroes: J. Michael Straczynski

  Most likely, you either already know who Joseph Michael Straczynski (JMS) is, or you’re scratching your head. But even if you don’t know the name, chances are you’ve seen some of his work. He was a writer on the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, as well as writer and co-creator […]

Writing Heroes – Bernard Cornwell

  Bernard Cornwell taught me how to write battles. There. We’re done. Next blog. Okay, we can’t really leave it at that, can we? Bernard Cornwell is the creator of Richard Sharpe. Yes, that Sharpe. Sean Bean’s only significant role that doesn’t see him dead before the end credits roll. Chosen Men! and more Yorkshire-inflected […]

Writing Heroes: Terrance Dicks

Terrance Dicks is one of those men who will never, ever, be celebrated enough. A hugely prolific writer, he’ll mostly be remembered for his many contributions to classic Doctor Who, both on screen and off (though he did a great deal more).

Writing Heroes:
Robert Holmes

The BBC doesn’t have the best record for celebrating the men and women who made Doctor Who the programme it is today. Some of that comes down to the fact that the show’s never really been a ‘creator led’ property. Star Trek had Gene Roddenbery, a visionary powerhouse who dominated the show’s fortunes, for good […]

Writing Heroes:
Timothy Zahn

Like most people, I first encountered the writing of Timothy Zahn through Heir to the Empire. You know, the Star Wars novel that kickstarted the expanded universe? I’d read adaptations before, but this – I think – was the first time I’d read an original licensed work. Suffice to say, it blew me away. The […]

Writing Heroes: Alistair MacLean

(This is going to be a long one. Partly, it’s because I can’t be bothered to split the topic down into two blogs. Mostly, it’s because I’ve a long weekend ahead running around Tube stations, so may not have chance to blog next week.) Though largely forgotten now, Alistair MacLean was a best-selling author throughout […]

Writing Heroes: David McIntee

Last week, I posted on Facebook about the release of Frostgrave: Tales from the Frozen City – a short story anthology to which I contributed. I also mentioned that it contained a story by a writing hero of mine, David A. McIntee. He’s a writer who’s turned his hand to plenty of different works over […]