If I’ve got something to say, I write it and then link to that post: Write Once, Then Link.
Follow this link if you want to read more about the thinking behind these posts. If you’re digging around and looking for the topics I’ve covered, you’ll find every page is categorized and tagged with either or both person tags and content tags. There is also a separate tag for authors/screenwriters.
If you’re unsure how this tagging can help you, then read this article.
last updated: 16 January 2021
I used a Kinesis Advantage keyboard every day for 15 years. A few months back, I got a new keyboard, the ZSA Moonlander. I’ve used the Moonlander as my everyday keyboard since it arrived and so it’s time to compare the two.
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...continue reading: ZSA Moonlander vs Kinesis Advantage: which keyboard is right for you?
last updated: 13 January 2021
For the first time in fifteen years, I made a change to one of the key pieces of kit I use every day for my writing—I got a new keyboard. Now I would like to introduce you to the Moonlander.
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...continue reading: Introducing the Moonlander
last updated: 15 November 2020
I’ve tried many word processors but, for me, Microsoft Word is the best tool for outlining and writing novels. Let me explain the features that matter to me, how I use these features, and why they make Word the right tool for me.
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...continue reading: Word for Authors
last updated: 8 November 2020
Text expanders are utilitarian tools that make each day a little bit easier, and anything that makes each day a bit better must be good.
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...continue reading: Text Expanders
last updated: 7 November 2020
A standard computer keyboard does not have an em dash key. For Windows computers there’s a quick and easy way to add this key.
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...continue reading: Windows Em Dash Key
last updated: 12 July 2020
People used to want your money. Now they want your attention and they want your attention so they can make money. Perhaps the best reaction to the demand for your attention is simply to reach for the off switch.
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...continue reading: The Off Switch
last updated: 19 June 2020
When most of our written communication is electronic, it might seem strange to think about pens, but there much to commend analog writing, for instance, speed, utility, and permanence. But getting the right writing instrument is not always straightforward.
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...continue reading: The Right Pen
last updated: 11 May 2020
There’s a widely held view that acquiring wealth is a good thing with no downside. And indeed, there is much to be said for the acquisition of wealth. However, there are consequences that flow from having wealth.
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...continue reading: The Consequences of Money and Wealth
last updated: 8 March 2020
The concept of usury is one that has been around for nearly as long as civilization. But why do we still care about it, and why is a fiction writer interested in the notion?
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last updated: 8 February 2020
Have you ever thought about getting yourself a teeny tiny phone? Let me tell you a bit more about these devices.
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...continue reading: Teeny Tiny Phone
last updated: 12 January 2020
Storytelling is something that is known in every culture and has always been a central part of human existence. But what makes it so?
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...continue reading: Why Do We Tell Stories?
last updated: 8 December 2019
At first glance, Baby Driver is an everyday caper movie. But dig a little deeper and it’s a movie worth watching…and watching again.
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...continue reading: Baby Driver
last updated: 7 December 2019
The Irishman is the latest movie from Martin Scorsese. It tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a low-level criminal who rises to positions of power within the Teamsters union and the Bufalino crime family. It is a detailed and complex story crossing the intersection between organized crime, trade unions, and politics. But at its heart, it is a story about family.
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...continue reading: The Irishman
last updated: 8 November 2019
You can find and listen to podcasts on the web. However, an app on your phone and/or tablet may offer features that give a better podcast listening experience.
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...continue reading: How to Listen to Podcasts
last updated: 3 November 2019
UK authors with US earnings will find that these overseas earnings are taxed at source, meaning the author receives less. By filling in a few forms, the author can arrange for payment to be made without the deduction of US tax.
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...continue reading: US Earnings for UK Authors
last updated: 6 September 2019
In The Late Show Michael Connelly introduces us to a new character, Renée Ballard. The novel includes the best of Connelly’s police procedural story telling and overlays the tale with a look at the internal politics of the LAPD. I loved the book; let me tell you why you might enjoy it.
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...continue reading: The Late Show by Michael Connelly
last updated: 5 September 2019
There’s a Napoleon Bonaparte quote: “I know he’s a good general, but is he lucky?” Was Napoleon right? Is there luck—or is luck just a matter of skill and hard work paying off?
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...continue reading: Lucky Generals
last updated: 7 July 2019
Lies are part of our everyday currency. Sometimes we tell untruths with the best of intentions, however, usually our motives are less pure. Whether a lie then matters is a combination of many factors. But how do we think about lies in novels which are, by definition, collections of lies?
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...continue reading: Truth and Lies
last updated: 11 May 2019
Thinking about the choices available and the decisions photographers make when taking a photo can help an author focus more tightly on the aspect of the story they want the reader to see. And by equal measure, by highlighting one aspect to the reader, then another aspect can be understated or hidden.
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...continue reading: Through the Camera Lens
last updated: 28 April 2019
I was recently accused of giving advice. This may seem like a strange thing to bridle against, but there are important issues here—both for the people giving advice and for anyone seeking advice.
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...continue reading: Giving Advice
last updated: 31 March 2019
The Maltese Falcon is seemingly a chase for a valuable statue, but when looked at through the lens of five questions the story can be seen as a quest for justice.
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...continue reading: The Maltese Falcon: Five Questions
last updated: 29 March 2019
On first sight, Chinatown feels like a story about political corruption, corporate greed, and financial shenanigans, but as the story develops it becomes far more about the exercise of personal power. By asking five questions we can get to the central core of the story.
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...continue reading: Chinatown: Five Questions
last updated: 28 March 2019
Crime fiction is wide-ranging genre with many subgenres. The genre can encompass “cops and robbers”, cozies, whodunnits, and beyond to serial killers and psychological thrillers. But the genre can also be a lens through which to view society and to consider social issues.
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...continue reading: Crime Fiction as Social Commentary
last updated: 22 March 2019
There’s a new Netflix documentary: The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The title tells you what you’re going to get. Let me tell you a bit about it before you decide whether to watch.
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...continue reading: The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
last updated: 17 March 2019
When I started writing the Leathan Wilkey series, beyond telling the stories, I was interested to look at two aspects of modern life: first, how an individual survives without many comparatively modern items that we now take for granted, and second, how we ascribe value in our day-to-day lives.
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...continue reading: Money and Value
last updated: 10 March 2019
In Tattoo Your Name on My Heart Boniface finds himself the Surrey Hills. If you want archetypal gentle rolling English hills, near London, then take a look.
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...continue reading: Surrey Hills
last updated: 9 March 2019
Some of the key scenes in Tattoo Your Name on My Heart are set in the old church at Albury. Let me show you round the location that provided the inspiration.
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...continue reading: Albury Old Church
last updated: 27 February 2019
Where Eagles Dare could be mistaken for a straightforward World War II action/adventure movie. Scratch below the surface—and ask five questions—and it’s an espionage piece, looking at who can be trusted, and how you flush out the bad guys.
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...continue reading: Where Eagles Dare: Five Questions
last updated: 9 February 2019
With his latest book, The Fox, Frederick Forsyth jumps into the world of offensive cyber war. But is the book worth a read?
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...continue reading: The Fox by Frederick Forsyth
last updated: 31 January 2019
Many authors approach working with editors from the wrong direction looking to the downsides and not to the benefits that a healthy partnership can bring. Perhaps I can suggest a different way to approach working with an editor.
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...continue reading: Working with an Editor
last updated: 27 January 2019
Devil in a Blue Dress was the first novel by Walter Mosley and features Easy Rawlins, an African American World War II veteran. It is a noir masterpiece pulling together threads of race, friendship and betrayal, and political corruption in the context of post-war America.
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...continue reading: Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
last updated: 26 January 2019
Walter Mosley’s novel Devil in a Blue Dress is a noir masterpiece pulling together threads of race, friendship and betrayal, and political corruption in the context of post-war America. Read the book, then watch the movie—and watch the movie for the electric portrayal of Mouse by Don Cheadle.
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...continue reading: Devil in a Blue Dress: the movie
last updated: 24 January 2019
Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s best known plays. Traditionally, it is viewed as a tragedy, but it could be viewed as a crime story and the interrogated with five questions.
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...continue reading: Five Questions: Macbeth
last updated: 22 January 2019
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley introduces Easy Rawlins, an African American World War II veteran who has just lost his job and needs money to pay his mortgage. By asking five questions we can get to the heart of the story.
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...continue reading: Five Questions: Devil in a Blue Dress
last updated: 10 January 2019
I’m an author which means I spend much of my day editing digital files. As I write, in practice what I’m doing is committing my thoughts to digital files. If my files get lost or damaged, then my work is lost, and so over time I’ve adopted processes to minimize the risk of loss. In developing these processes, my aim has been not simply to be able to recover lost work, but to also ensure I can recover that work without any delay so I can keep working without pause. This is my process.
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...continue reading: Back Up Process
last updated: 7 January 2019
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth was published in 1971. The subsequent movie based on the novel was released in 1973. In the (nearly) fifty years since these releases many have tried to emulate both, but few have bettered the originals. If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, you should rectify that immediately. And if you have read/watched, you’ll understand why both are worth revisiting.
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...continue reading: The Day of the Jackal
last updated: 5 January 2019
The Day of the Jackal is a story about a failed assassination attempt. Five questions can explain the central premise on which the story is built.
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...continue reading: Five Questions: The Day of the Jackal
last updated: 3 December 2018
Behind every book, and woven into every story, is a mix of ideas and influences. If you want to know more about the story behind the story in my books—the ideas, the influences, the characters, the real world events—then start here.
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...continue reading: Behind Every Story
last updated: 1 December 2018
Many people have never heard of the singer-songwriter John Martyn. Let me give you a quick introduction.
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...continue reading: John Martyn
last updated: 21 November 2018
I outline my stories before I begin writing and as part of that process I outline each scene. I have a simple template to put some structure around my thoughts for each scene and to ensure I hit the key points. This note includes my starting point template for scene outlining.
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...continue reading: Scene Outline: Starting Point
last updated: 21 November 2018
As an author, I outline my stories before I begin writing. When I begin to outline, it helps to have a template to put some structure around my thoughts and to work as a framework where I can assess and understand the ideas I’m pushing around. This note includes my starting point template for outlining a book.
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...continue reading: Story Outline: Starting Point
last updated: 21 November 2018
There is much to commend the three act structure, but it can also be too unspecific, and for this reason, I like to break the acts down into smaller more manageable chunks when I think about writing stories.
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...continue reading: Three Act Structure
last updated: 20 November 2018
Categories and tags are applied to Write Once, Then Link posts to classify the content. Here’s an explanation of how categories and tags have been implemented on this site and how they can help you find what you’re looking for.
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...continue reading: Categories and Tags: an Explanation
last updated: 18 November 2018
For the reader, the first scene is literally the first thing they will read after they have committed to trying a book. For an author, this is the point where they have to start delivering on the promise—they need to deliver on the expectations that led the reader to decide that this book would be the next book they read.
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...continue reading: First Scene to Hook the Reader
last updated: 17 November 2018
Many authors use word count as a measure of how much work they have completed. While there are benefits to this approach, focusing at the word count loses sight of the work that is necessary to get the words down. A better approach may be to use the Pomodoro technique and count Pomodoros. Read why this is an approach you should adopt.
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...continue reading: Written Work: Improving the Quantity and the Quality
last updated: 8 November 2018
Killing Eve is the best thing I’ve seen on TV for a while. Let me try and encourage you to watch.
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...continue reading: Killing Eve
last updated: 7 November 2018
The maxim never do today what you can put off until tomorrow probably sounds like the ultimate justification for laziness. In truth, it’s one of the best ways to focus and improve productivity.
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...continue reading: Never Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow
last updated: 25 October 2018
A scene is the basic unit of a story. It is a self-contained element of a story that can exist on its own and is the minimum viable self-contained unit of a story. A novel is—in essence—a series of scenes.
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...continue reading: Scene Basics
last updated: 24 October 2018
Sir Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, astronomer, and physicist who is reputed to have formulated his theory of gravity while watching the fall of an apple. In 1687 he set out his laws of motion. While these laws may have originated from scientific research, they apply equally to storytelling.
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...continue reading: The Physics of Story Telling
last updated: 19 October 2018
There’s a notion about multitasking—it’s touted as a route to efficiency and greater productivity. In reality, it’s one of the most counter-productive approaches to working.
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