Category: On Writing

Why You Don’t Like Rebel Moon

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Dan Brown published his The Da Vinci Code in 2003. Many people found it a thrilling page-turner. Fast-paced plot? Yep. Code-breaking puzzles? You bet. Art, religion, and conspiracy? In there too. It became a best-seller, spawning a Hollywood adaptation starring Tom Hanks. In 1965, Frank Herbert published Dune. It was arguably both groundbreaking and intricate, with McMassive world-building, political intrigue, and (well before we woke up to the need) eco-warrior themes. It’s regarded as a classic, also cranking out a (fucken superb) Hollywood adaptation (in three parts, two of which we’re still waiting for, Denis!). Blade Runner, one of my all-time favourite cyberpunk movies, and arguably what started me on the path to write Chromed: Upgrade, hit the streets in 1982. It’s a Ridley Scott masterpiece, with deeply thought-provoking and often disturbing themes, dystopian atmosphere, and (lest we forget) Harrison Read More …

ProWritingAid: Much Awesome

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I’m not sure I’ve mentioned how much I dig ProWritingAid. It’s a service like Grammarly, but has the opportunity to get it as a subscription or perpetual license (and we know my love for perpetual licensing). Mary let me know they’ve upgraded the perpetual license to include AI critiques, so I ran it over a chunk of The Copper Bard. What’s kind of useful about these tools is the “I don’t care about your ego” style of response. The machine on the other side of the analysis isn’t concerned with how I feel; it just helps make the story to be better. Points 1 & 3 of Potential Improvements components are addressed elsewhere in the book. Point 2 is difficult in the selected chapter because Tarragon is alone, in an underground dungeon, and all the people she might have dialogue Read More …

Ochre vs Gold

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The Splintered Land stories started with Geneve’s quest to save the world, which (spoilers!) she managed with great success! There was a cost, which sucked, but we’re now re-visiting the same world sixteen years later to see whether it was worth it. The bedrock of the Splintered Land are its people. We met four main races in the original trilogy. Part of my exploration with the story is persecution and xenophobia. The long-lived People, for example, are better at just about everything, which put them on the firing line from, well, just about everyone. You’d think a species on the sharp end of discrimination would understand it well enough to not practice that bullshit, but no. I explore some of this in the upcoming trilogy (starting with The Copper Bard). A returning character from The Splintered Land is Sight of Read More …

Morgan, the Raven Queen of Or'sen, sitting on a throne. Two giant ravens appear as wings behind her.

The Triumph of Uniqueness

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Geneve’s original trilogy (starting with Blade of Glass) was built on the idea that we are better when we work together. I’d penned the series when I noticed the dark trend of social and regular media megacorps juicing us together just to get the clicks. Her story was set in a world much like ours, and not too far in the future. We couldn’t stop hating each other, and so everyone died. Why she and her fellow Tresward Knights survived was because they are absolute badasses. The whole trilogy is a collection of badassery, where people can summon the power of the gods through perfect sword strikes, or a broken-down illusionist can change reality if he’s willing to put it all on the line (yes, Meriwether, I’m looking at you). My upcoming trilogy (starting with The Copper Bard) is still Read More …

The Things Editing Teaches You, version 274

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I’ve got a new trilogy coming out soon*, which means I’ve been in the editing house of horror. My friend Cassie and I used to have divergent views on editing, where her position was, “Editing makes the book better!” and my position was, “I’d rather sand my hands than edit.” She is, as it happens, correct 🤣 My normal editing process involves a read-through, then a read-aloud. I’m looking to extend the read-aloud into the audiobook edition of the book, but the base minimum is to get the machine to read the manuscript for me. After this it gets farmed out to beta readers, then the editor. Here’s what I’ve learned this time: If this post amused you, consider hopping on my mailing list, where you’ll no doubt here hear more about my failings as a writer in the weeks Read More …

FIGHT: Vellum vs. Atticus vs. Scrivener

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There’s been a little bit of disruption in the “writer’s tools” market recently. I see a lot of questions online about which tool is the best, and having spent my time in the various saddles, I thought I’d break down which I think is best. TL;DR: Wait, I thought this was about Vellum, Atticus, and Scrivener… WTAF are the other tools for? Good catch. Let’s consider writing as workflow. For example, your workflow might start with an idea, then an outline or timeline, a draft, editing, and finally production. I’ll focus on Vellum, Atticus, and Scrivener here, but my workflow relies on a good notes app, and a great timeline tool. Unless you can keep a word bible in your skull, you’ll need a notes app. If you’re an outline (rather than discovery) writer, you will benefit from a timeline/plot Read More …

Bookshine Reviews Blade of Glass

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And Steph liked it! “Richard Parry’s worldbuilding and plot are superb here, but what really stood out for me above everything else was his knack with characters. The dialogue exchanges are natural and witty, and you get a real sense for each individual character, their growth and the depth of the connections they forge as the story progresses. Even the horses have their own personalities and moments to shine – although not so much that they steal the show or disrupt the main plot. In addition to the classic fantasy tropes of good vs. evil and racing to find ‘the thing’, Parry has mixed in some interesting moral dynamics about corruption and perfection, dark and light, and who decides who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. I love the races of ‘others’ introduced here – the Read More …

On Existential Angst

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Steph over at Bookshine allowed me to sully her blog with a topic near and dear to me after editing The Splintered Land. You can find it here: [Writer Angst 101: Continuity] If you like what you see on this site, maybe join my mailing list or become a patron!