All is not quiet in the world of The Bell Forging Cycle, and I’m not talking about any recent Old Haunts or Quiet Corners. Although… Continue reading → Some Progress!| K. M. Alexander
There are two ways to look at my writing process over the last month and a half. One: Damn you write slow! Or two: Damn you racked up twenty thousand words (and a healthy outline) on the same project! I find one of these statements to be more encouraging than the other one.| Icarus Above Dark Earth--the science fiction of Michael Ramalia
Plus, what Labour can learn from South Korea, Richard Osman and Marina Hyde on the Edinburgh Fringe, and an update on Grabbity’s health. Hi there, We’re having another one of those melty days as I write this, so I’ve moved down to the lounge where it is cooler and am now surrounded by cats who […]| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus genre hopping, top UK streamers, the ‘nivali’ mystery, and a fresh-faced Grabbity. Hi there, When I was a kid, my Dad defined summer as “Three sunny days and a thunderstorm”, and this week appears to be cleaving to that| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus some more publishing industry angst and a detailed rebuttal. Hi there, At the end of the last newsletter, I promised to share my excess links on Substack Notes or Bluesky. Well, that was two weeks ago, and I’m afraid I got a bit busy. That’s probably a good thing, because I was so busy that I’ve […]| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus audiobook news, Colleen Hoover’s writer’s block, SFF book length advice, and the state of British TV. Hi there, I’ve got a veritable smorgasbord of links for you today, so I’m breaking away from my usual newsletter format and where I’ve| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus Fieldwork progress, character creation, and a sleepy Copurrnicus. Hi there, It was a long weekend here in the UK, which was much needed. It’s been really drab and rainy for a long time, and so dismal I’ve even had my SAD lamp on to lift the mood a bit. In May. I’m hoping that […]| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus inside the Met’s book conservation lab, lots of AI news, and another rejection is balanced out by starting my Script in Eight Weeks course. Hi there, Suw’s News: Another rejection and a course started The rejection emails from Discoveries 2024 arrived in inboxes, including mine, late last week. Whilst rejection is never a surprise, […]| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus the state of UK TV, the power of curation and an early morning Grabbity. Hi there, The rain has finally stopped, the sun is trying to come out, the pigeons are ‘courting’ on the flat roof above my desk, freaking Copurrnicus right out with their noise, and I am feeling loquacious! So this issues […]| Chocolate and Vodka
Plus the London Festival of Writing, Coyote vs Acme, and Copurrnicus being Copurrnicus. Hi there, Catch up with Dr Dean Burnett If you missed last week’s webinar with bestselling author Dr Dean Burnett, you can now catch up with the| Chocolate and Vodka
In days of yore, the accepted rule for estimating word count was 250 words per manuscript page. Is that still the case today? If not, how should it be done instead?| Proper Manuscript Format
For the past three months, I’ve been working on an R&R for an agent. In part this has been to improve my novel’s wordcount.| A Frame Around Infinity