Short and Sweet

January 15, 2014
The chocolates might all have been eaten and the decorations have gone back in their box, but I've still been enjoying plenty of sparkle and the sweet taste of success. That's because I've received The Binnacle Ultra-shorts 10th Edition. Not only is it exciting to read my work in it, but there are 56 other works to enjoy.
My favourites are 'Hoopty Time Machine' by Christopher DeWan, which one the prize for best prose, and 'In the Parking Lot' by Wayne Scheer. Despite the 150 words restriction they're complete stories with beginnings, middles and satisfying ends, and are beautifully evocative. The edition includes happy tales, sad ones, thrilling ones–in fact, something for everyone. Check it out for yourself at http://www.umm.maine.edu/binnacle.
The closing date for this year's Binnacle Ultra-Shorts is not until 15th March. It costs nothing to enter, so why not have a go?

Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions 

 

A New Regime

January 6, 2014
Recent tests using MRI scans show that when people read novels different parts of the brain are activated according to what's happening in the book. If the protagonsit is engaged in a chase, the same parts of a reader's brain become active, as if they were also physically taking part i.e. they live the book. This comes as no surprise to those of us who like little more than to immerse ourselves in an exciting story, but it's good to have scientific proof.
Now, instead of going to a gym I shal...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Hobbitses

December 31, 2013
I went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug last week. I'd love to give it five stars, but the truth is that the jury is still out, much as it was after the first film. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not read the book. Some things seem to have been changed/excluded for no good reason. Other things seem to have been added for the sake of it, and some of these were illogical. However, this is not the end of the story, and the final film might show that Peter Jackson's right an...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews 

 

More Expectations Confounded

December 22, 2013
If I wanted to watch a film that was the absolute opposite of Gravity, I found it in Philomena. There was not a 3D effect or explosion in the whole thing. What it did have were some fine performances and annoying reactions from the audience.
The problem was that many people clearly thought anything Steve Coogan says has to be funny. He not only appeared in the film but also wrote the script, which did have some witty lines and light moments. However, some people were clearly expecting Philom...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews 

 

My New Favourite Number–Eleven

December 15, 2013
This week I was privileged to be invited to give a talk about being a writer to a school reading group of around 20 11-year-olds. I alternated between excitement and terror beforehand. It's a long time since I was 11, and I was unsure of the right level at which to pitch what I said. I was also conscious that most of my audience wouldn't have met an author before and might be expecting someone far more witty and glamorous than me. If I disappointed them, I might turn them off writing forever....
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Not So Great Expectations

December 9, 2013
I'm not generally hugely impressed by 3D films. Either the 3D is used as a gimmick (Duck! There's a hammer flying out of the screen towards you!), which usually means that the script is weak, or you're so engrossed in the story that you don't notice them, so what's the point? However, I have discovered an exception: Gravity. Okay, the two stars (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) are capable of far more, and there wasn't much story, but the 3D effects really conveyed the strangeness of space,...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews 

 

Still Smiling

December 1, 2013
I seem to have spent most of the past week uploading versions of Discord's Child with its super-duper new cover, and letting everyone I can think of know about it. The reaction has been brilliant and I'm truly grateful to everyone who has taken the trouble to let me know their thoughts. I'm still tempted to keep looking at it, but it's really time I got on with some writing otherwise Ro will have grey hair before I finish her story. Sorry, guys, no more time to chat, I have a band of Iyessi a...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : FantasyFiction 

 

A New Beginning

November 26, 2013
At last I have a brilliant new cover for Discord's Child, and I can't say loudly enough how thrilled I am with it. My own previous effort made the novel look amateurish.
The new design is the work of Katie Stewart at Magic Owl Design, and it's spot on. Despite being a pre-made, it features several important features of the story, and captures its atmosphere as if I'd given Katie a detailed brief. She was a joy to deal with, and I have no hesitation in recommending her services to anyone want...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Yes, Seriously

November 17, 2013
If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, you need to act like an author. That doesn't mean donning a cravat or reciting poetry in the pub when you've had a few. It means having the attitude of a writer. If you don't value what you do and believe it's a justifiable occupation, no one else is going to. Drop your writing every time someone wants a chat on the phone or wants your help with their pet project, and not only will you never finish it, but everyone will regard what you do as 'a n...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Stuck in the Mud

November 3, 2013
Mud, mud, glorious mud... whatever Flanders and Swann sang about mud, it isn't all that glorious when your characters have been ankle deep in it for days only to get even more seriously bogged down in a city full of potential enemies. The trouble is, I thought I knew exactly how they were going to get out of this fix until I came to write it and realised that it simply wouldn't work. So much for plotting in advance! It looks as if I might have to backtrack, and get them all wading through the...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 
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About Me


My writing career began as a freelance feature writer for the local press, businesses and organisations. Now a prize-winning playwright and short story writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic. I write as K. S. Dearsley because it saves having to keep repeating my forename, and specialise in fantasy and other speculative genres.

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