

The Legend of Hereward: A Review
I just finished reading Mike Ripley’s book The Legend of Hereward and I’m pleased to say that, after a slow start, it was exactly what I...


Marvels: Letters from an Elder, Part 13
Letter # 9, October 23rd, 1948 Let us assume, then, that over a period of time, you have been able to establish a point of stillness,...

Learn what a story really is...
Learn: • what a story really is • what it is actually doing to and for you and other readers ​ • the magnetic power that attracts readers...

The Quality of Faerie
From a blog article I wrote over five years ago: In 1975, my English teacher, one Mr. Sweeting, came up with the idea of a reading list...


Marvels: Letters from an Elder, Part 12
Letter # 8 September 7th, 1948 I can see that the swimming analogy has resonated with you. To recollect, then: we are talking about the...


Marvels: Letters from an Elder, Part 11
Letter # 7 August 22nd, 1948 I see that the swimming analogy has made an impression, so let me pursue it further. Think of the mortal...

Learn what a story really is...
Learn: • what a story really is • what it is actually doing to and for you and other readers ​ • the magnetic power that attracts readers...


The Perfect Companion Arc of Sarah Jane Smith
In honour of Elisabeth Sladen, who passed away ten years ago last month, a blog item I wrote almost six years ago... For me, the Golden...


Marvels: Letters from an Elder, Part 10
Letter of 19th July, 1948 Imagine a baby in a womb: it thinks that ‘Life’ is all about the warm, ever-present interchange of substances...


Marvels: Letters from an Elder, Part 9
Letter # 6, July 1st 1948 I am glad that our correspondence has resulted in a change in your habits, however small you may consider those...