Our votes have become valueless. The rich have figured out how to game the system. There’s one thing we can do though…

Writing Tip #8 - exclamation marks are the devil’s work. They are the literary equivalent of a cymbal clash, or canned laughter. You’re better than that. :)

Another train strike. Annoying yes, but in it takes two sides to form a dispute. Why is it that management makes ‘offers’ while unions make ‘demands’. Language is everything.

Remind yourself… it was unions that won you 2 weeks paid leave a year, bank holidays, weekends off, paternity cover, sick.

Writing tip #7: a good story can be measurable on a graph. If x axis is timeline, y axis is ‘tension’. Provided there’s plenty of movement on Y (up or down, it’s not the direction that counts… it’s the amount of motion)… you’re good. :)

Writing tip #6 - it’s actually not about the plot, it’s about the characters. The plot is just there to get bums on seats/to give you some back-cover blurb.

Writing tip #5 - write to a point that excites you before quitting for the day. That way, you’ll be fired up for the next day’s session

Writing tip #4 - No Prologue!!! (Zzzz) If it’s fantasy/scifi… honestly, you can drip feed that stuff into the chapters while, you know, something is actually happening.

AI art from 3 years ago. Can you guess who it is? 😂

Writing Tip #3 - know your ending before you start, that way your book/play/film has a consistent direction of travel. (Also… allows you to place some tasty Easter eggs along th way :)

Writing Tip #2: comedy is
Like sugar… the more you add the less you can taste. It’s all about contrast/context. One well-deployed mediocre gag is worth a steady stream of better gags. One mediocre gag in the middle of tension… even better! (Something Tarantino does VERY well).

Writing Tips #1 - (more of a bugbear) for Gawd’s sake, DONT give character names that flag-up they’re good/bad! I’m pretty sure Mrs Malfoy didn’t look at her lovely baby boy and think ‘hmm…need an evil-sounding name oh, I know.. Draco!’ Or Mrs Vader, Mrs Wormtongue, Mrs Lector, Mrs Voldemort etc

DCI BOYD book 12 - ‘The Fool’ 60% done! Hoping to release in Feb/April ‘25

God help us all. The impact of Trumps win is already here. Putin is emboldened. He must be infinitely less worried about a Nuclear first strike in Europe knowing his pet poodle will be installed in January.

I’m going to be far more chatty here than I was on X. Nicer folks here. Plus this is where future news on TimeRiders will come from (and there will be… plus news on Ellie Quin coming in 2025)

Late arriving at this party. Glad to be out of Musk’s propaganda tool. Bio - author of British crime series ‘DCI Boyd’, YA series ‘TimeRiders’.

www.amazon.com/s?k=Alex+sca...

Left-leaning politically (my books being trolled by Trumpies). Looking to connect with folks who’ve taken the blue pill.