The most common error I see as a book editor is incorrectly punctuated dialogue. NO: “Nice to meet you.” She said. YES: “Nice to meet you,” she said. NO: “Likewise.” The editor said. YES: “Likewise,” the editor said. NO: She smiled, “Hi." YES: She smiled. “Hi.” Repost to save a life 😂 #writesky

There is a joke told in Turkey. A prisoner goes to the prison library to ask for a particular book. The librarian says, "We don't have the book -- but we have its author."

Got to be Zelda, I think it's the only franchise that's got a really consistent throughline from childhood to adulthood for me. Obsessed with the NES version as a kid, Ocarina of Time still one of the best game experiences I've ever had, and Breath of the Wild got me back into gaming.

Watched One Battle After Another last night - my first thought on coming out of the cinema was that it was a little over-hyped, and I think that's probably still the case, but I like it more and more every time I think about it, it's growing on me. Well worth a watch.

ICYMI on Tuesday, here's my *new* and *free* short-form summary of what's gone wrong in our universities. This is something of a last word really, because unless the Budget and White Paper do something really radical, the fate of much HE is already sealed. politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

Via @jtcbooks.bsky.social #tonyharrison

'Smile of the Wolf' is on a nice Kindle deal at the moment, at £2.99. Set in 10th century Iceland, it's my frozen western of a novel – a frontier culture of harsh landscapes, bloodfeuds, and revenge, but also of incredibly powerful and passionate friendships. www.amazon.co.uk/Smile-Wolf-T...

I remain obsessed by how much this publicity photo from Spaced looks like every British Xennial's First Houseshare Photo. The poses! The sofa! THE LITTLE BAMBOO TABLE FOR THE LANDLINE WITH SPACE BENEATH FOR THE YELLOW PAGES.

This is so wholesome I don’t know what to do with my face.

Walled gardens, Spitfire flybys, horses.

Super excited for SFSF! if you're Sheffield-adjacent this Saturday, come along and see us natter on about books and nerdy things!

"When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton." Happy Hobbit Day, and happy birthday Bilbo and Frodo! #LOTR

You guys, so many Romance girlies are reading "On Tyranny" that they've broken the Goodreads recommendations algorithm. 10/10; no notes. #romancelandia

Right. My students working two part time jobs and/or having an hour and a half commute to uni because they have to live at home due to the cost of student accommodation lack drive and vigour. Sure thing, Peter. The UK Govt still haven't a clue about the realities of universities today.

Lovely Q&A and reading with the wonderful @anniegarthwaite.bsky.social. Also, I really like this picture, I'm doing a passable impression of an actual grown up.

Ursula K. Le Guin writing "Expand this, describe undertomb more, + labyrinth" to herself in the first draft of The Tombs of Atuan is extremely relatable and really quite magical to see, in a way (I'm in the archive today and it's just as full of wonders as you might think)

Incredible email sign off from my dad. 10/10, no notes.

Here's a good Soviet joke from tehgraun that I hadn't seen before. www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

'Write the book you have secretly been training for your whole life' is how I (perhaps unhelpfully) think about it. Often you end up doing this accidentally, especially in Fantasy - you think you're writing about something very wild & distant & it turns out to be pulled directly from your daily life

Me, responding to basically every piece of news in 2025: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvNA...

ChatGPT was only pretending to write a book? Wow, it really is human.

With alt:

It's a rough time for artists, writers and other creators. If you have the means to do so, consider helping out a creator this weekend. Possibly sign up for their Patreon, or buy a commission, or buy their book. If not, maybe just help spread the word about one of their works. Everything helps.

Love reading about writers complaining about writing, and Dylan Thomas does it particularly well here...

real exercise in both misleading headlining and 'nobody bothered to read the article' here she used chatgpt to generate the responses for the part of the novel *where a character talks to chatgpt.*

There's a funny bit in the Half-Life 2 commentary where they talk about the ways they reward the player for completing a hard level. One is to show a beautiful vista, the other is to have the attractive female sidekick shower you with compliments. We're not very complicated creatures.

'Weapons' is great fun, strong recommend. Tense, spooky, funny, great performances, and doesn't take itself too seriously.

I will believe millions of Brits are on the verge of revolution over immigration when their total rally attendance over the course of 2025 exceeds the 12,500 people who came out to watch a bunch of theatre kids called "Critical Role" play Dungeons and Dragons live at Wembley in 2023.

Unnerving text messages...

DWARF CONTRACTOR: *on the phone* alright so tell me this, BEFORE hand, how greedily were you digging.. uh huh... and how deeply? okay, I don't even need to come out, I can tell ya right now you gotta balrog. I'm gonna be honest with ya, does this mine hold any sentimental value

Ok so googling pictures of the Icelandic króna led me to discover that people abroad buy them to use as fantasy money in nautically themed D&D! Lol!

Winged Skaven causes chaos, yes-yes: share.google/LSlRMtvFoh6m...

I spoke a counterprotestor at the Rotherham riot, and was very struck by how he described the mob gradually building throughout the day, people like the woman in this article turning up with their kids, everyone caught up in the mob violence. Extremely disturbing to witness.

Arcane, The Expanse, The Last of Us, Chernobyl, Watchmen. And Riverdale, obviously.

Lots of good stuff out there, but the main thing that most podcasts (and substacks) demonstrate is how important a good editor is.

Tough call! Probably (in no particular order): A Time of War, Katherine Kerr - a much more serious and complex approach to fantasy characters compared to anything that I'd read up to that point. The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter - inspired me to become a writer in so many different ways.

The two greatest evils known to mankind, A.I. and the person directly in front of you in line at the post office, have finally teamed up. We’re done.

Every piece of Montane clothing I've bought has seemed to be essentially invincible.

First recorded use of 'fuck' - research is fun sometimes... www.medievalists.net/2023/08/earl...

Gorgeous bit of writing from the Cadfael books...

Extraordinary story (and looks like very good investigative journalism to put it all together). observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

I love narrative rules in general, and these ones in particular.

Yeah. Because if there’s one thing publishing is short of, it’s fucking books.

I know writers at the top of their game who are winning awards and who are on the fancy display tables in bookshop chains. These people still have day jobs. Writing money isn't quitting money, it's a nice extra that makes it easier to fix the washing machine.

Also because of the nature of publishing, you have no idea what will be going on in the world when your book comes out. Like I had no idea The Infinite and The Divine was going to release during covid, and I’m convinced it was successful partly because people needed something more light and goofy.

It amazes me that all this is debatable.