If you haven’t already, now is a really good time to stock up on history books that speak true history, first accounts, diverse voices, etc., especially if you have kids in school.

Had a really interesting call with a client, an hour trying to pin down a single sentence slogan. We're not there yet, but this sort of work, talking about rhythm, meaning, & context, digging deep into words & how they work, is what makes even business writing fun sometimes. Sometimes.

I have a dystopian love story in the new Interzone, that I co-wrote with @ashleystokes.bluesky.com, about how tech-culture can go horribly wrong! shop.interzone.press/b/E76yw

Unsolicited writing advice, no.555: Your voice is an expression of your identity, your culture, your range, your imagination, your experience. Not every reader will like it or connect with it, but it’s the only voice you have, and it matters.

Woke up to a nip in the air. Season is turning, perfect timing for this contributor's copy of the Absolute Zero anthology to arrive! If you're up for a collection of genuine chills, you can grab yours at: deadskypublishing.com/portfolio-it...

# 231- Tej Turner (@tejturner.com), author of the 'Avatars of Ruin' series, showcases an excerpt from his work in this Showcase episode. Listen here: pod.link/1524142040/e... Tej's Linktree: tejturner.com #author #fantasy #interview

I love the fact that people are still writing about SimCity 2000. arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/...

Each morning , I remind myself that this is a beautiful planet and I contemplate how we must fight against the ugly minds that have so much power and so little imagination or empathy Robinince.com

Today's writing features fitness, education, & yet more murder. Whether this all counts as self-improvement may depend upon the victim.

Red Country is a rugged, but marvelous, work, and I can’t recommend it enough for fans of the western genre.

Long, fascinating, and uplifting thread. I'm really glad I saw this 🙂

Past halfway through Some Desperate Glory thanks to today's travel, & I can see why it won the Hugo. There are some staggering twists and turns, brilliantly executed, with strong characterisation throughout.

A horror movie about the British class system called Upscares, Downscares

saying that a certain group of voters "made" the Democrats lose by refusing to vote for them is like saying someone would be a winning tennis player if the ball didn't move around in so many directions

The debate around what is or isn’t “cancel culture” really just obscures a simple truth that it’s BAD to be massively racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic and it’s GOOD to speak out against injustice. Some things are good and some things are bad and it’s okay to say which you think are which.

It's fun when you say something on a panel and your fellow writers go 'ooh, I like that'. We were discussing tropes and I said awareness of the classic story elements matters because we grow up with them so they influence us subconsciously. 'Tropes are the background radiation of our creativity.'

Want to know more about sff writing & publishing? Join me, @keithwdickinson.bsky.social, @emmasternerradley.bsky.social & @northodoxpress.bsky.social at Urmston Books on 22 October for an evening discussing paths to publication, courtesy of @alethearlyons.bsky.social & @britfantasysoc.bsky.social

A lovely write-up of their week which includes: A reminder of The Scour by Richard Swan (a prequel novella) Writing The Magic hasn’t been dispatched yet Slow Gods is one to look forward to And an answer to Why Anthologies? Plus lots of other temptations and insights.

We will be attending the brilliant Edge-Lit book and writing festival in Derby today, so it seems the perfect time to shout out to our speculative fiction! share.google/DmcOrUK2MMrZ... We are doing the submissions workshop at 4. See you there!

Spidermug, Spidermug, Does whatever a spider does. Off to Edge-Lit for the day, Hear what authors have to say. Look out, here comes Spidermug!

Any SFF fans in the Brighton (and wider Sussex) area, we're bringing back the Brighton Speculative Fiction Club for an informal get-together this coming Wednesday 24th at the Caxton Arms, 7pm. Let us know if you want to join us! Or just turn up – though it's useful to get numbers to reserve seats.

NAP COMIX! #320 If you've been enjoying these silly comics *pretty please* consider signing up for the NAP COMIX Kickstarter: tinyurl.com/napcomixks It's free to sign up with no obligation. Getting folks signed up really helps with visibility when I launch the project :) Thank you! xxx

It's release day for the epic new fantasy novel, The Darkest Tide by the hugely talented Jane Dougherty! Unsure whether to risk diving in? Why not check out this short story from the world of Ys and see if it whets your appetite for adventure... www.northodox.co.uk/post/marriag...

Reading this on loop today.

This looks very much like your jam @north5.bsky.social (and mine, or I wouldn't have paid attention)

Went climbing this morning. I'm still not in great shape for this, which may explain why today's chapter ended with my protagonist full of aches and pains. After all, write what you know.

As happens with every. Single. Pilot. Program. That ever looks at anything akin to UBI, it is cheaper to just straight up help people get to a modest financial baseline than to deal with the outcomes of not helping people in poverty. It’s not news until we deploy it at scale.

ICYMI the latest episode of Starship Alexandria is live, in which @aptshadow.bsky.social and I discuss the movie Battle Beyond The Stars. starshipalexandria.com/episode-6-ba... It's a cosy, nerdy chat, with zero stakes and lots of laughter. I hope it helps to give respite and comfort x

🐉 RELEASE DAY 🐉 The Darkest Tide by the incredible Jane Dougherty is available everywhere now! Order your copy of this deeply engrossing epic fantasy novel here and uncover the mystery of the world of Ys. Who knows what lurks below the depths... www.northodox.co.uk/product-page...

As a society, the one thing we were totally unprepared for was annoying leftists being right.

Reading through notes from old con panels, I found @stewarthotston.com saying all economists are fantasy writers, because they assume we're rational actors trying to maximise utility. Having met heterodox economists since, I fell a small "not all economists", but the message still rings true.

Yeah so DC pulling books and Kimmel getting canned all have individuals at the center of them who need our support, but this also strikes me as collective punishment. There are so many jobs all around those folks that have been pulled out from under the people on their projects. That sucks.

Today's writing is full of signs of the apocalypse - earthquakes, buildings fall, insects swarming across the land. Of course, it's easy for someone to spot the omens when they're been arranging them.

Battle Beyond the Stars! My recommendation to Emma for this month's Starship Alexandria. Did she like it? Only one way to find out! (No, not "Fight!")

Wrote two whole chapters yesterday, & the same today. Haven't been this productive on my own project in a while, & it means that the PoV voice stays clear in my head, which makes each extra day's results better. Also, she beat up some idiots today, which was cathartic.

Not every story or book you write can be a banger, but that doesn't mean you stop writing because some had a better reception than others. Art is a journey discovering what makes you tick as a human. I see no point in calling done on writing unless you find something else you prefer doing.

It's #BookQW and the word is 'idea'. In Daughters of Nicnevin, Mairead and Constance use magic to subtly influence men from the Black Watch. Out 11th November, pre-order now: www.flametreepublishing.com/daughters-of...

Northern folk - you should get on this - RJ’s agency is too notch.

Yes! Working on this book is one of my biggest humble-brags, and I'm so pleased other people are finding it worthy of awards lists 😍

It is Book Quote Wednesday and the word is 'idea'. In, Of the Emperor's Kindness by Chaz Brenchley, Malance is struggling to come to terms with her new appointment. Pre-orders open: wizardstowerpress.co...

Today's writing explores cultish behaviour & the moment when social tensions break into violence. Got lots of good material for this one from Montell's Cultish & Ocker's Cult Following, which made for unsettling & fascinating reading.

That thing where you start extra tasks so you can carry on listening to the audiobook, then take it through to the kitchen while you make tea because you need to find out how it ends. Which book? Forged for Destiny by @aknighton.bsky.social - it’s a cracker.

The BFS is excited to announce we’re returning to Urmston Books to talk all things publishing. Wednesday 22nd October, 7pm (BST). Ticket: tinyurl.com/bfsurm Author/publisher Q&A plus book signings after the panel. @aknighton.bsky.social @keithwdickinson.bsky.social @alethearlyons.bsky.social

Want to know more about sff writing & publishing? Join me, @keithwdickinson.bsky.social, @emmasternerradley.bsky.social & @northodoxpress.bsky.social at Urmston Books on 22 October for an evening discussing paths to publication, courtesy of @alethearlyons.bsky.social & @britfantasysoc.bsky.social

Do you want to come hear about (and possibly talk about) the varied ways to publish an SFF book according to some seasoned authors and publishers? Then join us this October! @aknighton.bsky.social @keithwdickinson.bsky.social @alethearlyons.bsky.social

Taking a brief break from Milford Critique Week (where I'm having a fab time at the wonderful Gladstone's Library @gladlib.bsky.social) to celebrate the #bookrelease of my #solarpunk short story collection "Futures to Live By" by Newcon Press 🌻 www.newconpress.co.uk/info/book.as...

Out today from @titanbooks.bsky.social: 32 stories from the past 20 years, and one question: who will YOU save?

Just thinking about stuff. From a negative in my collection, no info/date.

Today's writing features false prophets & angry wyverns. Neither of them looks pleased with the world, but one of them is more likely to bite your head off.