Note to self

I would rather be confused for ten minutes than bored for five.
— Jimmy McGovern (TV writer)

Writer 1.0

'To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so.' Robert Orben

Human Nature reviews

The reviews of Human Nature are starting to come in now. Following on from the one that appeared in Death Ray magazine, there's one in this month's SFX magazine and on Graeme's Fantasy Book Review.

I particularly like the line in the SFX review which says, 'As usual, author Jonathan Green gets mileage out of his monsters, with big action set-pieces that read like Things We'd Like to See in a rip-roaring summer movie if the creature effects were good enough.'

If you'd like to read the whole review for yourself, you need to pick up a copy of the March 2009 edition.

Thought for the day...

I found this over at Steve Parker's blog. It's a quote is from E.L. Doctorow, the American author and editor, and it sums up the whole writing experience (which I think applies particularly well to novel writing):

It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

Safe driving!

A world without words

Surely a world without words would be the worst thing a writer could imagine, his stock in trade stolen from him; that which gives him pleasure and purpose denied him. So, imagine how Sir Terry Pratchett feels right now, having been diagnosed with PCA, a form of Alzheimer's Disease for which there is (currently) no cure.

Having heard about Sir Terry's condition on the news some months ago I was one of millions who sat down to watch the first part of Terry Pratchett: Living with Alzheimer's, on BBC2 last week. Not only was it a fascinating - learning more about the illness - and moving programme - the moment when after a long day the author tried reading from his new book in front of a crowd of dedicated fans - but it also gave an insight into another writer's world - all the Discworld paraphernalia cluttering his office with its six screens ('Because there isn't room for eight!') and the whole publicity machine of which Sir Terry is a part.

The part that really made me smile, though, was when Sir Terry's wife and assistant went through a list of symptoms of dementia and came to the conclusion that the list actually described a writer, so how could they tell the difference?

Part 2 is on tonight, BBC 2 at 9.00pm. If you missed Part 1, you can watch it again here. To find out more about this programme click here.

More news from Abaddon

More news from Abaddon Books regarding the first releases from Rebellion's publishing imprint for 2009. Two Pax Britannia novels get a mention, Human Nature (which is out now) and Evolution Expects (due in May). Read all about it here.