Ken Preston's Blog, page 16
March 27, 2015
Jonathan Franzen: e-books are damaging society
I’ve been thinking about this for a little while now. No, not that ebooks are damaging society (Oh the horror, I must throw my Kindle away right now and transcribe my novels onto parchment using quill and ink, before society is irreparably damaged!) but a tangential subject: the difference in writing technique that the computer […]
March 13, 2015
The Myth of the Tortured Genius
It is easy to become enamoured with the idea that creativity and mental ill-health go hand in hand. Van Gogh is practically the poster boy for those who propound the theory that mental illness and creativity are linked. And for some writers, Robin Williams’ tragic suicide underscored the link between the creative mind and depression. […]
February 27, 2015
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Today, I am 54,000 words deep into my current work in progress. The estimated final word count will probably be somewhere around 150,000 to 160,000 words. (I say probably, as the story will tell itself, and decide its own word length.) So, I’m in that middle section, where I am well past the beginning and […]
February 6, 2015
The Problem With My Family Album
Here is a tiny selection of photographs from my family album. The Problem? I haven’t got a single clue who any of these people are. Maybe one day I will create my own family history from these photographs. It couldn’t be any more dramatic than the real one. I’ll tell you about it one day.
January 23, 2015
The Terror
I’d never heard of Dan Simmons before, until I found one of his books in my local second hand bookshop. It was spine out on the shelf, in the Fantasy/Horror/Science fiction section. How these three distinct genres manage to get lumped together in one, I don’t know. Perhaps the fact that Historical Romance has its […]
January 16, 2015
When fuck becomes my favourite word, I know I am in trouble
When fuck becomes my favourite word, I know I am in trouble. Sometimes, it staggers belief for me that I can be surrounded by so many good things, such as family, friends, an interesting, enjoyable, fun filled life, and yet there are some days when I can still wake up feeling so fucking miserable. Of […]
January 9, 2015
Don’t wait for inspiration (or how I increase my word count)
Photo by Alan Cleaver It can be difficult finding the time and the motivation to write, can’t it? I know I struggle some days to sit down in front of the computer and pull words out of thin air. Especially in the evening, when I am tired after a busy day at work, or looking […]
January 1, 2015
New Year’s Resolutions and Goals for 2015
I’m not one for setting New Year’s Resolutions. My eleven year old son takes after me. Every year he tells me that the last New Year’s Resolution he ever made was to never make any more New Year’s Resolutions. And so far he has stuck to it. I’m the same. Except I’m not. Because sometimes […]
December 17, 2014
Christmas Giveaway
Hey, it’s Christmas and I’m suddenly seized by the Christmas Spirit, so I am having a giveaway. If you fancy a copy of my novel, Joe Coffin, a physical paperback copy, signed, then get in touch via the contact form, or message me on Facebook, and give me your address (UK only) and I will […]
Chrsitmas Giveaway
Hey, it’s Christmas and I’m suddenly seized by the Christmas Spirit, so I am having a giveaway. If you fancy a copy of my novel, Joe Coffin, a physical paperback copy, signed, then get in touch via the contact form, … Continue reading →
