Dirk Flinthart's Blog, page 9

Why I Write

All right. I got tagged by the redoubtable Toni Fish (from her blog, over here) in what she’s calling a “Blog Hop”. There weren’t a lot of instructions, but there was a title (see above!) and guessing from the structure of Toni’s post, there were some questions I’m supposed to answer. I’ve written 3000 words […]

Review: “Bound” by Alan Baxter

One of the oldest adages in the world of writing fiction is “Write What You Know”. It may not be a perfect formula, but it’s a bloody good place to start, and it’s served Alan Baxter well with his new novel Bound, the first in a series about protagonist Alex Caine, from Harper Voyager.  Caine […]

Desperate Stuff — A Technical Solution To Two Pressing Problems

Most of you will know I’ve been concerned about human-driven climate change for a long time. Decades, as a matter of fact. (Yes. The facts have been around that long. Longer, really.)  I live in Tasmania precisely because when my wife decided we should have kids, I figured Queensland was likely to be hit harder […]

On The Meaning Of Silence

Does silence actually have a meaning? I don’t know. But around here, it means that I’m busy. Working. Working hard. I’d like to blog more, but quite honestly most of my life is personal trivia. Do you really want to know that I’m preparing a version of oxtail soup tonight, so my wife can heat […]

Short Story: “Dietary Restrictions”

“Why aren’t you dead?” The Count looked at the object protruding from his chest. “Stake, not steak, you fool.” Van Helsing frowned. “As in ‘wooden stake’?” “Precisely.” Fangs gleamed whitely. “Good thing I’m vegetarian,” said Van Helsing. The Count’s eyes widened…”Textured Vegetable Protein?” “The same.” “Damna…” The Count crumbled to ash, his words vanishing into […]

Review: Constantine — The TV Series Pilot

      Oooh, where to start? Okay — first, let me introduce John Constantine. He’s a DC character (the same imprint which stables Batman, Superman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman and a bunch of other underpants-wearing types) created originally by Alan Moore as a support figure during Moore’s critically-acclaimed run on the Swamp […]

It Isn’t Easy Being Green

We won one today. A very important decision from UNESCO rejected the Abbott government’s efforts to rip up a hard-fought agreement between the Tasmanian forestry industry and a range of environmentally concerned groups including tourism operators, conservationists, and communities identifying as aboriginal. A couple of years back some 74,000 hectares of forest were added to […]

Continuum X and an anthology appearance

I get a kick out of science fiction conventions. I mention this because I’ve just come from a packed weekend in Melbourne, where I attended Continuum X along with my eldest kid, Jake. Unfortunately for him, Jake has inherited the full raft of writer genes: he loves storytelling, he has the knack for narrative, and […]

Men, Women, Violence, Ethics, And The Danger Of A Double Standard

As a child and a young man, I was a victim of violence. I was a clever kid with a funny accent, and in Far North Queensland that made me a fair target, apparently. It was bad enough when I reached high school that I had something of a breakdown (after three months of consistent death […]

Language And Thought: How The Words They Use Control Your Mind

In the world of magic, there’s a concept known as “the force”. It has nothing to do with light-sabres and small green muppets. In fact, it’s the means by which a stage magician or mentalist seems to give you a choice, but ensures that the choice you make is the one she wants. The simplest […]