Martyn V. Halm's Blog, page 3

Typecast: My Royal FP – Steampunk

[image error]Press the magic button and the machine opens to reveal its innnards… [image error] [image error]1957 Royal FPS with Ransmeyer-Rodrian Imperial Elite typeface
[image error] [image error]Most FP serial numbers end with E for Elite or P for Pica, but this one had S for Special! [image error] [image error]Close up of the typeslug with 84 and the Rodrian symbol I initially mistook for Royal. [image error] [image error]

Typewriter Pad Alternative

One thing that annoys most current typewriter enthusiasts is the availability of typewriter accessories, or rather, the lack thereof.

Tipp-Ex white-out paper and correction fluid is virtually impossible to find, silk black/red ink ribbons have to ordered at the office supply store (because they rarely stock them), typewriter erasers are thin on the ground, and — of course — typewriter pads have gone the way of the dinosaur.

Typewriter pads serve multiple functions at the same time. They prote...

What Typewriter Should I Get?

Since readers know that I type drafts on manual typewriters, I regularly get questions about what typewriter to get. I enjoy manual (mechanical, non-electric/electronic) typewriters, so I decided to write a post on Quora that I decided to post here as well.

If you don’t own a manual typewriter yet, but want to get into writing on typewriters, don’t go for a pre-war machine like this gorgeous 1938 Erika ‘S’:

“Why not? It’s pulling at my heartstrings!”

Yes, I know. That’s why I collect these m...

Writing: “The Biggest Mistakes Writing Your First Book?”

My Biggest Mistake Was Writing A Book.

Although I should qualify that statement: my mistake was attempting to write a book from start to finish, in reading order, from page 1 to 500. I started with the opening chapter, I wrote every chapter in sequence, I edited it while I wrote, I bumped into obstacles that totally destroyed the pace, I kept pounding my head against the walls of the scenes that just wouldn’t come out of my mind, I got stuck in frustration on finishing an unwilling chapter be...

WRITING: “Why is writing frustrating for some and fun for others?”

Aptitude.

I don’t recognise myself in the ‘struggles’ of my peers, who complain about blocks or not knowing what to write, or the arduous task of editing. I also don’t get bored or disgusted with re-reading my own work for the umpteenth time.

I’m convinced that just because you want to do something, it doesn’t mean you will be good at it. Not everyone has aptitude for writing. Face it, if it was actually that easy, then everybody could be a writer. And despite what people might say to encoura...

WRITING: “Writing Fiction Is Easy”

If you ever want to piss off an author, tell them: If I had the time, I could write a book. Easily. Anybody can write. I used to write essays and stuff. I have tons of ideas. My life is very interesting, I could fill a book with just my experiences. Well, if these people ever found the time, they would realise that writing a book is not just about having the time to sit down and write. If you can write a thousand words a day, and your book is a hundred thousand words (like my books typical...

WRITING: Outliner or Pantser?

“ Do you outline your novels beforehand, or allow the story to take you where it wants to go?”

Popular opinion tends to divide Novelists into two camps: the Outliners and the Pantsers.

The Outliners are this anal bunch who take an almost mathematical approach to the novel, writing down the number of chapters and a synopsis of exactly what will happen to whom in what order. And they rigidly adhere to their Holy Outline, or Hell and Damnation will follow them into a pauper’s grave. The Pantsers...

SHARING: Nica’s Art

Having children is one of the great joys of my life. I don’t share too much about them on this blog (I hope), but I have shared the story below in an answer on Quora concerning when a child can be considered a ‘creative genius’. I think my five-year old daughter Nica shows considerable talent, but I’d hesitate to call her a genius or even gifted. Nevertheless, the response on Quora to my answer was huge (28,000 views and 120 upvotes), even getting comments frompeople interested in buying her...

WRITING: “Why Would You Spend So Much Time Writing?”

Because the words will kill you if you don’t.

Unexpressed stories tend to eat you from the inside until all that’s left is a withered husk. And you won’t get back your vitality.

You see all those old people, desperate to tell you their unwritten stories? That’s because they looked in the mirror and saw the words clawing to get out, tearing at their flesh from the inside, gnawing at their muscles until they became too weak to stand without assistance, and sucking the moisture from their skin u...

Writing: “How do I write fiction about things I haven’t experienced?”

Too many would-be writers allow themselves to be held back by ‘rules’ like ‘Write about what you know’.

If authors would only write about things they’ve experienced, there would be no science fiction; authors would only write from the perspective of characters of their own gender, race, and age or younger; there would be no books from the perspectives of rabbits (like Watership Down) or other animals; all books would be set in the same location the authors have lived in; all novels would feat...