Russell Kirkpatrick's Blog, page 5

Road Rage II

Yesterday I saw a cyclist using hand signals. I thought hand signals were illegal?

Simple Question

 

Look, this might be a dumb question, but why do new cars cost so much when their indicators are clearly painted on?

Who owns your story?

I've been doing a bit of thinking lately about how creativity is critically received. This is prompted by two on-line debates I've been following: the first is the increasing fan impatience with George RR Martin's delay in delivering the next installment of 'Song of Ice and Fire', and the second is reading the extreme fan reaction to the BSG episode 'Deadlock' (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.c...).

So. You put a story o

Trepidation

I spent most of today in Auckland with my editor and others from the local branch of HarperCollins, my ANZ publishing company. I had a great time looking over what the proof readers made of my sixth novel, 'Beyond the Wall of Time.' I'm a terror for repetition, and they always catch me at it. Some of the mistakes I make and never see during my own edits leave me embarrassed. Despite extensive notes characters go missing, swords and stones are there one moment and gone the next, and people stand

Australian Bushfires

Over a hundred dead, at least five thousand homeless, and the effects will last for years.

There are a hundred different things I want to say about this terrible event, but I'll limit myself to a couple. First, I'm appalled at the number of comments I've heard from New Zealanders about foolish (and that's being polite) Australians not abandoning their homes sooner. We kiwis live in a green, rain-soaked land, and we don't know what it's like to have to compromise with nature. Generally we just rid

Anniversaries

Busy writing today, but of course writing is always interrupted. Today it has been interrupted by an out-of-control bamboo burnoff by some nincompoop neighbours. Middle of summer, set fire to their rubbish. Been listening to their shouts and the pop and crackle of exploding bamboo all afternoon.

I suspect my writing is soon to be interrupted by cricket on telly. How inconsiderate, scheduling cricket on a day I wish to write.

Wedding anniversary tomorrow. Twenty-four years in harness! Not a day we

Invasion

We're about to be invaded by my friend Peter from Christchurch. Peter's a better friend than I deserve - always there even when I ignore him for years (have I ever said how terrible I am at communication?) and whenever we get together it's just like being back at high school.

No doubt hilarity and heartwarming stuff will ensue.

35,000 words into my new story and I can't wait to write more. It's such great fun, particularly since I don't know what's going to happen next. Weirdly, a real-world perso