What I Write.

Quite often, I get asked “What do you write?”, to which my usual, rather flippant answer is “Nowhere near enough”.

I write adventure stories.

I’ve written for my own pleasure for most of my life, starting out with adventure stories and science fiction (cyberpunk was an early favourite, with a socially dystopian edge). Although I wanted to be a writer, I went out and got a career first.

I write science fiction.

Then I got into writing stuff for Doctor Who. Loads of short stories, hundreds of fanzines and a number of pitches of which some were successful up until the point that I sabotaged them inadvertently (long story). I then shifted my attention to science fiction and fantasy comedy before returning to Doctor Who for my first anthology, Shelf Life.

I write fantasy.

It may have taken 10+ years to go from editing fanzines to editing anthologies, but a flurry of stuff followed: bizarro, SF, weird, fairy tales, historical, steampunk, urban fantasy, Sherlock Holmes etc.
Now when I write it’s mainly SF, Pulp and weird. But I will try my hand at anything and everything.

I write horror (Art by Cyril Van Der Haegen).

As for who I write for, well, my own imprints come first (I write as a back-up plan when we have emergencies) as I hate pitching. In fact most of my stories have been by invitation rather than randomly submitted. I’m far too bad at self-promotion to sell myself.

I write steampunk (Art by James Ng).

In fact, if I can get away with a pseudonym, I will. Over the years I’ve used so many of the damn things that I sometimes lose track of my own identity. Imagine finding a story, appreciating it and then, halfway through, realising that the author is actually you!

I do that a lot.

I write genre comedy (Art: BBC).

I suppose, when it comes down to it, I’ll write about anything that I enjoy. Non-fiction, comic scripts, audio scripts, role-playing adventures, poems.

Heck, I’ll even write westerns…

I also do stories as gifts for friends on occasion. My current WIP is an overdue wedding gift that has time travel, Nazis, Vikings, Dragons and variously other obtuse elements.

When I have time, of course.

Next time, maybe I’ll focus on what I have written instead.

(photo courtesy of Beastie/Craig Beas).