Writing and Reading

This is the home of my creative writing, critical reflections on books, and the craft of writing. It’s a space for thinking through stories – how they work, why they matter, and what it means to try to make them.

Note on spoilers: Some posts discuss books in detail and may include spoilers.


The Nicotine Gospel by Sven Axelrad

Nicotine Confusion

It was beautiful, engaging, the language was divine. And I have no idea what was going on. Strap-in 'cos its a hell of a novel.

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Good Omens Show

Saunter Vaguely Downwards

How did it start to well and end so poorly? How the seeds of its demise were planted much earlier than season three

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Hamartia by Scarlett Drake

Third-Act Breakups

The ubiquitousness of the romance third-act breakup is comical. This book got me thinking about what they mean and what to look out for when writing them.

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Editing

Why bad books?

Exploring the difficulties of developmental editing to try understand why so many traditionally published books exhibit poor structure and writing.

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Pangolin scales textile

Pangolin Abroad

An epaulette featuring beads and hand-sewn textile scales. This is the story of how I made this piece and why.

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Never After by Alexis Hall

Never Again

A hot mess of a book I deeply regret finishing. Featuring inconsistent characters, an encyclopedia's worth of forgotten setups, and a positively offensive ending. Read at your peril.

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More Writing