My name is Michael Victor Bowman. I write science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction books, articles, blog posts and the occasional social media update. Sometimes I review movies. If you like quirky fantasy, compelling science fiction and opinions on practically anything, subscribe to my site or follow on social media for regular updates from the right […]
5 Rules for Success in Writing
“I can tell you in less than fifty words how to get published…” So said Robert Heinlein and, whatever you think of his politics, Heinlein knew how to write (and sell) books. Way back in 1973 he gave a talk in which he fulfilled his promise in exactly 39 words and, frankly, nothing’s changed since.
How to Write a Good Book
If you had to define the single most important feature of a good book, what would you say? That a good book is not too long? Or that it’s got short sentences? Maybe it has characters who are just like you, or characters who you’d like to be. Perhaps it should have romantic vampires who […]
When is the Present Historic not the Past?
What is the present historic? The present historic tense is when you talk about the past as though it were happening now. So, instead of using appropriate time expressions like ‘had’ and ‘was’ you use ‘is’ and ‘are’. For example: 1. On Tuesday something strange happened. I was walking the dog when it started to […]
The Hunt For Gollum
In a nutshell: a triumph of budget film-making that is often so good, you’d think it was made in Hollywood. But it suffers from patchy plotting.
