Author Archives: Peter Darbyshire
Not coughing but choking
I’ve finished the first draft of a new story that is somewhere in between my Peter Darbyshire and my Peter Roman stuff. I am celebrating by gobbling Tylenol Cold tablets and washing them down with Buckley’s cough syrup. Later I will have a celebratory Neo-Citran. Ah, summer.
Booookkkkksssss
I’ve got a new podcast up at the Book Rogues, where I talk to Adam Lewis Schroeder about discovering he had a brain tumour while writing a zombie novel. It’s like something out of a book! Also, Adam lays down a mean zombie rap.
Join Greta’s Team today!
I’ve written a new Province Cares feature for The Province newspaper, where I work most days of the week. This one is about little Greta, a five-year-old girl battling a rare form of cancer. There’s a fundraiser to help the family stay at her side during this ordeal, so please help out and/or share this story if you can.
Writer of the Day at /r/fantasy
I’m the writer of the day over at /r/fantasy on reddit today! /r/fantasy is one of the coolest fantasy communities I’ve found online yet, so I’m excited about this. It’s a great mix of interesting posts, lively discussion and book recommendations. And so incredibly welcoming. Come on over and join the community today. And if you came here from reddit — welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay.
Not writing but hiking
It’s a long weekend in B.C., which means the trails and beaches and waterways are jammed with people. I’m waiting for edits so I feel OK about getting out there and getting dirty.
Come hurl abuse at me on reddit
I’ll be Writer of the Day over at /r/fantasy on reddit this Monday, May 18. I’ll be around in the morning, Pacific Coast time. If you’ve been waiting to ask me questions or anonymously troll me, now’s your chance!
The grind never stops
Finished a new story today. Celebrated by climbing the Grouse Grind. Clearly, I need to get out more.
Come on out to the Surrey International Writers’ Conference!
I’m thrilled to be leading a couple of workshops and participating in a conference panel at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference this year. The Surrey conference is a big deal and this is my first time there, so I’m pretty excited about it.
Friday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m.
Are You Talking to Me?
Are you talking to me? Dialogue is one of the most important parts of any novel or story, but it’s often the most overlooked thing in writing. Too often dialogue between characters is just a mundane conversation to set up plot points or reveal information. Dialogue can be and should be so much more, though. Dialogue can be a weapon for characters, and it can create tension and surprise. It can create characters or conceal their true selves. It can even control the reader. Peter Darbyshire draws on his theatre background to help you bring your stories to life through dialogue.
Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m.
Building Connections
Panel Members:
Peter Darbyshire
Jasper Fforde
Sarah Wendell
Sunday, Oct. 25, 11:30 a.m.
What’s Your Voice?
Voice is the most important part of any book. Do you write with the fallen angel lyricism of Raymond Chandler’s detectives? The storytelling magic of Annie Proulx? The pop culture playfulness of Cory Doctorow? Voice tells us what we need to know about the world of the book, who the characters are and what they want. Voice tells us what’s important to the writer — and that tells us what’s important to the reader. The hardest part of learning to write is finding your voice, but once you have it you’ve arrived. Let’s find your voice together.
You can register here. Hope to see you there!
Read This! The Burning Dark
I just finished The Burning Dark by Adam Christopher and I loved it. What’s not to love, after all? It’s a space station ghost story starring a troubled war hero who won an important victory against the mysterious alien Spiders — at a great personal cost. A war hero whose war records have strangely disappeared when he arrives at the space station, which orbits a dark star that will fuck you up. It’s a little bit of action, a little of military sci-fi and a whole lot of suspense. If you’re a fan of the sci-fi film Event Horizon, you’ll like The Burning Dark. Plus, it looks like there’s a sequel!
Thanks to My Bookish Ways for the recommendation!
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