What Came Before

The Ideal Bookshelf, based on an original painting by Jane Mount.

For the last month or so I’ve been helping out a friend with a sci-fi story he’s been working on, but never really done much with. I’d heard him talk about it multiple times, saying he had all his characters and a complete outline. But although he was more than happy to talk about it – he seemed a little hesitant whenever I prodded him to actually write it.

Taking Aim

SILLY ROBOT GIRL SEEKS LIKEMINDED PEEPS for sporadic adventures into literary lunacy.

Respondents must be curious, bookish types seeking intermittent journeys into fantastical lands of fiction.

Preferred applicants should be courageous, open minded and possess a basic ability to suspend their disbelief (especially when the author insists the tin robots on her desk occasionally help out with the narrative).

Contact using the comments section below.

:)

Walk With Me My Friend, by abrider3.

It was a Dark, Stormy Morning…

INT. A SMALL HOME OFFICE/STUDY – DAWN

The room is long with a high ceiling, the walls are littered with bookshelves stacked between an old IKEA a style desk. There’s a blackout blind covering the only window.

INSERT: DESKTOP

The screen on the computer monitor reads BLOGGING 101. Today’s Task: Introduce yourself to the world!

BACK TO SCENE

ADA sits slumped over in front of it, chin resting on her arms.

ADA
Oh dear, I really should have thought this through.

Beta Test

(Surrealism)2, photography by Laanscapes

Henry blinked as a newly created sun sparked off between the freshly formed clouds on the horizon, his eyes trying in vain to focus on the paths of transparent hexagons as they melted away. In their wake a new reality shifted, fluid like in front of him. Trees warped in an imaginary breeze, leaves drifting down from their branches only to rise again. Grass dyed itself an appropriate shade of deep emerald green, waving on either side of him as it decided how high it should grow.

The Replacements

Cyberpunk Med Clinic by axl99

There was a waiting list nowadays. Time was you could walk right in, get fixed up and be back in time for rations, but that was before the Cull. From being one of only a few clinics dotted throughout the station, now Delta was one of dozens trying to keep up with all the nasty new ways people managed to hurt each other.

Top Ten Indie Titles Helping to Redefine Storytelling

We all love a game with a good story, but in a world full to the brim of action packed AAA titles, sometimes narrative finds itself taking a back seat. For every Naughty Dog triumph, there are a dozen Destiny’s. Thankfully, the rise of indie gaming is changing all of that. As developers no longer have to rely on big name publishers to reach their audience, with websites like Kickstarter and Steam’s Greenlight initiative all providing hobbyists and first timers with platforms to launch their games from, there’s a lot more space for creativity.

Empty in the Middle

Notebooks, photographed by Gniii.

There are twenty-seven notebooks on a bookshelf above my bed. They’re all about the same size (A5) and the oldest was given to me as a Christmas present in 1996; it’s spiral bound with a clear plastic cover and it’s the only one that has something written on every page.

I haven’t filled another since and I’m not entirely sure why.

Doorways

Hospital RS, photography by Nick Dessauvages via Flickr.

Working the night shift does strange things to your head. Walking down darkened hallways without light or life to distract you gives your mind the opportunity to focus on other things. Around the eight-hour mark my imagination tends to take over. It turns the rooms I look into as I pass gateways to different places inside my head. The absence of colour and conversation creates a blank slate, perfect for projecting mindscapes onto.