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KRIS ASHTON
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A very late review of Land of the Dead, or, some observations about zombie lore
Few movies have had such a profound and long-lasting impact on me as George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978). For a kid already revved...
Kris Ashton
Jan 5, 20153 min read
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Why you should ignore Stephen King's On Writing
Books that try to teach writing often run into trouble, because writing is not a one-size-fits-all occupation. What works for one writer...
Kris Ashton
Dec 8, 20143 min read
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The fastest ways to get rejected
Getting fiction published is hard enough. Don’t disqualify yourself before the editor even starts reading your story. Novice authors...
Kris Ashton
Dec 2, 20144 min read
22 views
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How reading teaches you to write
In his book On Writing (now a modern non-fiction classic), Stephen King delivers a simple ultimatum to wannabe authors: If you don’t have...
Kris Ashton
Nov 20, 20142 min read
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A critique of slush reader rejections
The most painful rejection found on the rejection spectrum is the shortlist rejection. This is where a story is ‘recommended for a second...
Kris Ashton
Nov 17, 20145 min read
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Dr Seuss has an office in my head
In 1979, children’s author Dr Seuss published a book called Oh Say Can You Say?. This collection of tongue-twisters is not his best known...
Kris Ashton
Nov 13, 20143 min read
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Drood: My ambitious attempt at a review
Fair warning, Drood is not an approachable novel. A reader that doesn’t meet two or more of the following criteria likely won’t enjoy it:...
Kris Ashton
Oct 27, 20143 min read
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Back from the brink of despair
I’ve never subscribed to the image of the anguished author slumped at his desk with his head in his arms as he contemplates the human...
Kris Ashton
Oct 22, 20143 min read
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My first scheduled flight on Andromeda Spaceways
In May 2005, I sent my first story to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. The slush readers had mixed reactions to ‘The Beauty...
Kris Ashton
Sep 28, 20142 min read
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A guilty confession from a reading traditionalist
As I write this blog post I’m 70 pages into Dan Simmons’ epic novel Drood and enjoying it immensely. But I have a confession to make. I...
Kris Ashton
Sep 2, 20142 min read
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Ten books that made me who I am today
There are books you love, and then there are books that change who you are. Sometimes, one book can fulfil both roles. This blog post...
Kris Ashton
Aug 27, 20147 min read
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Defining the role of a dictionary
This probably sounds impossibly nerdy, but during my teenage years I used to read the dictionary for fun. Sometimes I would look up a...
Kris Ashton
Aug 17, 20143 min read
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It’s not the size of your words, honey, it’s where you put them
I majored in creative writing at university and it was the one time in my life when I was part of a ‘writers’ circle’. Gareth, Gavin and...
Kris Ashton
Aug 5, 20144 min read
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Drug use and the delusion of profundity
I took acid for the first time in 1996, when I was 19. It was the one drug I had always been curious about, due to its reputation for...
Kris Ashton
Jul 20, 20148 min read
38 views
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A sad thing happened to Australian fiction
While nosing around for short fiction markets recently, I came across an Australian literary journal called The Canary Press. I liked the...
Kris Ashton
Jun 29, 20147 min read
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A sad thing happened to Australian fiction
While nosing around for short fiction markets recently, I came across an Australian literary journal called The Canary Press. I liked the...
Kris Ashton
Jun 29, 20147 min read
19 views
0 comments
The less time we have, the more time we take
The thought is as old as reasoned thought itself: the older one becomes, the more contemplative and deliberate one becomes. It’s both a...
Kris Ashton
Jun 19, 20143 min read
3 views
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The less time we have, the more time we take
The thought is as old as reasoned thought itself: the older one becomes, the more contemplative and deliberate one becomes. It’s both a...
Kris Ashton
Jun 19, 20143 min read
16 views
0 comments
Making a stand against the corruption of innocence
Back in 2006, I reviewed a documentary called Deliver Us From Evil that changed the way I looked at paedophilia. Anyone with a...
Kris Ashton
Jun 16, 20145 min read
67 views
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Making a stand against the corruption of innocence
Back in 2006, I reviewed a documentary called Deliver Us From Evil that changed the way I looked at paedophilia. Anyone with a...
Kris Ashton
Jun 16, 20145 min read
168 views
0 comments
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