Headphones and Notebooks

  With New Year right around the corner, I’m sure many people will be considering resolutions. It can be difficult to come up with a resolution that’s right for you, however, and particularly as a writer there are a myriad of possibilities. There may be a number of things you would like to improve or change about your writing, all of which could be New Year’s resolutions. So if you’re struggling, I’m here to offer a few suggestions... 1. Take another look at a work in progress If, like me, you find you often have a few pieces of writing on the go at the same time, perhaps one of the best resolutions for you is to take another look at a work in progress. You might find that rereading an old piece reignites your love for it, or the writer’s block that made you stop has now gone. Or you may find that looking back at an old creative project gives you an idea for a new story, or helps you with your current project. 2. Change up your writing schedule A writing schedule

Buffy #10 I’ll admit, before I had a chance to read Buffy issue ten, I’d already seen some comments on social media. I had known about Kendra being a huge part of the story, and I had also seen some people express frustration that the Hellmouth tie-in has taken Buffy out of her comics entirely. And I understand where they’re coming from. I had been hoping for a Buffy and Kendra team-up, like in the show, and I hadn’t quite stopped to think about the fact we have to work through Hellmouth before we can get Buffy back to Sunnydale. Of course that would leave Kendra as the only Slayer, but I hadn’t quite realised what that would mean for the plot. This issue was our first proper look at Kendra, and I have to admit I’m not yet convinced by the design. Every other returning character looks like the actor who portrayed them onscreen, but with Kendra I’m struggling to see the resemblance between the character on the page and actor Bianca Lawson. Perhaps this concern will fade with

Hellmouth #2 The eagerly anticipated Hellmouth issue two is one that had a lot to live up to. Given how much I loved the first issue, it isn’t much of a surprise that issue two admittedly fell a little flat for me. With the characters being limited to just Angel and Buffy, I found myself somewhat underwhelmed. With issue one packing in several characters and references to the television show, I think I struggled to get my head around the sudden lack of other characters, and that impacted my enjoyment a fair bit. I also felt like this issue was more of a filler one, with not all that much happening to define the plot further. For me, it’s not until the end of the issue that things get interesting. With Drusilla seemingly captured- and becoming more of her usual mad self- it looks like a new Big Bad will be taking over from this point in the comics. But what really interested me was what Drusilla says- ‘The key but not to open. Locks... All locks’. The thing with Drusilla is th

With Captain Marvel having hit the big screen earlier this year, I was keen to take a look at the comics that inspired the film. But as I’m sure you’re aware, finding a good starting point when looking to get into Marvel or DC comics can be a daunting task. Where do you start? After months of consideration, I have finally taken the plunge and bought my first Captain Marvel graphic novel. 2016’s Rise of Alpha Flight seemed a good jumping off point for me, as the story references or includes a few Marvel characters I’m already familiar with. Agent Coulson, James Rhodes, Rocket Raccoon, and Black Panther all make an appearance in this first graphic novel. While I’m not exactly a huge Marvel fan, and I haven’t yet seen either Guardians or Black Panther , I’m still pretty aware of the various characters. Having some familiar faces (even in illustration form) helped ease me in and get to grips with the story. Although there were a few Flight crew members in the story I was unfamiliar w

As much as I love shows that put teens front and centre of the action and allow us to see teenagers who are smart and courageous, it does frustrate me that that often comes hand in hand with oblivious adults. Too often, the teenagers are only in that position because the adults aren’t up to the job- they’re blinkered to what is going on and it forces the teen protagonist to step into a more mature role. And while that is good to see teenagers being portrayed as something other than irresponsible and materialistic, it can also leave me a little cold. We do occasionally get some adult characters helping out, and I love that, but often we’re faced with teenagers who are forced to act alone due to inept adults. And it doesn’t look like this is an old trend that we’re soon to shake. Take Stranger Things , for example. Most of the adult characters- save Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour), and the much-loved Mr Clarke (Randy Havens)- are ignored by fans. It’s not that they’re