Liam Smith

How to Write a Screenplay

27th October 202121st November 2021 Liam Smith 2 Comments

This article may or may not contain instructions on how to write a screenplay. But it does contain the twisted tale of how one of my short stories was adapted into a(n equally short) film.

INT. PUB IN WORTHING

It started January 2021. No wait. Technically, it started before our lives were hit by 21^st century black death and we all went into lockdown. My bandmate and I were plying our trade at an open mic in Worthing. Another guitarist asked if I could put some percussion behind his set. We got talking and, like any good self-publicising writer, I mentioned my books. I played cajon to We Are the Champions. A good night was had by all.

Back to January 2021. Chaz – for ‘twas Chaz Parvez who had conscripted me into his Queen tribute – shot me a message on Facebook. He was writing, producing and directing a short film. A horror. I wrote horror stories – would I mind giving the screenplay a critical read? I opened the attachment. “2-5-1 (WORKING TITLE)” by Chaz Parvez. You want the first lines?

FADE IN:
“the killing”
INT. CONCERT HALL, BACKSTAGE-EVENING

This was my kind of thing.

New Reading Challenge: 2020

1st January 202121st November 2021 Liam Smith Leave a comment

What a horror story 2020 was eh? Who would have thought at this time last January we’d all end up living in a world of travel restrictions, infection apps and no pub. No pub! Inevitably, without my favourite writing spot, my prose turnout dropped a bit this year… But three weeks of furlough did give me time to read lots of books, and I achieved my new Reading Challenge for 2020: reading 52 books in the year.

Reading Challenge 2020

We know I like to record every book I read. It’s good to read widely and to treat reading as entertainment just as worthy of your time as gaming, scrolling and Netflix. As an author, you pick up tips and learn more about your own place in your genre (or out of it). A challenge helps to push you to read more and to try new books for new experiences.

You even got a preview of what’s been on my hit-list when I posted my mid-year reading roundup in the summer. I hope you’ll still enjoy scanning a half-interested eye down the full tally.

Challenges of 2021

I know a lot of creative people have struggled this year. In the all the upheaval and ever-changing rules, your mentality recalibrates from creative to survival mode. It’s nothing to beat yourself up about. Usually, I make resolutions for the new year. But this January all I’m resolving to do is take things as they come. I’ll roll with the punches and deal with things in a positive way that might inspire others to do the same.

Who knows, I might even squeeze some writing in. I’ve got a doozie of an idea about a Victorian séance, and it would suit chapter titles named after tarot cards…

Watch this space! And now, to our headline act, the Reading Challenge 2020.

The Best Albums of 2020

17th December 202017th December 2020 Liam Smith Leave a comment

What makes an author qualified to present you with the best albums of 2020? A horror author perhaps; most of the following are culled from horror’s aural equivalents of rock and heavy metal. I write to music a lot but also listen to music to fire my imagination. Also I play drums, which is kind of musical. Depends who you ask.

Here’s my picks for the best albums of 2020. I’ve bought and listened to a lot of music this year but these records stood out from the rest and will be favourites of mines for years to come. Let’s explore the best albums of 2020!

Forlesen – Hierophant Violent

Firstly, what a record cover. We all know that we definitely should judge a book by its cover, and the sleeve of Hierophant Violent sets a high bar for what’s inside. And what is inside? A mere two tracks, each around the 18 minute mark. Each is the masterpiece in dynamics that post-metal needs to be in order to work; in ebbs and flows, highs and lows. Waves of synths crash and implode and rocky guitars and Nightbridge even contains a short black metal blast section. Let Forlesen take you on a journey.

Black is the New Black: The Best Goth Characters

21st October 202017th December 2020 Liam Smith Leave a comment

They’re creepy and they’re kooky – mysterious and spooky. It’s… the best goth characters in fiction.

Goths are rarely the main characters in books and films, but they’re persistent scene-stealers, grabbing attention with killer fashion sense and morbid jokes. What makes a good goth character? Well, apart from a complexion that a Victorian recluse would envy, you can expect brooding philosophies, gallows humour and decadent lifestyles, in any combination. Gothic characters are great avatars for seeing the world through a darker lens, for indulging our dark sides and for ignoring what everyone else thinks.

Let’s shadow our eyes, lose our smiles (unless there are pointed teeth behind them) and meet the best goth characters in films and books.

Wednesday Addams – The Addams Family, Charles Addams

Drawn by Charles Addams, Played by Christina Ricci and Voiced by
Chloë Grace Moretz

The Addamses are all creepy and kooky, but it must be said the girls of the family fly the gothic flag the highest. But while Morticia could have topped the list with her funeral-ready chic, it’s her Wednesday that out-goths the rest of her clan.

How to review a book

11th October 202011th October 2020 Liam Smith Leave a comment

This year, I’ve been listing every book I read in this What I’ve Read diary. Each page invites you to scribble some notes about the book, as well as give it a star rating. Which begs the question: what makes a book good? Just how do you review a book?

My *What I’ve Read* diary was a present from Millenial Maize

There are lots of parts to a book, and not just pages either. Things like characters, settings, events. More nuanced things too, the things that exist between the lines and which we’ll be looking at today. Style. Theme. Even truth. They all add up to something more than the sum of their parts. Let’s ready our critical scalpels and look inside the anatomy of a novel. At the things which make a story good or bad. Let’s learn how to review a book.

Why review a book?

Reviewing a book isn’t about criticising it. It’s about thinking analytically about its composition, and the choices that went into it to making it. There are some brilliant novels out there in the world and it’s important to recognise the hard work, choices and sacrifices that went into them. Reviewing a book – even if only in your head for a day after finishing one – is part of experiencing and respecting it. And about understanding what makes it good – or bad – compared to the bazillions of other books out there.

As we learn how to review a book, with some simple questions, we’ll see the amount of crossover between them. If writing a book was as easy as working through this like a checklist, everyone would be doing it!

Author: Liam Smith