Introduction

What is this?

This is a blog about writing books: more specifically, fiction and, even more specifically, science fiction and fantasy, although many of the points raised will be applicable to other sorts of stories. I can't guarantee that you'll end up writing a bestseller, but hopefully you'll find something useful and interesting here. The posts won't be in any sort of order, and will include some gratuitous self-promotion, but I'll tag them so you can pick what to look at.


Who are you?

Me, trying to look professional

I'm Toby Frost. I have written six novels, shortly to be come seven when The Pincers of Death comes out this October. Five of them are comedy science fiction, published by Myrmidon Books, and tell of the adventures of space captain Isambard Smith and his hapless crew as they try to civilise the galaxy.

The sixth is Straken, published by Black Library (Games Workshop's fiction imprint) and is military SF about a tough commander stranded on a planet full of monsters. There's less jokes, but more explosions and an awesome ending involving an alien dinosaur and about a million space orks.

I've also written a range of short stories for Black Library, Snowbooks and other publishers. I have given talks to the Festival of Writing in York, the Get Writing event in Hertfordshire and others.

My official website is here: http://www.tobyfrost.com/

and the Space Captain Smith website is here: http://spacecaptainsmith.com/

Here is the Space Captain Smith wiki, which contains background detail and other, related silliness: http://smithipedia.spacecaptainsmith.com/index.php/Main_Page

If you're looking for the non-writing page where I make model kits with varying degrees of success, it's here: https://inaworldofpaint.blogspot.co.uk/


So is this just about science fiction?

No. There are certain things that seem to relate to a fantastical setting, but really apply to any sort of writing that isn't set right here, right now. Take world-building, for instance: Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles or Daphne du Maurier's Manderlay are as distinct settings as Narnia or Dune. Most of the techniques apply to fiction of all sorts. As Theodore Sturgeon said, good science fiction is good fiction.


Anything else I should know?

Only this: different things work for different people, particularly in the actual mechanics of how quickly and in what circumstances you write, and one size doesn't fit all (in fact, I would be suspicious of anyone who said that it did). However, if this blog helps somebody, or entertains them, that's good.

Oh, and The Pincers of Death is out on October the 9th. Quality read. Honest.