In my last post on this subject, Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2 its Role in the Atmosphere, I alluded to some problems I had with understanding how CO2 works in climate change. I have decided to explore these here. To do this I am going to have to assert some facts as I understand them. … Continue reading Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2, its Role in Climate Change
How the Myth of Sisyphus relates to Me today
I have a very rare muscle condition, Myotonia Congenita. Of the two recognised variants I have Beckers's, which brings with it not just an impaired ability for my muscles to relax after contraction but also sudden and unexpected bouts of weakness, especially in my arms and legs. My symptoms are severe, but I do get … Continue reading How the Myth of Sisyphus relates to Me today
No more Heroes and no more Villains
Following on from my previous post, Trying something Different, it seems logical to look at other aspects of writing a different kind of novel. The technicalities of subverting expectations within a story do not rest entirely on moving the constituent parts around. The linear path from beginning to middle to end is very well signposted … Continue reading No more Heroes and no more Villains
Trying something Different
I am a writer. A scribbler. A scrivener. A wanna-be author. No matter what else I think inventing stories is just something that my brain does. I do not even need to be conscious of the fact. My brain is intent on coming up with another tale, whether I like it or not. The only … Continue reading Trying something Different
Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2, its Role in the Atmosphere
Following on from my previous post, Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2, I will now look at how this molecule functions in the earth’s atmosphere. It is generally identified as a greenhouse gas contributing to the greenhouse effect. In this role CO2 has been represented as being a harmful substance that causes global warming. To understand … Continue reading Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2, its Role in the Atmosphere
Why Race in a Historical Context is Important
Back in November 2019 I wrote a piece on now racism in Historical Dramas appears to be in the process of being erased from both cinema and television screens <link>. I recently got into an argument about this very subject again. I made a comment about Armando Iannucci’s latest version of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. … Continue reading Why Race in a Historical Context is Important
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
I very much enjoyed the 1987 movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy, but that is not what I am writing about. In my book, Eugenica, the protagonists use planes, trains, and automobiles to escape their pursuers. Well, actually they use the singular of each of those modes of transport. One plane, a De Havilland … Continue reading Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2
Carbon Dioxide is a molecule with the formula CO2. It is formed from one carbon atom that is joined by double-bonds to two oxygen atoms, as below. The Three States of CO2 Gas gaseous CO2 exists at temperatures of +31°C (87.8°F). It is colourless but has an odour. Liquid when cooled to temperatures around +18°C … Continue reading Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2
The Science of Time Travel and the Implications of Killing People before they were Born
I wanted to write a story in which people mixed with dinosaurs. Seeing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had the idea of a lost world and Michael Chrichton had the idea of using recovered dinosaur DNA first, it really left me no alternative but to send my characters back in time. Yes, I was going … Continue reading The Science of Time Travel and the Implications of Killing People before they were Born
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings
At school my history teacher glossed over the Battle of Hastings. His lesson suggested that the Normans were a superior people who conquered the barbaric Saxons and brought civilisation back to England. I have always inferred that what he meant was that the Romans had civilised Britain originally but that the Saxons had created a … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings
Peter C Whitaker 