@sptroweresq.bsky.social
Author of GameLit and sci-fi that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Very loosely ranked.
Day 12
Back in the day I actually preferred Paradise City, but, well, the intro alone just lifts this one into timeless classic territory for me.
👨🎤 Guns N' Roses
🎵 Sweet Child O' Mine (1988)
💿 Appetite For Destruction
#WritingLifeMonthly Day 11
Current state of my next WIP: about 12 pages of character and plot arcs printed in the hope that I can hammer them into a coherent outline of some sort.
Other stages: numerous notebooks of ideas, character sketches etc & a makeshift storyboard for a difficult chapter.
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Very loosely ranked.
Day 11
Fire up the Quattro!
👨🎤 David Bowie
🎵 Ashes to Ashes (1980)
💿 Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
#WritingLifeMonthly Day 10
Basically finding enough time between an annoyingly necessary day job, neurospicy/disabled family, and actual downtime.
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I've spent most of this year bouncing my attention between 4 projects... with the inevitable result that none of them are anywhere near finished. Sigh.
10.10.2025 16:37 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Yep, I have so many abandoned WIPs for so many reasons!
10.10.2025 16:35 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Cover art for The Ambivalence Chronicles Bits 4-6 by Steve Trower. A knight in medieval armour sits on an armchair strapped to the roof of a purple Mini 1275GT holding a shield and jousting lance.
Errrm....
10.10.2025 11:50 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Today on #WIPSnips, Phil Grundy learns his daughter is the prize in a jousting contest, and reacts with Dad jokes.
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#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Very loosely ranked.
Day 10
1985 was the year I discovered pop music, so there's a few tracks on my list because they were big that year and became part of that. Like this one.
👨🎤 Harold Faltermeyer
🎵 Axel F (1985)
💿 Beverley Hills Cop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
#WritingLifeMonthly Day 9
For me it was reading something that should have been amazing, and somewhere in the middle thinking 'I'm sure I could do better than this...'
Since then I've just written what I want to read, be that an Old Testament Space Opera or ZX Spectrum based GameLit.
#WriteSky
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Day 9
Very loosely ranked.
Is it a bit cheesy now? Probably.
Does the fact my kids will sing along in the car qualify it for a place in my favourite 80s songs? Definitely!
👨🎤 Bon Jovi
🎵 Livin' On A Prayer (1986)
💿 Slippery When Wet
Ray Davies (of The Kinks)
08.10.2025 17:12 — 👍 12 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0#WritingLifeMonthly Day 8
Most of my books have an entire soundtrack/playlist, but not usually a specific song for a character.
The theme song for my next WIP, and for its protagonists as a collective, is Mis-Shapes by Pulp.
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My current WIP has no dungeon, but it does have a character Rapunzeled away in a tower...
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #BookSky #AuthorChat
Charlene from Neighbours (Kylie Minogue) sits on the bonnet of her green Mini, in mechanic's overalls, holding a spanner and what looks like an important piece of the engine.
I feel like I should point out here that the existence in my writing of a cute lady mechanic who owns a classic Mini Clubman is in no way related to this poster existing when I was 14.
Probably.
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Day 8
When this came out I was trying to look cool, pretending to like real bands like The Cure and whatever Paul Weller was in that week.
Now I know better of course, and enjoy a guity pleasure for it's own sake.
👩🏻🎤 Kylie Minogue
🎵 I Should Be So Lucky (1987)
💿 Kylie
Today on #WIPSnips, Magic Knight Phil Grundy is overwhelmed at Joust, and turns to some improbable Easter eggs for help.
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#WritingLifeMonthly Day 7
Editing something I wrote in a Nanowrimo-style word vomit, or was just pantsing and took a wild direction change in the middle. Fun to write, but an absolute nightmare to turn into something usable...
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#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Day 7
Probably not the best Cure song; probably not even my favourite, but for me it was the gateway, that first glimpse into the weird world of Robert Smith.
Also there's a bloke playing a comb inside a wardrobe.
👨🎤 The Cure
🎵 Close To Me (1985)
💿 The Head On The Door
It's been a while since I did the full 50k but I have ended up with some semi-usable first drafts that way.
06.10.2025 13:05 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0I love a good playlist!
06.10.2025 13:03 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Good luck! I will probably follow the NaNoWriMo tradition of failing to write 50k in 30 days...
06.10.2025 13:01 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Same! What's the challenge? I'm plotting a new WIP at the moment and ready to dive in as soon as the timeline etc makes sense.
06.10.2025 11:35 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0#WritingLifeMonthly Day 6
Obviously drafting is the fun part - telling yourself the story as Sir Pterry once said - although as some of my writing is in the #GameLit genre I must admit there's some fun to be had in researching...
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #BookSky #AuthorChat
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Very loosely ranked.
Day 6
Paul Weller's most underrated incarnation was actually responsible for some decent 80s pop. I've chosen this one mainly as it was first I remember hearing.
👨🎤 The Style Council
🎵 Walls Come Tumbling Down (1985)
💿 Our Favourite Shop
Today on #WIPSnips, Magic Knight Phil Grundy explores Romford Castle.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity
#WritingLifeMonthly Day 5
Well honestly, who doesn't want to be friends with a sentient ZX81?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #BookSky #AuthorChat
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge
Very loosely ranked.
Day 5
I was going to put a cheeky U2 joke in this space but it was a bit close to the Edge.
👨🎤 U2
🎵 The Unforgettable Fire (1985)
💿 The Unforgettable Fire
#WritingLifeMonthly Day 4
Gary the Hi-vis Ninja. As the action hero of The Ambivalence Chronicles he's pretty much the least like me there is.
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