From its beginning, fan fiction has been written mostly by women. Originally, this was because of a dearth of interesting female characters in conventional sci-fi. Russell Smith begincharacterconventional Change image and share on social
All coffee shops now have WiFi. Why bring a book when you could be wittily attacking some idiot columnist on Twitter, or responding to your date requests, or posting a picture of your foot? All of that is more gripping and immediate and social than books. Russell Smith attackbookbring share on social
Anyone who has set out to invent a purely imaginary story knows that the whole thing is fantasy, from beginning to end; there must be a sense of magic created about the most restrained of naturalism. Russell Smith begincreateend Change image and share on social
Anything that encourages a boy to open a book, in a world of more violent and therefore more compelling video games, is something I'm going to pay for. Russell Smith bookboycompel Change image and share on social
Unseasonal clothing actually only stands out when it's visibly uncomfortable. Russell Smith clthestanduncomfortable Change image and share on social
My father was a graduate student at Oxford in the early 1960s, where the conventions and etiquette of clothing were crucial to the pervasive class consciousness of the place and time. Russell Smith 1960sclassclthe Change image and share on social
I went to Queen's - a fine university with the proudly stupidest frosh week in the country. This was, when I was there, supposed to be somehow evidence of a higher social class. Russell Smith classcountryevidence Change image and share on social
I'm in favour of hipster androgyny: Any trend that permits men to rebel against strict gender rules of appearance is going to make the world a more expressive and sensitive place for all of us. Russell Smith androgynyappearanceexpressive Change image and share on social
Sadly, I don't really believe in the idea of timeless fashion. It's an oxymoron. If 'classic fashion' really never changed, we'd all still be wearing togas. Russell Smith changeclassicfashion Change image and share on social
Men over 60 often think that if they wear athletic shoes - soft-soled referee shoes or hiking shoes or actual running shoes - then they will look more youthful. The contrary is true. Russell Smith actualathleticcontrary Change image and share on social