Blogging for the Truly Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.

Writing the Words

This particular category is where I go wild with the writing process, where I talk about the experience, how I interact with the characters, where I create the various worlds and how. You know, the process of creation. This is where that juicy stuff happens. Join my madness, it can be fun.
I had a collegue one who said, after a particularly crazy idea I had, that he was (I quote) "on board with my madness." I have never forgotten it and I really hope he did not regret his decision to join me.

Atmospheric dark fantasy landscape symbolising immersive storytelling and emotional worldbuilding

When your Story Calls you Home

There is a strange tension between sharing a world and fully living inside it. Eventually, some stories begin asking for something deeper than fragments.

Writing the Words

May 242 min read

Dark fantasy writer reflecting on immersive world building and storytelling

The Problem with knowing your story too well

Fantasy worlds can become places of comfort, immersion and escape. But sometimes knowing a world too well makes it difficult to see what the reader still needs to discover.

Writing the Words

May 153 min read

Why History Feels so Powerful in Storytelling

When you start writing and you realise, I've heard this somewhere before... History has always fascinated us. We build entire television channels around it. We study it in schools. We return constantly to stories of past conflicts, political choices and social conventions; from the drawing rooms of Bridgerton to the smoke-filled back streets of Peaky Blinders. But I do not think history fascinates us simply because of the events themselves. History is more than kings, battles

Writing the Words

May 82 min read

What Happens When you Get Feedback on Your Novel: And Why It Changes More Than You Expect

I went into the manuscript assessment expecting feedback... I wasn't expecting a revelation. It was terrifying. If you have done anything like this before, I'm sure you'll understand that fear. This was my baby of twenty years and I was handing her over to the industry to judge (and let's face it, the pessimist was present) find lacking. I am pleased to say that was not the experience I had. It might sound like an exaggeration when I use revelation, but that is what it felt

Writing the Words

May 12 min read

Writing Belief Systems: The Foundation of Character and Conflict

We judge them for what they do, but is that fair? What makes a character do what they do? This is a concept I am fascinated with as a writer, and I am sure I am not the only one. This is where fiction crosses nicely over into the real world. What shapes us as people? Our families, our loved ones, what we were brought up to believe, our morals, where we are from, our age, what we spend our days doing, our likes and our dislikes, our natural strengths and our weaknesses? The l

Writing the Words

Apr 174 min read

The Ten Minutes that Changed everything...

Sometimes it's harder than I think it will be. If you have been following my social media posts, you may have noticed I'm on holiday. Like most of you, I find daily life gets in the way of writing A LOT, so I was really looking forward to spending some time with my world and my characters. It has been great. No pressure, no structure, no 'must get this done then I can write', getting in my way. I've had the space and time and I have used it. Predominantly, I have been plann

Writing the Words

Apr 33 min read

Being Blindsided By You Character ... and suddenly the story isn't yours anymore.

I was not prepared for them. They forced their way in and I am at their mercy! I must confess, I am not starting at the beginning. But then again, that is basically impossible at this point; having written stories since before I can remember. So I thought I would allow this whole process to reflect my general writing identity as a pantser. I properly identify with it now and have come to accept the case. I have reflected many times on this process of mine, and I have always d

Writing the Words

Mar 213 min read

What it is to Write

So you've made it this far. I've written blogs before around many things but I think this is the first that is getting me really excited because, quite frankly, I'm talking about something I absolutely LOVE doing. I have been writing since before I can remember, from the days when I was making little books and handing them to my mum with great pride, to the present day. I've mused, I've put serious work in and I've experimented. I think this is where I have really learned the

Writing the Words

Feb 222 min read