It’s the end of December, and the end of 2022. This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster, and the last few months in particular have taken me away from all things writing and blogging. It’s been a time of change, a time of gratefulness, and a time to reflect on where to put energy in the coming months and next year.
This year I’ve made a haltering progress on my first novel. It’s been a stop-start endevour as I’ve been trying to work out how to make the various pieces of the puzzle fit. However, a few months away at a time has given me increased clarity and a new resolve that I can plough ahead with edits in 2023.
I’ve also been really pleased with keeping up with my monthly Newsletters! I have really enjoyed writing about writing, it’s given me a new perspective on the skills I already have, and those I want to develop more. Writing some of the newsletters has actually unlocked some key parts of my prose writing habits and writing blocks as well, which is an added bonus!
Finally, I’ve managed to get back into a rhythm with my flash fictions which have been great fun to try out random prompts and scenes and share them with the world.
I’ve put a roundup of all of this years posts below if you wish to have a look! Hope you all have a wonderful holidays and see you in 2023!
Why did you say that? (Flash Fiction)
“Why did you say that?” Tanee paused, wiping the knife on his sleeve. “What?” he whispered, “about the prophecy being bullshit? You and I both know we can’t live our lives in accordance…
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What makes a Main Character?
There are lots of different ways you can define the concept of a main character. They’re the ones with the Points of View (POVs), they’re the ones with the most chapters, or they’re…
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What I thought about Jade City
Armed with a new kindle and a resolution to read some more books, I went on a buying spree at the start of 2021 for some new fantasy novels and world that I…
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The Return of the Green Witch (Flash Fiction)
“If these are your fabled ruins,” Unlana remarked, “I’m disappointed.” Ewani ignored her captors remarks, drinking in the sight before her. The ancient stones still stood in tall columns, towering towards the sky…
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A month of organising
This month has been a month of organising. A month where, whilst not many words actually made it onto the page, there was a lot of thinking about writing. And you know what?…
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Worldbuilding with Magic
Fantasy stories of all shapes and sizes always have some kind of magical element to them. It’s what ties together the genre across all flavours of fantasy. Magic systems are deeply integral to…
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Remember (but I can’t)
“Remember when we said we’d first come here?” Sanra shouted in her mother’s ear over the roar of the waterfall in front of them. One of the original homes of the Coven, hidden…
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My Favourite Writing Soundtracks
For me, writing is intrinsically linked to music. What music I am listening to will dictate the outcome of a particular scene or character, and some characters even have particular albums dedicated to…
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February Thoughts
This month has been something of a busy one. I’ve been travelling (first time in a long while!) which has taken me away from the desk and all things blogging and writing. However,…
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No One of Importance
“Who are you exactly?” Ratve’s voice broke through the silence around the campfire. He asked what they were all thinking but he was the only one brave enough to actually ask the brooding…
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What to consider when creating writing goals
Setting goals is an integral part of any good writing habit. You need something to both aim for and to keep a level of consistency in your habit. However, goals are only as…
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Successfully Productive at everything (other than the plan)
March has been one of those months where I have been very productive in everything other than my creative pursuits. It’s a month of successful sourdough baking, garden tidies, and new TVs. I’ve…
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The Purpose of an Antagonist
If you’ve read anything about character building, you’ve probably heard about the term “antagonist” before. You might even know who in your book is going to be set up to be the antagonist,…
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No way I’m eating that
“There is no way on this side of the eleven circles of afterlife I am eating that,” Tanker scrunched his nose up at the proffered sandwich. “Oh come on,” Flanks said next to…
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Why Writing Warmups are Important
Whether you’re new to fantasy writing or you’re an old hat, you’ve probably come across advice to use writing warmup exercises to get the creative juices flowing. I never used to use exercises…
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My thoughts on The Poppy War
The Poppy War by R.F.Kuang is a book I first stumbled upon when meandering through the quiet bookshelves of Waterstones on a “just let’s have a look and not buy anything” book hunts.…
Keep readingEdits, Edits, Edits
In April 2020, I wrote 40,000 in one month on my novel. In April 2022, I’ve written…about 2,000. But you know what? I’ve still written more valuable words, because they make sense. And…
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You can’t re-write history
“Stop this!” Vashna screamed, pulling at the ropes around his wrists, “for the sake of yourself, Maynie, you need to stop!” Maynie looked up from the alter, hair askew and magic wild in…
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Top Tips for creating power structures in your fantasy books
Identifying how power works in your world is important because, let’s be honest, power is what drives society. Who has it, who doesn’t have it, and what those in power do with that…
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Why you need to go outside
If you are active on any kind of social media, you are likely to see photos of beautiful writing setups, cosy desks, achievements of those who have written ten thousand words in a…
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My Thoughts on An Echo of Things to Come
When I started An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington, I was certain of two things. Firstly, reading a huge fantasy story that I hadn’t read before on an e-book was…
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An summer’s evening thoughts
This time of year is always my favourite – before the full heat and intensity of summer has hit, but still warm enough to enjoy the outside. Whilst this month has not been…
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How to use description in your fantasy novel
At some point, you’re going to have to tell your reader the image you see in your mind. You’ll need to try and capture that image, to the best you can, in your…
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The Light of all that Falls – a satifying end to the Licanius Triology
The concluding entry to The Licanius Trilogy was as fast paced and page-turning as the previous two books, The Shadow of What was Lost and An Echo of Things to Come. If you’ve…
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March of the Valentas
Ashayra was taller than Miaken expected. He knew that she was from the South, and like all Southeners was always going to be tall, but he did expect her to have to stoop…
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You write what you read
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these updates about my fantasy novel The Akrion Cycle (Book 1). The last six months have not got much to show in terms of…
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Starting the Realm of the Elderlings – Assassin’s Apprentice review
My introduction to the Realm of the Elderlings got off to a rocky start when I realised I started with the wrong book. Namely, the book that was the trilogy at the very…
Keep readingJune Roundup
This month of June (like all summer months) has been busy. It’s been a time that I’ve spent outside in the garden or meeting friends, something which has been sorely missing in the…
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Giving your Character a unique voice
Every character needs a strong, clear voice to help bring the reader into their world. Whether it’s an accent or turn of phrase, every person has a unique way of communicating – the…
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Royal Assassin – Continuing my read through of the Farseer Trilogy
Second books in trilogies sometimes struggle to find their own rhythm. They tend to be a bridging story – taking the characters from the start of their story towards were the dramatic conclusion…
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July Thoughts
July has rushed past in a flash, like most summer months. I’ve spent it being quite creative, but not with my writing. Gardening, baking and new sewing projects have all taken up my…
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How to create a map of your fantasy world
You know you’re reading a fantasy book when the first two (or sometimes multiple) pages are of maps of the world. These help give your reader a visual context (and help remind them…
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Do you recognise this song?
“Do you recognise this song?” The words were raspy and barely formed. Marlie moved her head slowly on the bed towards Ranlen, looking up at him through gauzes and bandages. “Do you recognise…
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Finishing the Farseer Trilogy – my thoughts on Assassin’s Quest
The last book in the Farseer Trilogy we weave our way to the conclusion of Fitz’ quest to find Verity, who has been lost in the mountains since the end of book 1.…
Keep readingSummer’s End
August is always a month of re-set. Even though I am long past the educational systems’ September-September year, there always is this sensation of starting a new cycle at the end of August.…
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We’re not going that way
“Why not?” “Why not?!” Favian’s voice rose another octave, “because I don’t want to die, Renglat. I like all my limbs on me, not in the mouth of some gods forsaken creature.” Renglat…
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My Thoughts on “The Rings of Power”
Normally, I try and have my opinion pieces about books that I’ve read. However, this month, books have not been read. My lack of commuting over the summer has meant my progress with…
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September Wrap Up
September has come and gone in the blink of an eye. For me, September has been a month of trying to get back into doing normal things, following August throwing me off my…
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Using Sub-Plots in your Fantasy Story
For me, a Sub-Plot is anything that takes the characters away from the main thread of the story on a merry little jaunt of their own, and then weaves its way back towards…
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Alex.J.Cobalt 