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 end. I only realised this until I was almost a good 25% through (according to my kindle), which also meant I got … More Starting the Realm of the Elderlings – Assassin’s Apprentice review
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 words on a page, but there have been points of intensive creativity which have pushed the book forward. One of the things … More You write what you read
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 not read the previous two books, then please do read them before reading this blog, as this is not spoiler free! What … More The Light of all that Falls – a satifying end to the Licanius Triology
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 one for writing, it has been one for reading. It’s quite a common saying that to be a good writer, you need … More An summer’s evening thoughts
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 considerably harder because I couldn’t have easy access to the map or the glossary, and secondly I knew for certain that this … More My Thoughts on An Echo of Things to Come
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 single day. Don’t get me wrong, that version of a “writing life” is quite valid, but I’m here to talk about why … More Why you need to go outside
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 this, my friends, is the conundrum called editing. I’ve been a religious users of wordcount trackers since about 2018, but recently I’ve … More Edits, Edits, Edits
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. Whenever I go to bookstores, I like to try get a flavour of the book from the first few pages – it … More My thoughts on The Poppy War
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 before I started a writing session, but more recently I’ve found them really useful to not only try out new ideas, but … More Why Writing Warmups are Important
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 even managed to get sucked back into playing video games. It’s also a time of new ideas. Spring always brings a creative … More Successfully Productive at everything (other than the plan)
Alex.J.Cobalt 