What if there were dragons? What if there weren’t dragons? I was having a rather in depth conversation the other day regarding worldbuilding. In the short space of one hour, an entire world had been created, backstories for the character filled out, and a small movie adaptation was already being brainstormed. One reason I am … More The World of “What If”
Let’s talk about tropes – those storytelling shorthand cues that give the reader a clue as to what will happen next. In any kind of creative activity, you end up using shorthand triggers that act like cues to the reader. Used well, these cues can increase tension or help create an air of familiarity around … More Why Tropes are a good thing
I do love a good goal. I particularly enjoy setting goals, even if I know they are overly ambitious and slightly ridiculous. Despite the current chaos of the world, here are my three reasons why writing goals are as important as ever: 1) Goals give you a location to work towards The end of your … More Why Writing Goals are Important
July has come and gone. This month has been a lesson in managing my time, finding time to do some exercise, and finally get a sourdough dough that didn’t overprove before going into the oven. We’re still in the weird world of lockdown. I’m still working from home for the near foreseeable (much to the … More Start Again (July Update)
One of my loves of fantasy is seeing so many lady heroines kicking ass and taking names. Not all of them are the typical “warrior” archetypes, but each of them has their own type of strength which really impacted upon me when I read it. My current WIP has a number of female protagonists. A … More Why female protagonists are important in the fantasy genre
“It’s just a book.” If there is one phrase that incites rage in me in is that one. The fact that a book, a story, is nothing more than just a story. It’s just made up. It’s not got meaning. It’s not real. I fundamentally disagree. To assume that because something is not real it … More Fantasy to Inspire
I have an ongoing balance between finding enough time to write, and then beating myself up when something else takes priority. It’s a constant balance that I’ve talked about before, which dominates most of my walking moments. If you were to google online how long it takes to write a book (let alone write it), … More Why Self Care is Important (Opinion Blog)
This October has mostly been prepping for Nanowrimo, tidying up some old projects and writing my #fantasyqueensfall entry for the competition being run over IG. It’s been a busy month, and November looks like it’ll be even busier! What I’m writing for Nanowrimo Last year I did my first ever Nanowrimo, and it left me … More Nanowrimo Prep (October Update)
There are many archetypes and personality types that any kind of person could try to shove themselves into in an attempt to categorise the human psyche. I remember at school those who were studying psychology coming out of their lesson and trying to shove labels onto various ticks, habits and phrases that people said as … More The Gardener vs The Architect
Social Media is great, but it can get overwhelming at times. Here’s my thoughts on using it, and some advice on what might help you using it too. … More What I love and hate about social media (and my advice on using it)
Alex.J.Cobalt 