‘Sticks and stones my break my bones, but words will never hurt me’. It’s an old adage, one which is rattled out again and again to try and say how words are only mere words and therefore are 100% less efficient at ruining someone’s good day than throwing a few stones at them. However, here … More Choosing the Right Words
Summer time is a time of transition. A time of transition from the early spring to the full bloom of warmth and sunshine (or in the case of the UK, rainstorms), and a time to reflect on the half of the year gone. When I look back at a lot of my posts over the … More Reflections on Half a Year
To say I cannot write would be an understatement. To say I was a perfectionist would be a truth. To say I was a dreamer would be realistic. There are words locked within my mind, this I know. It’s the same feeling when you know that someone is standing behind you, but just out of sight. They … More Why I Write
It settles beneath your skin, into your very bones. You cannot help it. It is like a virus, slipping past your defences. You cannot help but feel the cold shiver running down your spine as you look at the clock and calculate how little time you have. The ask is too much, you know it. … More Stress (From the Archives)
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”
And suddenly, just like that, we’re at the end of April, and another monthly round up of my thoughts, writing and other such things is out into the world. A Shift of focus Blogging for me has always been a side item in my writing life. Something to switch to from writing my novels or … More A Shift of Focus
There is something to be said about how everything must be achieved now. I’ve talked before about taking your time when writing or creating. It’s something that I think needs to be said more – that it’s okay to not have achieved everything by a particular age or date or time. Life doesn’t work like … More It’s Okay to Pace Yourself
I think we can all accept that Adult fantasy is not the largest of book genres out there. It’s straddles a weird space – one between the “childish” ideals of magic and mythical creatures and a commentary on very “adult” issues. Why don’t many adults read adult fantasy. When I ask people what they read, … More Why you should read a Fantasy Book
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
See what you can achieve this week. Even if it’s just ten words on your manuscript. Even if it’s just thinking about ten words on your manuscript. Let’s see what you can achieve this week.
Alex.J.Cobalt 