Got multiple WIPs on the go? Struggling to get anywhere with any one project? Here’s my top three reasons why you need to pick a “focus” project – a WIP that you work on exclusively until you hit your next writing goal. … More Why you need a “Focus” Project
Wordcounts are a stable of any writer’s life. They’re an excellent way to measure progress through a draft, and a good way of working out how your pacing is working through a story. But they’re not everything, and here are my three reasons why: You can pick other goals I’ve spoken before about writing goals, … More Wordcounts aren’t everything
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
First published as part of my Summer Newsletter 2020 – if you’re not signed up to my quarterly newsletters, click here! This month I’ve spent some time researching about publishing, agents, and how my WIP book could be released into the wild for people to enjoy. One of the main hurdles of sending your beloved … More Traditional vs Self Publishing (Opinion Blog)
“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
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)
August has always been an “end” month to me. I think my brain never quite fully shook the school year when I left it many moons ago. I lived for so long in a September – September existence that even now when I can finally run by the normal calendar year, August still feels like … More More Learnings from my Travels (August Update)
Alex.J.Cobalt 