Dark Fantasy & Grimdark Author
Something that everyone in the writing business (not necessarily trad) will have to deal with eventually... writing a blurb. I don't know about you but the thought of it fills me with fear. But it's got to be done, so I scoured the internet for tips on the basics to get myself, & you lovely…
Tell us a little about yourself & your background I’m a South African-based creative operating out of a log cabin on stilts (aka the Treehaus). No. Really. I don’t have a career, as such, but I turn my hand to whatever job pays, be it typesetting educational manuals, editing a dark SF erotic romance novel…
This photo, in my mind, sums up this post completely. Quoting the ever brilliant Joss Whedon when asked why he writes strong female characters answered ‘because you’re still asking me that question’. Having heard this notion of a ‘strong woman’ most of my life it has come to my attention that ‘strong’ doesn’t really cover…
Writers face lots of challenges in the industry - the gatekeepers of traditional publishing or the cost & skill set required to self publish; the sheer volume of books being published alongside theirs, getting their novel out there & seen; learning how to market their work & the royalties that mean most of us have…
I’ve scoured the internet in search of information to understand how we, as writers, might better write out first chapters. Right from the get go. Although my first chapter has already been written I have every intention of making sure that I have included the points listed below when it comes to editing. There is…
I have been a dedicated writer for around five years. Before that I barely wrote at all and struggled to find the time or ideas for it. When starting university I was encouraged to spend much more time writing as not only did I need some of it for assessment but also because of the…
As writers, we inevitably have to deal with feedback, whether it comes in the form of a friend giving you their opinion on your story idea; in the form of alpha/beta feedback from a draft; or from readers once the story is actually published. Feedback & reviews are everywhere - they will come from every…
A lot of planning, ideas & research goes into writing a novel, even more so if you're constructing a series. It can be a challenge to keep track of everything you've worked out for your characters & plot, especially if you've been writing your novel for a while or have lots of moving parts. A…
Writing is a lot of hard work... it's also a crazy amount of words. At a minimum of 60,000, creeping up to a potential amount of 120,000 words if you write epic fantasy sagas. It's a lot of information to remember. Especially if your story then becomes a series. Now obviously there are notes that…
Completing a manuscript is hard work. BUT it doesn't end there... there's still revisions and edits to do, & that's before you give it over to your editor to pull apart. Self editing can seem like a daunting task when you look at the big picture. You have to read through a novel that's at…
S. M. MITCHELL 