Literary Fiction in a Dark Fantasy Setting
Tell us a little about yourself & your background... I've always loved books and stories, from the time I was very young. When I was in grade school, we would have the "Young Author" unit, where we'd learn about writing a story, doing the artwork, and then binding it and displaying it for Young Authors' Night. It was always a highlight of the school year for me! I always had a notebook with me, working on snippets of stories or jotting down ideas and inspiration.
You've been thinking about it on and off for a long time. A few times you've found a friend or family member say 'you should write a book!' and you've liked the idea, but never acted on it. You've occasionally thought about what you might say, or even what to call it. You like the concept of introducing yourself as an author. But you always think 'one day' rather than 'now'. Yeah writing a book sounds great, but you're already busy, you don't know anything about getting published and there's still plenty of time, right?
Ahoy me hearties, it's #talklikeapirateday! If you follow me on any social media then you won't be surprised when I say I'm a little obsessed with pirates. It started with Captain Jack Sparrow at age 6 & has since developed into a lifelong passion that involves bingeing Black Sails every chance I get, singing sea…
So recently, these past few weeks, I've been really struggling to get any words down. Prior to this slump I was feeling super inspired & all I wanted to do was write... & then it stopped. I would try to write each day & barely manage 50 words. Some days I don't even feel that…
★★★★ 4 out of 5, I was super impressed! Key Aspects... RobberyMagicFound FamilyDark PastsGangs Wow oh wow! This was my first dive into Leigh Bardugo & I was totally blown away. I picked it up at the bookshop because #bookstagram was crazy obsessed with it & I needed to know what the fuss was all…
Ever since becoming a serious writer and embarking on the long hard road that is world building a fantasy world, I have been unable to read a novel only as a reader, instead my mind is focused on the aspects of planning that have gone into the work. Although I am usually quite impressed with…
Continue reading ➞ World Building From A Reader’s Perspective
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 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…
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…
So you've waded through the murky waters of writing a first draft, you've self edited as best you can for the time being... now it's time to get some feedback on all this hard work, blood, sweat & tears! Now in my time as a writer, I have gone through the beta reading process many…
S. M. MITCHELL 