I’m a writer from Stockport, Manchester, England, who mainly enjoys writing short stories in the soft sci-fi genre. I do like writing in other genres, fantasy in particular, but I’ve settled on soft sci-fi because I enjoy adding fantastic things that could exist right now or in the near future.
I’ve been writing in my spare time since around 2001 with varying degrees of discipline. I’m always looking for ways to improve myself and my writing, and I use my blog to showcase my writing and discuss things on my mind. Every so often I’ll talk about other things in my personal life (Football – I support Manchester United, Holidays, Food, amongst others).
I enjoy writing short stories, but I have also finished a few novels and completed NaNoWriMo a couple of times. Writing makes me happy, and thankfully, I can’t see that changing any time soon.
My interest in writing began when I took a Film Studies Course at College in 2001. One of the assignments was to create a character and give him or her a back story. I did this and got some good feedback from my tutor, and I loved the feeling of creating a character from scratch.
My other interests include running and listening to rock and metal music whenever I’m running. I enjoy watching a wide range of films and TV to relax. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly is my favourite film, and Arcane is my favourite TV show. My favourite authors are Giles Kristian, J.R.R Tolkien, JK Rowling, Bret Easton Ellis, Gareth L Powell, and Robert Lewis Stevenson.
Thanks for reading. If you like the sound of the above, I’d be more than happy to discuss all manner of writing-related stuff. See my contact page for details.
A few weeks ago, I was querying when I kept coming across agent after agent who was closed to submissions except from those who they’ve met at conferences. Below that, a list of conferences was provided, where a writer could go and purchase a ticket (often in the hundreds), and then an additional ticket to […]
The above was written by author Shannon A Thompson of shannonathompson.com. She is a young adult author, avid reader, and a habitual chatterbox. Represented by Clean Teen Publishing, she is the best-selling author of the Timely Death trilogy and the Bad Bloods series.
It’s a very interesting read and explores how Pay to Play Publishing is evolving and her advice regarding Querying. As always, insightful and thought provoking piece.
Click the link above for access to the full article.
How many notepads do you have on the go at any one time? And what do you use them for?
Hello,
I hope you’re well.
I have been trying to get into the routine of carrying two notepads with me around the house for general, WIP related notes and for drawing pictures linked to my WIP and everything else.
My wonderful fiancé bought me a notepad with the Van Gogh picture ‘Starry Night’ on the front and back. As it has a strong link to a famous artist, I decided to use this as my drawing notepad. Although I can’t draw, I’m hoping it will spark more ideas in relation to my writing.
I’d taken a few pictures previously during the second lockdown (in the UK) whilst taking my morning walks. These were of my surroundings and I’ve since written stories linked to them. To take this further, I’ve decided to draw the pictures myself and add to them to enhance my story.
A most recent drawing started out as an attempt to draw a street with houses either side. This was to practice my perspective drawing. But, as I got into it, the picture morphed into the town where a western, which I first drafted in July 2017 and have started to re-write as of November 2020, is set. I drew those buildings I knew were part of the town and it led me to add a small church next to the huge barn where the town’s horses reside from time to time.
I wondered ‘Why a church?’
Then, it occurred to me.
At the beginning of my Western, our hero is greeted by a vicar trying to give him a bible. The vicar is enthusiastic but our hero is not religious so he declines the offer. The crestfallen vicar walks away. I’ve decided, all from just a drawing, that the hero, as he becomes more accustomed to the town, starts to go to church to find some calm. He gets to know the vicar as he does so. Through all of this, I have found a more prominent character and one that I will use to delve into the hero’s background and to shine a light on an unsung patron of the town. All this from one drawing. How I love the creative process!
As well as keeping my drawing notepad to hand as often as possible it comes with a friend…the writing notepad!
I began to use this particular notepad to map out my current WIP, which I had partially written on my phone in the mornings, on my way to, from, and during work, as well as at home. I realised I needed to map out the story in its entirety as I was getting confused as to what was going on.
Once I had mapped out what I had already written, I went full steam ahead and mapped out the whole thing. This allowed me to sort out the plot holes I had become aware of as I was writing the story on my phone.
With all of this, I managed to write 500 words. 500! That was more than I had managed towards any of my WIPs in the last six months combined on my laptop.
This has got me back into the groove of writing, which I had not realised I had fallen out of. I’ve been making plenty of notes, drawing, and thinking about it but not actually doing it outside of my short story course. Now to keep it going.
This leads me to (repeat) a question, how many notepads do you have on the go at any one time? And what do you use them for?
It’s no secret that side characters can be amazing in their own right. Great side characters feel like real people–even if the focus isn’t on them. They have lives that exist beyond the scope of the protagonist. When they seem to exist only to help or exacerbate the protagonist, they lack authenticity. With that said, untamed […]
This is a re-blog of an excellent post from http://www.septembercfawkes.com about supporting characters and their role within a story to balance or potentially unbalance things out.
Click the link above for access to the full thing.
I remember a time not so long ago when I used to sit down most days and write something. A few words or a lot of words or somewhere in between. I’d also make time to read in any gaps that were presented to me along the way.
Now, though, that seems to have disappeared. I am still writing but its ad-hoc and my motivation is all over the place. It does feel like its creeping its way back to the forefront of my mind and I think I just need to let it happen. But, that’s easier said than done.
It could be because I’m trying to focus on too many things at once. Writing my WIP, finishing my Short Story Course, reading a number of books at the same time, and drawing pictures to accompany said stories.
I’m thinking I need to bring in an actual, written down, schedule to try and keep to. Maybe I could buy a big wall chart or a computer screen the size of my office wall that I can change when….
Hold on. I’m getting ahead of myself now. Take a step back. I’ll just use one of my notepads. That’ll work just as well. The above would take up most of my house. And be slightly more expensive than a notepad one would assume.
This leads me to ask, how do you keep a writing routine?
I hope you’re all well, and your writing is moving along at whatever pace suits you.
Since my last post, I’ve progressed concerning potential markets that I could target for publication. Just a small amount, but it’s something. I have found a number of different websites that look like possibilities. The two I have looked into are https://moonflowerbooks.co.uk/ and Fantasy Magazine – From Modern Mythcraft to Magical Surrealism (http://www.fantasy-magazine.com)
Moonflowerbooks.
Fantasy-Magazine.
I’ve conducted some initial research into the types of stories they publish. Both publish short stories and novels. At present, Fantasy Magazine appears to be a better option. But, even if I don’t use either of them, I have enjoyed the research. I’ve been reading the stories available on their websites and getting to grips with their identity and how to submit to them.
I have found it interesting that they both have a different level of detail within their submission pages. Fantasy Magazine provides a lengthy description of what they want to see. It’s very honest, and I knew what they were after straight away. Moonflower, however, is simple and half the length but gets its message across. I’ll more than likely review both again to make sure they are still possible options.
After doing the research above, I have moved along with a goal of mine for 2022. To edit the stories I have written for my Short Story Course assignments and post them on this here blog for your kind eyes to read and review. I have seven stories in total, with each in a different genre. As they are short, the edits aren’t taking as long, which I’m grateful for. Although I know and embrace the editing part of the writing process, the shorter the story, the happier I am. I have many a novel that needs editing. I’m not looking forward to them. Well, I am just not as much. That’ll change when I actually get round to it. It always does.
However, editing these stories will give me a decent warm-up for the bigger challenges. Well, in theory anyway.
And with all this going on, I have managed to finish reading my current book and the third in the Embers of Wars Trilogy by Gareth L. Powell, Light of Impossible Stars.
Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi and, in particular, Space Opera. My favourite is ‘Fleet of Knives. I always enjoy the second in any trilogy, or film for that matter, because I can get stuck in. No need for introductions. The first book took care of that. I can just get right into the story.
Before I started reading these fine books (Embers of War Trilogy- Books | Gareth L. Powell (garethlpowell.com)), I’d never heard of a space opera. Or knew what one was, really. Following this trilogy, I am definitely a fan. I’m on the lookout for more of the same.
With this in mind, I have a double-barrelled question for you.
If you were to recommend a space opera novel, what would it be and why?
Originally posted on Story Empire:
Greetings to all the storytellers out there. Let me start out by first wishing you a peaceful Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Then by sharing how delighted I am to be part of the Story Empire crew. I never tire of chatting about the craft of writing and hope to…
As I move into another year, I wonder what my next step will be in my writing career.
It’s tricky trying to decide what to do next with your writing, isn’t it?
I’m coming to the end of my short story writing course, with the last area of study being In The Market, which focuses on how to approach becoming published. This, like the rest of the course, has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and tips going forward.
Now, it’s just a case of trying to putting my learnings into action.
That was easy enough to write. But planning and doing this is another thing.
I’ve read plenty of tweets and blog posts dedicated to the subject, and they have all helped me in some shape or form.
I’ll be honest, it’s nice to know others are going through the same thing I am, and for those who have already done this, their practical tips have been helpful. Such as providing a list of agents looking for submissions or how to write a query letter/email. It’s all information I’ve taken in, but I will go over it all again and again (and again) to prepare myself as much as possible.
My short story course has provided me with a questionnaire to use when researching potential markets for publication (with questions such as ‘what is the word count for the stories they publish?’, ‘what type of characters are in these stories?’, ‘who is the target audience?’ and so on.) This has helped me break down the subjects I’m looking into and shows if the subject is a viable option.
My research so far has found a lot of different competitions and online short story magazines. In particular, Neon Magazine, a small but long-running slipstream fiction, poetry, and word art online publication based in Edinburgh.
I’ve enjoyed researching and look forward to finding more magazines like this. Hopefully, closer to home (I’m based in Greater Manchester. Edinburgh is lovely, by the way)
This research has also shown me that it takes a lot of work, but I find it enjoyable. I did find it daunting initially, but I’m happy with it. Long may it continue.
So, this leads me to a question for you. How did you approach your research regarding potential markets you think you could get published in?
A simple character profile is flat. But his lies, secrets and scars create an emotional journey that turns your story into a book readers can’t put down.
This is a post I found interesting in relation to the morals, values, or other belief systems of characters that can make a story more of a gripping read.
This also discusses how to detail these areas within a story and how this can help drive the story along.
on Jane Friedman site: At every writer’s conference, I see fledgling authors roll up their sleeves when told well-established truths on writing: Writing is important. Make it a priority. Schedule time for writing every day, or as regularly as possible. But when they’re exhorted to market their books? Pearl clutch. While a small group of […]
I am coming to the end of a very productive Short Story Course (https://www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-courses/courses/short-story-course-first-edition/). The course covers various areas, including ‘Shaping Your Characters’, ‘Narration and Dialogue’, ‘Writing Style’ and more. I’ve been paired with a tutor, Lesley Eames (https://lesleyeames.com/), who has been helpful and provided some very useful feedback. Several things she has advised will stay with me for as long as I write.
Amongst those things was something that makes so much sense but has never been advised to me before. That is:
The tag for dialogue is part of the sentence.
More than likely, that sounds standard to most, but it’s new to me. After the dialogue, you put a comma before the ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ part. I’ve never been told that or come across it before in feedback or otherwise. It makes sense, but I find it strange it’s never crossed my path. One of the many benefits I’ve seen from doing a course on the craft of writing. I never want to stop learning things like this.
I’ve made plenty of notes and devoured all the feedback that Lesley has provided me. But she commented just before I started my current and penultimate course unit, ‘The Writer at Work’, which covers the writer actually doing the work. She said:
This will be the penultimate assignment in the current course, but it’s possible to book some extension assignments if you feel it would be helpful to continue to receive feedback on your writing. Alternatively, you might consider the challenge of a new course such as Fiction, which deals with longer stories, or Crime Writing. Another possibility is to submit work under the critiquing scheme.
This got me thinking, where to next?
I’ve always wanted to write a story or two using all the experience I’ve gained from working in the banking sector, which is around 18 years now. The ideas have always been there. But, as I enjoy writing Fantasy and Sci-Fi related stories, I didn’t know how to mesh the two together. And I preferred to write Fantasy and Sci-Fi that in no way involved my working life and to keep things separate. I’m not sure why, but I think it may have been a way of keeping my two worlds apart.
But then, an idea emerged.
This came about when I started to write my journal. The idea revolves around the banking industry and magic. I’m still working it out, but I’m enjoying it, and I’ve started to write it each day on my writing note app Evernote. Well, it’s now almost every day, but it’s moving along nicely.
This idea got me thinking about all the other ideas I’ve had and more so the ones I’ve turned into stories of varying lengths. And what to do with those stories in particular. The one part of Writing Life that alludes to me is being published. I won’t lie; seeing my name on a book I’ve created being published on any scale would be a dream come true. But, how do I accomplish this?
This thought pushed me to sign up for another course, ‘How to Make Money from your Writing’. I’m hoping to learn a lot from this and take a big step in my writing life.
With this in mind, what further writing education have you done? Can you recommend any writing courses?Please comment below. I’m interested to hear from you.
johnrsermon 
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