The bit where I jabber at you.
As men and women of all ages suffer self-deprecating thoughts about their physical appearance, it's easy to feel isolated within that self-hatred. Why? Because fat-shaming. We've become so used to idealising images of toned celebrities that we try to pretend such physiques don't require a strict and active lifestyle to not only achieve but also… Continue reading Body Positive Panda Feelings
It's no secret that cats are my patronus and anything cat-like tends to draw my undivided attention. Fuzzballs are no different. I first bumped into their stand at Comic Con last year and met creator Marc—a lovely individual with a great fluffy creature brand. Ranging from cats to tigers and bunnies, it's hard to resist… Continue reading Meet Marc: Creator of Fuzzballs
Part one Part two Part three Last time I updated, I was scraping the barrel of misery in search of a writing epiphany, and I hadn't met my deadline. The good news: I managed to finish my edits and hand in the new draft of my novel just before Christmas Eve. The bad news: silence. My novel… Continue reading Getting Published: part four
Let’s be honest. The ‘magical girl’ trope used to suck when I was a kid, especially when girls are taught to hate themselves because ‘femininity = weakness,’ and gosh are magical-girl-shows ALL ABOUT showy associations of girliness. As such, the magical girl trope only pleased young girls who hadn’t yet learnt to think ‘girliness is… Continue reading Magical Girls: Internalised Misogyny and Genre Rebirth
I'm procrastinating by writing this post, let me just put that out there. Click here to read part one and part two. I didn't make the November 1st deadline. Once I figured out how to fix the big problems of my story, I worked day and night, every day, to meet the target. But hey, I… Continue reading Getting published: part three
This picture was the writing prompt from an earlier post, something I saw on the Book of Face with a caption which went something like this: You swerve to avoid a squirrel. Later, in your hour of greatest need, the same squirrel returns to repay its life debt. It stuck with me. There are squirrels […]… Continue reading The Saga of Sir Bushytail the Brave — The Red Pen of Doom
Belatedly following on from my last publishing post, about how I met an agent willing to give me and my novel a chance, it's time I updated on what happened next. So, after our feedback meeting, Suresh gave me a couple of big plot points and changes to think about: Maybe cut a character (I'm thinking: I… Continue reading Getting Published: part two
For the first time in three years, my schedule is completely blank until mid September. I’m actively looking for new manuscripts to edit, and I’d like to aggressively slash my prices. My rates are never this cheap, so I strongly encourage you to act fast because my inbox gets flooded every time I do this. […]… Continue reading Epic Cheap: 50% Off Editing Special
FIRST DATE WITH AN AGENT I've done it. I've started the journey to publishing my novel, or at least come closer to the dream than ever before. I've studied publishing as an industry, I've been an editor for four years for a digital publisher, but I've not managed to publish my own work—yet. So, I… Continue reading Getting Published: Part One
MCM London Comic Con is already behind us, but as per, it's Artist Alley I always loved the most. Fandom art and original beauties await! This year I took my partner along as a photographer, and both of us spent most of our money on art we can't hang up yet because we don't have… Continue reading Art I Couldn’t Resist From Artist Alley
I love writing horror. This is a great little post about drawing upon the aspect of character/animal death to ramp up fear in your story.
(c) hotblack
The goal of horror is to elicit an intense fear, and there nothing that humans fear more than death. Death is the last curtain call, the ending to the show. Everyone, whether they admit it or not, has some level of terror about the final end. Fear of death is universal. Horror stories feed off this trepidation. Every single tale of the macabre contains a death, which is essential to amp up the panic in a character.
The purpose of a story is show the growth of a central character. In order to grow, there needs to be a triggering event that transports the character in a positive or negative direction. Yes, characters can grow negatively and fall from where they originated. Typically in the genre of horror, the main character does descend. Eternal loss is a plot tactic for this catalyst. The build up to death is what generates the character’s (and essentially the reader’s) fear — the intrinsic element…
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So, remember that thing where I’ve written an epic portal fantasy? The cover is finally here, with artwork from the amazing Julie Dillon! BEHOLD THE PRETTY:
Here’s what it’s all about:
When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of civil war.
There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. But Leoden has allies, too, chief among them the Vex’Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.
Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin, a secretive order of storytellers and mystics, the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens…
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The South West of England will continue to see frequent and unpredictable bursts of heavy showers and crisp sunshine every day of this week, so don’t forget your rain repellent umbrellas no matter how deceivingly warm it seems. Those in North London should be wary of lightning strikes today, since thirteen year old Annabella Hackhop… Continue reading Weather Report: The Basilisk in Your Pasta
I applied to be a writer for Hogwarts is Here a couple of years ago, and my application was successful! But sadly, the acceptance email went to my junk folder, and I discovered it two weeks after they'd sent it, which was apparently deplorable. I never even got a 'sorry, you replied too slow'. I… Continue reading Meddling in Muggle Theatre
I have done a lot of beta-reading this past year, and in turn, I’ve had people read my own work. Nothing is more essential in the early stages of a manuscript than its beta readers, so if you have a collection of reliable readers, you should do everything in your power to hold onto them. Below I’ve amassed a series of points that I think are important to take into consideration when you ask people to read for you.
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Willow H. Wood 