Today's posts are based on...

 How this works is each Friday I will pick either a picture prompt or word prompt and write a short story off the top of my head, it will be very rough, so I hope you don't mind if you decided to read it...today's prompt is...

They had called her a witch, threatened her with torture and burning. She hadn't believed them, she was only the town's medicine woman, the one who mixed the herbs, and helped the women in labour, she was no witch, she had no magick, no help from dark or light just what she'd learned from old mother Greystone. 

She'd run from them when they had come to get her, at the head of the crowd carrying pitch forks, flaming torches, and a ready made noose was reverend Collier, she'd refused his advances in the market place, and told him to go back to his wife who was in her sick bed. To her it was obvious that he'd not appreciated that, and had whipped the congregation into a frenzy. 

Above her head the crescent moon moon glowed through the clouds, that dotted the sky, a storm was brewing, in the skies and in her heart. She could feel the anger building, as she recalled the other woman from the nearby towns who'd been hunted down and strung up for supposed evil deeds. She was ashamed that she'd bought into the narrative that had been whispered around the town, of how they'd been evil, using dark workings to attack those whom they had issue with. It seemed now, that those were possibly lies.

Behind her they seemed to be gaining ground on her, no matter how high she hitched her skirts to run, the towns people seemed faster, until, it happened, a pain in her chest that made her think she was about to die, but it warmed her, throwing streaks of silver down her arms, and up into her brain. The sick feeling in her stomach disappeared, as she stopped, seeming to root herself on the path, she turned around to face her accusers, who seemed more like a mob of baying animals or the demons themselves whom they'd accused her of working with. 

Their eyes were wide, they were frothing at the mouth as they spewed vile accusations. Inside her mind, a soft voice said to trust them, to relax and let them take over, and she did, closing her eyes, then opening them, with a smirk on her face. She had begun this night with no allegiance, with no help, but she'd end it differently.

The sky lit up with lightening, and it seemed to come down through her, sending her dark hair on end, and a glow to her eyes, her fingers splayed, and lightening spewed from each finger, her clothes were flung back by the force, as each of those who would have killed her, fried on the path in front, begging forgiveness. She never did offer it to the charred remains.

The voice now sated, fell quiet, and she nodded in agreement, it was time to move on, time to eradicate those who would kill the innocent. She may not have been a witch then, but she most definitely was one now.

TWW

A little late....

On Thursday's we'll take a look at the world that I have created for my C.D.G. (Cross Dimensional Guardians). 

Originally they were called the Trans dimensional guardians, but I thought that Cross was a better word to go with. I came up with the name years, and years, and years ago, when I first wrote Sorcery the precursor to  Sorceress (now available on Amazon World Wide). 

Back then I had an idea that a war had been fought across dimensions, and the original council of thirteen were set up to end that war once and for all. They built the dome at the Nexus of the universe, using a mix of Tech, Magic and Science where they could hop on the threads to all the dimensions around them and petition them for help. Those who did help became their allies through everything else that happened in the dimensions, and also lent their peoples to becoming agents for the C.D.G. 

The race who had managed to steal a cuff from a time traveller and retrofit it for their own usage were called the Martouk, and when the war was over they were reduced to a mere shadow of themselves.

In this series of posts each week we will look at the C.D.G. the races and worlds that I created for my novels. 

TWW

Happy Wednesday....

 

The idea behind Wednesday Workshops is that those who want to learn how to go about writing a novel will get a guide to doing so. I hope maybe someday to do this as a work shop with me as a facilitator.

I would begin by asking you what your expectations are? Many a time when people attend a creative writing workshop, or a fiction writing / fantasy writing workshop people arrive with the expectation that by the end of it, they will be able to write a best seller and others will want to expand their craft realising that every workshop they attend will teach them something new, and others again will want to learn the basics so that they can have a great hobby.

My answer to these expectations is that I cannot guarantee a best seller, but I can probably show you something new and how to start your creative project. I can however tell you that you will have a good basis to create your first draft and work on edits afterword.

Next we would talk about what you want to write, and what Genre that fits into. The genres in this post on this blog The Road to Being a Published Writer: G is for... I would print out in PDF form and hand it around the group, then we would figure out what each member of the group was writing.

The next topic would be what we use to write on or with...here we have a long list. Desktop computer (towers are handy), laptop (moveable), Tablet (more moveable), Phone (dictation and note taker), Typewriter (old school), pad and pen / pencil (older school). We'd also talk about the old saying that you should keep a notebook by your side, and how with the modern phone it's not really necessary as we generally have one sitting on our beside table at night, training yourself to open the notes page, or dictation is another thing all together.

Next I would explain what a Writers Notebook is and why it's important to have one, either in paper form, or digital.

Lastly we would talk about when and where we write, when suits us, morning, afternoon, or night time, at lunch breaks, after the kids go to bed, before anyone gets up. Do we have a dedicated space at home, or is it the lunch room of our job, do we pop out to the café, or library, or bookshop? Conversation might even slide into what to do if we don't have much time.

HOME WORK:

In their class notebook they would be asked to write down what their expectations of the workshop would be.

If they hadn't figured out their genre then they would be asked to write it into the notebook once they had decided, and also to make a note of what they would be using to write their novel, and where as well as when.

I would direct them to write a summary of any work they want to work on during the course of the workshop.

Welcome to Tuesday...

On Tuesdays we're going to take a look at some if not all of the books on the craft of writing that I have stored in my little collection. Some of these books I have in paperback, some are located on my kindle, all are worthwhile looking at. Today we are going to start with this book...

179 ways to save a novel: matters of vital concern to fiction writers

by Peter Selgin
Writers Digest Books
1st Edition

First posted on Goodreads / Amazon 30th April 2018

Posted here with updates 07/05/24
⭐⭐⭐✰✰

This novel, as it's title states has a collection of ideas for trouble shooting your work in progress (along with plenty of writing advice).

However for me, I don't think it succeeds in it's claims. While I could cheerfully throttle Mr. Selgin for some of his rather snobbish ideas about being an author and what we should be writing, and how we should do said writing, I did however enjoy the challenge of getting through this book and found to my delight a few good pieces of advice and interesting snippets of information, that will no doubt find it's way into my own work.

Now DON'T get the idea that you shouldn't read this book, I think you should, the amount of underlining and comments that I have inside this book (my own personal copy) signals to me that it's well worth the read. These are some of said underlining's...

'No artist should ever be ashamed to make mistakes. The only thing to be ashamed of is not learning from them' - The introduction

'These meditations aren't intended to add up to a how to book. Their purpose is to inspire, to provoke and occasionally to tickle or annoy but mainly to awaken a deeper awareness of the fiction writers many challenges and thorny choices.' - Introduction

'By slowing down and taking the time and trouble to imbue our stories with authentic, rich, specific moments and details we achieve real drama and avoid its floozy cousins, sentimentality and melodrama.' - No. 26, p35 Fisticuffs and Shipwrecks.

'Yes, but now due to you pointing that out, I have an idea for a character that can be in two places at once.' - me in response to an argument that the author puts forward against unrealistic characters, who the author, not paying attention has in two places. P89 No.57, Getting Jack home: walking in a characters shoes.

'Full of crap', 'Bull', 'I can't believe you wrote that' - me at various places within the book.

At one stage on P230 I have written 

'You sir, are not going to take this away from me, not when I have fought so long to see myself as a writer / author' - this was in connection to a piece on performance anxiety. 

The author Peter Selgin while greatly annoying me with the way he seems to look down on some writers, does however encourage me to think about what exactly I am writing as well as how I'm writing it. He also challenges me to think about the reasons why I am writing and if I am writing to make a fortune (not possible for a lot of writers), to be read (would love that), to be famous (only in so far as I have a fan base who might come to signings), to do book tours (might be nice), or just because I need to write (this one for defo), for the sheer pleasure of the work...

Well done Mr. Selgin, you have challenged me, and I've actually enjoyed it, even if I still want to throttle you. 

Even though I did argue with the author and what he wrote, I would however recommend this book to writers as there are defo some awesome, thought provoking sections within all 179.

TWW

 

Morning...

What a dreary Monday afternoon, perfect really for some admin work. My thinking is if I get it out of the way today, I have the entire week left to just relax and get my writing done.

Now what do I mean by admin work, well that's simple really, it's updating all the social media entrapments that come along with being a self / indie published author (and sometimes even a trad published one as well).

So, where am I on my road to being a published writer? Well I am exactly at that place where other ideas are starting to accumulate once again, which basically means that I'm nearing the end of editing this book.

This is my second novel, it's called Enhanced, it's based in the same universe as my first novel Sorceress, and there are even some of the same characters involved, though the lead is different. She's a blue skinned Alien called Nirred.  

Here's the back of the book blurb...

'What do you do when you see a blinding light, lose consciousness only to wake up in a world where Graphic Novel 'Enhanced' beings actually exist? This is a question that Victoria Finnegan must answer when it happens to her.

Will she be able to find her way home?

Will she even want to go home once she has met and fallen for the enigmatic and handsome Mac Tire?

What does it all have to do with a Cross Dimensional Agents Cuff that belonged to a MIA agent and a Goblin Thief?

The answers to these questions and more inside Book 2 of the Cross Dimensional Guardians series.' 

Question, would this make you want to read this book? (answer in the comments)

I've just gone through a round of editing (I took the novel down and redid it after starting the editing for book 3 'Vampire'. I'd taken out several chapters at the end, as the beta's weren't keen on them, and have now added them back in because well, I thought it read as unfinished. 

The novel is going to start going through the read through section of the editing before adding it back to Amazon world wide to publish as an eBook and paperback novel. 

Right so, that's today's Admin work done, I will post this, then add a link to my sites around the web.

TWW