I wrote this scene as part of my NaNoWriMo project which I am still working on. The WIP is called “Vincent” (working title) who is the MC in the story. He’s a very bright, mid-20s virologist and the WIP is set in 2020 during the pandemic but is not about the pandemic. The conversation happens early in the book and it’s more about establishing Vincent’s character...
This is one chapter in one of my WIPs which is a sci-fi piece set on a future Earth with mystical overtones. Cults? Hidden Agendas? Pawns in a Bigger Scheme? Of course ...
So much for regularity! It’s been a couple of months since the last post, so I’ll dive in with a quick round-up of posts. New Posts Foundation & Empire by Isaac Asimov [Book Review]Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov [Book Review]Succubus [New Poetry by me]Toxic Magnetism: How & Why Empaths Attract Narcissists [Book Review]Empath Awakening: How to Stop Absorbing Pain, Stress...
Checking in for the 7th time now and still not much progress on the main ‘work in progress’ so I thought I would change the format of the post. I’ll still check in every couple of weeks and post what I’ve been working on, but might go a little deeper into other aspects also. It’s a moving feast! New Posts Foundation by Isaac Asimov [Book Review]A Question of Values...
Writing Non Fiction Book Reviews: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,The Three Questions: How to Discover & Master the Power Within You Restaurant Articles: Build your own NHS Track & Trace App in an Hour Reading I finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy and, despite the archaic language, I found it an excellent listen. Definitely recommended reading for any fantasy buff to see where...
Writing Non Fiction Book Reviews: The Etymologicon, Man’s Search for Meaning, The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,The Buddha & The Badass, The Daily Stoic, The Three Questions,High-Performance Habits Restaurant Articles: Guide to re-opening restaurants from 4th July,Flexible Furlough Scheme – Guidance for Employers July to October. Personal Development Articles How to Become...
Writing My Main WIP – The Gift No progress this fortnight. Again. In Other Stories It would be fiction if I wrote something here 🙂 Non Fiction Book reviews: The Miracle Morning, WTF (Willing to Fail) and The Five Attachments. Course Reviews: The 10 Human Drives, Meditation with Mei-lan Maurits, and Transformation Week. A post on the flexible furlough scheme for restaurants. Reading Three...
Writing My Main WIP – The Gift No progress this fortnight. In Other Stories Nothing to see here. It’s been one of those dry periods, though I am exploring an idea that was suggested in one of the “What Readers Want to Read” YouTube videos. Writing is not always about words on the page, though this idea has morphed into a possible trilogy! Non Fiction I wrote the comparison...
Writing My Main WIP – The Gift It’s alive! As I continue to learn more about story structure, good plotting, character depth, show-not-tell and more (as every writer should – never stop learning), the story has evolved. The short-story that began it all has become the lead-in to what is developing into a ‘Dude with a Problem’ story (based on the Save the Cat genres)...
The first of my bi-weekly check-ins where I share my work-in-progress. I will try to keep this on-topic but I have a feeling I will digress with all the other stuff that’s going on in life. My Main WIP – The Gift Started off as a short story (3800 words) earlier this year but felt like it needed more explanation. I have written about 1000 new words on this and structured out the...
About 40 years ago, I discovered role-playing and Dungeons and Dragons in one of the after school clubs. It revealed a universe that allowed me to flex my storytelling muscles and enjoy a mixture of fantasy and sci-fi and feed the escapist dreamer inside.
Over time, I played (and story-led - marked with *) many systems including Call of Cthulhu*, Shadowrun, Dungeons & Dragons*, Middle Earth, In Nomine*, Bushido, Chivalry & Sorcery, Chill, Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, Gammaworld, Hawkmoon, Stormbringer, Immortals*, Marvel Super Heroes, Paranoia, RuneQuest, Vampire: The Masquerade*, and a couple of systems my own devising (Medieval* and Parody*).
I explored live-action role-playing – eventually running my own club and creating my own LARP systems (Fools Gold and Dream Conquest) – and usually found myself in script-writing or game-master duty, writing over 500 individual live adventures over the period (usually weekly), many linked into the world events of the fantasy land we created. I also volunteered for Curious Pastimes and Lorien Trust at their main LARP events (special effects at the Ritual Circle), and did a little script work, cameos and improv for Curious Pastimes. I was also the South East's Editor (UK) for the LARP magazine The Adventurer. The biggest event I ran was a 10-month modern-day "murder mystery" LARP set around parts of Kent where characters were "always-on" and could get updates and interactions at any time outside of scheduled events. That was in the 1990s.
I was also the artistic director for English Heritage for their live Halloween Horrors events at Fort Amherst in Kent from 1998-1999.
Now, I write as the mood takes me with occasional competitions and challenges, and this year (2020) I will be taking on #NaNoWriMo.
Here's to the future!