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The 'Introverted' Writer

I found this article from the guardian very interesting. What lies beneath: an introvert’s guide to fiction – and life It basically talked about some artists, including writers, being  introverted. In an extroverted world, being an introvert can seem to be some sort of a "dirty" word. Each profession has a stereotype attached to them. There’s the long suffering artists, the scientific genius, the ruthless businessman and others. Writers are no different. People make a lot of assumptions when you tell them that you’re a writer. Som people might think that you’re living the high life. Some will think that you’re set for life writing bestsellers whilst others will think that you have it easy because, after all, anyone can write a book. I have encountered lots of stereotypes about writers. However, there are few that tackles a particular subset of writers: The introverted writer. For the purpose of this blog post, an introverted writer is self- explanatory. It is someone who is n

World Building the easy way

Whether you're writing a fantasy or a general fiction novel, there's no escaping from world building. So what is it? The simplest definition I can find on the internet is that world building is the construction of a world in the realm of fiction. When confronted with creating a world, some authors balks at the idea of world building. After all, they've got their characters all fleshed out and the story has been mapped out. However, world building is a crucial aspect of story-telling. Without a believable world, your novel can flounder like an unstable pack of cards. However, world building doesn't have to be hard. You don't need to go overboard like JRR Tolkien did with his famous Middle Earth universe. You can do quick and easy world building and pretty much remain believable. Be consistent This would probably be the most useful advice ever if you're going to attempt to build a world. If for some reason, in the first chapter, you laid the rule that river flowed

The part where I announce...

I'm glad to finally announce that after 8 years in progress, my book the Damnation Plays is finally available to buy on amazon. I would like to thank all my followers for their continual support. Don't forget to check it out. Now available on amazon It has been a long journey but I am glad to have gotten this far. Now, that I'd finished I hope that the sequel won't take me another 8 years to write. Chantal.  

Why writing gives me joy

This is a post close to my heart. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved writing. I would write about myself, the world and the people around me. My writing back then was child-like, of course, but it brought great joy to me and it was something that I enjoyed. Then I grew up and went through some tough times. Writing became an outlet for all the turbulent thoughts swirling within my head. I suppose I used my writing as a kind of coping mechanism. Now, I’ve grown up and life looks a lot better than before I have come to appreciate the place that writing has in my life and heart. So, I’ll start by saying that putting words onto a piece of paper paper or typing your thoughts onto a word programme gives me the best feeling ever! How can I describe this feeling? Well, it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off your shoulders.  I’ve never been the one to express my feelings but writing gives me a space to do just that. I love travelling. I’ve travelled to several different countries

Fan fiction – to do or not to do

A vital part of my development of writer is to write about everything and anything. When I was younger, I was a big fan of fan fiction and I have contributed to the fandom myself. The ones that I was particularly interested in was “Harry Potter” and “Buffy the vampire slayer” as well as the marvel comics universe. I understand that it can be a fiery issues. There are some who believes that fan fiction is not truly a form of writing. Then, there are some who believes that fan fiction is a great way to sharpen your writing skills. A notable work that started off as fanfiction was the “fifty shades of grey” trilogy. It was originally a Twilight fan fic. I believe that fan fiction is a good way to practice your writing skills and gain readers. After all, you’ve got a readily available characters and an already established universe. However, its advantages can be a curse. Unless you want to write alternative universe fan fiction, I found that it can sometimes be too constricting. Readers so

Music and Writing does mix.

                           I love listening to music and I also love writing. So, it is only natural to try and do both.  I know many a writers who prefers their quiet space whilst writing but there are also people who love to listen to music and write. For me, I am in the middle. Although I love listening to music and also writing, it can sometimes prove a distraction. My mind wanders when I hear music and it can be hard to juggle both tasks at once. I adore different types of music. However, I find that not every music agrees with my writing. Hence, to compromise and to find a happy medium I try to listen to classical music whilst writing. The lack of lyrics makes it easier for me to concentrate on the writing tasks at hand. I also love listening to film scores whilst writing. In fact, I prefer film scores to classical music. They are more upbeat and I believe they kind of tell a story. Hans Zimmer film scores are great. So, what side of the fence do you stand on? Do you think writin