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Some writing groups are dreamkillers

When I was a writing beginner I found comfort in writing groups. They can give support and encouragement to young authors and some tips to improve. On the other side of the coin though they can be the very thing that destroys a budding career. When I started to dream about writing big, I joined a lot of writing groups on the internet - mind you, this was back in the early 2000's - and I found that they were very supportive and everybody cheered each other on. Now, with the rise of social media it seemed that the tides has turned and everybody has something to criticise each other on. Perhaps this ties back society - due to upheavals happening in the world right now people has become meaner as there's a lot more stress inducing things going on.  I've always tried to be gentle on new writers, and I probably won't criticise them by saying that they could look it up on Google. I've always been of firm belief that It takes time to get to the position you're at now an...

Writing a good villain that is unforgettable

 In this post I will be sharing my opinions about my experience of writing a good villain a.k.a the antagonist in a story or a novel.  I must admit - I love a good villain. It simply gives a story an edge. I believe that the same effort devoted to writing the hero should be devoted to writing a villain. What I despise most is a lazy, card board cut out villain when the whole story has been going so well before.  A good villain lift up the story, gives the hero a challenge and give us a reason to root for somebody. Furthermore, a villain doesn't have to be a physical person. It could be a force of nature, circumstances or unexplained phenomenon, but a villain must be compelling.  ⭐Make your villains have a cause other than serve as a plot device. A fully fleshed out villain should have a cause to behave the way they're behaving even though the cause might not seem rational to the readers or even the author themselves.  ⭐Make them sympathetic but at the same time ...

Still here and kicking!

Happy new year to 2023.  These past years that has flown by has been truly crazy and I can say that it isn't exclusive to me. We have truly entered another world since the pandemic   I've been on a long hiatus from blogging and social media but that doesn't mean that I've stopped writing. I currently got 3 projects on the go with word counts of 24, 000, 20,000 and 63, 000 words so 2023 is shaping up to be a busy year! Furthermore, I have been creating art that I can't wait to unveil to my readers in the form of truly awesome book covers  So if you're following me and it seems that I've disappeared off the face off the earth, then you don't need to worry. I'm still grounded.  Even more exciting, 2 of those projects are sequels to novels that I've already published.  2022 has proved to be a busy year with me undertaking a professional course and traveling, but I still managed to persevere and write during precious spare times . I'm very excited...

North of river Eve free for a limited time

Readers check out these groups for deeply discounted books. Find your next summer read here.  ALL GENRES: The entire country is one giant daycare! E-Books Under $6" https://storyoriginapp.com/to/FBtPYqC Re-Kindle: Kindle Unlimited Authors – ALL GENRES: JUNE"  https://storyoriginapp.com/to/lcsp0o6 Also, North of River Eve is free to download for a limited time. Get it before time runs out and most importantly don't forget to leave a review. 

North of River Eve now available on amazon

In a world divided by Race, Class, and Allegiances, only Hate rules supreme. The Big bomb devastated a Kingdom a long time ago and left its ugly scars in the form of River Eve. A river so toxic that one touch will melt the flesh off your hand.  Karcey, a young tearaway, calls it home. When night comes, she and her cousins scavenge through the wreck of the city to escape starvation and cling to life. Karcey has never felt that she belonged. Her dark skin makes her a target for abuse. Not least from her own family members. One cold day, a man knocks on her door.  He is Professor John Grantham. A brilliant academic and highly distinguished in society. He gives Karcey a choice: Stay and continue to struggle or follow him to a place where she can achieve glory for the first time in her short life. She decides on the latter. However, upon arriving there, it doesn’t take long for Karcey to discover that Professor Grantham has an ulterior motive. The The kingdom is at war with its ene...

Why so few good black Supervillains?

I really enjoyed watching the film “Black Panther”. The heroes were interesting to watch, but what caught my attention was the villain Killmonger. Here’s a villain who had a complex backstory and you could kind of empathise for him despite the despicable methods he uses to get his way. This got me thinking about why are there so few black supervillains or villains who are well rounded, complex and capable as opposed to the one-dimensional stereotype that runs rampant in the written and visual media and the comics world. When I speak about stereotypes, I’m talking about the vicious but the bumbling idiots that are often presented as antagonists – for example, the gangsters in Death Wish and Robocop. There had been many villains whose backstory had set aflame imaginations and are viewed through a sympathetic lens. There is Magneto, whose vision for mutant supremacy is explained by the horrors he suffered during the concentration camp. Then, there is Thanos, the outsider who rose ...

ART SKILLS I APPLIED TO WRITING

Learn the fundamentals As an artist, you have to learn the fundamentals of anatomy, composition, lighting and perspectives. You can’t skip these fundamentals. However, once you learn the fundamentals you can break the ‘rules’ quite confidently and still produce a pleasing image. Don’t skip on the fundamentals of plot, pacing and characterisation. It might seem boring right now but once you master it you’ll be more confident in your story and you’ll produce better work. Perfection is boring We all heard the story about someone who wanted to produce a perfect piece of work and never finished it. Perfection is not achievable. It’s only through attempting something and producing failures can we produce great work. Besides, none of the great works of art or literature is perfect. Start small by sketching and then work up to produce a bigger image This is going to be controversial as I know each artist is different. However, before starting a large work we usually sketch the scen...

Tempus TV is out

Science fiction novella is out now-Tempus TV I am pleased to announce that my new novella Tempus TV is now available on on Amazon. Read for free on Kindle Unlimited. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07C7TVZ7T/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523998001&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=tempus+tv&dpPl=1&dpID=5151UvFRyML&ref=plSrch# Tempus TV has taken over the world Jonah Perry grew up watching dinosaurs. He fulfils his childhood dream when he is hired to work behind the scenes of Tempus TV as a software engineer. His main aim: protect Tempus TV 24/7 from downtimes and hackers. However, everything has a weakness and Tempus TV is no exception. It’s a website like no other. Capable of streaming events that had happened millions of years ago, Tempus TV has brought forward a new era in technology. Binary, a hacker group, has been targeting Tempus TV and they’re getting relentless in their pursuit. After a hacking attack almost brought the whole system t...

Don't underestimate the power of humour in good writing

When writing, it is easy to cover the whole gamut of emotions ranging from sadness, jealousy to plain disgust. However, humour can be easy to overlook. What most people think when they hear the word ‘humour’ is a rip-roaring comedy. However, it can be subtle and it can also aid you in telling the most effective of stories. Take for example an artist creating a painting. If they use too many ‘dark’ colours and don’t vary it with ‘bright’ colours, then the painting is going to almost certainly look dull. In the worst-case scenario, it could be hard to make out the features of what they’re painting. Hence, a painter must create something called ‘contrast’ to make a painting more interesting. ‘Interesting’ is what we’re aiming for in our prose. Contrast can be thought of as the interplay between ‘light’ and ‘dark’ to create something that stands out.* Being an artist in addition to a writer, I consider the technique of creating prose to be similar to creating a painting. Use too m...

Writing on the train

If you see me on the train, you might be inclined to think that I am texting on my mobile phone. In fact, the possibility that I am writing a novel might be the furthest thing away from your mind. However, that's exactly what I do when I commute to the day job. There is a number of advantages of writing whilst on a public transport.When you're commuting to work, you find out that it is sometimes the only time during the day when you can write. I  prefer to use my time wisely.  Furthermore, I find the whole process more spontaneous than when I am at my desk writing and trying to come up with a scenario. For those of you less inclined using this method or thinks that it is a disaster for your hands, I would recommend purchasing a wireless keyboard to use with your phone. They're super cheap online and are very easy to set up. Writing on the train has become one of my favourite things to do. PS. If you're wondering, I wrote this post on the train.

The silence is not deafening

  So, I realise that I haven’t been on the social media scene for a few months. Life had gotten hold of me. It is not an easy act to balance working full time, writing novels and creating art. The good news is that I have two new projects that I am working on and hoping to release soon. Check out this space because more things will be added on. For everybody writing and struggling with everyday demands of life, I salute you. It is not easy.

How I created my book trailer

Many of you may have noticed that I have a book trailer on Youtube for my book: The Damnation Plays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJQHrdOx68 Well, there were several stages in producing the book trailer. Since my camera wasn’t working I decided to use stock images for my book trailer. There were several sites where you can get free stock videos such as: https://www.videvo.net/ https://www.videezy.com/ https:// videos .pexels.com/ However, I wanted something a bit more polished and I found the range of stock videos limited. I had a particular vision for my book trailer and none of the free stock videos sites provided these. On the other hand, I knew that I was on a limited budget so I wanted something that wasn’t too expensive. I couldn’t afford http://www.shutterstock.com/ so I googled and looked for sites that offered quality stock videos for a reasonable price. One of the sites that I decided upon was https:// videohive .net/ . The price was attractive as each video clip worked...

Free for a limited time only!

The Damnation Plays is free for a limited time only on Kindle. Discover the worlds of Mia Castle and Blake Carter. It's going to be a thrilling ride.  Don't forget to leave a review. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Damnation-Plays-Angels-Fire-Book-ebook/dp/B01KBF1TG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473503873&sr=8-1&keywords=the+damnation+plays “It wasn’t the coma that was bad, the awakening was far worse…” Mia Castle wasn’t expected to wake up - ever. Two years ago, she had driven her motorcycle to come in between the paths of a truck and her friend Tom in order to save his life. Disastrously, she was hit, putting her in a long coma. However, after a miraculous awakening, she defied the medical odds to become fully independent but was at the same time left with both physical and mental scars. Since the accident two years ago, her fiancée had moved on and unexpected events had happened in the lives of people she loves. Mia herself had changed. She now experienced visions that spann...

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...