Great Chapters- The Cave (A writing analysis)

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince, the sixth instalment into the titular series, was a turning point in many ways. While the series had been developing its darker tones as the characters and tone matured, they always coalesced with a feeling that whimsical feeling of magical escapism that made Harry Potter such a universal …

Ten lateral (And five practical) tips on writing interesting dialogue

There's no doubt about the fact that dialogue can make or break a story. There have been times when my brain hasn't been working properly when reading, and I have found myself subconsciously and inadvertently drifting towards the dialogue, often it being so much more tantalising to read than the meticulous descriptions and atmosphere building. …

Weird Dreams Vol 3- The Smoke and the Fear

The following is a horror story based on a dream I had when I was 12 or 13, mature content warning. The sky was pitch black. A canopy of smoke reached towards the desolate heaven above, towering over a crimson pitch. The city was burning. Alfie watched from his bedroom window, watching the smoke drift …

Writing true comedy

Think about the last time you read a book that was a comedy, and think to the times you actually laughed at loud. It's possible you never did, yet you can still recognise when a story is supposed to be humorous. The difference, however, between thinking; "That's humorous", and actually laughing, is a vast one. …

Limitations are an imagination’s best friend

"A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it." The above quote is by children's author Roald Dahl, and while I don't respect the man's character for his 'alleged' anti-Semitism, racism …

My Family plays DnD- Chapter 2- The Casket

This is a continuation of my DnD series. As always, quick disclaimer that we are not purists for the rules and that some fluff has been removed for clarity! The first chapter is here and the previous is here. The three figures emerged from the rapidly darkening woods and onto the fields that stretched towards …

Flipping tired tropes

A while back I wrote about the struggle we all find as creators to make something new and deeply original. Our world now is so saturated with media content, creating something new can be a daunting process. On the other-side, it can be fatiguing for us as an audience. We live in the age of …

Personalities through action

Subtext is a powerful thing. Words can only mean so much in real life. If you want to get the truth of what someone is telling you, you have to look deeper. Body language, gestures and reflexes. So how can we implement that into our writing? First, let's look at how not to do it. …

My family plays DnD-Chapter 1- The Test

This is a continuation of a previous story that can be found here! Just to reiterate, we are not super seriously about playing Dunegons & Dragons 'correctly'-we only want to have fun and tell the wildest stories we can, so take this story with a pinch of salt! As another boiler-plate point, this is a …

Amazing Episodes- The Breaking Point (A writing analysis)

Band of Brothers, produced by HBO, is a series that entwines deep with the very essence of what it is to be me. It is a series I watch at least once a year, including its follow-up, The Pacific, a series I continuously talk-about and celebrate, and often trade quotes of with my family, even …