I’ve stepped away from writing for almost a year since the publication of Disturbed Waters by Dark Edge Press.
Since then, the publisher has gone bust, and they have returned all rights to me, which I’m happy about as I can now republish it in its intended form.
I’ve made the decision to return to writing with a new book. I think I’m done with crime thrillers, as I don’t think I can really add much more to the genre outside of what I’ve already written. I do know there is a sequel brewing for Layla’s Song, but the idea hasn’t fully materialised yet and I don’t feel it’s the right time to write it.
I have Disturbed Waters to look at, review and edit to a shape I’m happy with before re-publishing. I also have A Feral Rose waiting in the wings, but it also needs attention before submission.
I really want to get back to the why with my writing.
I want to experience that full creative flair again, similar to that when I first started writing.
I feel the best way to do that is to write the kind of story I’ve always wanted to write. I’m going back to my roots in a way by staying on with the sci-fi and fantasy genres. The untitled project I’m only six pages into is a fantasy story which I feel is the most free genre for writing, which is what I need right now. I need that escapism. It also opens up so many possibilities that would be otherwise restricted by genres like crime and thrillers.
One thing I feel like has always plagued me is the length of my stories. I always found them to be much shorter than I originally envisaged them. Writing a longer, more expansive story with its own world and lore is something I’ve always wanted to attempt but I feel that many books that attempt this are just blatant rip-offs of other famous works such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. In fact, when deciding to go down this route, those two series of books are what drew me in the most, them and the story of Peter Pan.
Many stories captivate, but few leave a lasting impression like those mentioned above. Why is that?
For me, these stories were so far away from reality that it felt to me at least, as true escapism. They took you to places that you could only ever visit in your imagination. There might even be places that you associated with being close to the feeling and sense of these fictional worlds. I always associate the odyssey area (now SSE Arena) Belfast with Harry Potter and that fictional world because I went there on a school trip in primary school to see the first film shortly after its release. I remember how special that night felt as I was with my classmates and teachers but it was at night which felt strange and I couldn’t quite believe I was actually going to see the film. Most of the time, I had to wait for films to come out on VHS or DVD at the time because obviously my parents didn’t want to go and see every new release that I wanted to see.
That still remains one of the most memorable and special memories to me, as well as reinforcing my love for cinematic experiences.
The same can be said for so many other stories and films, but it was always the unreachable worlds that you would want to be a part of, but could never quite get there that left lasting impressions.
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