​​My love of writing...

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Writing novels, novelettes and short stories has always accompanied everything I’ve done and, as cliché as it may sound, I love and embrace opportunities to tell a story. Crucially, for me, my love of telling a story doesn’t just come from inviting others to read the finished product – the completed novel or short story – I get enormous enjoyment and satisfaction from every stage of the writing process.

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It begins from the very first moment an idea or concept pops into my mind – the very first seed of the story. These aren't hard to come by – my mind is constantly brimming and raging with plot ideas and so, there’s always fuel to start the fire. From there, I love how these primitive ideas start to blossom and flourish as I begin to brainstorm ideas, developing plots and seeing how they unravel, intermingle and entwine with one another before my eyes.

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Of course, developing the characters, which will be embroiled in these plotlines, is always very enjoyable, envisioning their appearance, personality and behaviour, and delving deep into their background – the people they might have met, the places they might have been, their different experiences. I feel it’s imperative to develop characters which have depth and have experienced the tribulations of everyday life – tribulations the reader can relate to, encouraging them to root for the characters as the story progresses and care what happens to them. Conversely, it’s equally as important to develop antagonists which the reader loathes and despises. And it might seem obvious, but I also find it vital to conceive characters which I care about myself (or revile, if the character is an antagonist). There are always those characters which blur the line between protagonist and antagonist, though – protagonists which carry out actions which can’t escape reproach – antagonists who may have no choice but to behave wickedly – these characters are always fun to develop.

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I adore creating a sense of atmosphere in my stories, making it physically palpable to the reader, and I seize opportunities to build tension and suspense. This is why I relish writing a horror story. There’s so much satisfaction to be gained by using my writing to bring a creepy, haunted house to life for the reader, or a dark and foreboding forest. I write with the reader at the forefront of my mind and strive to allow them to embody the main character or characters themselves. Therefore, if the main character steps through the front door of an ominous building, my writing transports them there too, into the body and mind of the character. Crafting and cultivating an atmosphere which invokes unease, anticipation and dread is very rewarding and, from my own experience, it’s these feelings which enthral readers, encouraging them to read on. The prospect of getting the reader to implore the character not to venture into a certain room or area – or venture outside a building – because the atmosphere I’ve created is too frightening for them to bear, drives me wild with pleasure. Writing horror fiction also bestows me with the ability to build the tension and suspense I spoke of before, using description and pacing to stoke the fire (and sometimes deliberately torment the reader) to give them an exciting and immersive experience.

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I do meticulously plan my story ideas, envisioning how the plot develops and evolves at different stages throughout the novel or short story, and how the characters will accordingly respond. Nevertheless, at the same time, I find it imperative to remain flexible and welcome spontaneity into my writing. Indeed, you never know if a certain avenue in your initial plot idea will evolve as you originally planned until you reach that point when writing the story. All kinds of situations can arise during your journey to this point – situations which were entirely unexpected when you began. For this reason, even though I’m a meticulous planner like I’ve mentioned, I find spontaneity very exciting and, in fact, some of my best ideas have developed from being spontaneous with my writing. Several of my spontaneous ideas have taken my stories in a completely new direction and it’s significantly improved it in the end.

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I’ve read many writers dislike the redrafting and editing stage of the writing process once the first draft is complete. However, I very much look forward to this part. In addition to ironing out any plot holes or similar discrepancies which might have inadvertently arisen during the writing process, I’ve found once you’ve finished writing a novel or short story (and you’ve embraced the unexpected and the spontaneity which develops on the way), the beginning often has to be amended as a consequence. While many writers might find this tedious, I find making these changes refines and bolsters the story, which is very invigorating and rewarding.

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And then we come to the final stage of the writing process – when the novel or short story is finished and it’s time to invite people to read it. This part is always an adrenaline rush for me – not knowing how a reader is going to respond – questions such as will they like it, will they be able to follow the plot, does the twist work (if I’ve written one into the novel), pour into my mind, not allowing me to rest. But then, if they mention they were unable to put it down and were desperate to continue reading, or they mention certain parts were extremely creepy, sending chills down their spine, I know I’ve accomplished what I set out to achieve and I’ve provided the reader with a fully immersive experience. Ultimately, they’ve enjoyed the story (even if it’s freaked them out!) and this, in turn, is sublimely rewarding. At this stage, it’s also an excellent opportunity to open the floor for constructive criticism – measures I can take to improve my writing and story telling ability, whether it corresponds to the overall plot, pacing or character development. I revel at the chance to amalgamate this feedback into my writing, helping to improve the stories I tell heading into the future.

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Please feel free to visit the ‘Books’ page of my website where you can read the blurbs to my stories and download my novelette and short stories for free.