Sending forth tendrils into the great void…

The slithering arm caused the light around it to ripple as, like a rope of silk and slime, it bent time and space itself and embedded the rounded tip into the girl’s ear. A agonised scream filled the air. But there was no-one there to hear her brain as it was infected with an erratic imagination.

And so, I decided to try this blogging thing and see where it leads. Perhaps my vile tentacles can encroach on your consciousness and in doing so, you might find something I’ve written of interest – or maybe it’ll lead to some interesting conversations that make me a better writer. Whatever happens, I’m sure it will be fun (and probably wordy, too!).

So, a little about me then? I have been writing, on and off, for decades – though to a very poor standard. In the last couple of years, I’ve put some serious effort into it and begun to improve. I’ve a children’s novella drafted and several short stories in my back pocket. But have I published anything? No, I have not. But I would – if I could get the stories to a place I could be happy with.

By profession, I’m an educator working with children from 5 to 11 in the English school system. I currently have my own Antichrist who loves reading as much as I do even though she’s only 3. To procrastinate and prevent myself from writing, I play silly computer games or play roleplaying games online. Or work.

My inspiration for writing comes from a number of different sources – mainly though from history and from the Wear Valley Writers group I attend every Wednesday. Stephen King said something along the lines of “if you want to be a good writer, you have to read, read, read.” He wasn’t wrong. Reading is one of the ways I get ideas about what to write about, and how to write about them. Some of my favourite authors include the likes of Dan Abnett, Michael Moorcock, Trudi Canavan and J R R Tolkien. There are many, many more that I read ravenously.

The stuff that I write is generally of a mix of genres, about things that have caught my imagination. My enthusiasm for certain projects can be erratic and some ideas get endlessly recycled with no real solution arising from them. I have written pulp fantasy and sci-fi, high fantasy, speculative fiction and children’s stories. I can’t see myself as someone who sticks to just one area – I like to explore far too much.

Stick with the blog if you want to see some samples of my longer works; or if you want to see regular short stories uploaded. I have vague ideas about the kind of content I plan to upload – I guess so much depends on time and ability!