Emma Stewart Writes

Category: Me and My Work

Posts about me and my current work projects.

  • Fixing Friday: Scene By Scene Draft One to Two

    Fixing Friday: Scene By Scene Draft One to Two

    Welcome back to Fixing Friday. This week is ‘Scene by Scene’ where I go through my notes after reading the first draft and plot out the scenes and what needs changing. At this stage, I’m focusing on the ‘big picture’ stuff. The overall story structure and if everything was in the right place. It did feel like it was missing something.

    A New Outline

    Before I touched the manuscript again, I worked through a revised outline. I’m what is known as a ‘plantser.’ This means I usually start a writing project with a vague idea and just plough ahead and write, discovering the story as I go. Although I don’t always complete a draft this way. I then go on to create an outline from what I have, to figure out how to get to the ending.

    I use the Three Act structure for this story, which is one of the most common story structures, although there are plenty of options. So I took my notes from my first read through and used the plotting tool on Lore Forge to fit all the story events into this structure.

    It’s important to have a combination of action and reaction moments. Not every scene has to be high drama and excitement, there has to be space for characters to take a breath and react to their situation. It also gives your readers a moment before moving onto the next thing.

    Creating The Outline

    So what do I include in this? A few things. I’m learning as I go on this, so my process has improved since this early stage. But here’s the details I included in my revised outline, scene by scene. I created an entire date system for my world and part of the outline included a timeline with dates for each scene.

    • What happens in the scene? This is probably an obvious one but it is essential.
    • When it happens in the story. I add the date.
    • What the scene’s purpose is. Is it character development, discovering new information, a significant event in the plot? There is one chapter where one of the characters makes an important discovery that will lead them to what they need, but it won’t pay off for a long time.
    • Off the back of the last point, noting if something is significant for a character. Like one of them being forced to confront something from their past, or how they feel about a decision they made.
    • Scenes should always do more than one thing and worldbuilding is a part of that. I do my best to avoid info-dumping too much, so I try to sprinkle world details throughout and show them through events in the story.
    • Sub-plots and secondary storylines and how each scene interacts with them.

    It’s a lot of detail, but the first draft is only the skeleton. This is where we dig into the meat of the story and flesh it out. I know that’s a bit of a creepy metaphor but it’s accurate.

    Next Steps

    I examine the outline for consistency and decide if it’s in the right order. Are events following on from each other in a logical way, while escalating the tension? Are there scenes that are not pulling their weight? In which case they either need to be improved or removed.

    Cutting scenes is difficult. You wrote them for a reason, but sometimes they are just not doing enough to be there. I hate deleting things permanently, even if I’m ‘killing my darlings’ so I keep old versions of the documents just in case. It needs to happen, though.

    After that, I felt ready to start writing the next draft. I chose to rewrite from scratch, using the first draft as a reference. I did occasionally copy over some bits from the original draft but most of it was rewritten. It still felt like it was missing something and I realised that one of the major characters was too involved to not be a main character. That meant I needed to upgrade him and give him his own story arc. I’ll get into more details on that next week.

    Outlines are great to have but it’s important to remember that they are not etched in stone. If your outline is not fitting where the draft is going, then it can easily be changed. It’s all a part of the process.

    Next week, we’ll be going into how I wrote draft two, upgraded a character to a main character and fleshed out his backstory. So I hope you’ll join me for that.

  • Fixing Friday: Draft One Readthrough

    Fixing Friday: Draft One Readthrough

    We all know that the first draft just needs to exist while the second draft is to make it all make sense. That’s what the goal was for this. I have a draft zero for this project where I realised the structure was too much for a single stand-alone book, causing me to rush through to the ending. So I had something to base draft one on, after splitting it up and expanding the story.

    The entire thing grew from a random scene I wrote several years ago when I was struggling with insomnia. Which happens a lot. I found it again a while later and started vaguely writing scenes here and there. When my health got too bad and I had to stop working, it occurred to me that it might be a good outlet.

    Like many authors these days, I spent a lot of time writing fanfic when I was younger. It helped me cope with university, which was intense and stressful. I enjoyed it a lot and I did mess around with some more original stuff back then. I finally decided to try and make a go of it, so I did. And here we are.

    After I finished draft one I took a break from it for a few weeks. I worked on book two and world-building details I knew I was going to need. A lot of experienced authors recommend this and I can see why. When you’ve spent hours and hours working on a draft, it’s all in your mind and that makes it harder to see what isn’t working. Taking a break gives your brain space to return with fresh eyes and see where changes are needed.

    The First Readthrough

    After I came back to it, I spent some time reading through it and making notes. I do my best thinking and planning with a pen and paper as it makes my brain slow down so I can keep up. I picked it apart piece by piece and figured out what needed changed or rearranged.

    I also decided exactly what point in the overall story I wanted to end book one. I did come up with a colour coding system with coloured pens and sticky tabs. That didn’t really help me much so I retired it for the next version.

    I was still shaping the story at this point and getting to know the characters. Most of the major events were pretty much set in stone but I felt the opening chapters were very slow. At this point, I was still learning how to use story structuring methods. I wanted to ensure that the plot followed a good structure that made sense and I decided to use the Three Act structure as it made the most sense.

    New Software

    I discovered a brilliant writing software called LoreForge. (Not sponsored, I just love it) It provides a ton of useful things. It has space for you to put characters, locations, cultures, races/species, discoveries and more. It has guidance and profiles to make sure you cover all the bits you need to cover. It also has a plotting tool where you can choose from several established story structure templates or a custom one.

    You can also put in chapter and scene summaries, bookmark pages to access in a side-bar to see while writing and colour coded sub-plots. You can edit metadata for each chapter and scene with POV, characters included and link to notes. This software is so flexible and it is free for offline use or you can pay for the premium version that gives more customisation and cloud storage so you can work from multiple devices.

    It has been brilliant for helping me put this story together and I will continue to use it. Books can be exported and the default formatting seems to be pretty good. My later edits are done in Word using tracked changes, one feature that LoreForge doesn’t have. But I highly recommend it for authors, especially if you’re writing fantasy/sci-fi and need to corral a lot of world-building details.

    Once I had finished my readthrough and figured out the major changes I needed to make, it was time to plan out the next draft. I’ll get into details on that next week. The thing that helped me the most was taking a break from it. I don’t want to rush and put out an inferior book, especially not with my debut.

  • When Characters Take Control

    When Characters Take Control

    A typewriter is shown with 'Stories matter' typed on it and the text below says 'When characters take control.'

    When Characters Take Control

    What happens when characters take control of your narrative? This is a familiar situation for many writers. It can be frustrating when the characters just walk all over your carefully planned outline. Our plans and early drafts are how we really get to know our characters and that means that things can change during the process. So let’s talk about when characters take over and whether you should let it happen or not.

    Plans Change All The Time

    Not everyone likes to plan their stories out but even ‘pantsers’ have some idea of what’s going on and where the plot will go. For others, having a detailed outline is essential for structuring and writing the narrative. I personally work with a combination of both but I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters, both through detailed backgrounds and profiles and through writing them.

    However, sometimes people get stuck on their outline because they get through two thirds of the story and realise the next plot point makes no sense. Or the character has changed and their next move is now out of character for them, which can be jarring for the reader. Trying to force them to get back on track with the plan makes the writing feel forced, which can contribute to writer’s block.

    It’s okay for things to change as you write. It’s pretty normal, actually. Your plan is simply a guideline for the original idea and if a new idea or direction feels better then you can absolutely follow the new path. I wouldn’t throw out the original plan and any scenes or chapters you decide to remove, though. Keep them in a separate file, just in case you want to refer back to them or use them somewhere else.

    What if the Characters Take Over?

    As you write, you get to know your characters better. No matter how detailed their profile and background might be, you’ll still find yourself learning things about them. As you understand them better, you know how they’re going to respond to events. You know what kind of decisions they will make.

    This means that the characters ultimately take control of the narrative and can push it in unexpected ways, even for the writer. If that’s what is happening, I think it’s okay to let it happen if that makes more sense to you. Being too rigid about your outline can stifle the flow of your writing and block your creativity. So if it feels right, let it happen.

    My Example

    In my current work-in-progress, one of the secondary protagonists has been upgraded to a primary protagonist. Aidan Kynaston joins the other two main characters on their journey. However I felt he was introduced quite late in the story. He also has an important plot point later on, so I realised he needed to play a bigger role in the story.

    The other reason was that the first half of the book focused exclusively on the other two main characters. So introducing a few chapters focused on Aidan before he meets up with the other two made sense. Including his point of view also facilitated adding more world-building and details about the stakes.

    Aidan also decided to tell me an important dark secret which I could then show to the reader to add more of his internal conflict. It makes him a lot more interesting, especially in his interactions with my morally grey assassin Alonso. They’re getting to know each other and I think it’s going to be very interesting going forward.

    So really, I had no choice but to upgrade him to a full main character with his own chapters and tell more of his story. I’m excited to see where this ends up taking him, alongside my other characters. I am having a lot of fun putting it together. I’m hoping to have it ready for beta readers very soon.

    My Advice to Other Writers

    If your characters are taking control of your story and the original plan no longer feels right, I would let it happen. Your best work will come by letting the story tell itself so forcing yourself to stick to the original outline can weaken your story.

    I think planning can be a helpful tool to structure your writing and keep your story on track. But it doesn’t have to be rigid and set in stone. Characters can take on a mind of their own, but do you know what that means? That means they’re well developed and becoming who they are supposed to be. So if your characters take control, you might be surprised how much better your story is if you let them.

    Have your characters taken control? Let me know your thoughts, and subscribe below if you want to see more. Every week I’ll be sharing some insights into my writing process or talking about a related subject.

  • Writing Milestone Reached!

    It’s been a while, I know. I’ve reached a writing milestone though. I’ve been dealing with the stress of moving house, which is still ongoing. In between packing and moving, I’ve been writing away.

    I’ve reached a milestone in my writing career and I have completed two first drafts. The first is my fantasy novel, which has been ongoing for some time. The other is a supernatural horror themed around fairy tales.

    Obviously there’s still a lot of work to do before these drafts become books but I’m excited to have this achievement unlocked. I’m currently working on world building for my fantasy novel before I get stuck into the first developmental edit.

    What’s Next?

    Next steps include world building and then working on the second draft. I’m hoping to have this done for my fantasy novel early next year. I think the book needs to be split and it will end up a series. We’ll have to see, the first big edit is going to be looking at the pacing of the story.

    In the meantime, I’ve been making content for YouTube and that is going well. It’s a lot of fun! I’ve also been reading more, and I’ve set up a new blog for book reviews and talking about all things reading. I’ve also set one up to talk about gaming related topics, so this blog will be about the writing process, editing and proofreading topics.

    With the first writing milestone reached, I’m psyched to move on to the next stage of this journey. This is all new territory for me, so it’s a bit scary as well, but I am looking forward to sharing my progress and my process with you all. If you want to keep up to date, subscribe to the blog and find me on social media below!

  • Sunday Check-In: 22 Sept 2024

    Sunday Check-In: 22 Sept 2024

    Snoozy Miss Echo

    Welcome to my first Sunday Check-In. Every week I will post a check-in and corresponding vlog to keep you all updated on what I’ve been up to. Expect writing updates, reading reviews and sneak previews of my work in progress.

    For the vlog, you can find it on YouTube here. Don’t forget to subscribe if you want regular updates!

    My Work In Progress

    Word count update: 76, 041 words and 30 Chapters currently in my first draft

    I’ve been working on world building too and I have fleshed out the main characters and finished off their profiles. The world map is done. I’ve been working on fleshing out the details of the Spirits, the deities of the world. There’s a sketched out version of the Creation myth and I will be working on fleshing out the mythology completely.

    I’m doing a lot of world building because I’m hoping to write more stories in this world in the future. Also I really like world building! Knowing the lore and the background to my writing makes it easier for me to write.

    My plan is to get the first draft done by the end of October. If I do this, I’ll take a break from it and work on another novel I have in mind. Then I can come back to the second draft and feel refreshed on it.

    I’m thinking about writing some short stories, including maybe some of the myths and things. Maybe some short stories of my main characters too, and sharing them on my blog and even Wattpad or something. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in!

    My Reading

    As for what I’ve been reading, I recently read two books I remembered from childhood and really loved. I’m not sure why they came to mind but I decided to reread them. ‘Witch Child’ and ‘Sorceress’ by Celia Rees. I loved them when I first read them, but they had more impact on me now as an adult.

    I think perhaps it’s because I’m more aware of the history of the United States, and the impact that European settlers had on the Native Americans. The impact of religion, of disease and eventually war.

    The fear of witchcraft, which was a symptom of the oppression of women.  Women with knowledge were not to be trusted. Native American so-called ‘savages’ were not to be trusted. The story of Mary is one full of fear and heartbreak, but also love and self-discovery.

    I highly recommend these books, even for adults. It’s an emotional story but it’s worth your time.

    I’m currently reading ‘ When the Moon Hatched’ by Sarah A Parker. I’ve just reached the half-way point so things are beginning to get really interesting. I’m enjoying it so far, and I am curious to see where it’s going to go next.

    The main character is complex, somehow both really likeable and frustrating at the same time. She’s absolutely flawed in some ways and that’s always a good thing for a main character. I’ll report back when I’ve finished it to give a proper review.

    About My Characters

    Every week I’ll reveal a little bit about my characters or my setting. Since I was speaking of the traits and flaws of the main character in the book I’m reading, I thought I would share a bit about my main character, Shaine.

    Shaine is a kind-hearted and empathetic person. She is also very curious and loves learning new things, she’s an academic at heart. However her strong sense of justice and firm moral compass can lead her to be judgemental and overly critical of people who do things she doesn’t really approve of.

    This leads to some conflict and tension between her and Alonso. He’s an assassin and she judges him harshly for his chosen vocation. On this journey, they get to know each other better and she begins to realise she was wrong about him.

    Plans and Goals

    I’ve planned out a schedule for my content next week so look out for some blog posts talking about story telling methods in video games. On YouTube, Tuesday will be the continuation of the Old World Blues series. Thursday will be covering Vault 75. Saturday is for the Science of Fallout series and will be on Nightstalkers.

    I’m also slowly making progress on putting together resources to help writers when it comes to animals and medical subjects. It’s going to take me some time, but I am hoping it’ll be helpful. It’d be nice for my knowledge to not completely go to waste, you know? That said, if there’s a particular subject you’d like to see, or even just a question you have, let me know and I’d be more than happy to help.

  • New Posting Schedule And Life Update

    Here’s a cute cat photo, just because. So, I’ve been a bit behind on things lately. I was a bridesmaid for one of my best friends last weekend, which was a beautiful day.

    I have written over 76k words on my novel. I’ve finished a lot of worldbuilding as well. The plan is to finish the first draft by the end of October.

    I’m organising my blog schedule as well as the YouTube upload schedule. I want to be more consistent with it all. I also want to make the best content I can for you all. So going forward, here is the current plan. Note that all times are UK time.

    • Monday: Blog post live at 6pm
    • Tuesday: Old World Blues on YouTube at 6.30pm
    • Wednesday: Blog post live at 6pm
    • Thursday: Vault-Tec on YouTube at 6.30pm
    • Friday: Blog post live at 6pm
    • Saturday: Science of Fallout on YouTube at 6.30pm
    • Sunday: Writing recap and review – blog and YouTube vlog at 7pm

    You can subscribe to my blog to get updates when a new post goes live. The same goes for my YouTube channel. I will also update my social media channels when new stuff goes live. Feel free to follow me on Instagram, Threads, Tik Tok and Facebook. Everything is linked below!

  • Character Relationships: No Man Is An Island

    Character Relationships: No Man Is An Island

    green trees on cliff

    Character Relationships

    Let’s talk about character relationships. As the quote in the title says: ‘No man is an island.’ What does that mean? Every single person has some kind of relationship that connects them to other people. Even a hermit living in a cave in the middle of nowhere will have relatives or something somewhere in the world. It takes two people to make a baby, so everyone has biological parents.

    That’s not to say everyone has relationships with their biological parents. Adoption, being orphaned or just cutting them out of your life because they were horrible people, there’s many reasons. Outside blood relatives, we have friends, partners, people we work with, all kinds of connections with people. For many of us, the people we choose to keep around us are the most important.

    “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

    Remember that? Most people know the shortened version which is supposed to tell us that familial bonds are more important than those we make ourselves, but the true quote has the opposite meaning. So, when it comes to your character, relationships are important. We need to know the kind of people they associate with and why. So it’s an important aspect of character creation.

    Family

    Consider your characters family. Who are their parents? Do they have siblings? Is there another family member important to them, like a grandparent or aunt or cousin? What is the relationship like now, and is that different from when the character was younger? What kind of influence did these relatives have on the character and how has it helped shape their personality?

    It’s worth detailing this in the early history section, but I also like to add a section dedicated to important relationships in my character profiles. For example Shaine, my protagonist in my current novel, had a great relationship with her parents. Her upbringing was full of love and support and she learned a lot from both of her parents. Alonso on the other hand, never met his parents at all. His father was a ‘client’ of his mothers, and his mother died shortly after he was born. Another character introduced later on has a sibling he has lost contact with and wants to find.

    I’m not suggesting you build a huge family tree and go back ten generations (unless this is important to your plot!) but if you really want to, you can. At the very least though, you should have at least the relatives your character has met during their lifetime and a little bit about the relationship, how they got along, if there was any conflict there, that kind of thing.

    Friends

    Friends are important. They are the family we choose, in a way. Even the most introverted person will have a couple of people they consider friends. Most of us will have different kinds of friends. Close friends we can trust with anything, work friends we get on well with at our jobs, more casual friends we hang out with in groups. Your characters should have the same thing. At least a couple of people who really matter to them.

    Depending on your plot, you might not include these friends within the story but they could be there in the background. If they are involved, it’s a good way to demonstrate certain aspects of your main characters. Of course, there’s always room for your main character to make new friends along the way, and also for them to outgrow old friends as the plot changes them and makes them shift their priorities.

    It’s okay to let go of old friendships if they no longer work for you. That applies in real life as well as in your characters lives. People change, life happens and sometimes you need to move on. I have had to make this decision in the past, and it’s tough but sometimes it’s best for both of you.

    Romance and Love

    Not everyone has to have a romantic partner. The single life can work perfectly well for some people. Others will have a partner, or have had long term partners in their past. Some people may have had a number of short casual relationships. All of these are valid. Bear in mind that not every relationship is going to be what some people consider ‘conventional’. Polyamory is a thing in real life, so it can absolutely exist in fiction. Different sexualities and relationship types are always a good thing to incorporate but make sure you understand what you’re doing so that you can represent these relationships accurately. Polyamorous relationships, where there are more than two partners, are built on trust and open communication. It should not be used as an excuse to cheat without getting into trouble for it.

    It’s okay for your main character to have an established romantic relationship of some kind at the start of the book. Even if you are writing a romance. It’s also okay for them to be single and looking for a romance, or not looking. It all depends on the genre and plot. Obviously for romance stories, the development of a relationship is the whole point of the plot. In other genres, a romantic subplot of some kind adds some interest for the reader and it’s realistic. Even in a fantasy novel, a group of adventurers spending weeks together travelling for example, feelings can develop and it gives your readers something to root for.

    Back to my current novel in progress, I haven’t decided if Shaine is going to find a romance subplot or not, but Alonso’s history comes back to bite them. He is pansexual, and he was in a long term relationship with another assassin. They had quite a messy breakup, and Alonso moved on, but his ex comes back to surprise him. It’s a minor detail, but it impacts how the surprise is handled and affects the characters. He may also find himself interested in a strapping young man they stumble across. We’ll have to see!

    Conclusion

    So remember to have a think about some of the important relationships in your characters life and include it in your characters profile as well as dropping it into the story where it makes sense to do so. These character relationships are important. The key thing for your readers is relatability and realism. Characters that are like real people, respond in ways that while maybe not optimal, are understandable and are relatable are the ones your reader will get really excited about.

    That’s all for this week. Apologies that this one is a day late, but starting next week, I’d like to look in depth at some character archetypes and what they can bring to your stories, so hopefully you’ll join me for that. Subscribe below to get an email when a new post is live and follow me on social media for updates and behind the scenes. Until next time!

  • Character Backgrounds: Skeletons in the Closet

    Character Backgrounds: Skeletons in the Closet

    greyscale photography of skeleton

    Character Backgrounds

    This week, I would like to talk about character development. As an author, you should know your characters inside out, everything about them and all the skeletons in their closet. The best way to write genuine, believable characters is to make sure you know them inside out. For today, we’re going to look at character backgrounds and history.

    Everyone has different methods, however, a lot of people get bogged down in their name, their appearance and a list of merits and flaws. That’s all important stuff, don’t get me wrong, but it is important to know their background. Every single one of us has a unique personality and pattern of behaviour. Our experiences shape who we are. All the good and bad things that happen to us, shape us into who we are. With every new experience, we change a little bit more. We learn from what happened before and we choose our behaviour accordingly.

    What Happened To You?

    One thing I like to do with my characters is write out a full and detailed bio for them. I’ve done this for years, I spent a lot of my early adulthood writing fanfiction and written roleplay. Anyone who has been one one of these roleplay message boards will have done a character application. The longest section should be the history section. A breakdown of the important events in that characters life, and the effect that these events had.

    What this should do is explain their traits and their behaviours. Someone who has been bullied or abused early in life is not going to trust easily. Someone who grew up sheltered and hidden away from the world is likely to be gullible and easily led astray. What led them to the career choices they made? Why are they good at fighting? Were they trained, or did they learn by having no choice but to fight for survival? Do they have secrets or skeletons in their closet?

    The history should lead up to who the character is at the beginning of the story. You then continue this throughout the story, shaping the character as the experiences of the plot continue to shape them. A lot of what you will write in the history section will not be included in the book, but little mentions here and there will make your character feel real to your reader. If it helps explain why your character does something a particular way, or why they react to a situation in an unexpected way, all the better. Here is a little bit from one of my character’s background in my current WIP.

    How Alonso Became An Assassin

    The young elf had spent his whole life in this brothel. He had been born here, his mother had died a couple of days after he was born. The women raised the orphans as a group, putting them to work in some fashion as soon as they were capable. At age seven, Alonso was responsible for cleaning, basic food preparation and clearing up dishes from the bar room.

    The owner of the brothel was a horrible man, He was loud, temperamental and violent. Alonso hated him, as did the majority of the brothel’s inhabitants. One of the girls was cooking the owner’s meal in the kitchen one night. Alonso had been collecting glasses and plates from the bar room and was standing on a crate by the basin, washing them.

    The owner had been served his meal, but was not happy as the bread had been burnt a little on the edge. Alonso could never understand complaining about food, unless it was rotten. The brothel owner cared. Alonso winced as the door flew open, banging loudly against the wall.

    “How dare you burn my food, wench!” the man’s booming voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

    The girl screamed and begged, and Alonso turned, he couldn’t help it. Big blue eyes widened in shock as he watched the man grab the girls wrist, holding her hand in the fire until her skin began to crack and blister. She squealed in pain, begging for him to stop, apologising, struggling. The man held her there for what seemed like hours, although it was really less than a minute, before letting her go and storming out again. One of the other girls ran to her side, helping her up and taking her outside to put cold water on the burn.

    Alonso’s eyes narrowed, tiny fists clenched tightly. His heart was racing, his chest felt tight. A voice came from the doorway, and it took him a second to recognise his own name.

    “Alonso, boy, fetch the master’s drink,” the barman called.

    An idea came to him, and Alonso followed outside, trying not to hear the poor girls sobs. He looked around, finally finding what he was looking for. There was a plant that grew outside, it had looked tasty enough, but Alonso had made that mistake once. It was poison, not deadly, but enough to put a child like him in bed for a week. He ripped off a few of the leaves, sneaking back into the kitchen and grinding them up, adding the sap to the pitcher of ale the master used before filling it. He took it out to the bar, and one of the others took it up to the master’s room.

    Alonso went back to work, finishing washing the dishes and taking himself to bed afterwards. The master was absent the following day and the next few days were peaceful and pleasant. All seemed well until one night. He was shaken awake in the early hours of the morning, to find the old matron kneeling over his pile of rags.

    “Come on, boy, wake up. Quickly now!”

    “What’s going on?”

    “Pack your things, boy. I saw what you did, but the master will find out when he recovers. I’ve been watching you, young one. If you come with me now, you can make something of yourself. If you don’t, he will put you out on the streets, if he doesn’t kill you first.”

    Alonso shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

    “You will. But you must leave with me now, boy.”

    “Okay, Matron,” Alonso said, gathering the handful of possessions he had, a knitted blanket his mother had made, a book of children’s stories and a handful of coins he’d managed to save, delivering letters. Little did he know, this was only the beginning of a colourful career as a deadly assassin.

    Alonso Cabiella’s history, by E stewart

    Discussion

    You don’t need to write it as prose like this, I just thought it would be fun to write it like that so you could see it. You should know these details. Even if you don’t explicitly mention them. Having a summary of important events of your characters past will help you keep them genuine and figure out how they would respond to the situations the plot is going to put them into.

    The example above; is the story of how Alonso was recruited by the Assassin’s Guild is the example. In my world, the guild like to acquire them as children, should they show good potential. They go to a boarding school for education and training until adulthood. After that, they are apprenticed to experienced assassins to begin work. The old matron works as a contact for the guild, and she had already suspected Alonso fit the bill, the incident where he poisoned the brothel owner as revenge for the girl was what confirmed it. The quick thinking, resourcefulness and using his own knowledge and experiences to decide what to do.

    Conclusion

    I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, and if there’s any particular examples of this that you really like. Look out for more on character development later this week. For more, subscribe below and follow me on my social media channels for more updates. For other posts covering characters take a look at these: here and here.

  • About Me!

    Hello, and welcome to my blog. Let me tell you a bit about me. I’m Emma, I live in Scotland and I am starting my new journey in writing, proofreading and editing. I’m here to showcase my work, connect with like-minded people and establish myself as a freelancer.

    You can find my profile, my CV and what I offer in the menu above. I’m always happy to hear from anyone who is interested in working with me. I have enjoyed writing and reading all my life.

    I do also run an online craft shop and website where I sell handmade items, patterns and provide free tutorials on my crafting blog. If you’re interested you can find the site here, and the blog here.

    About My Background

    So, a little bit about my background. I had always wanted to be a vet, since I learned what a vet was and what they did. I’ve always loved animals and found them interesting. I worked hard to achieve this goal and succeeded, graduating as a qualified vet from the University of Glasgow in 2009. I began working in Yorkshire, before returning to Scotland to work.

    Unfortunately, life had other plans for me. I developed some health problems which made working as a vet increasingly difficult for me. It is quite a physically demanding job, even if you’re not dealing with cattle and horses! I had known for a while that I would have to consider alternative career options. So I looked to another of my favourite things: reading and writing.

    Reading and Writing

    I was an avid reader as a child, I think I have read every single book Roald Dahl ever wrote. I had a huge collection of classic children’s novels and read a lot of them. As I got older, I even started reading some of my dad’s horror books. I got into fantasy as an adult, reading the Game of Thrones series, and various others. The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Phillip Pullman is my favourite of all time.

    I also got into writing as an adult, during my time at university. I always knew I wanted to write a book. At least one, anyway. I got into video games and particularly enjoy fantasy RPG games. Dragon Age will always be a favourite, and what I enjoyed most about it was the characters, the lore, exploring and learning about this strange world. So, I found another fandom to write in. This has led me to having a handful of original characters who have shown up in various guises over the years. A couple of them are now featured in my current work in progress, having refined them into their own entities.

    What to expect from this blog?

    On this blog I will be writing about my own work, sharing some snippets and perhaps even some short scenes as I continue to explore and develop my characters and the world they are living in. I will also be talking about the technical side of writing, how proofreading and editing works and how to improve your own writing. So there will be something for everyone!

    I’ll leave it here for now, but keep an eye out for updates over the coming weeks. You can also find me on various social media platforms where I will be posting shorter pieces of content and chatting about things I’m doing. Links are below.