Category Archives: amwriting

Tales from the notepads

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Mark Hayes

“And todays date is?”

Grunted laughter… “it matters not.”

“It matters not? We are in the third decade of third millennium, yet you speak of observing a battle in the first. By my reconning some fourteen hundred years ago.”

“it is still no dream.”

“What is it then, if not a dream?”

“A memory…” Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, fantasy, fiction, reads, writes, writing | Tagged books, creative-writing, fantasy, fiction, notebooks, writer, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Research is one of the most important aspects of the fiction writers toolbox, I am aware this may seem counterintuitive, after all its fiction. We just make it up don’t we? Well yes. But when ‘just making things up’ research is often far more important than you might imagine. Continue reading →

Posted in amediting, amwriting, books, fantasy, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural, urban fantasy, writes, writing | Tagged book-review, books, fiction, historical-fiction, sciencefiction, steampunk, urban fantasy, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

The Bookshop Dichotomy

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Mark Hayes

I love a bookshop. Be that bookshop a large Waterstones or some other major chain, or a small independent book store, a dusty little second hand books shop, or a huge second hand book shop in a disused railway station. … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, rant, writes, writing | Tagged book-review, books, bookshops, reading, reads, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

The Leaf in the night time

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Mark Hayes

For reasons I don’t entirely understand, posts involving things form my scrap folder seem oddly popular. Admittedly I suspect having now said that, no one will read this post, as my audience is as predictable as a British summer. Bless … Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amwriting, fantasy, fiction, indie, indie writers, indiewriter, insomnia, mythos, writing | Tagged blogging, books, fiction, insomnia, life, reads, stories, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

It Watches…

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Mark Hayes

I have no recollection of writing this, it is just a thing that exists in the scraps folder on my one drive. I know I wrote it but not when or why. Sometimes my mind is delightful… Others… Well, I … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, cthulhu, dreamlands, fantasy, fiction, horror | Tagged author, books, creative-writing, reads, sciencefiction, writer, writing | Leave a comment

Post-Newtonian Magic

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Mark Hayes

When writing fantasy, be it high, low, grim dark, romantic, steampunk, urban or whatever, a writer can’t just throw words at a page and see what sticks. Well, that is not entirely true, that is in fact quite often the … Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amreading, amwriting, books, fantasy, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiefriday, indiewriter, reads, steampunk, supernatural, urban fantasy, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, magic, reads, steampunk, supernatural, urbanfantasy, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

The wages of ink and paper

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Mark Hayes

There is an oft expressed view within both independent and traditional publishing circles, whence writers are encouraged to ‘fake it till they make it’. Or at least believe it is something they should do. The argument being something along the … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, opinion, publication, self-publishing, writing | Tagged amazon, author, books, kindle, self-publishing, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

The personalities of books

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Mark Hayes

I am passing the time working through an old WIP that stilted at 15k, but which I keep coming back to. Its a couple of years since I worked on it, and I have got to a section in which … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, fantasy, fiction, humour, reads, sci-fi, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged amwriting, book-review, books, fantasy, fiction, reads, urbanfantasy, writing | Leave a comment

As days grow lighter… coming things

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Mark Hayes

We have past into winter, and the sun has begun its return and the writer within me is excited for the new year to come. My literary year of 2025 is going to begin early with a new Harvey Duckman … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, fiction, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, publication, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, fiction, pagan, reads, science-fiction, sciencefiction, steampunk, witchcraft, writer, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

What’s in a name

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Mark Hayes

I do like a good title. For example ‘The Long Dark Tea Time of the soul’ is one of the finest titles ever devised, despite the fact its is my least favorite Douglas Adams book. Admittedly that is like saying a particular orgasm was your least favorite orgasm. Its still a fucking orgasm, ‘The Long Dark Tea Time of the soul’ is still a fabulous Douglas Adams novel. Its just not quite as brilliant as ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’… Continue reading →