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William Shakespeare did not write the plays that carry his name. He couldn't have done. A simple boy from the shires, with a basic education and who never left England - how could he have written such lyrical, thought-provoking material? How could he have known, in immense detail, about locations in the rest of Europe and quote from rare literary works kept hidden from the public? Shakespeare is a myth, a manifestation of tourism, literary affectation and mistaken historical interpretation by Victorian "experts" whose work still holds sway today. Within weeks of starting my Drama course at university, my head of department made a point of dispelling this myth. I remember him explaining how the house in Stratford-on-Avon, acclaimed as the Bard's birthplace, hadn't existed at the time! Of course, the myth has become so real now, it takes a leap of faith to question the truth but that's what I'm going to do here. I'm going to dismiss the Shakespeare myth and present you with the facts that contain the truth. William Who? First of all, let's deal with the name. In Elizabethan England, plays were frequently written as a collaborative venture by members of any company. According to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's website , there are thirty-eight plays, 154 sonnets and two lengthy narrative poems. The Taming of the Shrew was first performed in London in 1592. The Two Noble Kinsmen was performed in 1614, two years before the Shakespeare died, back in Stratford. That is a hell of a lot of writing in twenty-two years. Especially when the length of the original Folio editions were much longer than appear on stage today. The original Hamlet script demanded four hours! Collaboration made all this possible. So did rampant plagiarism. It was common to "lift" scenes, speeches and situations from other sources. Few of the plots are original, mainly taken from classic tales dating back to Greek theatre in many cases. At other times, from contemporaries. We might call it stealing but it's way more likely the original writers were part of the writing "team" - just like you get on TV now, where scripts are a collaborative process, even though one person may receive the credit. How do we know this? Because of a tradition from the time . Any script written as a collaborative venture was credited to a Mr Shake-spear . Everyone would know this wasn't one man but the work of a group of writers. It goes a long way to explain why there are so many, wildly different, spellings and handwriting styles attributed to this name. Much of the play would be improvised in early productions, written down as things were polished. It explains all the mistakes . There are a lot of them. One from personal experience. I was cast as Benvolio in a university production (directed by the Head of Drama I mentioned). The mistake is a big one. Benvolio vanishes as a character in Act III, Scene 1. In Act IV, the character of Balthasar appears, a character never previously mentioned. Likely the same character, both starting with a B and with the same role. A simple typo when it came to recording the script. So, if William Shakespeare wasn't the author but rather a name that suggested collaborative writing, who did write the plays? Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford This theory has been around for a long time and dismissed by some scholars but I want to show you how the theory carries greater credibility than some young guy from Warwickshire with a dodgy dad who got in trouble with the law. His son would emulate this criminal intent when he was caught poaching on the Charlecote estate - the only reference to the guy from Stratford. Edward de Vere was a writer and something of a man-about-town. He was a ward, and later son-in-law, of Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth I's Secretary of State and therefore a regular attendee of her Court. It would explain why she enjoyed having his plays performed for her - far more likely than some obscure guy from Warwickshire! His relationship with his father-in-law is important. Lord Burghley had an extensive, well-stocked library. The man was an academic and wrote accordingly. Burghley's Precepts was a book, written around 1585, and contained advice or guidelines intended for his son, Robert. It's fatherly advice, later published in 1616. One example - "To thine own self, be true." Recognise it? It's a line from Hamlet, spoken by Polonius as he offers advice to his departing son, Laertes. Fatherly advice. Also in Lord Burghley's library, the "Geneva Bible" - the first authorized Bible in English, that pre-dated the King James version we use today. Banned by Queen Mary, the translation took place while its writers worked in exile, in Geneva. Copies were rare and highly prized. Phrases from its text also appear in Hamlet, 'manicules' (margin notes) written by Burghley, also get used. Because of its value, the book never left Burghley's library. That Stratford guy could never have seen it nor use the exact phrases it employs. De Vere's network of friends and associates gave him access to a lot of people who provided links to the plays and their references. One example - the Westcoats Boys (choir boys from St Paul's cathedral) performed plays - such as The History of Errors. A play about two pairs of twins who arrive in the same city, mistaken identities lead to comic capers. The very same plot as The Comedy of Errors. Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, offers another reason for discounting Shakespeare as an author. Those two narrative poems I mentioned, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, were dedicated to this man. In a sonnet he's believed to be the infamous 'fair youth' that places questions about the author's sexual orientation. The critical thing to keep in mind here - it would be inconceivable for a common man from the shires having any contact with a member of the aristocracy, certainly not an intimate one. The risk would be too great. As it was, the letters between Wriothesley and De Vere weren't published until after both men had died - and against their wishes, set down in their wills. What is significant is the collection of De Vere's values that appear in his other letters and writings. The authorship is obvious. The Plays and their References If you believe Shakespeare wrote the plays, you must address this question with a convincing answer. For a guy who never left England, how did he know so much about so many places in Europe? The references that appear in the texts, the locations, the people, the imagery - these are things only travellers would know. More than that, travellers who had the right contacts to visit the right places. For the young men of English aristocracy, it was traditional to go on the Grand Tour - to visit the historic and cultural capitals of Europe. De Vere went on the Grand Tour. Any one of the Comedies share identical situations and characters that feature in the Commedia dell Arte - improvised plays that were hugely popular across Europe. De Vere lived in the French Court of Henry III in 1575-76 - which was when the Commedia visited to perform for the king. They never visited Britain. The arrogant Pantolone features in characters like Malvolio, Arlecchino is Dromio in Comedy or Errors or Touchstone in As You Like It. The situations: mistaken identity, pride coming before a fall, love conquering all, fools and idiots being made to look stupid - these were all stock-in-trade scenarios for the Commedia and feature in every single Comedy. Let's get more specific and use The Merchant of Venice, written in 1597, when De Vere was in Venice . The location of the true story of Ribeiro, a Venetian Jew whose daughter married a Christian. Angry at his daughter's (perceived) betrayal he takes her and her husband to court. Like Shylock, he loses the case. However, the lawyer who defends the couple lived on the banks of the Brenna river, at Belmont, exactly the same place as Portia describes in the play. This lawyer was actually known to De Vere and would have told him about the case. In A Winter's Tale, the theatrical device of the play-within-a-play is used (as it is in Hamlet). It is about the murder of Gonzago, who is killed by having poison tipped into his ear. An unusual method, until you discover this actually happened! De Vere was told about it by his friend Romano, with whom he was staying in Mantua . A family member had been killed that way. In the same house was a huge tapestry, depicting an event from the Rape of Lucretia, the source of that narrative poem I mentioned earlier, a scene which features heavily in the poem. While staying in Sienna , De Vere wrote about watching a performance of a play called The Deceived. The plot centred on a pair of twins, with the usual mistaken identity theme, who end up in the same royal court, both believing their sibling to be dead. Yes, it's the plot of Twelfth Night. In the cathedral in Sienna is a famous circular marble mosaic, it has been copied and appeared in other churches subsequently but this location was the original (and yes, there is a church in Gloucestershire with a similar image but it is much later). Called The Seven Ages of Man, it appears in As You Like It and likely written in 1599, after De Vere returned to England. I could go on. Each time asking the same question - how would William Shakespeare know these things without ever having visited these places? OK, just one more! In Romeo and Juliet, there's a reference to meeting in a sycamore grove in Verona and yes, it really did exist! The Epilogue You could ask why Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, is not recognised as the rightful author. While there are references to people of the time stating that he DID write, there is nothing definitive to link de Vere directly to the plays. Why not? It may be down to social standing. Playwrights were not held in high regard - think tabloid reporters! It would be most unseemly for a member of the aristocracy, the son-in-law of Elizabeth I's chief minister - to be doing such things. Yes, the Queen liked having the plays performed, no doubt knowing who wrote them - but that was all within the secrecy of her Court. For the common man and woman, better to have some generic name attributed to the plays, to avoid embarrassment. Imagine a member of the British Royal Family (like Prince Edward, he performed in theatres!) writing plays - I'm sure he'd be told to use a pseudonym! Finally, to dispense with the whole Stratford issue. The enigmatic message in the town's church, concerning Shakespeare, is open to interpretation and could be read in such a way to reinforce what I'm saying here. Perhaps the best fact is the one to end this commentary. Shakespeare's so-called contemporary, Ben Jonson's poem, written in 1623 describes him as 'the swan of Avon'. Elsewhere, the man is called the Bard of Avon quite often. Yet it isn't referring to the town situated on the banks of that river. No. Avon was another name for Hampton Court , where Elizabeth spent much of her reign and where the plays were performed. It had nothing to do with towns in Warwickshire or their delinquent citizens! I write fantasy novels, you can find out about them by clicking the image:

We are a group of speculative fiction authors from Britain and Ireland and we call ourselves the Creative Commune. We came together out of that need so many writers experience – isolation. Writing can be a lonely business. It helps if you can unload those worries, problems and minor successes on others, knowing they will understand because they’ve shared them too. We meet online, on a regular basis. Beyond that, we help to promote one another too, sharing posts on social media and the like. After all, competition isn’t a concept recognised in the writing community, collaboration is. The Fellowship of the Odyssey Our group set out on an odyssey which, while not as epic as Homer’s, is proving to be a lot of fun. The original challenge may have included some of Don Quixote’s naiveté in its goals, but we set off to tilt at our respective windmills all the same. Our collaboration could have taken the form of an anthology of short stories but, like it says in another quest story, The Road to Oz, ‘It is not where you are but who you are with, that is important.’  In other words, an anthology didn’t offer real collaboration, it was more like mutual cooperation. We wanted something to challenge us, as writers. This led to the nativity of what would become Realm Raiders. A serialised web story, novella in size, written by nine different authors. Our tag line: One story. Nine authors. Our endeavours began with a fellowship; a collection of individuals whose differing talents had the potential to bring about our particular zeitgeist. We wanted to celebrate our differences, not create a homogenised story. Chapters would vary in tone and style as new perspectives, new narrators, were introduced. It became my job to edit the project, to ensure consistency. Who are our nine authors? Alex S Bradshaw  describes himself as ‘a fantasy writer who loves epic stories with unforgettable characters.’ His body of work focuses on Norse myth and Viking settings. Ed Crocker  is an editor, reviewer and author of epic fantasy, his trilogy The Everlands, is set in a dystopian world of immortals: vampires, werewolves and sorcerers. Frank Dorrian ’s first novel, The Shadow of the High King, provides an accurate insight into his grimdark writing style Rachel V Green   writes a mixture of Young Adult and Adult Fantasy, always with romance at the heart and prizes strong female characters who write their own destinies. Simon Kewin  is an award-winning fantasy and sci/fi writer with over a hundred published short stories and numerous novels to his name. Damien Larkin  is an Irish science fiction and fantasy author, his Big Red military science fiction stories reflect his experiences in the armed forces. Derek Power  predominately focuses on comedy-fantasy works, primarily his Filthy Henry stories about an Irish fairy detective but he’s also dabbled in sci-fi noir with 'Duplex Tempus'. Patrick Samphire  is a freelance editor and author of fantasy novels for adults and children, he’s the creator of the highly successful Nik Thorne series. Phil Williams  is an author of fantasy, horror and dystopian fiction, an editor, cover designer and author of English reference books for foreign learners. Our merry band set off on their quest with a wide-ranging discussion which allowed our differences to be made manifest. Ideas soon led to a story which spanned different worlds, using portal fantasy to enable our styles to exist in parallel. Our nine authors divided into three teams, one chapter per writer in the first half of the book, slightly different teams in the second half. The teams coordinate their part of the story before then sharing it with the rest of the group for their feedback. Collaboration: Listening and Growing Throughout this process, we’ve continued to meet online to provide updates and project manage the plot. It’s proved to be an exciting challenge, one everyone enjoys. It’s perhaps down to having the right chemistry in the group, that our planning sessions lead to so much laughter. No one is “precious” about their work, if something needs changing, we change it. Ideas are offered but not with the sense of ownership that leads to heated debate. We chat on Discord all the time, adding to threads that pursue an idea, until we reach decisions on which we agree. Though he’s not a writer but an actor, Joel Grey once said, ‘Collaboration is about listening to someone else and adding your own feelings about that thought.’  That is the basis of good collaboration we’ve found. The musician Dave Koz agrees, ‘if you're a good listener and you have your ears open, and to be a good collaborator you have to be able to listen, you can learn something from somebody else.’  Notes are taken in our discussions and decisions shared, so there is always a definitive answer, stored on Discord. We do this because, in any discussion of a dozen people, it’s easy to miss things, no matter how well you listen! One of the benefits from this collaborative process comes in the form of personal development . It’s fascinating seeing how another writer addresses any challenge. When one author finishes their chapter, like passing a baton in a relay race, the next writer must continue from that point. It’s similar to the way script writers work in television, where each episode might have different contributors but the story needs to remain cohesive. The multi-award winning and prolific author James Patterson agrees, ‘There is a lot to be said for collaboration, and it should be seen as just another way to do things as it is in other forms of writing, such as for television, where it is standard practice.’  It works in the music business too, Brian Eno offers an example here, ‘Every collaboration helps you grow. With Bowie, it's different every time. I know how to create settings, unusual aural environments. That inspires him.’ Growth comes from needing to think differently, to engage on a different level to the one housing your comfort zone. It would have been natural for our three teams to be comprised of like-minded individuals but that didn’t happen. One subplot involved a bitter and demoralised character forced to team up with an ineffectual mage and a necromancer who could only resurrect the dead. How do you weave a story with that combination? The answer – very successfully! Pharrell Williams talks about this growth mindset too. ‘I learn a lot from my experiences and collaborations. Most of my collaborations are meant for me to learn.’  If you approach a collaborative project with that goal, to learn and develop from it, the outcome can be not only rewarding, but hugely enjoyable. Collaboration: Promotion and Friendships The final part of this project, centres around marketing and promotion. As authors, (both traditionally and independently published), we knew this project allowed us to increase our public profile. The outcome has been interviews (written and on video), and promotion of Realm Raiders across all social media platforms, as each chapter becomes available each week. For this to happen, we’re grateful to everyone at Spotlight Indie  who host our serialised web story and the promotional materials that accompany it. It’s an extension of our collaboration, realising that friendships are mutual things. This concept is probably best summed up by that famous quote from Mark Twain, ‘Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that. But the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.’   The Takeaway The idea of writers collaborating might remind you of that famous quote from Evelyn Waugh , ‘I never can understand how two men can write a book together. To me, that’s like three people getting together to have a baby.’  It’s actually a misquote from the great man, who was talking about how he’d been confounded in his beliefs, when it came to co-authoring with a writer he didn’t think he could work with. Realm Raiders illustrates how collaboration can produce something special, because of the chemistry involved in the creative process. Where chain reactions are ignited by ideas from others, that fuse together into something unique and unpredictable. I started this post by referencing various literary quests, which all share one common feature. Those who complete the quest do so, having changed, having grown. Frodo is no longer the complacent little hobbit, satisfied with his life in the Shire. His experiences turn him into someone stronger, wiser, braver. Collaborating with other writers might not involve battling orcs, gigantic spiders and evil wizards, but achieving something cohesive, that is enjoyed by readers, proves growth happens. Furthermore, by working together, it’s produced something that attracts the reading public and that’s a real boon too. To find out about my own fantasy novels, click this image:

In recent interviews, I've been asked to describe the sources of my inspiration as an author; those sparks that led to me writing stories, particularly the ones that prompted me to write in the first place . It's those original sparks I'm focusing on here, those that fascinated me enough to kickstart my love of speculative fiction. These sparks have forged a lifelong passion, they didn't wink out of existence, they grew into flames that sustained my imagination. These works produced the fuel that excited my imagination and led to me wanting more - not just as a reader, but as an author too. I'll warn you now, this exercise will involve going back in time. The sources of my inspiration, the sparks that fired my passions, started in the last 1950s! For that reason, you may well never have heard of some of these sources; it's one reason for writing this post, it might interest YOU to find out more about these things. (Where possible, I've added links) Pulp Fiction Long before Quentin Tarantino made the film, pulp fiction represented a great way to read stories that were truly "out there". These stories were often so weird, to a pre-teen, they didn't always make sense. Yet, they were so imaginative, so full of What If? scenarios, they fascinated me. Frequently, they included stories by authors who would so make it big (if they hadn't already) - these magazines were another form of publication and ideal for short stories. I soon graduated to novels by these people. I can't remember where I found these magazines, I just found odd copies and read them, it was that simple. My reading had started with Enid Blyton, like every other kid in the 50s. I didn't stay with her for long! These magazines stirred my imagination, they introduced me to new worlds, new beings, new possibilities. That's what the 50s was all about, it was a decade of considering new horizons as we looked toward space, new and dangerous technologies and the beginning of the Cold War that threatened everything we knew and valued. I absorbed those concepts. 1950/60s Cinema Alongside the magazines, came the films. They were everywhere and the quality varied enormously. Science fiction films often began as "B" movies, which accompanied the "main feature". (Remember we didn't have TV in these early days). Their growing popularity soon brought them into the mainstream and attracted the bigger studios, bigger budgets and famous actors. The three included in this image are examples. 'This Island Earth' was a favourite of mine. It had everything, spaceships, aliens and the sort of science that appeared plausible. For example, the story recognised huge distances covered by a spaceship meant putting its travellers into a form of suspended animation, so they could survive the long trip. That was real science! The aliens (and/or robots) were invariably evil and eager to kill anyone who got in their way, they provided the excitement but the science made it all sound possible. Cold War tensions and the insanity of McCarthyism in America, meant such stories generated tension from distrust and suspicion - such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers. For me, the 1967 series of The Invaders was a better example of this permeating paranoia, aliens had already arrived and appeared like us - apart from being unable to move their little finger! 🤔Unfortunately, every time the hero, David Vincent killed one of them, the body disintegrated so he could never provide any evidence of the invasion! By the mid 60s, science fiction was everywhere! For kids, it equates to the Marvel Cinematic Universe now. As such, we absorbed those tropes, which meant stories offered something so radically different to the type of novels we had to read in school. The films gave you a visual feast for the eyes, special effects were taking off in cinema (stop motion was king!), budgets offered new approaches too. People flocked to the cinema to see them and the studios responded. Science fiction ruled the world! Superheroes As I came to the end of my primary school education, I vividly remember trading comics with my friends. We were avid readers of superhero comics and great debate ensued as to which ones were the best! I've included my top 3 here. I was always fascinated by the ensemble stories. I loved to see how characters interacted with one another, I think that was how my writer self began to manifest in me even then! I savoured the snarky insults traded by Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm in Fantastic Four. The Avengers always had to fight first, before encountering their baddie, because they were such dominant and forceful characters, who could never agree on anything. The X-Men were young, untrained and undisciplined, yet faced with problems well beyond their years. So many of the tropes in these stories resonate with books today. They were all about placing characters into life-threatening situations and exploring how they reacted. A key point to keep in mind - the writers were not averse to killing their heroes! You couldn't guarantee your favourite WOULD survive! To consider the individual heroes, I'd place Spider-Man as my No.1 because he was my age, nerdy and snarky. I also loved the Thor comics, where the Norse god was disguised as Dr Blake, and Mjolnir was disguised as a walking stick! We got to learn about Norse myth in these comics too, once again, travelling beyond the boundaries of Earth. All these elements, I now realise, inculcated themselves into my brain and forged the writer I would become. However, I think the greatest influence comes next. Science Fiction Novels of the 1960s This image is my attempt to capture many of my inspirations from my teenage years. To illustrate the importance of books to me, this was my routine from the age of 10. I lived on a farm, 5 miles from town. Each Saturday I caught the bus (on my own), where I'd walk the mile and a half from the bus station to the library. I'd exchange my books and work my way systematically through the science fiction section. I'd then walk back to the bus station, catch the bus home and start reading. With no school friends nearby, I read a lot! Adult books too, you'll notice. Sometimes, I didn't understand the science or all the concepts, that didn't matter. I've deliberately included the distinctive yellow cover of the Gollancz science fiction imprint. They were the books I searched for first! I must have read every one! I would then look for other books by their authors, exhausting the library's supply. Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom novels were my first encounter with portal fantasy, I now realise. They fascinated me, that John Carter could be one person on Earth, someone else on the planet we called Mars but which the natives called Barsoom. I've included Tau Zero by Poul Anderson because that story introduced scientific principles that frequently lost me but validated the scientific approach. It made the story plausible and that mattered. I wasn't reading just for enjoyment, I wanted to believe in the possibility of what the future might hold. I was a kid, I hoped one day to see some of these things happening! (In the case of Arthur C Clarke, quite often, I have!) John Wyndham was always my favourite. I binge-read all his books. Years later, as an English teacher, I had the joy of introducing him to my students, specifically The Chrysalids , my favourite Wyndham tale. It speaks to our culture now, where physical difference leads to persecution, where hypocrisy exists, if something different is found acceptable because it has worth to the majority of the population. There have been several versions of the Brian Aldiss Science Fiction Omnibus, the cover I've included here is from the 1970s copy. Penguin change the stories. I've included it because it's a favourite of mine, with amazing short stories from classic authors. I used it in my English teaching a lot! It allowed me to read stories to students which we'd analyse and then I'd get them to write their own stories, using the same themes. That copy included A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury, where its dire setting has actually come true this year! 😥 It included The Pedestrian by Bradbury too, which also presents a future which is very similar to today! Bradbury was one helluva writer! Conclusions Inspiration can be sparked. What creates those sparks? How do they shape you into the writer you will become? I hope I've provided my sparks and shown how their inspiration has stayed with me over the years. Let's pull some of them together. Speculation - to create a story, every author speculates. We all ask, "What if!" However, for some of us, that question goes further, it acts as scaffolding, structuring the foundations for new ideas and new stories to write. That scaffolding frequently takes the form of tropes - ' figurative or metaphorical language (like a figure of speech) that is used for artistic effect. Today, the word trope often signals a common or overused literary device' . What might be "overused" now, wasn't half a century ago, when speculative fiction was in its infancy. They shaped the thinking of my generation, we continue to use them, often subverting them, to suit our authoring needs. But they inspired us, they made us stop and think. We started creating stories with these precepts in mind. Like seeds, these magazines, films and novels germinated a love for speculative fiction and the need to write my own stories, just like my idols. Weird and unconventional - Edgar Rice Burroughs created Tarzan but his science fiction stories produced the first portal fantasy and transported its protagonist to a planet humanity thought they knew. HG Wells had used Mars to send us invaders. Burroughs reversed that, sending an Earthman to Mars, where he encountered its reduced gravity and the effects it had on him. He encountered an ancient civilisation, because Martian history suggests that the planet had once been inhabitable. The story broke conventions. It reflected so many ideas of the 1950s, where weird science, unconventional ideas, were given air to breathe, to generate stories that broke moulds. The public's enthusiasm for those stories encouraged authors and publishers alike (later film makers) to turn unconventional into, well, conventional. What if aliens invaded? What if we could travel to the stars? We had to start thinking anew. Characters weren't two dimensional - look at the stories before the 1950s, where goodies were good, baddies were bad and people usually did as they were told. Superhero stories ended that concept. Heroes could be easily misled, someone who was good might be led astray, or forced to do things ethically dubious to achieve their goal. Baddies had real motives that were credible. Heroes didn't get on with one another, communication might go awry, leadership meant making tough decisions and not everyone agreed with them. Conflict arose from misunderstandings and, under extreme duress, led to even greater conflict. Look at the stories being created now - these concepts are the norm. They weren't always so and we must remember that. Writing needs courage and commitment - look at the authors listed above and you'll see how they all broke the traditional moulds of storytelling. It takes courage to write something wildly different, unconventional and plain weird. Writers of the 60s frequently speculated about the society they lived in, then projected where those values and beliefs might lead people in the future. It's social commentary, just as much as its storytelling. Many of these novels are now banned in some US states, what does that tell you? How long will it be before Fahrenheit 451 becomes a reality? Writing such material takes courage but isn't it our responsibility, as authors, to comment on what we see - and ask, "What if?" Plausibility - The observant among you will notice the lack of fantasy novels in my list of inspirational sparks. I will admit to never reading any JRR Tolkien or Terry Pratchett. My entry into fantasy came late, thanks to Richard K Morgan and his Land Fit For Heroes trilogy (2008). This series had a profound effect on me. It provoked the ideas for my first trilogy, The Knights' Protocol . The reason? The need for plausibility. I needed something rooted in the real world, that commented on its society. The world needed to reflect an extreme form of our own. I've never been interested in stories that are too far removed from our own world. Morgan's Altered Carbon science fiction stories (now on Netflix) were the same, possessed of graphic realism that made them uncomfortable at times. My stories pursue that same need for plausibility. Stories pursuing how folklore and myth may possess elements of truth and reality, along with a relevance to our world today. That's where my journey, from eager bookworm to author, has brought me. Click the image to find out more about my novels

The vampire has been a common figure in popular culture for a long time, way before Hollywood scared us with the cloaked figure who transformed into a bat - or who sparkled in daylight and won hearts with steamy romance. What is it about the vampire that has stayed with us for so long? As I've done with my History of the Werewolf post, I've researched the history of the vampire to find the likely causes of the myth - and how it influenced our literature too. The Etymology The first reference of the word ‘ vampire ’ in English was in 1732, where newspapers reported vampire ‘epidemics’ in eastern Europe. Before that, in 1721, German readers found out about vampires from a Polish Jesuit priest, Gabriel Rzączyński, writing about the history of his country. This eastern European connection can be traced back to explain the term itself. The Serbian language has the word ‘vampir’ , while several neighbouring languages have the word ‘onpyr’ , with Old Bulgarian applying the V sound to the front of the word. In most cases, this word translated to ‘tooth’ and ‘drink’, other academics credit the word means ‘to bite with force’. These words and stories can be traced to the nomadic Kipchak-Cuman people who migrated across eastern Europe from Russia.   The History and Likely Causes Why did the stories about vampires begin in the first place? Such stories can be traced back to ancient Greece, where creatures attacked people in their sleep and drank their blood. The reason is likely linked to the idea that blood held mystical properties, as did all bodily fluids. Research suggests human ignorance of common diseases a likely explanation of vampire-like behaviour. Porphyria leaves the person sensitive to sunlight. Tuberculosis is a wasting disease which leaves the body gaunt, thin and pale. Rabies , in its latter stages, causes the victim to bite, react badly to light and garlic. Another disease is linked to Europeans returning from America with corn: the disease? Pellagra . If the corn isn’t washed in an alkali solution like limewater, it can trigger the disease, one that leeches niacin and tryptophan from the body. Symptoms, in the latter stages, are similar to those defined by vampirism. It’s not surprising that such ignorance led to dead bodies being dug up, to be staked or mistreated in other ways. Dead bodies, where tissues receded, made teeth stick out of gums, hair and fingernails to appear longer. The result? People believed that the vampire continued to live after death. Earlier I mentioned the ‘vampire epidemic’ – dated between 1725 to 1755. In modern-day terminology, the stories surrounding this epidemic went viral . Everyone talked about it. Just like today, theories exploded, with all kinds of causes being blamed – none of them with any credibility. The idea of blood-sucking, undead creatures of the night, fanned the flames of panic across the continent and the vampire as we know it, was born.   The Gothic Influence in Literature If you’re a writer, searching for fame and a means to earn money, one option is to write something fashionable and current, you sacrifice art for commercialism. The Gothic novel was a reaction to that commercial urge to write a best seller. This movement spread across Europe rapidly and reached its heyday in the 1790s. Why? The answer to that question lies with Edmund Burke’s 1757 work, ‘A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful.’   Burke’s work focused on the Sublime, Terror and Obscurity. The Sublime produced ‘the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling’ . It could be evoked by terror, which existed in dark obscurity and mystery. Remember, the 18th century was a time when the ignorance of the Middle Ages was ridiculed, as civilised people searched for knowledge and ‘enlightenment’. Not surprising then, that the Sublime, Terror and Obscurity would lead to Gothic literature. If you’re a writer, you have a cash cow right there! Who wouldn’t want to write stories that scared people and helped them achieve the Sublime? The first truly Gothic novel was written in 1764 by the MP for Kings Lynn, Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto . His premise was unusual; a “translation” from an Italian author of a manuscript found in Naples about a castle with supernatural secrets that lead to deaths and misery. Nowadays, we’d call it melodramatic, a soap opera, but it became hugely successful. It inspired similar stories, The Old English Baron (1778) by Clara Reeves, The Recess (1785) by Sophia Lee and Vathek (1786) by William Beckford. The movement’s superstar author was Ann Radcliffe whose stories were hugely successful, Sir Walter Scott even wrote in praise of the woman. These stories, often plagiarised, appeared in chapbooks , cheap pamphlets that everyone could access, written in easily-read language, rather like tabloid newspapers. The success of the Gothic novel, led to its inevitable demise. Stories became so outlandish and sensationalised, filled with romance, murder and villainy, they lacked credibility. Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote in 1797 that he’d grown weary of the genre.   The Gothic Novel and the Vampire The “second wave” of the Gothic Novel occurred early in the 18th century with a marked move away from the sensational, to stories which examined the mind, the development of science and invention and the folly of humanity – issues that summed up the entire century. It could be argued this re-invention began during the unnaturally stormy weather of June 1816, at the Villa Diodati. Lord Byron, escaping London gossip, rented the villa and stayed there with Percy Bysshe Shelley, his wife-to-be Mary and Dr John Polidori, Byron’s physician. During a particularly wet and stormy weekend, the group challenged each other to write stories. Mary Godwin (soon to become Mary Shelley) wrote the first draft of Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus. Polidori’s story was called The Vampyre – which Christopher Frayling defines as ‘the first story successfully to fuse the disparate elements of vampirism into a coherent literary genre’ . It appeared in The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register in April 1819. No, Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ was not the first vampire story! That wouldn’t get published until the very end of the century, in 1897. Before that point, the Gothic Novel attracted the likes of Edgar Allen Poe ( The Fall of the House of Usher , 1839), Robert Louis Stevenson (‘ The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde , 1886). Let’s go back to Dracula. For many, it is the defining story of vampirism. Modern culture has based much of its storytelling on its premise. There is a lot of supposition about Stoker’s ideas that sparked the story, including the famous Vlad the Impaler tales. The truth lies, inevitably, in Celtic folklore. The basic premise of the story comes from the mythology behind a character of a 5th century chieftain called Abhartach, who was supposed to kill people and drink their blood. Like all legends, there are variations of the story. In some this character is a member of the fae-like Tuatha De Danaan, in tales told by Fionn mac Cumhaill. In 1870 Patrick Weston Joyce cited the character as neamh-mairbh – the walking dead. Such creatures, legends stated, had to be buried vertically and upside down, with a heavy stone over the grave, having been killed with a sword made from yew wood. However, Celtic myth has more to offer on Bram Stoker’s use of Celtic legend. I mentioned how the story of Abhartach has various iterations, in one there is the use of a Celtic term which means ‘tainted blood’. The word is ‘ dreach-fhuola ’ – can you see how the name Dracula comes from this word? (Use an online Gaelic translator to hear it.) For me, it explains how Stoker relied on Celtic folklore as inspiration for his story. It's interesting how, even now, belief exists in Stoker using Romanian folklore for his story. It’s true he consulted it, during his time in Britain and having visited Whitby Abbey. However, as any good writer, he harvested ideas from a range of sources. The fact remains, his story defined the vampire. The concepts of a murderous undead creature, linked to the bat, that drinks blood (like certain bat species) have been used in lots of ways ever since. It dominates our perception of the creature.   Final Thoughts Like my post on the History of the Werewolf , the vampire is a wonderful character in the eyes of a writer. Their animalistic habits avoid moralistic overtones. I’d say there might be something to Edmund Burke’s idea of the Sublime being enhanced by Terror. If we are to be inspired to heightened emotion, what better way than to scare your readers? To explore the dark recesses of the human mind to show us the depths to which people can sink? When it comes to speculative fiction, Grimdark fantasy does just that! That final part of Burke’s theory – Obscurity – is a major element of Grimdark. The mystery, the supernatural darkness of the landscape, that mirrors the minds and souls of those who inhabit it. These lands are where we like to dump our readers so the characters they follow are forced to confront dangers that leave them reeling, hopeful they will never encounter such horrors. Like the werewolf, arguably even more so, the vampire is a character that forces us to confront the darkness into which humanity can fall, if we ignore the rules set down by civilisation. That’s what Bram Stoker got his readers doing. It’s a tale of morality that has stayed with us ever since. Writing as Phil Parker, I've published a number of fantasy novels. Find out more, click the image:

In my novel, The Inside Story of the British Bureau for the Arcane: The Carolean Codex , I include werewolf-like creatures that originated from Scotland. My research included wider information and a history of these creatures which I've shared here. I find it fascinating that the idea of the "man wolf" goes back four thousand years! Why is the werewolf such a popular, iconic beast? A look at its appearance in history, books and films, as well as psychology, provide the answers. The Werewolf in Ancient History The earliest surviving example of man-to-wolf transformation is found in The Epic of Gilgamesh - the great Babylonian poem that predates Homer's Iliad and Odyssey by 1500 years and, therefore, stands as the oldest piece of epic world literature - from around 2,100 BCE. After that the Greek historian Herodotus, in 425 BCE, described the Neuri, a nomadic tribe of magical men who changed into wolf shapes for several days of the year. The Neuri were from Scythia, land that is now part of Russia. It's likely this tradition arose from men using wolf skins for warmth and is less of what we'd call a transformation. However, the first reference to the creature we would recognise today as a werewolf is from Arcadia in Greece. Here, Zeus was worshipped as Lycaean Zeus (“Wolf Zeus”). In 380 BCE, Greek philosopher Plato told a story in The Republic about the “protector-turned-tyrant” - Lycaean Zeus. “The story goes that he who tastes of the one bit of human entrails minced up with those of other victims is inevitably transformed into a wolf.” Ovid, in his Metamorphoses also wrote about King Lycaon, defining the modern werewolf legends as murder and cannibalism. In Ovid’s tale, Lycaon mutilated, then killed, a prisoner of Zeus. In retaliation, the god turned Lycaon into a wolf. It's where we get the term, lycanthropy. Ovid even included a passage that details the Lycaon’s transformation – one triggered by first being a human monster before turning into an animal one. “He tried to speak, but his voice broke into an echoing howl. His ravening soul infected his jaws; his murderous longings were turned on the cattle; he still was possessed by bloodlust. His garments were changed to a shaggy coat and his arms into legs. He was now transformed into a wolf.” Saint Augustine of Hippo, took the belief in lycanthropy seriously too. In his City of God , he writes, “It is generally believed that, by certain witches’ spells, men may be turned into wolves. Mostly, this and other similar early Christian references were made in order to attribute shape-shifting of any kind to witchcraft." Werewolves also emerged in early Nordic folklore. The Saga of the Volsungs tells the story of a father and son who discovered wolf pelts that had the power to turn people into wolves for ten days. The father-son duo donned the pelts, transformed into wolves and went on a killing rampage in the forest. Their rampage ended when the father attacked his son, causing a lethal wound. The son only survived because a kind raven gave the father a leaf with healing powers. Werewolves in Medieval Europe The word ‘werewolf’ derives from Old English werwulf (man-wolf), a phenomenon that prompted warnings in laws formulated by King Cnut (he of the attempts to turn back the sea!). He wasn't the only one. Gervase of Tilbury, writing in the 13th century, claimed that “in England we have often seen men change into wolves.” Many so-called werewolves were in fact serial killers. In 1521, Frenchmen Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun allegedly swore allegiance to the devil and claimed to have an ointment that turned them into wolves. After confessing to brutally murdering several children, they were both burned to death at the stake. (Burning was a common means to kill a werewolf.)   Giles Garnier, known as the “Werewolf of Dole,” was a sixteenth-century Frenchman who also claimed to possess an ointment with wolf-morphing abilities. He viciously killed children and ate them, before being burned at the stake.   Peter Stubbe, a wealthy, 16th-century farmer in Bedburg, Germany, turned into a wolf-like creature at night and devoured local people. He was cornered by hunters, who claimed they saw him shape-shift, from wolf to human form. He experienced a grisly execution after confessing (under torture) to savagely killing animals, men, women and children—and eating their remains. He also declared he owned an enchanted belt that gave him the power to transform into a wolf at will. Not surprisingly, the belt was never found. Peter’s guilt is controversial - some people believe he wasn’t a killer but the victim of politically-motivated revenge. (It's worth considering if this story influenced the fairy tale of Red Riding Hood who (along with her grandmother) is eaten by a wolf. The werewolf legend persisted into the twentieth century. Adolf Hitler believed in the creature and wrote about it in his 'Mein Kampf' - “The man born as a wolf always remains a wolf.” The Third Reich were fascinated by the occult and myths persisted of a werewolf army in Nazi circles! In Ireland, the werewolf stories are where we get many of our traditional perceptions. Irish stories tell us the only way to kill a werewolf was with a silver bullet. The person could also transform at will and wasn't reliant on a full moon. Edmund Spenser's 'Faerie Queen' references the werewolf and likely did a lot to establish its existence in Elizabethan England. Werewolves Around the World It's fascinating how the legend of "man-wolf" creatures feature in the majority of cultures. In North America, one example is the Rougarou, a story which likely originated when French settlers settled in North America because the primary source is French, a mispronunciation from the original loup-garou. Good examples are in Cajun communities in Louisiana where the creature hid in swamps. In French-Canadian communities, the loup-garou, was believed to be a cursed man, often guilty of not being a good Christian. For example, people who did not confess during Easter could be cursed to become werewolves. The spell could last for as long as 101 days. It would take hold of the victim every evening. They were then forced to wander the countryside in animal form. The spell might be broken if someone recognized the individual while transformed and could draw blood from the animal . Neither person could speak of this incident, for fear of worse reprisals. Meanwhile, in South America we have the Lobizon, a name that comes from the Portuguese word “lobisomem” meaning werewolf. Lobizon was first described by Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana as “a huge wolf with a human face.” You can see the Lobizon story in many different countries of South America. One difference to traditional stories is that the Lobizon is born, not created by a bite or similar. Likely a curse, stories include the seventh son of a seventh son. This creature remains on four legs. In Asia, we can begin in Turkey where werewolves were called ‘Kurt Adam’ or ‘Kurtadam’. In Turkish folk tales, a werewolf is a man who turns into a wolf at night. It has a dog’s tail and ears, a thick bear-like fur coat, and sharp claws on its hands and feet. It is powerless against garlic and can be killed with a silver bullet (perhaps they knew some Irish people!) China has its own werewolf but this is a different, tragic story. It begins with a Buddhist priest and his pet wolf, who is so intelligent it can read the sacred texts. It yearns to be human and a mountain god tests it by sending the wolf down the mountain to attack people. It meets a blind man, later a mother and child, but spares them, to go back up the mountain where it starves to death. Werewolves and Possible Causes In the past, (you could argue the same is true now!) anyone who differed from the norm suffered from cultural ignorance. They were treated as freaks, sometimes receiving a degree of fame as a result. A good example is Peter the Wild Boy. In 1725, he was found wandering naked, on all fours, in a German forest. Many thought he was a werewolf, or at least raised by wolves. He ate with his hands and couldn’t speak. His notoriety brought him to the attention of King George I and King George II. He was transported to their courts where he became their “pet”. Research has shown Peter likely had Pitt-Hopkins syndrome , a condition discovered in 1978 that causes lack of speech, seizures, distinct facial features, difficulty breathing and intellectual challenges. A genetic condition called hypertrichosis is another likely cause for people inventing the idea of werewolves. The condition causes thick hair to grow over a person’s face and body. Hypertrichosis can be either congenital or acquired later in life. In earlier times, these people found fame in circus sideshows in Victorian times, when the public became fascinated with anyone deviating from the norm. They were frequently called 'dog people'. My research introduced me to British variant of the werewolf - the wulver. This is the creature I used in my story. I have to confess, it's not real. Here's the story: In the 1890s, the Faroese scholar Jakob Jakobsen collected thousands of place names on the Shetland Isles and in 1901 published a book-length article about them and their meanings. ‘Wol’ names were derived from Old Norse álf, fairy - such as ‘fairy hill’. Jessie Saxby (1842-1940) writing in 1933, in her book Shetland Traditional Lore, described the ‘The Wulver’. She described it as, ‘a creature like a man with a wolf's head. He had short brown hair all over him.' Jessie was the sole creator of the Shetland wulver. No-one before Jessie had ever heard of a Shetland wolf-man, it was purely an imaginative fabrication, one that has entered into British folklore. What is it about werewolves? This mythical creature has existed in stories for over four thousand years. That tells us something significant, doesn't it? For a story to last that long and remain as popular as it is today. Fun fact - there have been over three hundred films made about werewolves! So why is this? In Psychology Today , the cause lies firmly at the feet of psychological empowerment. The wolf is an apex predator, it's powerful, intelligent. It's scary. Its descendants are also familiar to us - dogs. They are the softer, tamed and civilised versions of the same animal. Modern werewolf stories build on this difference. Many of the films adopt the premise of the lowly, shy individual who transforms into a powerful alpha-type once bitten. In the 1994 film 'Wolf', Jack Nicholson plays such a character who not only gets back the job he's been fired from, he gets the girl and his revenge on those who treated him badly. A year later Michael J Fox played a similar character, this time linking his transformation to puberty! (Who knew growing hair could be so dangerous!) The relevance of puberty has been pursued in other stories, interestingly from a female perspective, such as in the 2000 film 'Ginger Snaps' and in Angela Carter's feminist interpretation of the Red Riding Hood story, The Company of Wolves. The psychology of the myth tells us transformation can be exciting, as an animal it allows us to consider life without ethical concerns - killing turns into a predatory act, without consequence. It turns the human into something better, something bigger, stronger, faster. Even so, those moral issues remain. After all, the werewolf must die in the end (unless you're Michael J Fox or Taylor Lautner!) Before the silver bullet is fired, before the full moon is replaced by the morning sun, the character of the werewolf offers authors a chance to explore the dark corners of the human psyche. Robert Louis Stevenson did it by transforming his Jekyll into Hyde but the werewolf takes it further. The beast reminds us those dark corners of the mind are where the animal still resides inside us, ready to be released. Phil Parker writes fantasy stories, click the image to find out more.

Context The Cambridge dictionary defines the term skill set as, 'the combination of different skills that someone has and can use in a particular job' . Skills require practice. Rarely are we born with skills honed to such a degree they are second nature. (You might argue certain sports people are rare exceptions). Even then, some skills may come easily while others still need practice that make that person an all-rounder. As someone who's worked in education for a long time, this issue has always fascinated me. It's led me to investigate the question I've posed in this post. As a writer, what skill set is needed if you are to have any success? My conclusions come from conversations with those authors who I consider friends, those folk who have played a role in my development as an author over the last ten years. It's inevitable such a topic crops up when you meet up at conventions, festivals or via online discussions. I've also read/watched interviews of established writers talking on the subject. Their observations reflect the same conclusions. It was a conversation with someone I met recently, who was relatively new to the world of writing, that prompted me to reflect on my own journey. I asked myself that question that is often used in interviews - what do you wish you'd known when you started out? What advice would you give your younger self? Well, these are the skills that I believe we need as writers. If you develop these skills, I believe you would be well equipped to cope with the role and all the challenges, heartaches, along with the joy and satisfaction, writing can bring. The Writer's Skill Set Observation This is the skill we develop from w atching people’s behaviour and appearances in order to use what we notice to inform characters we create. By observing other people, it enables us to create characters that possess a strong level of credibility. We invent characters our readers can engage in, they find them familiar, they might provoke reactions too. They bring the reader into the world in your story, so that person is more than a name. Speak to most authors and they'll tell you how they like to "people watch". You spot the way someone dresses, a particular mannerism they display, their relationship with another person - the writer imagines the factors that generate these behaviours. They likely store them away (lots of writers have notebooks for this one purpose) for future use. What have others said about the importance of observation in a writer's skill ser? “I was always an outsider, always standing outside, observing and trying to figure things out. Which is exactly what you need to do as a writer, I suppose.”  Monica Ali “ I love Flaubert’s line about observing things very intensely. I think our duty as writers begins not with our own feelings, but with the powers of observing.”  Mary Oliver. Curiosity T he writer needs a real willingness to find out what is not known, in order to achieve credibility or to acquire greater inspiration or expertise. It can take the form of research. Every author I know spends an inordinate amount of time in research (thank goodness for the internet!). But by curiosity, I'm going beyond simple research. The author needs to be open-minded and recognise when they don't possess the quality of knowledge needed to address their need. (See 'Self Awareness later). It might mean watching a YouTube video to improve your knowledge of sword fights or watching an interview of a serving police officer talking about investigating a crime scene. You could read biographies of people with medical conditions, documentaries about drug abuse. Beyond that, what else do you need to find out about being a writer? Social media outlets can help you in this respect, gather a supportive writers' network around yourself to ask questions and engage in discussion. ( Threads has hashtag-led categories that help you target the people you're looking for.) What have others said about the importance of curiosity in a writer's skill set? “ Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.”  William Arthur Ward, American writer. “What I have is a malevolent curiosity. That's what drives my need to write and what probably leads me to look at things a little askew. I do tend to take a different perspective from most people.” David Bowie. “Critical thinking and curiosity are the key to creativity.” Amala Akkineni, Indian actress. Enterprise A writer needs to develop commercial insights into the business of selling books. For many people, this is the toughest skill to acquire, we didn't start writing to become some smarmy business person. That said, regardless of whether you are traditionally or self-published, you need a good understanding of the commercial factors that lead to book sales. It means understanding the data from your dashboard, knowing plenty about your readership (who they are, what they like, why they like your work). It involves improving your marketing and promotional activities, knowing which methods work and why. It's getting the right people around you too - the right editor, cover designer, beta readers et al. It also means developing your brand. When people see your name - what does it mean to them? If the answer is a shrug - ouch! Remember, earlier I talked about curiosity? It applies here. Much of this stuff you won't know. So find out. Ignorance won't get you anywhere. What have others said about the importance of enterprise in a writer's skill set? “ Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.” Moliere. “Mark Twain’s most successful work was sold by traveling salesmen going door to door—at a time when this form of marketing was considered extremely impolite.” Jane Friedman. “I agree with Balzac and 19th-century writers, black and white, who say, 'I write for money.' Yes, I think everybody should be paid handsomely; I insist on it, and I pay people who work for me, or with me, handsomely.” Maya Angelou. Empathy A key skill for any writer is to develop the ability to perceive detailed and personal experiences from another’s perspective, to place yourself in the mind of another person. This is where good characterisation begins, by telling the story from a perspective you appreciate so clearly, others will read and believe in it. The best stories have characters who will split readers in their sympathies - such as the stories where the villain is so well written we understand why they've done what they've done. Or Unreliable Narrators, where the author presents the reader with confusing perspectives that lead them down blind alleys in the belief it will take them somewhere grand. Putting yourself in another person's mind is akin to what actors do. The only difference, the writer needs to play all the characters at the same time! What have others said about the importance of empathy in a writer's skill set? “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.”  Maya Angelou. “ Stories teach us empathy. They reveal to us ourselves in the skins of others.” Justin Simien, actor & author. Sensitivity The writer must always consider other’s feelings and temper the content of their work with these feelings in mind, to do everything possible to avoid upsetting others unnecessarily. This means giving warnings to readers at the outset if a topic is likely to trigger an emotional reaction that brings hurt or upset. It's applying the right language, qualifying any abusive terms to avoid misunderstanding. It's not the same as empathy. Sensitivity is outward looking, it's being part of the enterprising mindset mentioned earlier, not selling something that is going to annoy, upset or offend others. What have others said about the importance of sensitivity in a writer's skill set? “I'm opposed to censorship of any kind, especially by government. But it's plain common sense that producers should target their product with some kind of sensitivity.” Lee Child. Resilience More than mere determination, the writer must “go with the punches”, acknowledge there will be problems, low points and challenges. They will find ways to avoid and overcome these things in order to succeed. They accept such drawbacks will occur, after all, rejection and criticism is part of the job, dealing with such things requires resilience. Every writer I know suffers from those low, dark moments of self-doubt, regardless of their talent/success. It is part of our creativity. Often, success brings Imposter Syndrome - in that you don't believe you deserve the recognition. Dealing with it on your own rarely leads to resolution. Resilience needs its cheer leading squad! People who are objective enough (so more than your family!) to reassure you. For this to happen you need to be ready to open up about your concerns. Bottling it up is the worst thing to do. Our mental health is valuable and must be monitored at all times. Writing can be a lonely business and I recommend joining groups (in the real world or online) that ensure you have others who will listen to your concerns and help to reassure you, even offer an idea or two. I set up a group made of other writers and we meet online each month. We're currently involved in a writing project which is proving to be lots of fun, we have quizzes and chat about our projects. It's groups like this that not only keep you grounded but allow you to chat things over with people who will not just understand - they will have shared the same experiences. Resilience is crucial. It needs to be developed, it doesn't come naturally. What have others said about the importance of resilience in a writer's skill set? “There will always be obstacles and challenges that stand in your way. Building mental strength will help you develop resilience to those potential hazards so you can continue on your journey to success.” Amy Morin, psychotherapist and best-selling author. “Resilience can only form if we face, and learn how to be better equipped to manage, our problems.” Jo Frost, TV personality and author. Self-awareness A writer needs to know who they are. They recognise their faults, their bad habits and their oversights - the kind of things editors will point out and expect to see addressed in future work! Earlier, I mentioned the importance of empathy and sensitivity - these qualities come from being self-aware. You need to recognise how much of yourself appear in your characters and if this leads to them becoming too 'samey'. Beyond that, it involves knowing what kind of writer you are (or want to become) so you can develop your ‘brand identity’, if you’re lucky, your USP . I've already mentioned this in the Enterprise section. If you're not extrovert enough to shout from the rooftops about your work, how can you address this issue? Or will you always be silent and wonder why your sales are low? Self-awareness isn't just about saying who you are NOW. It's about deciding who you want to become - and how you will achieve that goal. What have others said about the importance of self-awareness in a writer's skill set? “I have tons of regrets, but I think that's one of the reasons that push people to create things. Out of their angst, their regret, comes the best from artists, painters and writers.”  Sylvester Stallone. “I've wanted to be a writer since I was a boy, though it seemed an unlikely outcome since I showed no real talent. But I persevered and eventually found my own row to hoe. Ignorance of other writers' work keeps me from discouragement and I am less well-read than the average bus driver.”  Garrison Keillor. Provocation The writer needs to develop the skill of provoking an emotional responses from their readers. Generating reaction generates readership. Isn't that why we write? To get reactions? Responses that lead to a reader writing a complementary review on Goodreads? Yet it is not an easy skill to acquire, like any skill, it needs practice. I contend it also involves some risk - experimenting with your writing style to see if its provokes an improved response. In that risk-taking comes the scary part of letting others read your experimental work - then asking for honest feedback! That takes real courage. It may start with a degree of self-awareness but to truly provoke reaction, it may lead to stepping out of comfort zones. This is why it pays to enter competitions, it's risky but an experimental short story might offer you insights into your future writing projects. I'd also recommend experimenting with genre. I have writer friends who does this, I've written contemporary fiction and had great fun exploring new ways to write. Finding new and exciting ways to provoke reaction from your readers is a valuable writing skill and can enhance your reputation and expand your readership. What have others said about the importance of provocation in a writer's skill set? “There's a difference between describing and evoking something. You can describe something and be quite clinical about it. To evoke it, you call it up in the reader. That's what writers do when they're good.”  Margaret Atwood. “Good writers are in the business of leaving signposts saying, Tour my world, see and feel it through my eyes; I am your guide.” Larry King. “A movie is really provocation. It's not a message, it's not a statement.” Ang Lee. Conclusion You'll notice I haven't included any reference to creativity in this list. That's deliberate. I began by stating how some people are born with a skill where they are naturally gifted. That is likely to be true for most writers. We are naturally inclined to be creative. (I know dozens of authors who write because it is an innate NEED). This is not a skill we need to spend as much time exercising as the ones I've listed here. Of course, your creativity needs to be challenged. You will continue the search for original, innovative ideas, you'll enjoy the solving of plot problems, you'll extend your imagination by reading and asking the most valuable of questions, "What if?" But you'll do this naturally. The skills listed here may need greater attention. They won't come easily, they may make you feel uncomfortable, even generate a sense of failure in the early stages (Enterprise being the prime example!). But working to develop them will pay off. The crucial thing is to realise how important they are . During my teaching career, when a student expressed difficulty in a skill, I often encouraged them to partner up with someone who (a) already had the skill and could explain/show how to develop it or (b) was also struggling so they could help each other, realising they were not on their own. The same is true for any writer. Connect with others. Seek advice. Share your work and invite honest, constructive feedback. Social media can help identify these people. Get in touch, start small and friendly and build the relationship as you would any friendship. Read writer's blogs, they frequently contain answers you're looking for. They will also contain the same fears! Finally, why not reflect on this list by putting the skills in priority order. Which skill is your strongest? Which is your weakest? Place them in a sequence. Now, make an action plan. What must you do to strengthen your weaker skills? Reinforce your self esteem by celebrating the strengths! If you are naturally curious, build on that skill. Use it to investigate how to improve your enterprise skill by identifying key questions. I hope this post helps you to develop your writer's skill set! Good luck! I mentioned Threads earlier, if you want to get in touch, I'm here: https://www.threads.net/@philparkerfantasyauthor or on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/philspeculates.bsky.social I write fantasy fiction, click on the image to find out about my books

Most writers will tell you they find writing the synopsis a chore. It can be. However, I suggest looking at the exercise as being more than that, make it an exercise in summarising and evaluating . After I've completed my first draft of a story, that's when I have a go at writing the synopsis. It's a great exercise in making you consider what is important in your story, and what's not. What stands out and is likely to attract readers, what might lose them. One thing often overlooked, and seldom mentioned by "experts" is the real purpose of the synopsis . It's commercial value . Agents need to know the commercial viability of your novel. Will it sell? Yes, they want to know you can write. Your opening chapters tell them that. The synopsis gives them an overview of the novel too. That's important. However, what they (and you) need to keep in mind is, will it attract an audience? How does it do this? What might make it stand out from the crowd? Think of your synopsis as an advert . Tell the reader why it's going to be something they need to read. This begins by identifying what that commodity is. This is why I suggest working on your synopsis early. Examine your first draft and ask yourself - what are its selling points? Before hitting the main section of this post, one more point. This exercise isn't only for those jumping into the submission trenches either! If you're an #indieauthor this exercise is equally as important because you need to have one eye on your market. Whether you like it or not, an author is in the business of selling books. Apply this commercial mindset after you've worked on the first draft so that subsequent drafts are all about polishing and refining the commodity that is going to make your book sell . The Basics of your Synopsis For this section, I'm using information provided by Anna Davis from the agent-led writing school, Curtis Brown Creative . I recommend Anna's school very highly. I completed their novel writing course in 2016 and the Edit & Pitch course a year later. Consider the cost as an investment. Anna defines the synopsis as, "the complete narrative arc of your plot. It’s not the same thing as a ‘blurb’ (which is the short teaser paragraph that you find on the back of published books)." She goes on to convey a similar message to mine, "it's actually a great way to see if your plot is working properly. If you can't summarise your story in a page, then there's quite probably something wrong with it." Let's define what the synopsis needs to include: Open with the title, the genre and the 'pitch line' - defined as "the key question, dilemma or driving force of the novel – or the heart of the novel, to put it another way. And if you know you have a great hook or a high concept, that should be your pitch line." See what I meant earlier about the commercial value? The 'pitch' requires you putting on your business head. It's the key element in your advert. It's what you tell people when they ask you about your book. It's what you say to your agent or publisher to get them interested. At a book festival, when someone comes up to your stall, it's how you get them hooked and wanting to know more. Get your pitch polished! Simplify the plot to its most basic ingredients, ignore the extraneous . This involves establishing your main character neatly, give them impact. Use them as a hook. Likewise, establish the setting, also in a way that hooks the reader. Ask yourself, how is your protagonist unusual? How will they drive the story (if they don't? Problem!!) What's exciting/unusual about the setting/world building - is there a premise that acts as a hook? Show the tone of the story . This can be done in the previous section with an example, or by the type of character you've defined. The tone can also be a selling point. Tones can be fashionable. I'm not saying to let fashion dictate your story, it's too transient to do that. But it may be something that is 'on trend' at that moment in time and act as a hook to readers/agents. Be concise . Refine, refine, refine. Distillation creates impact and that's what your synopsis needs! Think of the process as making essential oils! The result offers the reader a pungent impact that remains long after the synopsis has been read. Aim for 500 words maximum! Impact remember! Impactful Writing For this next section, I'm starting with the brilliant Jane Friedman . She is well worth reading, her insights and knowledge about the publishing industry are incisive and well-informed. Here are some of her tips: Characterisation drives the synopsis . (It should do the same to your story!) Explain how the protagonist's character arc is apparent in their motivations, emotions, relationships, thereby driving the plot . What challenges are faced that stop them from achieving their goals? This 'cause-and-effect' approach takes you through the plot, driving out the extraneous. (Something happens, the MC gets angry, it causes trouble, affects another person. They respond, situation deteriorates, MC seeks vengeance.) Consider: focus your attention on the commercial viability of this cause-and-effect. Clarify your setting/world building . For speculative fiction writers, world building is a defining ingredient. It's a commercial bonus . The synopsis needs to highlight a premise that makes the book stand out but in a way non-speculative types will appreciate. Avoid specialist language (eg. "muggles"). Here you emphasize how the world impacts on your protagonist, impeding their efforts perhaps, provoking their emotions and motivations. Does the world have an ingredient that makes the story original? A new form of magic? Deadly social protocols? Talking animals? Define a crucial relationship . The poet John Donne said, "No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main." This principle applies to your synopsis. There must be one relationship your protagonist has with another entity in the story that helps to drive the plot. An entity that impacts on the protagonist's character arc. I've used 'entity' because the relationship might be something other than a person; a pet dog, a robot housekeeper, a reflection in the mirror! It could be with the antagonist, their battle is what drives the plot. Eight Plot Points to Consider For this section, I've used a great article by Glen C Strathy . If you're struggling to structure the plot, as a basic framework, here are 8 sections on which to hang your plot. The Protagonist's Goal - that thing the main character needs to achieve for the story to be complete. This goal defines their character arc - the starting point and the end point. The Consequence - the event(s) that prevent the protagonist from achieving their goal. It's the 'cause-and-effect' I mentioned earlier. The Requirements - the ingredients needed to achieve the goal. It might be a magic amulet, a team of friends, a flying horse. It might be social protocols in world building. The Forewarnings - the antithesis of the Requirements, they are the elements which create tension. The features that get in the way, the worries and anxieties that are a key part of the protagonist's character, the hostility of the antagonist. The Costs - these are the sacrifices needed to achieve the goal, or help to avoid the forewarnings. Costs may be someone's life and the consequence it has on the protagonist's arc. Costs may be the impact seen in world building, the loss of a monarch changes society for the worse. The Dividends - the rewards that occur that lead to making the protagonist's goal easier to achieve. They may be the happy result from a cost! (There's a dilemma!) The Prerequisites - items that enable the protagonist to succeed. In a synopsis, it may be a maguffin upon which the plot depends. It's the shield Athena gives Perseus to protect him from Medusa. The Preconditions - these may be found in your setting/worldbuilding. They impede the protagonist; they are orcs in Lord of the Rings that complicate Frodo's journey, it's the duplicitous nature of the wizard from helping Dorothy get back home. There's no need to slavishly stick with this format, you might distil a couple of them as a means to show a major impediment. I've included them purely to help your evaluation of your plot. Does it include these eight points? Which ones are vital to your summary of the plot? Dos and Dont's Here are a few simple tips from the sources I've included, listed so they stand out. (Yes, some sources on the internet will argue some of these tips. This entire process is swamped with subjectivity!) Don't divide the synopsis into sections, it needs to flow. It's another indicator of your ability to write, it's not a shopping list. Do include plot twists and spoilers. They are integral to the plot. They will sell the book, therefore agents/publishers need to know what they are. As an evaluation exercise, YOU need to decide if they work! Don't include praise from other sources. It's subjective and irrelevant. Do include quotes if their impact is greater than any other form of statement. Do examine your synopsis with objectivity. Write and polish it. Put it away for a while then go back with fresh eyes and pull it apart. Does it still work? Do write the synopsis in the third person. (even if the story is in a different form) Do capture your voice in the synopsis. Read it aloud. How does it sound? Does it reflect the voice within your story? Do share your synopsis with other people who are familiar with writing. Then share it with someone who isn't a writer. Compare and contrast! Is your non-writer hooked by the synopsis? Do they understand what happens? (Quiz them?) Conclusion Let me emphasize my opening statement. Synopsis writing shouldn't be a process you undertake AFTER you've finished writing your story. Make it part of the process. It can lead to the final outcome (the story AND the synopsis) being stronger. Secondly, OK - writing is an art form. It is also a commercial venture. You want readers, don't you? People who are going to enjoy your work, who will thrill to the twists and turns of the plot, be engaged by your characters and world building. There is a commercial dimension to these things and highlighting them in your synopsis is vital. Not just because it might snag an agent - you should be happy your story has these ingredients. (Perhaps, if you hadn't conducted your synopsis writing after the first draft, it might not have been so good!) At the start I used two words - summarising and evaluation . Synopsis writing is all about making your plot so concise it defines the highlights of the story with crystal clarity and makes it a saleable commodity. Evaluation requires you examine the story, with an objective, critical eye and be open to making amendments where they are needed. Yes, it is an onerous task. But no different to writing high quality material that will attract readers and help you achieve success. Don't make it a hurdle, a necessary evil. Make it a means of generating quality storytelling. Good luck! I write fantasy stories, click the image to find out more about them:

It helps a great deal to be able to call yourself an award-winning author. To claim such praise begins by entering competitions. I've curated a bunch of writing competitions, managed by British organisations, for you. I've provided only basic details so make sure you check the Terms & Conditions for each competition - links are in the titles to the competition. Good luck! 🥳 The Page Is Printed Deadline January 13 Entry fee £5 First prize £100 Word limit One side of A4 Theme None just the advice to “dare to be different”   Discoveries Women’s Novel Prize Deadline January 13 Entry fee Free First prize £5,000 + representation via Curtis Brown Literary agency Word limit 10,000 words + synopsis Theme Novel do not need to be finished   Bournemouth Writing Prize Deadline January 15 Entry fee £10 First prize £500 Word limit 3,000 words, 1-2-1 sessions, Open Mic slot Theme None   Future Worlds Prize Deadline January 26 Entry fee Free First prize £4,500 Word limit 10,000 words, synopsis, cover letter Theme Only open to unpublished writers of colour of SFF fiction   New Writers Flash Fiction Competition Deadline January 31 Entry fee £10 First prize £100, published in New Writers Anthology Word limit 300 words (including title) Theme None   Fiction Factory First Chapter & Synopsis Competition Deadline January 31 Entry fee £18 First prize £500 + an appraisal Word limit 5,000 words Theme None   Bristol Short Story Prize Deadline January 31 Entry fee £12 First prize £1,000 Word limit 4,000 words Theme None   Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize Deadline January 31 Entry fee £12 First prize £1,500 Word limit 10 pages, 1 paragraph pitch, 1 page synopsis Theme None. Only open to women writers   Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition Deadline February 28 Entry fee £18 First prize £500 Word limit 3,500 words Theme “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”   Exeter Writers Short Story Competition Deadline February 28 Entry fee £11 First prize £3,000 Word limit 2,000 words Theme None   Edinburgh Short Story Award Deadline February 28 Entry fee £7 First prize £700 Word limit 3,000 words Theme None   Weatherglass Novella Prize Deadline March 1 Entry fee £20 First prize £500 and publication Word limit 40,000 words Theme None   Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award Deadline March 31 Entry fee Free First prize £10,000   Word limit 20,000 words + synopsis + bio Theme Open to a first-time prose writer whose work shows literary talent and who would benefit from financial support in order to complete their work   Bridport Prize (Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award Deadline May 31 Entry fee £24 First prize £1,500, publication & manuscript appraisal Word limit 8,000 words Theme Your novel doesn’t have to be finished. We initially need only 5,000 to 8,000 words and a 300 word synopsis. If you’re long listed we’ll ask for a total of 15,000 words, including your original word count. Shortlisted? Then we need a total 30,000 words, again including your original entry and long listed word count.   Bridport Prize – Short Story Deadline May 31 Entry fee £14 First prize £5,000 Word limit 5,000 words Theme None   The Bath Novel Award Deadline May 31 Entry fee £29.99 First prize £5,000 Word limit 5,000 words + 1 page synopsis Theme None   To Hull and Back – Humorous Short Story Competition Deadline June 30 Entry fee £10 First prize £1,000 Word limit 2,500 words Theme None   To find out details about my books, click on the image

I've curated some of the events taking place this year for speculative fiction events, which showcase fantasy, science fiction and horror fiction. Many allow trading opportunities if you want to sell your merchandise. (It's not definitive so if you have any additions, let me know - see links at the foot of the page). Month Where Details January     February Worcester Northampton 16 Feb Worcester ComicCon 23 Feb Northampton ComicCon March Great Yarmouth Hemel Hempstead 20-23 March   SciFi Weekender 23rd  Hemel Hempstead ComicCon April Maidenhead Luton Belfast Banbury 6 April, Maidenhead ComicCon 13 April, Luton ComicCon 18-21 April, EasterCon - Reconnect 26 April, Banbury ComicCon   May Melton Mowbray Bedford Sheffield Derbyshire   Daventry Walsall 3 May, Melton Mowbray ComicCon 4 May, BedfordComicCon 17-18 May, HorrorCon UK 17-18 May Steam Trains & Fairy Tales , Butterley Station 24 May, Daventry ComicCon 25 May, Walsall ComicCon June Edinburgh Aylesbury 6-8 June, Cymera   29 June, Aylesbury ComicCon July London Cheltenham 5-6 July, London Film & ComicCon 18-20 July, Fantasy Forest August Newport, Wales Glasgow Blackpool Coventry 9-10 August, Wales ComicCon 16-17 Aug, Film & ComicCon 22-25 Aug, Destination Trek UK , 24 August, Coventry ComicCon September     October Bristol Brighton 25-26 October, BristolCon 30 Oct – 2 November, World Fantasy Con November Buxton Derbyshire Ipswich 7-9 November, Novacon 54 30 November, Ipswich ComicCon December     If you know of any more, let me know on my socials: https://bsky.app/profile/philspeculates.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@philparkerfantasyauthor https://www.instagram.com/philparkerfantasyauthor/ Click the image to find out more about my books https://linktr.ee/phil_parker

In preparation for my third novel in my urban fantasy series, The Inside Story of the British Bureau for the Arcane , I've been researching witches and witchcraft. It's a rich source of material for any fantasy writer. The history of witchcraft mirrors our development as a race and dates back to pre-history. For much of that time, witches were persecuted and killed, often for no reason other than they were women in a patriarchal society. This post curates that research, into an alphabet of sources which may help other writers. I've tried to cast my net wide to assemble a diverse range of reference points - from periods of history, from other cultures, from folklore as well as literary and legal considerations. I hope it's helpful! A Apotropaic magic  – protective magic which turns away evil influences, can include good luck charms, amulets etc. This form of magic was largely tolerated in many cultures because it wasn’t seen as linked to the devil. You'll find it in the use of eyes on objects, to ward off evil, to banish “the evil eye”. In Ancient Greece the phallus was used for the same purpose and would appear over doorways. Later horseshoes (turned upright to contain the charm, upside down emptied it). Also hexafoils, 6 petal flowers were used as witch marks (found in Bradford on Avon’s Tithe Barn and Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire. B Bertha or Befuna  – this female from the western Alps was the embodiment of winter and punished disobedience and rewarded goodness. Portrayed as an old hag, she became the classic image of the witch found in classical literature and children’s tales C Circe  – In Greek legend, the daughter of Helios and the ocean nymph Perse. In his Odyssey, Homer refers to this famous witch who turned men into animals, such as turning Odysseus’ crew into pigs. This character has appeared in books, plays and even opera, notably as a device to examine the behaviour of the human race. She's frequently portrayed as an evil woman though much of her motivation springs from being treated badly by men. “Casting Off”  in a spell, where the witch performs an act of throwing something away or destroying it to send the instruction out into the universe. (Tearing or burning a piece of paper with the instruction, snuffing out a candle, pouring away a potion or drink). Colours  – a means of increasing the power of candle spells. (Red = strength, orange = change, yellow = communication, green – luck, blue = harmony, white = cleansing, black = banishing negativity, grey -= complex decisions. D Divination  – obtaining information to gain insight from external sources from the supernatural realms. Western influences include astrology (calculating the influence of heavenly bodies), bibliomancy (reading from specific texts), Tarot cards or geomancy (making random marks on paper/earth that result in 16 patterns E Essences  – herbs, spices and plants used in spell casting – Acorns are natural amulets for maintaining youthful appearance, Alder aids divination and weather magic, Amber protects from external influences, psychic attack, Birch offers protection from the evil eye, lightning and is purifying, Brimstone destroys an enemy’s power over you, Chicory can be burned as incense to place a hex on an enemy, Garlic summons Hecate, Henbane used to consecrate ceremonial vessels, Marjoram purifies, Nettle dispels darkness and fear, nutmeg breaks hexes, Rowan barriers promote psychic powers, the wood of the trees makes good wands and divining rods, sage is another purifier, cleanses spaces ready for spell-making which is called ‘smudging’, Valerian helps encourage reconciliation F Familiar  – possibly linked to the Norse fylgia or fetch (a person’s double), these beings could shapeshift into animal form. Traditionally a form such as a cat. In Britain the ‘familiar’ is first referenced in the Chelmsford witch trial of 1566. They were a representative of the devil G Grimoire  – a book of spells and magical instruction, it could be used to summon supernatural entities, perform charms and acts of divination. The earliest example found in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the form of cuneiform clay tablets between 5th and 4th centuries BCE. They influenced the Egyptian magic system called ‘heka’ under the guidance of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. H Hopkins (Matthew)  the Witchfinder General had 300 women executed for witchcraft in 1645-6. Details can be found in his book ‘The Discovery of Witches’. It is believed between 30,000-60,000 people were executed for witchcraft in the common era globally, around 500 in Britain. The last trial took place in Leicester in 1717. Hecate  – Greek goddess of witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. Hecate is often depicted as three women, the Maiden, Mother and Crone to represent womanhood, she frequently appears in art work with twin torches and keys. She is associated with dog familiars. She is the goddess of boundaries of different kinds, such as spaces between worlds (including the underworld). Though some writers, including Shakespeare portrayed her as the classic, evil witch, other sources portray her as benevolent. I Incantation  – a magical formula used to trigger an effect on a person or an object. Emphasis on specific words, the rhythms used and the tone of voice cause differing effects. They can include words imbued with magical meaning – such as Abracadabra and Hocus Pocus. Invocation  – the summoning of a supernatural being, using methods such as ‘devotion’ (love/commitment/loyalty is professed to the being to be invoked) or by ‘calling forth’ (reciting mantras or specific chants to summon the being into the body/mind of the summoner) or by ‘evocation’ where the being is summoned to appear in front of the summoner – rather than in  the summoner J Johannes Hartlieb  (1410-1468) was a physician in Bavaria who wrote the puch aller verpoten kunst, ungelaubens und der zaubrey  or the book on all forbidden arts, superstition and sorcery. His artes magicae  contains the oldest known description of witchcraft – nigromancy (demonic magic of the late Middle Ages), geomancy, hydromancy (magic using water, such as scrying), Aeromancy (divination using air, such as throwing dirt or seeds into the air to obtain meaning), pyromancy (divination using fire), chiromancy (palm reading), scapulimancy (divination using animals’ scapula) K Katares  – Greek curse tablets often used in sporting competitions and legal cases. Left in graves, wells or fountains, where the dead could better work their magic L Legislation   - British laws regarding witchcraft have come and gone. The first was the Witchcraft Act of 1542, punishable by death. It was repealed five years later but restored in 1562. King James I introduced another in 1604 linked to his text Demonology. This law transferred crimes from the church to the law courts. 513 ‘witches’ were put on trial, 112 executed, the last one in Devon in 1685. M The letter M  was used as a ‘witch mark’ to prevent a witch from entering your home. The letter stood for the Virgin Mary and persisted long after Catholicism for forbidden in Britain. Another witch mark was a spiral, in which the entity would get lost N Nine Sisters or Nine Maidens  – nine standing stones going by these names can be found across Britain, from Cornwall to Scotland. There are similar versions in Ireland and Iceland. The importance of the number 9 is significant in the beliefs O Otherworld magic  – some folklore involves belief systems from Celtic sources which bring a wider sense of magic into focus. The ‘otherworld’ is seen as a place slightly “out of step” with our own, science might define such a location as another dimension. Inhabitants of the ‘otherworld’ can be the Sidhe (Celtic fae) but they may also be ancestors. Spells may involve the use of plants, roots, stones and water from mystical locations. Specific locations are: Annwn, Avalon, Tír na nÓg, Mag Mell and Emain Ablach P Pentacle  – a 5 pointed star within a circle, first appeared on the Seal of Solomon, which has mystical traditions found in Judaism, Islamic and Western cultures. In appears in English usage in 1561 and meant ‘talisman’. In 1565 The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy (author unknown) defined how the pentacle should be used. Pendle Witches  – August 1612 three generations of one family were marched through the streets of Lancaster to be hanged. Unusual because the trial was documented by the clerk of the court, Thomas Potts. Two rival families were at the centre of the story the Demdike and the Chattox families. The money that could be made from claiming powers in witchcraft in the 17th century probably caused the declarations made by the two families. Q Querent   – someone who asks questions of Tarot cards, though this word is disputed by some as the correct name.  They may also be called Astrologers or astrotherapists R Runes  – come in two forms. The Elder Futhark is the German run alphabet of 24 characters used between 200BCE and 800CE. The original meaning of ‘rune’ is secret or mystery. Witch’s runes are simple pictograms that match concepts with symbols S Sigils  – a symbol of purpose, traditionally a pictorial signature of a spirit (angel, demon, deity). The Lesser Key of Solomon includes 72 princes of hell. Sage used for “smudging”, clearing space in readiness for casting a spell T Types of Witch  – practitioners adhere to different categories; the Eclectic Witch and often link back to spiritual sources such as Eastern philosophies, along with practices such as Reiki and Yoga. They may include mediumship and divination. The Elemental Witch focuses on the ancient crafts, folk healing and the use of the elements. The Green of Hedge Witch are deeply connected to the Earth, they understand the use of botanicals and the energies they provide. The Kitchen Witch focuses on the home, making it a sanctuary while being nurturing U Universe  – witchcraft can be defined as a belief system that connects it to the universe and therefore the forces contained within it. The universe, in this sense, is more than conventional space but varying levels of consciousness V Voodoo  – a religion developed by African peoples living in Haiti  between 16th-19th centuries and is linked to Roman Catholicism. The creator, Bondye, controls spirits known as Iwa. Rituals can include ceremonies to encourage a specific Iwa to possess an individual in order aid communication with the supernatural world. W Wet Dreams  – during 12-14th centuries monks who had wet dreams (nocturnal emissions) believed they were the result of witches sitting on them as they sleep. The witch would collect the semen to impregnate themselves with demon children (at least, that's what the monks said! 😉) Wheel of the Year  – the annual Sabbats or celebrations – Yule (Dec 19-23), Imbolc (Feb 1-2), Ostara (March 19-23), Beltane (April 30 -May 1), Litha (June 19-23), Lughnasadh (Aug 1-2) Mabon (Sept 20-24), Samhain (Oct 31-Nov 1) X X  is a placeholder; a magical symbol used in place of an unknown or secretive object Y Yin and Yang  – part of the seven basic principles of magic (in the Hermetic tradition) is polarity and its best represented by this Eastern concept. The idea that two halves make a whole, where duality means everything has a contrasting opposite Z Zodiac  is used by witches to determine the impact of the stars and the universe. These ‘sun signs’ represents a person’s personality and ego. Understanding ‘self’ is important to the witch in order to achieve the clarity needed for spell casting etc. Click the image to find out more about my novels.

A review of my book, The Inside Story of the British Bureau for the Arcane , by award-winning author Bjorn Larssen, includes the reference to ' grimdark noir '. He admits this is a new sub-genre of fantasy but goes on to explain why he's defined the story in this way. You can read his review here . I will admit the definition does suit the book - I wish I'd thought of the term myself! I Googled it - there were no answers, yet I've read stories that would fit into this category. So had Bjorn, he references them in his review. This post tries to pinpoint what 'grimdark noir' might mean. Some context Let me begin by explaining my reasons for writing the story with this specific tone. It began when the opening to the story woke me up one night. Arlo Austin (the main character) appeared fully formed in my head, in the circumstances which would define his anger and bitterness. Arlo defined the tone, it was as simple as that. Childhood trauma, unresolved, untreated, turned him into someone dark and menacing. He's divided reviewers. Some find him heartless, unsympathetic. Others (like Bjorn) like this darkness and how it influences Arlo's behaviour. It was a conscious decision on my part to include another main character to "compensate" for Arlo. Enter Tayn, a young man who is nerdy, introverted and innocent. They become a double act, though neither would claim that to be true! I hoped the pair would strike a balance that enabled the story to become a detective story. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I imagined Arlo Austin to be somewhere between Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade and Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe. Both hard-bitten detectives who are manipulated by others. Some of Hammett's wry tone of voice appealed to me, as did Chandler's darkness. I tried to strike a balance between the two. With these things in mind, let me now explore the factors that define this story as grimdark. Bjorn Larssen comments on the ugliness of the world in this book. He cites the racism Arlo faces, as a German kid in Britain after the second world war, then later as an East German during the Cold War. Beyond that, being a Dark Elf. I think the ugliness of human nature is a good starting point. What is grimdark? In his article, 'Groping the Elephant, Mark Lawrence defines grimdark as 'defiance in the absence of hope'. He goes on, " Grimdark is often called nihilistic, but this misses the idea that you can accept a nihilistic truth and still choose to die for a principle you know is an emotional construct. A grimdark “hero” has a tendency to go all in – to burn their bridges even when they don’t need the warmth. They are, in their way, an allegory for hope, in so much as having been shown there’s no meaning in the world, they still cling to some elements of it. And in those choices they are revealed. The way it’s painted by the disapproving you would think that grimdark fiction was the literature of surrender to the inevitable. When in truth it is the story of the battle against it – sharpened by the knowledge that there’s no ultimate victory to be had. " This definition matches my perception of the genre and the tone I was looking for. Arlo has had a traumatic early life and suffered the ugliness of other people - yet his motives and his actions are driven by hope. He strives to protect people, particularly arcane species for one simple reason. The man who rescued him , belonged to the British Bureau for the Arcane. Arlo views him as a role model. Sure, his bitter rages and inability to relate to other people makes him an unsympathetic hero but shouldn't we look beyond the surface of people before judging them? I was recently on a convention panel with Anna Smith Spark, talking about the nature of grimdark. Her opinions can be summed up in this quote from her article written in 2019. " That thin pathetic line between rage and despair: that’s hope. The voice screaming into the abyss: that’s hope. Hold those you love close to you. Recognise that the world is a cruel place." I appreciate grimdark isn't for everyone. Another reviewer commented in her review that she'd struggled to cope with the tone of the book because of the state of the world at the moment. I get it. We appear to be heading for a truly dystopian future and that is frightening. Reading books that deal with ugliness and cruelty can reinforce that darkness, some people want to avoid it. I've done the same at times. On the other hand, you only have to look at the success of authors like Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie and my good friend, Michael Fletcher, to see the popularity of grimdark. Defining 'noir' Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, in Gotham Writers writes " the main characters want better things for themselves, but try as they might, they just keep making wrong choices and things go from bad to worse." Ms DeMarco-Barrett explains how she uses this definition to explain the noir genre to her mother. Her mother replies, "Oh, like real life then!" I like this. It's the reason for those poor choices that link to grimdark - they're foisted on the character by their traumatic experiences. In Masterclass , noir is defined as "Typically feature gritty urban settings, morally compromised protagonists, dark mysteries, and a bleak outlook on human nature." Once again, I have to ask, how does this differ from grimdark in fantasy? That point about 'morally compromised protagonists' is key here - what is the cause of that compromise? What experiences have marred their character growth? Another reference, A Dark-Adapting Eye "Noir denotes a marked darkness in theme and subject matter, generally featuring a disturbing mixture of sex and violence." The article includes reference to one other ingredient not mentioned so far - institutional corruption. This is another form of human ugliness - that people will compromise organisations for their private gain. This happens in my book and is another cause for my main character's darkness. It brings us back to hope again - when the main character believes they're striving to do good, they're compromised by the corruption of those around them. What is grimdark noir? Having defined the two terms of this sub-genre, it's time to put them together. What is grimdark noir? Both terms cover similar territory, the dark and gritty context of a world filled with human toxicity, in which people are tainted by that same darkness. It's a world filled with corruption, where motives centre on personal gain rather than public benefit. Unsurprisingly, trust and loyalty are uncommon qualities in these people. Such qualities lead to lies and suspicion, where manipulation happens to hide secrets, people are never as they seem. It is within this context investigation takes place to uncover a mystery provoked by these elements. An investigation led by a character with their own faults, as Barbara DeMarco-Barrett explained, faults which cause them to make poor choices that make matters worse. In this respect, they are no different to classic Shakespearian tragic heroes who do the same thing, it is their poor choices that lead to their tragedy. Conclusion Grimdark noir is driven by a need to investigate any mystery caused by secrecy and manipulation, where its main character's flaws exacerbate the situation, darkening it still further. Their motives may be honourable but their methods won't be. Ends don't always justify the means. Like Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe, the investigation may be solved - the cost however is so great, the investigator is the one who truly suffers. Phil Parker writes fantasy stories, click on the image below to find out more.

Due to a scheduling mix up at Fantasycon2024, I didn't get chance to answer this question on a panel so I've decided to post my research here. My appearance on the panel was down to the kind of books I write - which qualify as Science Fantasy. So what exactly is it? The historical context The term "science fantasy" was coined in 1935 by critic Forrest J. Ackerman as a synonym for science fiction. In 1948, writer Marion Zimmer Bradley called "science fantasy" a mixture of science fiction and fantasy in Startling Stories magazine. Critic Judith Murry considered science fantasy as works of fantasy in which magic has a natural scientific basis. The label first came into wide use after many science fantasy stories were published in the American pulp magazines, such as Robert A. Heinlein's Magic, Inc., L. Ron Hubbard's Slaves of Sleep, and Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp's Harold Shea series. Distinguishing between pure science fiction and pure fantasy, Rod Serling (creator of The Twilight Zone) argued that the former was "the improbable made possible" while the latter was "the impossible made probable". The Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry is sometimes cited as an example of science fantasy. Writer James F. Broderick describes Star Trek as science fantasy because it includes semi-futuristic as well as supernatural/fantasy elements such as The Q. The status of Star Wars as a science fantasy franchise has also been debated. In 2015, George Lucas stated that "Star Wars isn't a science-fiction film, it's a fantasy film and a space opera." It could be argued that science fantasy came first. Look at Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as an example. A tale of scientific exploration which imagines the impossible, reanimating the dead. That theme must have echoed in the rooms of the Villa Diodati where she, Lord Byron and his doctor John Polidori challenged each other to write stories that matched the dark weather outside. Polidori would pen his own story, Vampyre, BEFORE Bram Stoker set out creating Dracula! That was in 1816. Half a century later, Jules Verne would write about people going to the moon, to the centre of the earth and travelling under the oceans. Another half century and HG Wells would imagine our planet being invaded by Martians, about science making invisibility possible as well as time travel. All these stories include a scientific premise which is developed into a story using fantastical ideas. Definition Carl D Malmgren from the University of New Orleans writes here that, "A science-fantasy world is one in which the characters or settings or events presuppose at least one clear violation of natural law or scientific necessity, but which explicitly provides an organized or scientific explanation for that violation and which grounds its discourse in a scientific episteme." This definition follows on from my earlier point referencing Shelley, Verne and Wells. The science exists but a 'violation' occurs which takes the idea into the realms of the unknown. That said, a better approach might be to list authors who have helped to define this sub-genre, which is what Brian Attebery does in Dictionary of Literary Biography: Volume Eight: Twentieth-Century American Science-Fiction Writers: Part 2: M-Z (1981) edited by David Cowart and Thomas L Wymer. His list includes Marion Zimmer Bradley, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Samuel R Delany, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, Jack Vance, John Varley, Roger Zelazny. This definition resonates for me, as someone who grew up reading these authors. It's only now, seeing their names here, that I begin to wonder if they are the ones who shaped my writing into the form it now takes. This list can be found in the Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction - where it enhances this definition of science fantasy by including typical tropes. They include, interdimensional portals (which may include parallel worlds and alternate dimensions), people with 'enhanced abilities' such as psychic powers and monsters which may have scientific links (you could include Frankenstein here). These tropes define my stories; they all include interdimensional portals for two reasons. Such things offer the writer access to other beings/creatures and worlds. More importantly for me, they feature in so many stories in folklore - see my post referencing this here . Science Fantasy and Writing Stories If you contend a central premise of fantasy includes magical systems, in various forms, then science fantasy must differ in the way that magic is explained. For me, it's not about using runes, spells and wands. I've just mentioned the idea of other worlds and the people that come from them, they are aliens! Not little green men in spaceships, put simply, they are not US! Therefore, we can have them do whatever we want in our stories, they can perform magical feats because it's in their DNA. Let me give you two examples from my own work: Frida in The Valkyrie of Vanaheim is half human, half fae. Her psychic powers and ability to manipulate energy are down to her fae ancestry. In The Bastard from Fairyland , the twins possess similar abilities for the same reason - they are hybrids. In both instances, I make the point that these qualities exist in the natural world, we have animals with these abilities - so what's to stop these qualities transferring to people? In this way you don't need to create complex and restrictive magic systems. I'd add one more factor to this: when these qualities exist in your DNA, how does it change you as a person? All my stories are about broken and damaged people. Invariably, the damage comes from being different. As a hybrid, living among human beings, hiding abilities that make you a freak - you're bound to suffer. How could you not? As kids especially, who need to conform, it is especially traumatic. For me, a story begins with Character (with a capital C!). This precept goes beyond making magic important - by being different - there's your story! The idea of the portal is another science fantasy element that helps make the subgenre unique. For me, it's why Deep Space Nine is the best series in the Star Trek franchise. The portal achieved several goals for the writers of the series. It allowed travel into 'strange new worlds' that could exist in a single episode and involve very little travel. More than that, the wormhole aliens generated a religious significance that defined the culture of Bajor. This cultural reference prompted stories that had not just religious overtones but political and social ones too. They defined characters by their beliefs - look at Kira Nerys, her beliefs place her odds quite often with people like Sisko and other Starfleet personnel. All this because of a wormhole. If we remain in the world of television, the Stargate franchise did the same thing, to an even greater extent in terms of opening up stories to all kinds of species that possessed abilities humans don't possess. Some of them scientific, others mystical. Yet again, the portal facilitates the characters who feature in the stories too, as defined by their individual cultures. To explore literature for portal fiction, you have the Narnia stories by CS Lewis of course. The great thing to remember is that portals can exist anywhere, even in wardrobes. You can argue the case for Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland being a portal fiction too. The same is true for L. Frank Baum's Oz stories. There's a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle too. I'd also have to mention some personal favourites, like Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, War of the Flowers by Tad Williams, The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kaye, The Magician's Trilogy by Lev Grossman. The Writer's Takeaway For too long, science fantasy appears to have been subsumed into that broad genre of Fantasy, to a lesser extent, science fiction. Yet, I'd contend, it is neither. It is distinct in the way science MUST play a role in the world building AND the impact on characterisation in fantasy stories. All the novels and TV series I've listed here prove this assertion. For anyone who makes the claim that fantasy takes place in worlds other than our own, that is true. Tolkien is fantasy because scientific references don't exist in his stories. My assertion about the impact of portals and people with non-human abilities on a story, defines how science fantasy can generate tales that are noticeably different. Travel between worlds, encountering people from different worlds, dealing with the abilities such people present, is what this genre is all about. I'd like to wind up this post with one more factor which I've not mentioned until now. As evidence, I'm going to highlight Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist. This is portal fiction but it goes beyond that. It takes our folklore and makes it real . Science can bring credibility to a story . This novel provoked my career-long fascination with the idea of encouraging readers to question how possible folklore might be. Feist presents theories that have justification in science, such that it made me start to question what we're meant to believe. I love that idea! I set out to do the same in The Bastard from Fairyland by referencing Glastonbury (in Somerset, England) folklore. A town filled with myth that includes King Arthur and fairies! This is what makes science fantasy different and exciting. The inclusion of science encourages us to ask - could this be real? Phil Parker writes fantasy novels. Click the image to find out more.