Just in case you haven’t heard, I’m currently doing an on demand MasterClass run by Neil Gaiman and it is amazing. But before I go too far into that, I want to highlight some things that are coming up that I am most certainly nervous about.

1. My Short Story submission to the “Kill Your Darlings” Speculative Fiction/Fantasy Showcase could be judged at any moment now. As they stated they’d get back to everyone mid-February, the anticipation is playing my nerves like the plucking of a banjo.
2. Furious Fiction gets judged this week and as much as I am trying desperately to keep my hopes low, I feel as though the story I wrote was the best one I’ve managed to submit for the Australian Writers’ Centre competition. I don’t want to be disappointed, but at the same time, I’m very proud of my story regardless of the outcome.
3. I am currently sitting at two hundred and eightieth in the Tor submissions queue for my fantasy novella titled, “Birthright.” Yet another story I am so very proud of, I actually hope it sees the light of day as it was a story I was nervous to tell, yet ended up being amazed by how well formed the characters skyrocketed into my mind.

Oh, that story reminds me of an interesting topic that came up in one of my writing groups. We were analysing Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind and how few major female characters there were. But then when all of us returned to our own writing, there were obvious gaps. POC. LGBTQ. Women. Men. We all took a long look in the mirror and realised how quick we were to judge but we were in the same boat, which begged the question: Why? Why were there so many gaps?

I’d like to offer up a small window into the mind of a writer, as to why I believe these things occur. Perhaps I am naive or my own subconscious rebells against me, but I believe many of us writers don’t have too much say in the way the story comes out. No, we only have a say in the story at the end. For example, in the story for Tor, I think there were only a handful of women and a few were bedded and one was a villain. Not exactly a good representation now that I reflect upon it. But I never made the conscious effort to exclude women and the problem I have now is do I change a character from male to female? Well, I cannot change the MC and his love interest. It is a story about a prince falling in love with his best friend, the prince of a neighbouring kingdom. I cannot change the MC’s father, as he is the King of the traditional kingdom and therefore as in many stories before him, the men wield the power. I could change the love interest’s father to be his mother instead, but when the character came to me looking like Idris Elba in Thor Ragnarok, the image stuck with me. It is hard to change something that is so clear an image in your mind, especially when it comes to certain mannerisms or stances.

So, I sat back, having been disappointed in myself because I want to write diversely. I looked at my own writing and felt as though I’d failed, which no writer ever needs help with. I am still deeply proud of the story and the characters within, but I don’t want to force a character to be something that they’re not. Just like when the MC’s love interest enters the scene, he IS sex and loves it all at once and is living a very different life to our MC. For me to turn him into a female character affects the heart of the story. But it certainly has made me more aware and going forward I will be paying more attention and I recommend you do too.

Wow, that got heavy. YEESH. Good thing not too many people read this blog, otherwise my honesty on here would probably hurt or offend someone. 2019 gentlefolks, hurray.

Back to the MasterClass there have been a few things I MUST thank Mr. Gaiman for if I ever see him.

• Writing in the tone of Tolkien and emulating his work unlocked some sort of wizard-esque world building skill I didn’t know I had. In five paragraphs I had a setting, a world, two opposing characters, two dead ones, a quest and motivation to go on said quest. Awesome.
• I have the entire plot for a retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone set in a Sci-Fi universe with Demeter as the MC and Persephone as a fully autonomous mobile suit!
• I have written some of the truest stories (or memories) from my heart and as much as it pained me to revisit them I came to understand writing truth in fiction. It amazed me how much I remembered and what senses faded away as I focused on what was happening at the time. I believe this is reflected in much of my writing as it appears this is how I experience the world and that has become clearer to me now more than ever.
• I’ve learned how to read stories critically and chop and change. Breaking down stories into their plot points has become easier and using this method to rewrite the same thing but more concise is proving a useful tool.

That’s not all but I’m not even halfway done. I am savouring this and I need to start treating my writing time and events like one would treat a chiropractor visit. People wouldn’t ask you to skip an appointment to go out? Why should my writing be any different? It soothes the soul, calms the mind and allows me to return to my 9-5 not completely and utterly jaded!

Anyway folks, feel free to comment below and I’ll do my best to respond! Otherwise, take care folks and good luck out there!

-TJ