The Joy of the Unknown

Or more aptly named,

The Joy of being a Panster.

I spent a lot of my young writer years meticulously plotting my stories - I went the whole nine yards - character sheets, binders, maps, notebooks full of information.
It was fun - and I felt like I was doing the right thing because so much of what we see from writers is to plot, to plan, to have chapter outlines, to know how your story ends.

I’m here to talk to the people who this doesn’t work for.

I’m here to call out to the writers who don’t have it all figured out.

I’m here to tell those writer’s that that’s ok.

I’ve just finished writing my seventh novel - a two-part story that will eventually be part of a Duology (because what’s better than an 80K word novel? TWO 80k word novels).

I started this series with the first couple of chapters planned - two characters - a central theme I wanted to explore and so many questions.

And here’s the crux of it for me.

I write to explore.

Through my words and worlds, through my characters, through the plot to unfolds, I write to discover the story.

Does this mean my drafts are messy? Sure.

Chaotic? Most definitely.

But that’s ok. Because that first draft is figuring out the answer.

Drafts 3,4,5,6 (yes, many many many drafts will be needed) is where you hone in on plot and structure, character development and motivation.

But the first draft?
That is a place of pure exploration.

If you are a different kind of writer - that’s ok. You can have your beautifully printed outline, or you gorgeous pin boards and whiteboards, you can have you journals and character notes.
Or like me, you can have nothing but a question and the desire to write until you find an answer.

Because you are a writer,

And being a writer give you permission to do whatever the hell you want.
(That’s full permission by the way).

Much Love,

Keep writing,

AM,

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Blog Post - Current Projects

Current Projects: A Breakdown

The Lottery

‘The Lottery’ is slated for publication on 28 September 2024.

I wrote this book in a fever dream after I finished the second book in the Dualed Series. I had been desperate to write this story, it had been consuming me from within.

The Dualed Series

‘The Dualed’ is a four-book series that is currently drafted but needs significant edit’s/re-writes to be ready for readers.

I completed the first 50K words of this novel during Nanowrimo (2017)

Eveland Duology

The two easiest novels I have written (to date).

I wrote ‘Eveland’ in the space of a couple of month. Hail the procrastination induce productivity for someone who loves writing and creating but not editing so much.

I wrote the first draft of ‘Convent’ in the months concurrent to editing ‘The Lottery’. That was one of the hardest things I’ve done (switching not only between characters but between first and third POV).

Short Stories

I don’t write a lot of short stories - I struggle to keep a story under 80K words.

I’ve never been known to write short and sycinct; it’s not my skill set.

But these are two that are finsihed and I love.

I’ll link them below here:

‘The Lottery - A Short.’

***the weird vampire one**

What’s next?

I have a hell of a lot of edit to do - Hello, 4-book ‘Dualed’ Project and ‘Eveland’ Duology.

I have a lot to do in the self-pub space to get this whole thing off the ground.

But I also have a few ideas knocking around. A few snippets of things that might be fine. In my next novel I want to write something a little lighter - I’d love to work on a project with Witches or Pirates.

But honestly? I’m not sure.

Life changes, things happen, and anything could be next.

I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

Much Love,

AM

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Blog Post - On Writing: A Morning Routine

There’s few things that have kept me consistent and propelled forward the amount of words I churn out each week, quite like my morning routine.

When I started working full time (all the way back in 2017), I struggled to carve out creative time.

For the first few years, I continued to tell myself “when I get home, I’ll sit down and write”. Every day, every week for the first year I told myself this absolute lie.

It wasn’t until I acknowledged I wasn’t following through on this daily internal promise that I was able to rearrange my life. And honestly., I had to do something I dreaded - become a morning person.

So, here’s a few things I have done over the last few years to cultivate my morning routine - a routine that allows me to write most days (Because you are still a writer if you don’t write every day).

Here’s my tips and tricks - things that have worked for me.

Get intentional.

Getting up at 5am is a wonderful goal. But you’ll consistently hit the snooze button when your alarm goes off if you go to bed at midnight.

Understand your WHY.

Writing a book is a phenomenal goal - but its not your why. If you can figure out why you want to write the book, why you want to spend countless hours on this project, why it needs to be now, you, in the world. Everything else becomes much easier.

Set boundaries.

You may have the most supportive family or you may not. But writing, creating, this part of your life is something for you. Carve out time and space for something you love and then protect it at all costs.

Start with movement.

I walk my dogs every morning from 5am-6am. This routine not only forces me out of bed (a challenge some mornings), but wakes me up and clears my head. Not everyone wants to roll out of bed and be dragged around my two energetic dogs - but I find movement first thing really helps.

Your music/playlist.

Cultivate a playlist. A key component of fighting writers block (for me) is being in the mood to write. The best way to avoid this? Get your brain to associate specific music with your words and creativity. Whenever I sit down, I put on specific music and it immediately connects my brain to the page - just like magic.

Get off your phone.

Hello - guilty of this sometimes still. But you write best when you are not distracted by your phone. This one isn’t a surprise, and certainly isn’t new. But its still just as true.

Be ROUTINE.

Whether you write first thing, after reading for an hour, in the hours after your children go to bed, we all have one thing in common. Life is so much easier if we make it a routine.

Words over perfection.

In the honest and wholesome words of a Panster who has no idea what each writing session will bring - get the words down. No one writes a perfect first draft, you will need to edit, you will need to re-write, you will need to tidy and prune and full your hair out - but all of this comes later. Just get the words down and leave your perfectionism at the door.

And that’s about all the advice I have for mornings, for writing, for carving out time and space.

I hope that you will prioritise something that is important to YOU today,

And we’ll see your words and worlds on shelves in the future,

Much Love,

AM

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Blog Post - On Writing: The AM Joy Edition

Hello from your resident Pantser.

Hello from a Writer and Author who doesn’t have everything (anything) figured out.

I’ve listened to so many Writers and Authors speak over the years - on panels, at conferences, in classes, on social media, and one thing that I have noticed is that very few write quite like I do.

Don’t get me wrong - I look at their plans, vision boards, beautifully crafted outlines, book binders and gorgeous aesthetics in awe - but it’s simply not something that works for me.

My number one piece of writing advice,

Write in a way that works for you.

I’ve discovered I am a full-blown Pantser.

Defined: A pantser is a term most commonly applied to fiction writers, especially novelists, who write their stories "by the seat of their pants."

And from one writer to another - It’s ok if you don’t have it all figured out.

You can start writing with a question, with a single character, with a vague premise, with a whisp of an idea.

Often, I start with one character, one half-fleshed setting and a single, gnawing question. In my experience, as long as you. have that singular question that drives you, that gets under your skin, that allows you to keep going, you will find you way.

Whatever path you are meant to take will open up as you type one word after another, as you let one idea flow into the next, as you let your characters speak to you.

If you want to plan every tiny twist and turn, please do.

But if, like me, you find this way of writing entirely stifling, maybe its time you try something different - maybe its time you let your inner panster out.

It feels pretty fucking great to have only a blank page in front of you,

To have nothing but the sprawling possibilties,

To enjoy the pure freedom of creativity at your fingertips.

To me, this kind of writing is the purest form of magic.

Enjoy the bliss of beginnings.

Much Love,

AM

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Blog Post - A Short Introduction

What can I say?

I wasn’t sure I would ever be writing an Author Introduction.

In my wildest dreams, I wasn’t sure I’d arrive at this destination.

I’ve lived my writing and author dreams in secrets for years,

Stealing minutes, skulking int he early morning and last night hours, scribbling in pretty notebooks. drafting one-too-many character profiles.

Then, in 2020, when the world changed, I decided I had no more excuses. No more reasons not to write the novels that took up so much of my daydreams, nightmares and inner monolgue.

And so I started writing.

And I kept writing.

And before I knew it, the words had come, the worlds had escaped, my characters had evolved, and what was once only a passion in the quiet solitude, became something I wanted to share with the world.

I’m not sure I’ll ever make it to the benchmark of “successful” author. I doubt my strange stories will be featured on the NYT Bestseller list, or featured in bookshops. But I hope that a few people find me, that a handful of like-minded souls come across my books.

I hope everyone finds something in the pages of my stories,

And that they help hyou feel a little less alone,

A little more like you have a place in this world.

And I hope you feel the magic.

Because anyone who writes has magic within.

Much Love,

AM

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