James Dempsey

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

#life really getting in the way of #writing right now. But some good reading is keeping me going.

Thanks! I managed to double my subscriber numbers today to 2!

Today's subject - #substack. I started an account (and posted words!) as you'll see below. Can I get any interaction? No. For something that is meant to be about community and long form it seems remarkably superficial. Advice please!!
#writingcommunity
#amwriting

A street bathed in neon light advertising my substack.

Every person you let into your life takes away a part of your soul. Occasionally you get it back; mostly it is consumed, feeding the beast we raise and nurture, spiritual forerunner of the Alsatians that will eat our flesh when we die alone.
#booksky
#amwriting
open.substack.com/pub/anxiousg...

Interesting. Would like to hear more. I could imagine that someone might fear extreme pain, for example, and welcome death as an alternative?

Anxious Book Club | James Dempsey | Substack Books and mental health. Fantasy and other fiction. Musings on writing and life and all that shit. Click to read Anxious Book Club, by James Dempsey, a Substack publication. Launched 6 hours ago.

'Fear is the mind killer.
The room bends. The part of my brain that makes sense of dimensions is broken and it feels like I’m disappearing, spinning Alice-like, down a dark hole.'

#booksky
#writingcommunity
#mentalhealth

Anxious Book Club anxiousguy.substack.com?r=5h0u1z&utm...

Welcome to Anxious Book Club. First rule of Anxious Book Club - don't worry if you talk about Anxious Book Club.

So I started a Substack, something I've been on the verge of doing for a while. So get on over if you like books and writing and mental health (you know what I mean).
open.substack.com/pub/anxiousg...
#booksky
#mentalhealth
#writingcommunity

Sort stories for almost-summer

Will Self’s The Quantity Theory of Insanity is another that sticks with me.

Wise editing words!

The website is looking great @lstrachan.bsky.social! Best of luck with the events.

Stolen from elsewhere…

Hamish McHaggis. 20th anniversary
Www.HamishMcHaggis.co.uk

Sly Flourish’s Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Can’t recommend this book enough for advice on collecting and organising random ideas. As good for planning a story as prepping for a DnD session.
#writingcommunity
#amwriting

I think as it’s to the UK govt you need a UK postcode to sign, I’m afraid. But thanks for the support!

How humanist are you? Take our quiz and find out. Many people are humanists without even knowing it. If you are non-religious and look to science, reason, empathy, and compassion in order to live an ethical and meaningful ...

Humanists are non-religious people who shape their own lives in the here and now because we believe it's the only life we have. A lot of people share humanist values without even knowing the term. Maybe you're a humanist! Find out by taking our quiz! humanists.uk/humanism/how...

Why access to libraries and books are a human right for children We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

Access to libraries and books is a fundamental human right for children, unlocking learning, creativity and empowerment.

Libraries provide safe spaces for growth, ensuring every child can reach their full potential. 👏

Always love how this tower that looks like a random part of the amusements is actually one of the oldest buildings in Porty.
#Edinburgh

Please consider signing @societyofauthors.bsky.social petition to the UK government to hold Meta accountable for its use of pirated material to train its AI: chng.it/kSr4CXmCKs
#writingcommunity
#booksky

I think this was why I ended up rewriting rather than editing at first. It felt like it would be too hard to make changes to what I had while keeping any kind of flow.

Be good to hear more about how your process has worked so far

So the plot was a bit different. But then so was the language. I changed tense and some characters changed gender. Some parts of version one made it across unchanged, others completely rewritten. And the final edited version ended up at 94k when the first was 70k.

It was an evolution really. It helped me clarify what I was really trying to do and create a much more detailed plan that filled in plot holes, fleshed out characters, and generally made everything make sense.

Kind of, yes - although it only took about ten minutes of trying to edit the first draft to realise it wasn’t nearly close enough to where it needed to be. So I had the printed version next to me as I wrote the second draft and that was enough to get an editable version.

My first draft ended up being my muse during the creation of the second draft - not its prototype.

Very happy to have discovered this group :)

A wooden table upon which sits a candle and an old-looking bound book that screams "magical"

It's after 12pm, so you can be safe in knowing this ain't no April fool: Lead judge @stevenpoore.bsky.social has declared the annual short story competition OPEN! 🥳

britishfantasysociety.org/bfs-short-st...

Welcome @brettculbert.bsky.social, my 100th follower! Good to connect with you. I have a way to go to catch you up 😂

Weekend Pass — CYMERA

And don't forget—there are just THREE DAYS left to grab your Early Bird Weekend Pass at a discounted price! 🎟️

www.cymerafestival.co.uk/weekend-pass

Thanks for making it happen @peterurpeth.bsky.social