Tag: fiction

Writing in the Cold – What am I working on?

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I hope you are having a great season. It’s cold and wet here. I’m enjoying a regular writing schedule again after some time away from it. After all, what is being a writer if not writing!

Well the projects I was working on, namely Beach Town: Survivors [Part II] have ended up being a little longer than expected and I’m not finished yet. Yesterday I took the decision to kill off a few characters in rapid succession – quite a distress I must say. Given the story a novel would have been a possibility. It’s got a focus on two groups this time, both surviving through the day with various consequences. We can see from the fact that it’s the end of the world that it has turned people both crazy and stupid. Maybe that’s what it’s about, just people and the struggles they go through.

All that blood and guts doesn’t end there though. I hoped to release it before the end of the year but it’s quite likely to be in the new year when I release it. As always your support of the work is greatly appreciated in the form of downloading and reviewing on release. I have to finish the story and then edit. Apologies for taking longer than expected. It’s still planned to be a mini series, with Part III estimated now for a spring release.

I already have a new year goal to finish some of my work in progress novels. I’ll tell you why – because then I’ll have more stories to share with you. It’s not that they aren’t stories I believe in that has caused me not to finish, it’s simply me switching to different things and taking time from writing them. Also, I don’t publish everything, so when I have something that I want to publish I take a very different approach to it; more detailed writing and editing, more feedback, more cuts and edits etc.

Talk about writers procrastinating.

So many people want to write and following a brief post I made yesterday I believe anyone who writes a story to be a writer. Published or self published or not, you write a story you are a writer. I don’t like seeing people online getting discouraged because they share their story to find people call them aspiring writers. Sure the title of author is a little different, and published author makes you think of the big cats raking in millions. IN general though, you are a writer even if you finish just one story. Keep at it.

There’s a wide range of resources available online. The following link provides a general guide to actually starting a story:

https://self-publishingschool.com/how-to-start-a-story/#:~:text=Here%20are%20the%20steps%20for%20how%20to%20start,the%20first%20chapter%20on%20a%20cliffhanger%20More%20items

This link provides tips to actually writing a novel, a bigger more in depth task than a shorter story:

https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-write-a-novel/

Thanks for reading this short post!

You can navigate to my author page from this link too where you can find my other books.

10 Page a Day Challenge

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Good morning community!

It’s a frosty -2 this morning with plenty of cold winds coming in to. Reminds me of a typical winter day! I really do hope it snows properly this year.

Since last night I’ve been thinking about my reading, more specifically the page count. I don’t usually count the pages I read – but I used to – and since becoming re-aware of my habits I decided I would.

Let me explain. Last week I was enthralled by Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and had read 50+ pages in one sitting. This was good, as usually I’d read little more than 30 pages (at a guess). So my average had increased. yet with another historical fiction book I only managed maybe 2 – 3 pages at a time, each day. I want to read more of that one in each sitting by the way!

I then realised my reading time had improved significantly. Taking the 50 pages I’d read over the course of one sitting, which at the time was around 2 hours 30 minutes, I knew that this was an improvement. I’m usually a slow reader. Anyway my eyes were following the words more easily and pages were turning quicker. The process felt less strained and more enjoyable and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. This could also be due to the fact it’s interesting.

I hear people say they can’t focus enough to read; but I say this, you can read if you practice. Yes, practice reading by reading. By the time you’ve read ten pages I guarantee you will find it easier. But I say that lightly, you need to do it daily to see an improvement in concentration. Reading things you enjoy can be of significant help as you won’t feel forced to pull yourself through a difficult chapter.

Let me introduce the 10 Page a Day Challenge

It’s easy and effective. You’ll find that at the end of the week doing the 10 pages a day – and hopefully a lot more – that your reading concentration and focus has improved ten fold. You’ll be able to navigate large chunks of text in minutes.

Who’s this for?

Ideally those who struggle with reading, those who find it hard to enjoy books or those who don’t read in general. I recommend choosing a good thick book targeted for your age, that way your more likely to meet the wide range of vocabulary expected in other books of the same genre.

I read every day and find the benefits are above and beyond what people expect. It’s winter soon and you’ll be grateful to be in bed under the warm blanket with a book, or even beside a warm fireplace. It’s great for tackling a huge social issue – loneliness – and can (I believe) be super awesome at making you feel better.

So there you go! A 10 Page a Day Challenge and it doesn’t matter if you read more. Read to your hearts delight. I am sure I have some reading to do … by for now!

Saturday Movie Recs

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Welcome to this short post on Saturday movie recs. You may recall in the past previous posts on this topic. Of course I will try to add some flavour or variety. All of these are films I like – all of them I recommend – including films in series.

First we have the Mission Impossible series. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are available and 7 (Dead Reckoning) is coming next year. Wish it was out now!

Resident Evil series – don’t forget the animated series movies too. Don’t forget the newest addition Welcome to Raccoon City!

Inception – I always recommend this movie if you didn’t see it already.

The Wolf of Wall Street

James Bond

2001: A Space Odyssey

Prometheus / Alien / Alien v Predator

Indiana Jones / Back to the Future / Jurassic Park

Avatar

Ready Player One

Doctor Sleep

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Dark Knight Trilogy / Batman movies – either animated or not.

Nazis v USSR

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison 
Soviet forces march across the deadly lands of eastern Europe
onward towards the motherland, Nazi Germany lays dormant
The SS is on the frontline, pushing past Poland
toward their nemesis faces
Clash, we see bombers descend over Paris
Bang, the tankers are crossing the lines of Berline
Stalin spies through his men
... as Nazis chant for their little mad man
"Heil Hitler"
Could Lenin see the times past
Churchill, Roosevelt, Hirohito, and Charles de Gaulle 
united, departed, never forgotten
closing in, let it begin
forever they will die in sin

Lots of New Stories are out and More are Coming.

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Back in January 2020 I wrote a story before the lockdown not knowing that we were in a pandemic… so that is why I left this story on the backburner.

It is about people left behind following the evacuation of citizens after a zombie apocalypse. I mentioned on twitter that I was tempted to publish it now… and people seemed to encourage me to do so. I went ahead and made a cover. I’m quite impressed with the cover tbh.

What do you think? Because it was already completed and edited 2 years ago I only need to go over it once or twice for last minute edits and checks, as such I’ve set a 31st August release date.

My short stories: In Our Home & On Our Graves have done extremely well peaking at no. 2 to no. 4 in horror short stories so if you downloaded and read thank you. I think the free promotion is still on so grab copies now for life, otherwise you need Kindle Unlimited to read them. Number #3 In Their Minds is being edited and will be out this week. Then I’ll release In The River which should round the series off.

So as you can see since Beach Town ~ Survivors was released, and I am so glad it has, I’ve been busy. Granted I kept all these things on the low side because I was wanting to promote Survivors more than the others. I have more time now to dedicate to writing and with multiple stories in editing, and being written I’d say I have my hands full.

At the end of the day if I want to be a writer and be known as one I need to put my work out there. I see so many writers on twitter who started publishing only 2 years ago who have loads of fans and tons of stories out, with good ratings. It is my hope to become one of them, although maybe my work isn’t good enough. You need to tell me if that is the case.

Another Story I’m Hoping to Unleash Over Summer

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Welcome to a very sudden and exhilarating post! For me at least. I’ve been slacking on editing Beach Town: Survivors and should have edited it last month in full. But no, still cracking on. Anyway I usually have more than 1 work in progress so I started writing another story. I tend to create a cover early now, as opposed to before when I paid for it.* I am enjoying writing this thrilling and somewhat terrifying tale, a novella. Apparently if I get scared writing it that means it is scary. I doubt it, it’s just a sub genre of horror that scares the hair off my back!

*I think I will design my own covers from now on and stick to eBooks. Sure, physical copies have there place but at the end of the day if I am not going to sell many it defeats the point in having it available in print. Not to mention huge savings and the ability to be a bit more free and creative with your cover.

So I hinted at a cover reveal the other day. Maybe I’m being stupid showing you all this cover, or perhaps too rushed. What it reflects is intended to be left up to you as the reader to figure out. You might see divide, you might unification or you might see absolutely nothing. Good, because I enjoyed putting it together.👇

© T.Maxwell-Harrison

It is a dark tale (literally, dark for the most part) and has vampis (vampires). I am not writing those soft, loveable or humorous kind… I am talking about real, frightening vampires which is exactly what they are and have always been. We’re talking stranded people being attacked viscously by these creatures.

Short quiz question: Do you know what ‘dead reckoning’ means? You might be able to figure out something about the story if you know.

Thanks for reading and please like, comment, reblog and share if you liked this post. *All comments, any, are appreciated and respected provided they don’t insult or degrade people.

A Story of Trust, Survival and Friendship.

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

https://www.wattpad.com/story/308318436-zombie-outbreaks

I have started a new short story on Wattpad called Apocalypse on Easy Street. Although called zombie outbreaks as well. Let me explain before we go any further. Zombie outbreaks is the parent of the stories within it. In other words, zombie outbreaks will consist of multiple stories. The first being the Easy Street story. If you understand then nod your head otherwise get on your knees for forgiveness.

The experience with Wattpad has been a bit up and down. I was reluctant to use it and am still a little reluctant to use it. It is free to use, but some authors have the options to make their content paid for. There is also the possibility of being published and turned to movie and tv which is why I think so many people use it. I am using it to firstly, create a story and see how it is received and secondly as a way to reach more readers. I would love some of my followers on here to go and give it a read, so I can be encouraged to either continue, if good or stop if bad. Soggy biscuits in tea anyone?

The story revolves around strong willed Ida, a 12 year old who lives a life under the watchful eye of her socialite parents. She doesn’t have many friends but is fascinated with her neighbour Kayla, who is 23 years old. On a day out, things don’t go as planned as it is Ida’s day off school and all she wants to do is blog at home. Her mother drags her out, and being stuck unable to even get off their street, Kayla pops up, being a known friend to the family and offers to take Ida for a while whilst her mother goes to town, to Ida’s relief. Soon though the problems in Kayla’s life become clear and things take a turn for the worse. At Ida’s home there seems to be something weirder going on, the neighbours have gone mad, insane and are attacking one another. The pair soon realise a once calm existence is overhauled, there is a zombie outbreak. What on earth are the pair going to do? They aren’t exactly besties, so how can they trust one another to survive? Follow the pair from the outbreak to the finish line, survival!

Thanks for reading, like, comment and follow and reblog if you enjoyed and head over to check out the new story. Many thanks, Wizard.

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Embracing Online Writing Platform [Wattpad)

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I had my fears and niggling voices about Wattpad in the past. I used to have a brief look and think to myself, too risky to publish on the platform, for risk of theft of work. I have done something incredible and actually created a short romance/lust/erotic/manhood story called Discovery Avenue – doing well peaking at #5 in manhood already and #15 in cutegirl. I believe some of you already had a look which is great.

My new venture is going to focus on two young girls, with a ten + age gap as they pair up to survive the zombie apocalypse. Not the usual protagonists, so could be classed as young adult… possibly? Again, meant to be a short story. I don’t really intend to drag anything out. This is all part of my experiment with the platform. Please also try to look past the titles, I know they are not great. Zombies was the original title until publishing the first part of the story and then changing to Zombie Outbreaks. I have a plan for the story, but not glued to it. I hope that everybody has a chance to check it out.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/308318436-zombie-outbreaks –

If you can forgive the cheesy titles then please consider following me on Wattpad and reading my stories. I just started writing a zombie apocalypse tale, with different types of protagonists than I am used to. Check the synopsis below:

The dead are rising quickly, over taking the small suburbs of Britain. On Easy Street, it is anything but easy as 12 year old Ida and 23 year old Kayla attempt to survive most of their now undead neighbourhood!

They expect to be able to find shelter further afield, and plan to try and get to the airport. However, multiple obstacles they will find! Living and undead threats abound.

(c) All Rights Reserved

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Sum <E|?

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison 
The sum of all of life

reduce your breakfast plate to an egg with some avocado

avoid walking in traffic at all costs

don't forget, that God is full of semen

and that a mighty sword is a jellyfish

of boiled lemon tek 

wait, did someone call my name?

Facing the harsh cold clouds of spring

there should be post at five in the afternoon

summing up

https://www.wattpad.com/story/307873965-discovery-avenue – erotic/romance/love/danger/discovery short story released one part everyday.

https://www.elephantjournal.com/2022/04/does-life-mean-something – my new post on Elephant Journal!

New album by Joe Satriani – Elephants of Mars! Genius, brilliant! Review will come sometime soon my love.

Discovery Avenue – Part 1 & 2 (Romance Fiction)

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Welcome to Psychedelic Wizard.

I have just created a Wattpad account, because apparently you can write and publish stories on the site. I was a little wary of this since it could potentially be unsafe as there is no protection. But the site says that work published is protected. So, I decided to start publishing a romance story on there.

I don’t usually write romance but the story seems interesting. It is a part of a story I have just started writing, however it is a story of events which took place before the current story I am writing. So, a sort of prequel. I have not mentioned this on Wattpad as I want to see if it is liked by people and to develop a story on the platform, essentially giving it a try.

The story is called Discovery Avenue –

‘Peter is on an all night drinking marathon, until he gets into the mood for sex. The only problem? His girlfriend is at home in bed, waiting for him. Will he continue on this dark night looking for an encounter, or will he go home?

This is his story of a sexually charged night looking for an affair or romance. Will his discover love or lust or will it be danger for him?’

https://www.wattpad.com/story/307873965-discovery-avenue

https://www.wattpad.com/1215543060-discovery-avenue-she%27s-asleep-part-2

Above is the link to the first and second part of the story, which is mature, as is this story. I would encourage anyone who likes reading my posts or short stories to check it out and if you like and comment on Wattpad it tells me that I should continue with the story. Ultimately what it is about is a man changing for the worse, coming to realise what he should not have taken for granted, coming to accept himself and essentially a loving ending, or so we hope. There will be dark scenes and there will be black mirrors so anyone not prepared to look into the dark soul should not read it. I hope you enjoy following the story as it progresses. I intend to write a passage every day at least. They will be short as to keep people interested. Part 1 is called ‘uncomfortable dinners’. I have no idea where this will go and I don’t really hope for any kind of professional interest, it really is a vanity project, but one that I would love to explore and write nonetheless.

Aside from that thank you for checking out this post!