Tag: writing tips

Writer Spotlight #6 Juliet Delta

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I had the pleasure of being able to talk to yet another talented author. This time getting to chat to a very unique individual who is converting her scripts into novels! Without further introduction please enjoy reading this post because it was a pleasure for me to meet Juliet Delta.

Juliet Delta was born in Wales, an entrepreneur, trained actor, and writer, with a love for fashion and the arts. She moved to London in 2012 where her work as a screenwriter grew, creating dramas and thrillers over the following decade. Recently converting her scripts into novels, the first, of several to come, being the crime thriller DI ADAM JAEGER: The Cleansing, in 2019, released in 2022 as an ebook and paperback.

Why are you a writer?

I started as a screenwriter due to having an imagination that acting wasn’t quite fulfilling. I then found a new path, that I could convert my decade of screenplays into novels, and found some of them would fit the medium extremely well.

What do you enjoy about writing?

I think the process of planting your imagination onto a computer screen, or be it paper, can be quite cathartic and exhilarating, especially when there’s lots of ideas speeding around your head and they slowly begin to connect. There’s real satisfaction in that part.

Tell us about your most recent works

My debut novel, DI ADAM JAEGER: The Cleansing, is a crime fiction novel based on the idea of ‘what if’…what if a persons family had been wiped out by the Nazi’s and they wished to take revenge? It’s more than just a revenge story, it’s a character reveal with sub plots, which are the real juice in this fruit.

If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?

I’m not sure a ‘new genre’ is possible as the main stream will always bundle it in with a current genre. However, I would like to have the skills to write an action book where you can choose different paths, to go to different pages, and finish on a different ending. If you remember those books?

Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?

I dont have any certain authors to name, as I generally read autobiographies, but I am impressed with Neil Gaiman books. I read ‘Neverwhere’ a while ago and it was super eerie, his expressive description is quite detailed and I do envy the pictures he paints with a few well placed words!

Are you working on anything at the moment?

At the moment I am toying with the next screenplay to convert into a novel. I have a true crime story or an anti-hero fiction that I’m deciding between. I think it has to be a clever and conscious decision when following up on a debut. I am multi-genre, so I also have some dramas, action, and an apocalyptic sci-fi story to come too.

Where can people buy your books?

So far, the debut novel is self published and for sale only on Amazon as an ebook or paperback, but I am currently looking to get it onto other platforms as well.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

There’s too much advice to actually take in and utilise, so I would only ever really believe that any artist should simply learn the technicalities from others or courses. The art itself will come from the artist in which ever style they connect with. Once you’re at that stage of flowing, just go with it and put the hours in!

Thank you for reading and be sure to like, comment, reblog and follow if you enjoyed this writer spotlight! Juliet was happy for me to post this on her behalf so for her time I am very grateful. If you would show her support then that is greatly appreciated as ever. Have a wonderful day!

Writing spotlight # 5

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I had the chance to talk to an aspiring writer. She took the time to talk about her writing and her WordPress story a little. I was glad to meet her. She goes by the name LevBossBabe.

Hi there! I am a beginning writer from the Bay Area. I write during downtime at my job. I have no books out yet, but that is the dream! Currently, I am writing a satirical, fictional blog called Lev: Boss Babe. It is a comedy that plays on start-up culture and office hierarchies. I reflect often on the drama that comes when we realize how much time we spend working and what that does to how we see ourselves and how we see others. You can find it at Princessmushroom.com.

What are your favourite books?

I am a huge sci-fi nerd even though I am not writing anything related to the genre: I love Neil Gaiman, the Game of Thrones series, Harry Potter, Dune. I love productivity books like Atomic Habits, Getting Things Done, and The Life-Changing Joy of Tidying Up. I am currently reading Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

There was never a time where I didn’t want to be a writer. As a child, I was a precocious reader, starting with A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

What is your favourite part of the writing process? What is your least favourite and how do you get through it?

I love those chapters that I just seem to spit out without effort. Dialogue is important to my stories, especially inner dialogue as I jump between perspectives.

Sometimes, it can take a month to write a chapter because nothing seems good enough. I keep it pushing during those times—I made a promise to write at least 20 minutes a day, and I keep it pushing even when I feel I am putting out crap!

What is your writing routine?

I am fortunate in that I have a lot of downtime at work. I write at least 20 minutes a day, but I don’t hold back when I get into a flow state and can write for hours! Professionally, I am an administrator, so I am used to creating systems for work. I do the same with my writing: I have “funnels” for chapters, characters, and the plot in general.

How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

I categorize goals and create weekly goals within those categories aka Getting Things Done by David Allen. I always bring my kit: my notebook, laptop, calendar, paper container (not a binder!), and fancy pens wherever I go. I try to gamify all my tasks and goals to make them as satisfying as possible to complete. Finally, I am a HUGE list-maker and reflect on my goals once or twice a month to see where I can grow.

What inspires you? How do you beat writers block?

To be honest, I feel that without writing and storytelling, my life is meaningless. I don’t enjoy working and don’t care about having a career. Even if I was the last person on the world, I would write: it gives purpose to my pain and accentuates delight.

How do you keep consistent/write a lot?

See 6. I have a journal where I reflect on my habits everyday. I found that 20 minutes works for me: If flow is going to happen, it will happen in that timeframe. Also, I am incredibly blessed to have a pretty slow and flexible job with a short commute.

Also, I have learned to accept bad writing days for what they are—temporary. On those days, I write on the backs of envelopes or scraps of paper just to get something out. I only require at least 20 minutes a day, so if nothing comes out after that time frame, I don’t torture myself. Self-kindness goes a long way on bad brain days!

Does anyone read or edit your work before publication? If so, how did you find them?

My boyfriend  I am always up to making writing friends!

Can we have a sneaky look at your future plans?

Yes! I plan on developing the backgrounds and plots of the co-workers in the office! There is also a huge drama unfolding in the company… the only hint that I will provide is that it is inspired by true and recent controversies in Silicon Valley.

Finally, what advice would you give to other writers?

I have only 5 subscribers so far so I am not sure I would be considered an inspiration. Maybe one day! 😊 But I can’t imagine spending my free time doing anything else, and I treasure my small and humble beginning right now. I look forward to building a community of people who just love a good story.

https://princessmushroom.com/2021/07/21/1-the-reckoning/

Spotlight author! S.S Frankowska

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I’ve managed to have a chat with yet another incredible writer. This time Sandra S. Frankowska is telling me about her writing journey and about her incredibly inspiring fantasy series! I hope you enjoy what she had to say, I know I loved every minute and thank you for taking the time to read!

S.S. Frankowska

Sandra S. Frankowska is the author of the epic fantasy series Heroes Of the Shadow. When she is not writing, Sandra is either working at the ed-tech start-up, reading, painting or rock climbing.

Some of Frankowska’s favourite reads include The Lord Of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Journey to the Center of the Earth by J. Verne, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Dark Tower by S. King, Jurassic Park by M. Crichton, The Drift by C. Aufenthie and The Hunger Games by S. Collins.

Where do you live?

Recently moved out from London to a small village in Kent, UK called South Darenth.

Why are you a writer?

My passion for writing comes from my passion for reading. For as long as I can remember, I always enjoyed discovering other worlds and losing myself in them. Writing was about the same, just on the brand new levels. I plotted my series in my head long before I wrote the very first word on paper. I drew places and creatures that existed nowhere but in my mind to get them out of my head. Drawing soon wasn’t enough. I painted, sculptured, and tried other forms of expressing it, but with time, nothing worked. My characters began to appear to tell their stories, and I found myself plotting it all on paper before I even realised that this was what I was doing.

Eventually, writing became a coping mechanism for me. It was a way to take a step away from the crazy world we live in and immerse myself in the new place, which only I could explore. It became a way for me to process things I found difficult to process otherwise. To express things that matters to me, that I often felt no one else cared about.

As the first chapters formed, I realised I have a story to tell. A story that I couldn’t find anywhere else, and that I enjoyed. A story that I was looking for in other books, but it wasn’t there. How could it be there? It was inside me this whole time.

What do you enjoy about writing?

There are many things I love about writing.

First one is plotting. I spend a lot of time daydreaming, with my mind travelling across different worlds and timelines to see how the story will develop. I treasure these moments a lot. Being able to see all of that in my head makes me to realise how gifted and lucky I am. Detaching myself from excel tables, grocery planning and paying bills to figure out how the world with dinosaurs and dragons living in one place could look like makes me feel complete. I may be physically still here, but with my mind, I can be just anywhere. Isn’t human brain amazing?

Second thing I love about writing is how it makes me feel the emotions that not only are not mine but also belong to a fictional character. Yet, they are real to me. I write a scene and I catch myself smiling. I write a scene and suddenly realise that my heart is speeding up. My characters are somewhere high up and I feel dizzy. None of this happened, and yet I felt it all.

Finally, writing is self-discovery. My plot and my characters force me to ask myself questions I wouldn’t ask myself otherwise. To understand the complexity of thousands of different experiences that impact the smallest decisions we take. To see how resilient and brave I am. Writing and publishing isn’t an easy process. Many of us experience self-doubts on regular basis, struggles to be seen, and receive little to no support on the way. Realising how much strength you have to continue, nevertheless, should be a huge thing. It was for me. I never knew I had it until I started to write.

Tell us about your most recent works

My debut epic fantasy novel came out last year. “Heroes Of the Shadow. Blue Scar Indeabinito” is a first book in the 24-books-long planned series. It’s a story of a soldier, Thomas McCartney, who was taken to another world called the Indeabinito. It’s a world filled with mythical creatures and other humanoid races, some of which remind him of things he knew (like mermaids and centaurs), some are completely new to him.

While the Indeabinito world has a lot to offer, Thomas actually spends most of his time trying to find a way back to his home. His father is a soldier, and so is he. Taken to another world, he’s worried that people will consider his disappearance a one thing that he would never do: a desertion.

If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?

Based on books that I love, my first choice to try something new, would be a dystopian fiction.

Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?

I rarely take people for role models (too easy to get disappointed). There are, however, authors whose art inspired me to write. The two key series that made me to write were The Chronicles of Narnia and Jurassic Park + Jurassic World. The first one, for the simple reason: I loved the idea of the portals that existed in our world and could take you to somewhere else. Exploring Narnia made me to fall in love with fantasy and limitless possibilities it offers. That was my “what” to write.


Jurassic Park and Jurassic World made me to realise the impact of a good story. While I enjoyed the movies, these books carried so much more in them. Particularly Jurassic Park has this one scene that explains how systems used in the park were designed with logical error, and how simple and easy to miss that error was. Everything that happened later was just a huge consequence of one wrong assumption. The way M. Crichton plotted important messages into the world that didn’t exist but felt as if it could be real, was my “why” to write.

Are you working on anything at the moment?

I’m currently working on getting my second book in the series ready to publish later this year, while also outlining book #3.

Where can people buy your books?

My books at the moment are only available on Amazon.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

First of all, you are only aspiring until you start to write. As soon as you started, you are a writer, and never let anyone take it away from you. Other than that, treat anything you hear regarding the writing process as an advice, not as a rule. Writing is an art. There is no such a thing like one size fits all. We all do it in different ways. That’s why our stories are unique. Try different things, experiment, but never force yourself into something that doesn’t work for you.

Writing is not easy, but you should enjoy it. Otherwise, what’s the point?

http://getbook.at/HOS – FIND HEROES OF THE SHADOW HERE

It was incredible to speak to such a talented author. I thank you for your continued support and for reading, so if you liked, like, comment and follow and reblog!

Writer Spotlight – Dani Puteri

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I recently had the pleasure of talking to self published author Dani Puteri, who has so far self published 3 books. She had a lot of interesting things to say about her writing process and gave some helpful tips for aspiring writers. Here’s what this young, talented lady had to say about her work, after I put a series of questions to her.

Dani Puteri

Where do you live?

My country is known as an archipelagic country and has a lot of beautiful tourist spots and must be visited. Tourist attractions also include nature tourism, cultural tourism and historical tourism. The nature tourism itself is in the form of mountains, beaches, islands and much more. I like my country which only has two seasons, hot and rainy.

Why are you a writer?

I guess at first by chance. I never thought that I could write a book. Two years ago a friend told me that he had the belief that I could write a book. At the time I just thought it was a joke. It took a lot of effort and a long time. But here I am, I have self-published three books and I am satisfied that in the end, I was able to achieve that dream.

What do you enjoy about writing?

I can forget everything, distract myself from all my problems, just focus on my writing. I don’t know why, but every time I write something, it just flows and I can’t hold it in.

Tell us about your most recent works

“Another Mistake” is my first book that I wrote. My own experience, as well as my experience as a mental health volunteer, influenced me a lot when I wrote this book. This book is about Sara, young women who have dark past. This book is about her life story in the past and how she can finally go through it all and come to terms with her trauma. Heartbroken because she was dumped by her first love, she was severely traumatized. Her friendship with Ray and Andre, her Dad’s love for her and her childhood friend, all of that helped her through all the troubles in her life. In this book I want everyone who reads knows that even though in life we make mistakes, it doesn’t mean that we can’t fix those mistakes. That all decisions will have consequences, whether it’s ultimately the right decision or we make another mistake.

If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?

I am interested in writing children’s stories. It was really a challenge for me. I hope someday I can make it happen.

Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?

My Dad. He inspired me when I wrote Another Mistake. He’s already passed away and maybe this book without me knowing, I just want to show him that I really miss his presence.

Are you working on anything at the moment?

For a while I focused on being a mental health volunteer and sometimes blog.

Where can people buy your books?

They can get my book on Amazon.com, Rakuten Kobo

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Never give up, everything is not easy, sometimes it takes a long time and a long process. If you sincerely do what you love, then one day you will definitely get good results, or maybe even more beautiful than what you have imagined.

Amazon – Another Mistake

https://t.co/EZjyEdskLy

Rakuten kobo – https://t.co/MKYqXNfNyd

I’m glad I got to do this interview for psychedelicwizard.org !

I appreciate you taking the time to read this author interview with the Dani Puteri, who has been quite successful so far in her writing journey and I wish her all the best for her future works. Let’s show her some support by liking, commenting, reblogging and anything else you might think could help her. I am grateful for her for her time she gave to talk to me.

For further upcoming interviews with writers stay tuned. If you would like a chance to be in my writer spotlight then please email psychwizard@yahoo.com or alternatively use the contact page.

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Typewriting & The Writer

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I have decided to engage online remember? I used to own a typewriter and wrote a few stories on it. When I moved last year I did not bring it with me. Now, I want one again. I checked online, etsy and found that 1960s light blue Olympia for a couple hundred quid. Rather expensive. Unless it works flawlessly then you might be better using pen and paper or even just, you know, your laptop. Actually I just checked and cannot see it on the first page anymore. It was expensive compared to the others, but ironic is that my old typewriter was Olympia… stupid to not bring with me perhaps.

Writing for me has become a digital experience. I use a laptop. As for making time to write, I always try to write something everyday, including on this blog, which I thoroughly enjoy. Plus, it is in line with my own goals and writing ideals, namely to writer everyday and write to targets. You might like this post by Writers Digest about making time to write. It touches on the idea that you can productively ‘waste time’ by blogging. I suppose this is true, if you are an aspiring novelist then blogging won’t help that. I have seen authors on WordPress who can do both which is great. I am one of them.

If I ever go back to a typewriter though I know I will enjoy it too much. The downsides: no spellcheck, sometimes the formatting can get a little screwy, and no choice of text colour. I experience a red/black ribbon, and that was all. It was also quite noisy, which I suspect was due to age. There were sticking issues too. But they provide more creativity I believe, they allow creative expression to flourish as you are not distracted by the idea of opening ‘new tabs’ or watching porn or ordering online food. They are excellent, however, laptops have become the norm.

As a writer and one who does intend to publish further, I find the whole process incredibly rewarding. There will be times of procrastination and that is when you grab a bottle of red wine or perhaps a whiskey and cigar, pretending you are cool, knowing deep down you are the boss of your own destiny.

If you enjoyed reading, please like, comment, follow and reblog! Have a wonderful life!

Beach Town~ [Paradise Gone Apocalyptic] – Joys of Writing

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Welcome to the site of Psychedelic Wizard and author T. I appreciate all you following me, liking and commenting. You are all an inspiration to this humble soul.

I want to talk briefly about writing, specifically the joys of writing. The best part of publishing my novels was getting to see the covers. I think that really makes you feel good, because you know all the hard work is about to pay off as you release your work to the world.

I also seriously enjoyed writing the Beach Town novels. I do have another started, which I had to put on hold last year. I didn’t plan on writing more than one novel in Beach Town, but actually I found the island and the town and the people to be fascinating. I cannot believe what they have been through. It took over a year for the first novel to be written, and a lot longer to go from first draft to published. Then after publishing that, I had already started writing the 2nd book – Hope – in Summer 2019. I finished writing it around 9 months later and then spent a few more months editing and arranging book cover design. If you recall I was trying to push for October but ended up releasing in November 2020. I would have published the 3rd by now if I actually wrote it. But, I haven’t yet. We are now in 2022 and I feel like I should have at least wrote the 3rd book. I managed to start two other novels in 2020 but never got round to finishing them either. Sounds like excuses to be honest.

The back cover of my book! You can see the island of Beach Town, or more accurately, the beach shoreline. Fantastic picture. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beach-Town-Hope-Thomas-Maxwell-Harrison-ebook/dp/B08MPCNHSM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MWHE739TINSG&keywords=beach+town+hope&qid=1645826849&sprefix=beach+town+hope%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1 The best part of finishing a novel is getting to see the cover.

But, I will finish the 3rd novel and I will do my best to make it the ultimate zombie fan dream. Not only has it already started as extremely dark and frightening, but the novel is going to be a rollicking thriller of adventure and survival. No spoilers my darlings.

Aside from seeing the finished book, the best part for me is the creative stage. The first draft, because that is where all the magic happens. Then comes the editing, which can also be magical and gives you a chance to sand the rough edges of your foundation. I find in the editing phase that actually more interesting thoughts come to me on what I should do with the scene. My second book had around 4 drafts before publishing. I think. I also made it exclusive to Amazon. As an indie self published author I do feel like it is hard to get the reviews. For some reason people leave negative feedback and I just know that they most likely didn’t read the book. But I don’t read reviews now, once was enough.

What do you think of writing? Do you enjoy it? Leave a like, comment and follow or reblog to show your continued support for this site.

A positive, happy song with beach vibes. Bald man, big energy. Made me think of sea waves.

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Join My Newsletter

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Hello and welcome to psychedelic wizard.

I am starting a monthly email newsletter for anyone interested. This might be an easier option if you’d prefer to receive updates via email rather than checking my site for recent posts.

The newsletter will talk about my writing, my books, any relevant and helpful writing tips, poems which will be posted and have been posted, looks into future works, and delving into various topics. It’s just easier I think. So, feel free to sign up. I’ll only send it once a month, but am considering every 5 weeks instead. Each email will be unique and it really depends on if you are a fan of mine or anything I write.

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Writing Morning – Hello!

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Good morning fellow writers! I hope you are enjoying the rising of spring. Here in England it is sunny, warming up by the hour and the trees are finally getting the leaves back. I am sat here now on my laptop and in the sun coming through my apartment window. I drink tea from a glass. I have no radio or tv in the background. For the last few hours since about 5am I have been writing.

This morning has been a writing morning for sure. Not just any session though, it was the start of a new romance novel and so far I have managed to write 8000 words, no I am not kidding you. It took me just over 3 hours. I didn’t even pay attention to the time and this is why: because this story is coming naturally to me, I can see so many things, so many characters and their lives and motivations and what scares them and I know what the story is about. At its core, the story is a love story, hence I categorised it as romance.

I don’t usually write love or romance novels or stories, but I will include those elements into my other works. However this story that has come to me is too powerful not to write. I would say the ease of typing it out is due to the fact I can see it clearly. This is indeed a rare moment, especially for me. I would write and write until I could do not more, either because I cannot see a way forward, or because I am bored. That rarely happens. This is a story which I want to tell and more importantly, is touching and pulling on my heartstrings if I am honest. It is about a mans life after his relationship leaves him devastated. Learning to live again, he soon discovers truth.

What are you writing today? Do you believe in love? Why? I will reiterate the importance of a writing goal or schedule in order to increase you productivity and creativity. It fosters good clear routines and can help to maintain motivation. Writing does not have to be confined to one project. I would recommend more than one thing to focus on, so you could write on wordpress, part of you novel, some poetry, maybe a diary. A writer needs to write and developing the habit sooner rather than later will make you more confident, and makes it easier to crank out all those words.

*Update – I have finished my writing session at just under 10,000 words. Incredible work in 5 hours.**