For Blood and Fatherland

Chapter One In the early morning of her eighteenth birthday, Tatiana Romanov woke to someone in her room. She had been dreaming of dancing with Alexei – in the ballroom at first, then beside the lake, then deep in snowy woods. Alexei had spun her away and into the waiting arms of Grigori Rasputin. The […]

Favourite Scene: Frozen in Flame

Zolen, former Commander of the Autumn guild and current rage-filled beast, was surrounded by at least ten of his men—several of whom Eilus recognised from their journey. They were obviously there to enjoy the show. Zolen’s men had Bamin, Metra and Quil kneeling with their hands bound behind their backs. One had a heavy, lumpy […]

Chapter 1: Finders Keepers

The first to burst through the compartment doors was the smallest, angriest kid I’d even seen. His blonde hair was spiked in grime-covered points and he wore a crest of worn Myki travel cards that covered his chest and shoulders like scaly battle armour.

Section breaking with a dinkus

Dinkus has to be one of the best words I’ve learnt in my PWE course. A dinkus is a line of asterisks or a small symbol that marks a section break in published work. Typically they’re used for scene or point of view changes, and they’re a great alternative to cutting a chapter short. Three […]

Job Searching: You Have The Power

This year was incredibly difficult for me. I spent eight of twelve months actively searching for a job. Only four of those months did I have employment, the other four I was supported by Centrelink and my dwindling (and now non-existent) savings. This isn’t a unique experience. I know many people who are highly educated […]

Weaving magic with dialogue

“The old witch was knitting.” “Knitting? Just knitting? She’s an old witch, shouldn’t she be all hunched over, stirring her cauldron or something?” “Maybe she’s cold. She’s cold, alright? So, she’s knitting. The cold old witch was knitting.” “But how was she knitting?” “What do you mean?” “How was she knitting? Like, is she good […]

Choice (Dialogue only)

“Then why are you here?” “Why do you think I’m here? You’re my fiancé!” “Only because our parents agreed to it. There was nothing to do with us. No input, no feelings. Why would you insist on holding me to such an agreement? Why would you come here every day if not to stake your claim […]

Blizzard’s 2:2:2 role lock in Overwatch

Role lock. It sounds like big companies messing with games they don’t understand. But when stoic meme-lord and Game Director Jeff Kaplan announced the plan on July 18, we heard the voices of thousands of goats suddenly die out. So, what is 2:2:2 role lock? In direct contrast to the mind-numbing GOATS meta of triple […]

A cat’s revenge

The cat was planning its revenge when it’s owner questioned its suspicious gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at the cat. “Do you have a problem?” “Meow.” “I see how it is. I haven’t got time for a fight. Go away please.” The cat didn’t move. She […]

Kiss

You lean in, breath tickling her skin. She inhales and her eyes flicker down. You graze her lips with yours, just the briefest touch. Their softness is addictive, and against your better judgement you go back for more, slipping your hand over her cheek. A small kiss, then another. Heat rising between you, each kiss […]