Planet of Hats

When I heard that there were actual university courses for English literature and Creative Writing, I nearly leapt out of my own skin. Five years later, what was once a personal hobby is now the basis of a bachelor’s degree, even if it didn’t land me an instant job. After a brief, eye-opening stint in retail last year, I decided to go back and pursue a Masters Degree exclusively in Creative Writing. While I am far from becoming a bestselling author, it has nonetheless left me with a feeling of being ‘experienced,’ (if not necessarily the reality!) and this year saw my first publication. I have been conjuring up stories since I was five years old, and being around other aspiring writers has taught me that, even though all our experiences are different, there are a few key elements we have in common. With the advent of blogging and websites such as Fanstory and Deviantart, as well as various writers' forums online, getting your work noticed has never been easier. Many of us, myse

I would like to thank my friend Cecilia Bryant for this gorgeous illustration. On the 5th of May, 2018, a childhood dream of mine came true. I received an email from the  British Fantasy Society,  informing me that my short story 'Worm'    - the story of a water-dragon’s fateful encounter with a human being - was going to be published in the December edition of their fiction journal, Horizons. This was a one-in-a-million event, as most authors do not get accepted on their first submission, and I can only thank my tutors, family and fellow writers, as without their support, feedback and encouragement, none of this would have been possible. This achievement has renewed my confidence in my writing abilities, and therefore, as a graduate of Creative Writing and keen lover of stories, I thought I would share some of the insights I have learned over the years of study. I have chosen to focus on the short story as opposed to novels because (a) I believe it is a very underra