WHAT IS AS WE WRITE?
THE GRAND TOUR OF THE SHIP
About As We Write
As We Write aims to provide a virtual writers’ room for aspiring and published authors alike. This is a space where writers from all genres and walks of life can meet, find food for thought and, hopefully, something that can help get their creative juices flowing.
(If you accidentally landed here, you may want to take the door down to the left where the tour begins.)
It started out as a below sea level pandemic panic room here on the Resilience. This was back in 2020, while I was still all alone on the ship, and I designed it to be a happy place. I wanted a space where I could forget about the horrors of lockdown and the vicious virus. Forget the fact that life would never be quite the same again. It was going to be a hideout where I could focus on my creative writing.
At the time, I had been working on a project that I hoped would see me embark on a final great adventure. I was going to turn my vast catalogue of non-fictional writing into content that could help support me financially. Then I’d sell my car, buy a van, stick my little writing station inside and get out of Dodge. Or London, as it were. I’d kit that van out to fit my needs. Travel. Sit by the sea with my dog, and write down all the stories that live inside my head.
This was my dream. Something so silly, so self-indulgent, I never told anyone about it. I knew my non-fictional work had some value. I knew I was a good editor. A good writing coach. But those are all very different skillsets, and good storytellers are rare creatures. I had no idea whether I could actually write fiction that anyone would like to read, let alone pay for, and, I was under no illusions. Any fictional writing with my name on it would be a vanity project. Something I’d do just for me. Just for my love of the written word. Little did I know that, within 18 months, this place would no longer be my secret hide-out.
In ROLL ON AUGUST, I tell the story about how I happened upon two other writers, Leto Armitage and F.K. Marlowe, and how they were the first two who moved in to share this space with me. A couple of months later, I met M.W. McLeod who came on a trip with us and decided to stay on as our resident Ship’s Sea Witch.
My pirate ship is no longer a figment of my imagination. The mighty Resilience has three dedicated officers on Quarterdeck and a steadily growing crew, a Procrastination of Indie Authors on board. I have moved into the Captain’s Quarters up above, and I only come down here, to what is now the Quartermaster’s pantry, for nostalgic reasons.
Today, whether we’re on sea or camping out on a river bank somewhere, we all have our own cabins and make-shift tents. Our Ship’s Belle named our little camp the New Paris Commune. We are rebels, you see. With our words as building blocks, we’re building the port we want to live in. We’re publishing the stories we want to share on our own terms.
We share resources, help each other grow and weigh in with feedback on ideas and WIPs. We proofread, suggest and discuss. We’re very different. We come from different backgrounds, and write in very different genres, but we have great respect for each other. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to tell our stories to the best of our ability. And we all share the same goals and dreams. We just want to write, and we hope that someone will love what we put out there as much as we do.
Our crew is diverse, and between us we write in many different genres. There’s horror, speculative fiction, romance, historical fiction, Sci-fi, and fantasy to name but a few. We are writing for adults, new adults, young adults and children. Some of our authors, myself included, also write smut.
As We Write is a safe for work and (relatively) family friendly space that is free from political, religious and sexual content. But we’re pirates, right, we need to have some outlets where we can do what pirates do best. And no, I’m not talking about theft or copyright infringement.
Aboard the Resilience, and in the New Paris camp, we have dedicated spaces for things that may cause offence or scandalise our more delicate members. The rules must never be broken, but if you enter into dedicated spaces you consent to be subjected to the kind of material we keep behind that door. Smut, therefore, may be mentioned here, but we keep the smutty content on our naughty little sister site, holihell.com.
Holihell doesn’t have a dedicated cabin on board the Resilience, but she does occupy the grand penthouse at our readers’ retreat, Hotel de Ville in our private port in Libertalia. We do not discriminate, or look down on people, based on what they write or read. We do, however, believe that the experience is so much better for all involved if some content is kept separate.
Now, let’s take the door down to our right and check the pulse of the ship: our writers’ camp, the New Paris Commune.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT?
PLEASE NOTE
This site is supported by our readers, and our content may contain affiliate links. If you choose to buy something through one of these links, we may earn a small commission to help keep the ship afloat and the kettle boiling.
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