Rory B. Mackay's Blog, page 2
July 29, 2015
‘Kill the Past, Destroy the World’ – Short story ebook now FREE on Amazon Kindle for 72 hours!
If you haven’t already downloaded my latest short story, the provocatively titled prelude to my new novel,now is your chance! For a limited time, Kill the Past, Destroy the World is available to download for FREE on Amazon Kindle. If you have read the story, thenI do hope you will share it with anyone else you think might enjoy it.
Kill the Past, Destroy the Worldtells thestory of Mailyn, an embittered sorceress who returns to her homeland, determined to settle some old scores and seek reven...
July 28, 2015
Archetypes in Fiction and the Hero’s Journey
My last post, ‘The Power of Storytelling and Mythology’,explored the work of comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell. Campbell identified adistinct and cohesive pattern running through countless myths, legends and stories throughout time. He called this thehero’s journey–the“song of the universe” being sung by a thousand different peoples and cultures.
In addition to exploring the different stages of the hero’s journey, which is a metaphor for the human journey through life, Campbell, who wa...
July 2, 2015
The Power of Storytelling and Mythology
Art by Josephine Wall Stories have power. Whether in the formof a novel, short story, film, TV series–or even a video game–a good storystory has the ability totransport us from our everyday reality to whole other worlds. By engaging our mind, imagination and senses, stories can bring us excitement and wonder, makingus laugh and cry, feel, dream, love, hope and think. Theyhave the power to encourage, motivate, educate and heal–and they can help us better understand and relate to others and thi...
June 12, 2015
The publishing industry is imploding
(Things I wish I’d known about writing from the start, Part 2)
We live in a world in which change is rife, entropy is king and civilisations and species are faced with a stark choice: evolve or die.The 21st century has thus far been a time of immense change and unsettling insecurity. Technology is advancing at an incredible rate and a global economic downturn has created a whole new set of challenges and struggles. Few industries have been unaffected by the widespread societal changes taking...
May 19, 2015
Why Books Have Become Devalued
These are interesting yet precarious times for fiction writers. Although the digital revolution has given authorsan unprecedented opportunityto share theirwork, ithas come at a price.
The landscape has changed almost beyond recognition. It’smuch easier to ‘be’ a writer now. Anyone and their uncle can churn out a book and have it published on Amazon Kindle that afternoon. In spite of this, it’s actually much harder to ‘make it’ as a writer, due to complete over-saturation of the market. Somet...
May 11, 2015
I’ve just published a brand new story (and it’s yours for free!)
This week I released my first short story in over two years!
The provocatively-titled Kill The Past, Destroy The Worldis a prelude to my upcoming novel,The Key of Alanar. It tells thestory of Mailyn, an embittered sorceress who returns to her homeland, determined to settle some old scores and seek revenge for the sins of the past. Guided by mysterious beings she believes to be ‘angels’, Mailynis part of a dangerous plot that could spell the end for an entire world. Determined to set Alanar a...
April 12, 2015
Things I Wish I’d Known About Writing From the Start, Part 1: In Order to Write Well, You Have to Write a Lot
Hi everyone! This is the first in a series of short blogsin which I’m going to share some of the most important lessonsI’ve learned over the years as a writer.
My journey to being a published author wasn’t alwaysan easy one. In retrospect a lot of that was downto the fact I wasn’t approachingthingswith the right mindset. I’m naturally quite an idealistic and romantic personand looking back I can see how this, coupled with an unrealistic perception of the writing industry, a streak of crippli...
April 5, 2015
The 3 Steps to Writing Anything
Whether you’re writing an essay, an article, sales copy or the great American novel, there’s a basic three-step process that, if understood and applied, can make it a whole lot easier for you.
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to get the words out, or unable to get beyond the first couple of sentences, it’s probably because you’re trying to do the wrong step in the wrong order. Once you’re clear on how to apply this universal three-step method, you’re certain to find the process of wr...
March 16, 2015
The Creative Life: How to Overcome Self-Doubt
Reblogged frommy Dreamlight Fugitive Blog…
I’m excited to be relaunching my Dreamlight Fugitive blog in addition tomy main blog,Beyond the Dream! Myfirst new post is about something that affects everyone in any creative field: the arch-enemy of creative expression…self doubt!
Illustration by Jack Spellman (jackspellmanart.co.uk)
Yesterday, having finally finished my new novel after a year and a half of work (and the rest! But that’s another story!), I was clobbered over the headby anattack of...
The Creative Life: How to Overcome Self-doubt
I’m excited to be relaunching my Dreamlight Fugitive blog in addition tomy main blog, Beyond the Dream! Myfirst new post is about something that affects everyone in any creative field: the arch-enemy of creative expression…self doubt!
Illustration by Jack Spellman (jackspellmanart.com)
Yesterday, having finally finished my new novel after a year and a half of work (and the rest! But that’s another story!), I was clobbered over the headby anattack of self doubt. I’d just ordered proofing copie...
