Dancing with Shadows: Embracing Your Inner Demons in Storytelling
Dancing with Shadows: Embracing Your Inner Demons in Storytelling “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” — H.P. Lovecraft Do you have Inner Demons? There’s this perpetual myth about creativity—that it’s born from light, joy, and inspiration. However, ask any
Read MoreWriting Without Chains: Letting Your Imagination Run Wild
Writing Without Chains: Letting Your Imagination Run Wild Mostly for all of us, whenever we sit down to write, or even daydream, an invisible censor sits perched on our shoulder: you can’t write that; that’s too dark; too strange; too inflammatory. But what happens if you silence that voice? When you let your imagination run
Read More5 Writing Lessons I Learned from Exploring the Shadows
5 Writing Lessons I Learned from Exploring the Shadows Lessons I Learned writing Dark Matter was an experience like no other. It wasn’t just about creating a story—it was about diving into my deepest fears, questions, and ideas about the universe. Along the way, I discovered lessons that transformed how I approach storytelling. Here are
Read MoreFear as a Mirror: Why Do We Crave Stories That Unsettle Us
Fear as a Mirror: Why Do We Crave Stories That Unsettle Us Why do we actively seek out stories that unsettle us? Whether it’s a spine-chilling ghost story or a psychological thriller that keeps us awake at night, there’s something undeniably compelling about fiction that disturbs the mind. Fear, as it turns out, is one
Read MoreThe Fascination with the Multiverse: What If There’s Another You?
The Fascination with the Multiverse: What If There’s Another You? The multiverse is one of the most intriguing ideas in modern storytelling, and for good reason. What if there were infinite versions of you living infinite lives? What if, in another universe, you’d made completely different choices? Or what if someone else’s reality spilled into
Read MoreWhy Morally Grey Characters Are the Most Memorable
Why Morally Grey Characters Are the Most Memorable There’s a reason we can’t stop talking about certain fictional characters. It’s not always the virtuous hero or their pure-hearted sidekick that lingers in our minds—it’s the characters who tread the fine line between good and evil. Morally grey characters have a remarkable way of capturing both
Read MoreWhat Lies Beneath: The Allure of the Hidden and Unseen in Fiction
What Lies Beneath: The Allure of the Hidden and Unseen in Fiction There’s a reason stories about secret worlds and unseen truths can endure for generations. Such a story touches on one of our most primeval interests: curiosity. What lies beneath? We were hardwired to find an answer, explore the unknown, and find out what’s
Read MoreHow Stephen King’s On Writing Gave Me Permission to Write Dark Matter
How Stephen King’s On Writing Gave Me Permission to Write Dark Matter A few years ago when I first picked up Stephen King’s On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft, I didn’t realise it would become more than a guidebook for crafting stories—it became a permission slip to embrace my creative instincts, to be unapologetically
Read MorePope’s “Do Not Read” List
Why I Wanted to Get on the Pope’s ‘Do Not Read’ List When I set out to write this book, I had many dreams. Some were lofty, some were ridiculous, and some were… well, slightly mischievous. Chief among them? To get on the Pope’s infamous ‘do not read’ list. Now, I know what you’re thinking:
Read MoreExciting News.
Exciting News! Exciting News: My Publishing Journey Begins with Dark Matter I’m over the moon to share some exciting news—a milestone that has been years in the making! I, Ian Bayly, have officially signed a publishing contract with Star Lore Publishing for my debut novella, Dark Matter: The Order of the Hidden Cross! This achievement
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