Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Yay! My first serial killer or author google search! Would you smell a rotting corpse in a storm? I feel like wind and rain would diffuse the odours - but let’s find out and hope I don’t get the knock at the door…! #writingcommunity #amediting 041
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Take two. Didn’t manage to get through on the first attempt - but you have to be in the right mindset for Hugo. Opening pages at his best and worst - can be really very funny - but he doesn’t half love to labour a point! #booksky 1111
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Jessica - always Jessica. And most of the time she would absolutely get Alistair out of the situation - either with a raised eyebrow or covered in blood - it’s normally one of the two. #writingcommunity #awesomecharacters 150
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Have to say Adela’s song ‘Hitachi’ is far more moving than a song by that name has any right to be #musicsky 000
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Forcing myself to leave Bones alone for a while - probably the longest I have left it without editing but starting to feel the itch again - a good thing I think - but still not ready for another read - it hasn’t even been a month! #writingcommunity 050
Reposted by Ed JamesMilton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · 26/08/2026We’re partnering with IngramSpark plus Whitefox & The Slab Press for Publishing Day 2026. Join us for masterclasses on routes into publishing, marketing, a tour of IngramSpark's printworks & more. Spaces are limited - please book by Friday 28 to confirm your place. Tickets: bit.ly/4xm1acN 011
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Jessica is tricky because she’s competent. She has her shit together in a world where very few people do - so it’s a challenge not to make her seem ‘perfect’ or let her fall into the ‘eye rolling competent woman’ stereotype. #writingcommunity 030
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 10/08/2026And breathe - it’s done. V7 of Bones is officially completed and sent to printer. #writingcommunitystatic.klipy.comElijah Wood: It's Done - Lord of the RingsALT: Elijah Wood: It's Done - Lord of the Rings 291
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 08/08/2026Me: I’m feeling a little stressed at the moment My brain: it’s probably the concept of death isn’t it Me: no I think its… Brain: nope definitely the death thing - let’s think about that incessantly that will make you feel better…. #why 000
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Hmmm does part 4 need a rewrite? It’s good writing and doesn’t suffer from the plot issues of the first 3 parts…but it is long - and does a long extended walk advance anything? Probably not. Could the words be used in other parts to flesh them out? Maybe? Questions! #writingcommunity #amediting 240
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Giving myself a writing deadline is actually one of the most stressful experiences in my life - because it’s not simply completing a task - it’s curating a part of me for others to judge - which is horrifying! Oh and of course Part 4 needs a rewrite too… #writingcommunity #writesky #amediting 061
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Really pleased with the rewrites of part 3 - think I managed to get the affair right - and included one of the most horrific lines I have ever written. Genuinely makes me feel sick thinking about it! Haha. #writingcommunity #amediting 130
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Ahh part 1 and 2 of the WIP all edited and at a place I’m happy with - now for some light edits of parts 3 and 4….Nope! Complete rewrite of part 3 - God damn it!! #writesky #writingcommunity #amediting 160
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Seen the odyssey - sticking with Circe - that’s my hot take on the whole thing! 😄 000
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 27/07/2026I have a rare half an hour of free time with kids away so be a grown up and pre-make lunch for the next week or play Mass Effect 2…. Is this really even a question?! #masseffect 120
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 27/07/202627. A lot of my early writing was alt. history but I don’t think I will go back - I’m too invested in the world from my WIP - I have about two more books of ideas going forward - but my current WIP keeps dragging me backward in time for early character development! #summerofstories #writingcommunity 080
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 25/07/202625. Always music for me - I can’t write and listen- but feeling the emotion in a song really can draw something out of me. I play a little but less now than I did - writing tends to fill that time! #summerofstories #writingcommunity 0100
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Joe - model worker - gets on does it goes home 👍 Isabel - does it, hates it, point blank refuses to wear the uniform Alistair - starts off ok, does the work but by the end of the weekend is arguing with the management that they don’t truly understand the vision of the company! #writingcommunity 150
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 24/07/202624. I wouldn’t change anything practically about my writing - it has served different purposes at different times in my life - the one thing I would say is getting involved in communities earlier would have been a support - particularly when first querying! #summerofstories #writingcommunity 0110
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Lesson 1 asking for beta readers - put the genre of your work in the original post…😂 #writingcommunity #writesky 170
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Hey #writingcommunity - getting close to needing beta readers for my WIP - been suggested beta reader.io is it any good? Any other suggestions? Thank you!! #writesky 15180
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 23/07/202623. My first draft is always hand written - whole thing from start to finish - no edits. Then stage one of editing comes with typing it out - very heavy editing, identifying where needs to be fleshed out etc. then it’s a case of going over it 700 more times! #summerofstories #writingcommunity 2160
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Setting myself the challenge of writing an affair between two characters that is both morally reprehensible but also sympathetic?! Like the readers first thought is 😱 how could they do that? Then think 🤔 maybe…. #writesky #writingcommunity 140
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 19/07/202619. I went through trad publishing with my first book - the experience is as soul crushing as people say! Or worse!! But I did manage to talk to a small local publisher who were interested but the scope was too large. From that conversation book 2 (or book 0.5) was born. (1/2) #summerofstories 1101
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 17/07/202617. Alistair is complicated! He can be kind and caring but selfish and at times even cruel. He can be insightful and blind to the obvious. I think by the end his ability to accept his flaws and not try and justify them is what makes me want him to succeed #summerofstories #writingcommunity 0100
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 16/07/202616. Yep hate this question! The obvious comparison is something like Mandel’s Station Eleven without the details of the fall of humanity. However in terms of vibes I think it fits well with Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness - vibes not necessary quality!! #writingcommunity #summerofstories 090
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 15/07/202615. I’m loathe to give advice on this because everyone is different - for me I need to take a break, just stop and walk away. I usually read some good literature just to get the imagination working, sleep on it and that normally works things through. #writingcommunity #summerofstories 080
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 14/07/202614. A lot of my inspiration comes from the world around me, writing has always been a way of interpreting events, people for me. I also take a lot from history in the way in which people and structures function under pressure. #writingcommunity #summerofstories 051
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Please let me keep the line “I’m half convinced I hallucinated the man fingering his raven at the side of the stage” Pretty please! #writingcommunity #writesky 040
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Bones is not a barrel of laughs but I do like this line “Carl lingers with as much subtly as Mike’s flatulence around the Hearth” #writingcommunity #writingprompt 041
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 10/07/202610. Not really. Writing has always been a very personal experience for me - an escape from the pressures of work, life etc. therefore I don’t tend to formalise or research - otherwise it becomes another job and I lose that enjoyment. (1/2) #summerofstories #writesky #writingcommunity 151
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 09/07/20269. Post collapse so fashion is more functional than it is for show - but there are a couple of exceptions. A brief extract below where new comer Jessica has to find some new clothes to replace hers that are covered in sweat and quite a lot of blood. #writesky #summerofstories #writingcommunity 081
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 09/07/2026She rolls on top of me and I lay back allowing her hair to envelope me, my whole world brought into focus in that moment. Beyond the auburn veil nothing else matters. #writingcommunity #writingprompt #writesky 051
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 08/07/2026‘Hate I made you love me’ first Ariana song that has clicked with me for a while - can’t put my finger on exactly what it is but welcome back to my most played list Ariana 😄 #musicsky 020
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Alistair’s uncle Idris - he was named in previous versions but that’s all. He’s developed into a counter point to Alistair and Alan - rational and community focused. He supports the sick during the blight and leads the leave movement in the debate over future of the Kine valley #writingcommunity 130
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 08/07/20268. Wouldn’t stop using them because of AI - if they are impotent to your voice use them. I used to use them a lot but as my narrative voice has changed they have naturally started to go. I don’t think I have any in my current WIP. #writingcommunity #writesky #summerofstories 181
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 07/07/2026I like my characters, I like the way they interact, the history and personality that comes from the way they move through a scene. Is something that I’ve had to work on but feel like it’s paying off #writingcommunity #writesky 061
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 07/07/20267. Definite pantser - I know the destination, let the characters define the journey. I often have specific scenes in my head very clearly so I start with those just to get the characters right and move backwards or forwards from them! #summerofstories #writingcommunity #writesky 2121
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 06/07/20266. I guess it’s translating the vision from my head to the page - I just want what I write to be the best version it can be and getting it to that point can be painful - if it is even possible! #summerofstories #writingcommunity #writesky 091
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 05/07/20265. My writings at its best when it sprawls. It’s post-collapse fiction so often the environment acts as a character in itself meaning scene setting can be as important as the people in it. Not opposed to shorter sentences for impact but in my hands they can get clunky! #summerofstories #writesky 0162
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 04/07/20264. Unfortunately Bones of the Past doesn’t really do epic - not in a glorious way anyway. I think the closest we come is maybe in the ‘Desolation of the Kine’ so I will share a bit of that - apologies it’s a bit long! #summerofstories #writesky 080
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Joe and Alice are definitely doing the heavy lifting, Isabel will pitch in but be looking for the exit. Rosie is ordering the pizzas, making sure everyone is fed and watered properly and Alistair will be sitting on the sofa ‘coordinating’ #writingprompt #writingcommunity 150
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 03/07/20263. Writing is an escape, a way to process the world around me. Most of the time I take it for granted but it’s only when I haven’t written in a while and come back to it that I realise how essential it is for my mental health #summerofstories #writingcommunity 1130
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 02/07/2026I have decided that men are going to wear breeches in my novel and there is nothing any of you can do to stop me. I like the word breeches and it’s my future world and I can do whatever I damn well please! #writingcommunity #writesky 030
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 02/07/20262. I’m a fan of opening in the middle of dialogue - I think it’s a good way of drawing people in, of establishing character early. I am definitely more of a slow burn writer (and reader) rather than throwing us into the action early #summerofstories #writingcommunity 0212
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Hey - I’m Ed, currently writing a work of speculative fiction - Bones of the Past - the first book in a trilogy (maybe?!) - a first person post collapse fiction that focuses on legacy, leadership and the dangers of legend. #summerofstories #writingcommunity 0111
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Feel like my editing process is a constant battle between brevity and personality - each version over corrects the last but hopefully in a way that will eventually even itself out! #writingcommunity #amediting 360
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 29/06/2026“Never underestimate Carl’s capacity for self preservation” #writingprompt #writingcommunity 061
Ed James @erdjames.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Finished The Stranger by Albert Camus. Hmmm. Certainly one that leaves you thinking about it long after you put it down but perhaps more as a philosophical debate than a literary novel. Get why it’s a classic but not on my re-read list. #booksky #readinglist 060
