iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

#life really getting in the way of #writing right now. But some good reading is keeping me going.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Thanks! I managed to double my subscriber numbers today to 2!

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Today's subject - #substack. I started an account (and posted words!) as you'll see below. Can I get any interaction? No. For something that is meant to be about community and long form it seems remarkably superficial. Advice please!! #writingcommunity #amwriting

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Every person you let into your life takes away a part of your soul. Occasionally you get it back; mostly it is consumed, feeding the beast we raise and nurture, spiritual forerunner of the Alsatians that will eat our flesh when we die alone. #booksky #amwriting open.substack.com/pub/anxiousg...

A street bathed in neon light advertising my substack.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Interesting. Would like to hear more. I could imagine that someone might fear extreme pain, for example, and welcome death as an alternative?

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

'Fear is the mind killer. The room bends. The part of my brain that makes sense of dimensions is broken and it feels like I’m disappearing, spinning Alice-like, down a dark hole.' #booksky #writingcommunity #mentalhealth Anxious Book Club anxiousguy.substack.com?r=5h0u1z&utm...

anxiousguy.substack.com

Anxious Book Club | James Dempsey | Substack

Books and mental health. Fantasy and other fiction. Musings on writing and life and all that shit. Click to read Anxious Book Club, by James Dempsey, a Substack publication. Launched 6 hours ago.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

So I started a Substack, something I've been on the verge of doing for a while. So get on over if you like books and writing and mental health (you know what I mean). open.substack.com/pub/anxiousg... #booksky #mentalhealth #writingcommunity

open.substack.com

Welcome to Anxious Book Club.

First rule of Anxious Book Club - don't worry if you talk about Anxious Book Club.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Will Self’s The Quantity Theory of Insanity is another that sticks with me.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

The website is looking great @lstrachan.bsky.social! Best of luck with the events.

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Linda Strachan @lstrachan.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Hamish McHaggis. 20th anniversary Www.HamishMcHaggis.co.uk

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Can’t recommend this book enough for advice on collecting and organising random ideas. As good for planning a story as prepping for a DnD session. #writingcommunity #amwriting

Sly Flourish’s Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I think as it’s to the UK govt you need a UK postcode to sign, I’m afraid. But thanks for the support!

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 03/04/2025

Humanists are non-religious people who shape their own lives in the here and now because we believe it's the only life we have. A lot of people share humanist values without even knowing the term. Maybe you're a humanist! Find out by taking our quiz! humanists.uk/humanism/how...

humanists.uk

How humanist are you?

Take our quiz and find out. Many people are humanists without even knowing it. If you are non-religious and look to science, reason, empathy, and compassion in order to live an ethical and meaningful ...

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Scottish Book Trust @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Access to libraries and books is a fundamental human right for children, unlocking learning, creativity and empowerment. Libraries provide safe spaces for growth, ensuring every child can reach their full potential. 👏

scottishbooktrust.com

Why access to libraries and books are a human right for children

We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Always love how this tower that looks like a random part of the amusements is actually one of the oldest buildings in Porty. #Edinburgh

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Please consider signing @societyofauthors.bsky.social petition to the UK government to hold Meta accountable for its use of pirated material to train its AI: chng.it/kSr4CXmCKs #writingcommunity #booksky

chng.it

Sign the Petition

Protect authors’ livelihoods from the unlicensed use of their work in AI training

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

I think this was why I ended up rewriting rather than editing at first. It felt like it would be too hard to make changes to what I had while keeping any kind of flow.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Be good to hear more about how your process has worked so far

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

So the plot was a bit different. But then so was the language. I changed tense and some characters changed gender. Some parts of version one made it across unchanged, others completely rewritten. And the final edited version ended up at 94k when the first was 70k.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

It was an evolution really. It helped me clarify what I was really trying to do and create a much more detailed plan that filled in plot holes, fleshed out characters, and generally made everything make sense.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Kind of, yes - although it only took about ten minutes of trying to edit the first draft to realise it wasn’t nearly close enough to where it needed to be. So I had the printed version next to me as I wrote the second draft and that was enough to get an editable version.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

My first draft ended up being my muse during the creation of the second draft - not its prototype.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Very happy to have discovered this group :)

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British Fantasy Society @britfantasysoc.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

It's after 12pm, so you can be safe in knowing this ain't no April fool: Lead judge @stevenpoore.bsky.social has declared the annual short story competition OPEN! 🥳 britishfantasysociety.org/bfs-short-st...

A wooden table upon which sits a candle and an old-looking bound book that screams "magical"

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Welcome @brettculbert.bsky.social, my 100th follower! Good to connect with you. I have a way to go to catch you up 😂

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Cymera Festival @cymerafestival.co.uk · 30/03/2025

And don't forget—there are just THREE DAYS left to grab your Early Bird Weekend Pass at a discounted price! 🎟️ www.cymerafestival.co.uk/weekend-pass

cymerafestival.co.uk

Weekend Pass — CYMERA

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

AND EVERYWHERE IS IN CHAINS. Dark secrets and ancient prophecies. Assassinations and political ambushes. The truth of what was really sold in return for Savrin’s wealth. All Mikael wanted was to escape. Now he’s the city’s last hope of salvation. Speculative Fantasy. 94k. #scotwriterpitch2025

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

AND EVERYWHERE IS IN CHAINS. Speculative fantasy. 94k words. Babel X City of Last Chances The City of Savrin has sold its freedom and oppressed its minorities in exchange for wealth. Only Mikael, failing acolyte of the Temple, can decide if Savrin will be saved. #scotwriterpitch2025

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

AND EVERYWHERE IS IN CHAINS. A thriving city, a terrible secret. But it is Mikael, a failing acolyte of the Temple, who discovers the price of Savrin’s wealth. And as things fall apart, the hardest part of saving the city is to believe it is worth saving at all. #scotwriterpitch2025

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

AND EVERYWHERE IS IN CHAINS. To save the city Mikael, acolyte of the Temple, must first free himself. But some things are chained for a reason. #scotwriterpitch2025

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Ross Sayers @rosssayers.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Good luck to everyone doing #scotwriterpitch2025 tomorrow! Might be worth checking your chat settings, I think default for new messages is 'users I follow', change that to 'Everyone' so publishers/agents can get straight through to you.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Yes! Really looking forward to this too.

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PeterUrpeth @peterurpeth.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

I made a Starter Pack of Bluesky accounts for Scotland’s publishing industry. This is a wide-ranging list covering publishers, literary agents, publishing services, and publishing, writing and other literature support agencies. Msg me to be included. go.bsky.app/3niPF4E

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

When you’re about to put pen to paper on something new. Exhilaration and trepidation. The feeling of stepping into cold water, of meeting for a first date, of opening the door to a new adventure. Wish me luck. #writingcommunity #amwriting #booksky

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

For anyone who can’t make it to a book shop today, here are some pictures of books to cheer you up.

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PeterUrpeth @peterurpeth.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I made a Starter pack of Scottish Writers. If you’d like to be included, msg me. go.bsky.app/QVgoAEA

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The Portobello Bookshop @portybooks.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Happy Spring Equinox! We’ve gathered some of our favourite books to read in Spring 🌱🌸 Browse the list on our home page: www.theportobellobookshop.com

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Day 20 Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. #BookSky #bookskychallenge #bookchallenge #20books20days

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Day 19 Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. #BookSky #bookskychallenge #bookchallenge #20books20days

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Happy #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek to everyone in the #WritingCommunity! Writing is such a wonderful way to explore the unique perspectives that each of us has of the world, and the unique contributions we can make.

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Day 18 Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. #BookSky #bookskychallenge #bookchallenge #20books20days

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James Dempsey @jamesdempseyauthor.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

This is what I’m thinking about when it’s 9pm already, the kids still aren’t asleep and are screaming at each other because they can’t agree which audio book to have on. #sundayvibes #booksky

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