Fiction allows reality to be reshaped—distorted, intensified, or stripped back to its essentials. These posts explore storytelling in its crafted form, where characters, conflict, and perspective combine to reveal truths that aren’t always accessible through fact alone.
We like to think of ourselves as civilised beings. We dress well, shake hands, drive cars in orderly lanes, and follow the rules that make society tick. But beneath the pressed shirts and polite smiles lies something older—instinct. It waits, crouched in the shadows of our minds, reminding us that civilisation is not a natural […]
Instinct vs. Civility: The Thin Line That Breaks Us (or makes us) Read More »
Pseudo-biographical abuse narratives have become popular of late. For some, there’s nothing more tantalising than digesting a real-life story about a victim who has suffered in the worst kinds of ways. Sexual, psychological and physical abuse, paedophilia, sadism and self-harm — are just a few of the topics covered in what’s been coined as misery
I Love Misery Literature Read More »
The content explores the intricacies of a silent agreement in a relationship, highlighting how unspoken pacts lead to avoidance and emotional distance. This fragile understanding allows both parties to coexist superficially while ignoring underlying issues. Ultimately, the silence becomes a burden, revealing the inevitability of confrontation when secrets can’t be contained.
The Silent Agreement Read More »
Every crime scene tells a story. That’s what I learned early on — not from any police procedural or forensic handbook, but from living inside one. No flashing lights, no yellow tape, no neat chalk outlines. Just the quiet aftermath of something unspoken, unseen, but deeply felt. Our home was the crime scene. Our marriage
The Marriage as a Crime Scene Read More »
I’ve written before about the serial killer who lives among us—the one whose name isn’t whispered at barbecues or etched in red across newspaper headlines. They don’t carry a scar across their cheek or own a van full of knives. They don’t lurk in shadows or snarl when they speak. No, the kind I write
The Monster Inside Isn’t Hiding—You’re Just Not Looking Hard Enough Read More »
She stepped into the slop with a squelch. It gripped her foot, sucked at it like some hungry thing, then swallowed her sandal whole. Cold ooze slipped between her toes and crawled up her arch as she yanked her foot free. The storm was close. The clouds had warned her with their grey-bellied swell, but
No One Hears the Lost Lambs Read More »
You think villains shout. You think they slam doors and curse. You think they stomp around in boots, their shadows stretched across walls, their teeth bared, their fists clenched. You think they’re obvious. That you’ll know when evil enters a room. But the most dangerous villains don’t announce themselves. They whisper. And their voice sounds
When Villains Sound Like Lovers Read More »
The article discusses the common aversion to clichés in storytelling, emphasizing that while they may seem overused, many bestselling stories rely on them structurally. The key lies in presenting familiar elements innovatively, allowing readers to feel a sense of discovery. The true enemy is not the cliché itself, but laziness in writing.
‘Twas a Dark and Stormy Cliché… Read More »
There’s a corner of the literary world that many shy away from — not because it lacks merit, but because it demands readers sit with discomfort, ambiguity, and darkness. Dark fiction does not concern itself with fairy-tale endings, moral clarity, or sanitised portrayals of life. Instead, it peers into the raw, shadowy aspects of humanity
Let the Monsters Speak: In Defense of Dark Fiction Read More »
People crave randomness. Look at the Labubu craze—paying big money for something they haven’t seen, hoping it’s the rare one. It’s gambling dressed up as collecting. A thrill. A pulse. That moment of possibility. Love’s the same. Random glances on trains, chance collisions in cafés—those are the stories people hold onto. The unexpected makes it
Avoid Repetition At All Costs Read More »