Recent content by Miles Lacey

Keep it simple. Only add detail if something deviates from what would be expected, it's vital to the story that we have those details or if it's the observation of a character during a quiet period.

Zen Cho is based in Birmingham in the United Kingdom but the book was published in the United States. It was written in English except for the dialogue which was written in Manglish. If she wanted to boost her sales having a glossary for the Manglish words would've achieved the same result...

It may seem as if the author of Black Water Sister has made the main character lesbian so she can sell a few extra books but that isn't the case. The author of the book is Malaysian and her intended audience are people from southeast Asia, in particular Malaysia. Considering that being LGBT+...

Just one thing to keep in mind when looking up population figures for a city in 1900. The boundaries of the city in 1900 may not be the same as now so it would be a good idea to check what was, or wasn't, part of that city in 1900 as opposed to now. For example, in 1900 Berlin had an area of...

I have non-white characters because my WIP is set on a tropical island and I happen to find creating cultures based on those of southeast Asia and the Polynesian islands (which are much closer to home than Europe and North America) more interesting than those based on European cultures. As for...

Here are some of the road blocks I've faced over the years: 1. Past experience of publishing stuff that was trashed by others. 2. Reading too many "How to write..." guides. 3. Reading too many mind-blowing examples of great first lines and first paragraphs. 4. Being intimidated by fantasy...

Mythology is how groups explain things from why the length of daytime varies during the course of a year to why a woman having her period is considered unclean. Below are a few examples of how I've introduced mythology into my writing without an infodump or a "As you know..." introduction...

There are countries in which English is widely spoken where the Abrahamic faiths are not the major religions. In India Hindus use capital first letters when they refer to categories of deities as well as the deities themselves when writing in English. Matters are further complicated by the use...

In most countries colonised by the British you were taught that the only time you would use the upper case letter G in the word "god" was if you were referring to the Judeo-Christian deity. If being caned or strapped didn't reinforce that rule a fine or a spell in prison or even a psychiatric...

I begin at the micro level. What do the main characters wear when they're just chilling out as opposed to what they wear when they're working or meeting up with friends or an authority figure? What's the weather like? What do people eat and drink in this part of the world? Is the community...

You'll notice that in many crime dramas with male and female main characters the drama always seem to tease the viewers with the hope that the two characters will become romantically involved. Over time the two characters become more platonically intimate with each other. Curiously, the sex...

The less said about my forays into fiction the better. I even self-published a book but it's name shall never grace my lips nor be mentioned on this forum. Now, pass over the vodka so I can blot out that memory.

When Taylor claimed he was stabbed in the back by his colleagues he wasn't being metaphorical.

Not even time lapse photography could answer the question of who had stabbed Mortimer the Mundane in the back.

"Damn it! I know you're still bitter over having your arse kicked by Muhammad Ali when he was alive but can't you let him rest in peace?"