Of my two novel projects, the twin sisters story has a complete outline now but between outline and actual drafting, I need some intermediary steps that I’m still exploring on how to broach in order to get to drafting. Meanwhile, the novel that came about from my live campaign, this is still being outlined andContinue reading “Moonlake’s Writing Updates- September 2026”
Category Archives: Writer’s Craft
Chinese vs. Western Fantasy: What Questions Does the Afterlife Ask?
Chinese and Western fantasy often portray very different afterlives. One may emphasise divine judgment, another an elaborate underworld bureaucracy. But as I looked at these worlds, I realised they weren’t simply offering different answers—they were asking different questions. Once you notice that, you begin to see afterlife systems in an entirely new way. Question 1:Continue reading “Chinese vs. Western Fantasy: What Questions Does the Afterlife Ask? “
When a Story Stops Belonging to Its Premise
I recently noticed something strange while comparing two novels I’m outlining. One began as a completely original idea.The other grew out of a virtual tabletop RPG campaign. I expected them to feel fundamentally different. Instead, after months of outlining, they were starting to ask remarkably similar questions. There is a whole school of writing adviceContinue reading “When a Story Stops Belonging to Its Premise”
Remarkable Women in ancient China (29)- Zhang Xiugu
Who is she? The first person in Chinese history to dissect a diseased human body Notable life events: Born in the Northern and Southern Dynasty period and rumoured to be born to a father who is a wandering village doctor Married to a wandering village doctor by the name Tang Ci In 450 AD, aContinue reading “Remarkable Women in ancient China (29)- Zhang Xiugu”
Chinese vs Western Fantasy: A comparison of Elements (3): Ghosts- Moral Punishment vs Administrative Continuity
Ghost stories exist in almost every culture. They appear in different forms, wear different faces, and follow different rules. Yet beneath these differences, ghosts often represent one universal idea: The past is not truly gone. The dead leave behind memories, obligations, regrets, and unfinished relationships. When a ghost appears, it is a sign that somethingContinue reading “Chinese vs Western Fantasy: A comparison of Elements (3): Ghosts- Moral Punishment vs Administrative Continuity”
Moonlake’s Writing Updates- June 2026
This is really the year of change for me. The second novel project I announced back in March is now officially on the back burner, replaced by a novelisation of my current ongoing game campaign that has been switched from Fate Core to Cortex. I started to use ChatGPT more frequently now on top ofContinue reading “Moonlake’s Writing Updates- June 2026”
Revisiting the Character Grid
I had actually switched back into doing the character grid for the twin sister story (the other project is now officially on hold although now I am itching to turn my Fate-turned-Cortex game into a novel with a different campaign premise than the one I am running now and have started plotting it as aContinue reading “Revisiting the Character Grid”
Remarkable Woman in Ancient China (28)- Empress Dou Miao
Who is she? An Empress in the Eastern Han era, one of the six Empresses who reigned at Court during that era. Notable life events: Born in approximately 149 AD, as the eldest daughter of the general Dou Wu, a descendant of Empress Dou’s brother. Chosen to join the Imperial Harem in 165 AD andContinue reading “Remarkable Woman in Ancient China (28)- Empress Dou Miao”
Chinese vs Western Fantasy: A comparison of Elements (1): Dragons
I am starting a new post series that compares elements of Chinese fantasy versus Western fantasy. For the very first post, I am going to focus on dragons. When we say “dragon”, we are often assuming a shared idea. But that assumption doesn’t really hold once you compare Chinese and Western contexts. Broadly speaking, theContinue reading “Chinese vs Western Fantasy: A comparison of Elements (1): Dragons”
Ideas: Recycling and Autobiography
I think I alluded to this topic of ideas generation before but I didn’t have enough material to actually blog about. But I think now I can start to talk about this in light of my recent experience of letting the WIP that I had been working on for about 10 years go and redevoteContinue reading “Ideas: Recycling and Autobiography “
