August 1st, and so to another august Newsletter.

First things first on this first... Hello, and welcome to new subscribers.

I have a lot of free time to read material. Most of that is Flash Fiction, available here at Telegram and here at X (Twitter)

Or here for Epub freebie.

My free novella, Dragons’ Shadows, is a prequel to Dragons Unleashed.

My current state is busy, slightly caffeinated, in an office that needs some tidying, which could be a metaphor for life in general.

The best stories have a life of their own, too. I mean, they just grow. As a storyteller, you try to manage the iceberg because the last thing you want is to sink your reader’s experience below the waterline, and they deep-six you, with a DNF notice, “Did Not Finish”.So, let me unpack that a little. Ernest Hemingway, he of the punchy, tight writing style, used a metaphor to describe a novel: an iceberg. 

Hemingway’s iceberg metaphor...  

...also known as the iceberg theory or theory of omission, defines his stripped-down style. He argued that a story’s deeper meaning should remain unstated, implied through action, dialogue, and detail—like the mass of an iceberg hidden beneath the surface.

Backstory is essential; it makes the story feel real, but should it end up on the page?

How much backstory finds its way into everyday conversation?

Imagine you’re making small talk about your latest trip—business, pleasure, or even to the supermarket.

Do I list the traffic, the parking, the rush to get back in time for my next appointment?

I might say, “I didn’t sleep last night, so I’m tired today,” perhaps, but would I go the whole nine yards with “my whole morning collapsed before I made it to the car”?Instead, isn’t this more human?“I got all the way there and realised I’d left my reusable bag on the kitchen counter. Again.”Humans recount key details and reveal our own experience through the part of the story we choose to tell.“Someone at the till snapped at the cashier. Looked like they’d had a rough day. We all have our problems, I guess.”That’s what people do—we select the detail that carries weight. A moment that hints at everything else.

We trust the listener to fill in the blanks. To recognise the morning I didn’t describe.

Just like in a good story, the truth sits beneath the surface, never shouted out as exposition, but shown all the same.

Knowing what details to include or not is really as simple or as complex as the Goldilocks zone, not too much or too little, but just right.. 

In other news...

In other news, I am busy writing a story with a life of its own, the Spectral Detective, and the story I thought would be a novella is too big.

That’s why I am thinking hard about what needs to be in a story to make it work.

Check out the books below! 

 When Love Breaks and Mends. A Journey of Heartbreak and Healing

"Unconditional Love Legacy" by Evelin Kholeli

Love shapes lives across generations. Unconditional Legacy of Love, a poignant novel, delves into sacrifice, devotion, and timeless bonds.

A story of passion and enduring love, it shows that true love never fades—it only grows stronger with time.

Charlatan: (A Fantasy Comedy Series) (The Wicked Instruments Book 1) by D.C. Fergerson

The bar for heroes just got lower.Leanna Moonbody dreams of a concert at Saul Amphitheater. Trixi, guided by her god, leads thousands on a pilgrimage. A chance meeting binds them.Chased by a lovesick noble and a relentless halfling, they gather a crew of misfits. Together, they chase their dreams.When cornered, can they rise as heroes?D.C. Fergerson’s The Wicked Instruments, a whimsical fantasy, follows unlikely heroes on a wild adventure.

Chronicles of Elysia: Rebellion by Yuri Jean-Baptiste
Dark gods and foul monster claim the land. But an unlikely band of rebels look to challenge their reign.

In Kerkeliz, a poor hamlet, Chidea, a street rat, knows only oppression. Corrupt rulers and Underworld creatures torment Elysia. Hope is gone. Ragtag warriors arrive, revealing a plot to overthrow the Traitor King and stop the Forsaken Ones. Chidea seeks the truth about the Armor of Elyon. She joins a war against a Chaos demigod and a destined hero. Can the warriors reclaim the Armor in time, or will Vehdite’s dark forces crush the rebellion?

Chronicles of Elysia: Rebellion, the first in an epic fantasy series, echoes C.S. Lewis, R.A. Salvatore, and Andrzej Sapkowski.

C J Charles