#IWSG – Archetype

September 2, 2026 by Roland Clarke

For much of August, as in previous months, I’ve been concentrating on one writing project, so I haven’t posted anything here since August’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, Regrets… if you ignore the reblog, which it seems almost everyone did.

On the home front, we now have paintings on our bare walls, including two special horse pictures and an English landscape painting. The photo from our office window in Wales is also up, as are some plants in our bedsit room. In the corridor outside our room, we can now see our cuckoo clock from the Black Forest.

Time is the key takeaway for my writing. I fear that, due to my health, I am running out of time, so I need to make some drastic choices. As I said last month, I am stuck at a roadblock in the project I was working on, my North Wales police procedural, Fates Maelstrom. There are far too many talking heads and not enough action. Either I need to murder someone or chase someone across Snowdonia.

Instead, I have spent the month working on revising my alternative history novel, Eagle Passage. It’s not only topical in the themes I have already included and will develop, but there’s also a better balance of elements. The devastating Nepal-Tibet flood also brought home how the direction mankind has taken the world in the last century, or more, is taking us toward an apocalyptic future – one I wrote about in another post-apocalyptic series. That’s unless the rich nations on the planet, and especially wealthy exploitative companies, choose a different path. My novel sets mankind on a different route in 1000 AD, one that places ecological resilience, people and livelihoods before profit and exploitation. However, the characters face a crisis in 2020 which threatens at least one continent, if not the whole world, resurrecting dangers from our timeline.

Here is one of many current warnings motivating me: Nepal-Tibet flood: this is the cost of not acting in the face of the climate crisis: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/28/nepal-tibet-flood-climate-crisis-global-heatinghttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/28/nepal-tibet-flood-climate-crisis-global-heating

Weirdly, just like my only published novel, Spiral of Hooves, the opening chapter is set in a part of what we call Canada. Some of the other chapters take place in what is now Quebec, which is where I went to college for two years. Any guesses to where Stadacona is?

However, I can’t abandon my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, which remains on hold, probably until there is just peace, which brings an end to this horrendous war. I do try to keep up to date with the news from Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

September 2 question – Do you have a favourite character archetype you tend to gravitate toward in your writing?

This proved to be an interesting excuse to delve deeper into my writing. Initially, I also wondered what sex my main characters had been so far. I wasn’t surprised to discover that male leads were six and female leads twelve. In some cases, these were joint main characters, one male and one female. It was also hard to know who the lead characters were when the secondary characters took up an equal proportion of the plot.

I suspected that more of my lead characters were of the Detective archetype. Not surprising, as my Welsh detective Sparkle Anwyll features in the four draft novels in the Snowdon Shadows series. So, presumably, that makes the Detective archetype the one I gravitate towards. However, not everyone online classifies the Detective as an archetype, although these characters “Doggedly follow clues and bring truth to light.”

Sparkle & Kama
Graphics by Jonathan Temples –
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

In my writing, they also fit the Hero or Heroine archetype. In which case, I need to delve deeper. Several of them also have traits that place them in another category… The Outlaw, who “Defies rules and social order”. Sparkle’s sexuality and mind games put her apart from her fellow detectives, and some disapprove of the way she behaves.

Others operate outside the normal detection system, although still exposing lawbreakers. In the same draft novel and its sequel, I have two female characters who clearly operate outside the system, but on the side of good. One even openly rejects rules and societal norms and challenges authority. She calls herself a ‘white hat’ on numerous occasions, as she hacks into computers to stop the wrongdoers trying to bring down two online worlds.

The male lead in the same books falls squarely into two categories. First, “the overlooked and underestimated” Underdog, “proving their worth against the odds”. Second, the Everyman, “the relatable, ordinary person who may lack confidence or ambition but is thrust into extraordinary circumstances”. Writing this character, I found myself putting a lot of my own feelings and situation at the time into creating him.

Over the years, I may have unconsciously been writing similar archetypes. However, I’ve consciously wanted to write something that fits the Hero’s Journey. In 2016, I did write something that fit, or was meant to fit, the Heroine’s Journey. The central character, Torill Migisi, is clearly matches the archetype, The Chosen One – someone who is “Unwillingly anointed to defeat evil”.

It might not be my ‘favourite character archetype’, but it’s the one I’ve been gravitating towards. In last month’s IWSG Post, I wrote that, “I can regret and revise Eagle Passage as an Alternative History with current themes woven into a Heroine’s Journey plotline”.

So that is what I’m doing. As I follow what’s falling apart worldwide, I feel this novel might be a more interesting sell, especially if I get the balance right between rewriting history, dialogue and action.

Here are some resources I used to learn more about archetypes.

24 Character Archetypes: Definitions and Examples: https://www.novel-software.com/character-archetype/

50 Common Character Archetypes: https://www.everywritersresource.com/50-common-character-archetypes/

27 Character Archetypes — Examples in Literature & Movies: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/character-archetypes/

The awesome co-hosts for the September 2 posting of the IWSG are Kate Larkinsdale, SE White, JS Pailly, Olga Godim, and Natalie Aguirre!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Regrets

August 5, 2026 by Roland Clarke

For much of July, as in previous months, I’ve been concentrating on the usual writing project, so I haven’t posted anything here since July’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, Changes.

Having moved house in the last few days of June into our new home in Nampa, Idaho, we have been adapting from a two-bedroom home to a bedroom and bathroom in my wife’s second son’s new home, bought with some of the money from our house sale. As with our last house, we are still waiting for some items to reappear, especially paintings on the bare walls, to make our room seem more like home.

The UK might have a lower GDP than the US, but back there we were not being driven into poverty by medical bills. No wonder my heart is still in North Wales.

On the writing side, I’m slowly revising my North Wales police procedural, Fates Maelstrom. Having finished a chapter-by-chapter outline with improved plotlines, I continue to revise my 2018 draft. Except I already see too much talking and not enough action. Do I need another murder?

However, I can’t abandon my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, which remains on hold, probably until there is a just peace and an end to the horrendous war.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

August 5 question – As a writer/author what is something you regret? Or something that you wish you’d done differently in your writing process?

“Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention…“

Correction: I’ve got more than a few regrets, but I can’t list them all.

On the writing front, my biggest regret is starting too many projects and not finishing enough of them. I admit that part of the problem is getting crazy ideas and needing to turn them into a draft novel. Well, after publishing one novel, I produced ten draft novels and two incomplete drafts.

However, looking back, most of these have arisen out of NaNoWriMo. For too many years, I used this to create a new project every year, rather than returning to projects that had mileage. Here’s a chronological list to show the extent of the problem:

NaNoWriMo 2011 – THE LAST LEAF. Developed from an IWSG Anthology entry.

NaNoWriMo 2012 – WYRM BLOOD. Sequel to a thriller penned in 2011.

NaNoWriMo 2013 – TORTUOUS TERRAIN. The sequel to my 2013 debut novel Spiral of Hooves.

NaNoWriMo 2015 – FATES MAELSTROM. Snowdon Shadows series Book 2. Started in 2012, then relocated to North Wales in November 2015.

NaNoWriMo 2016 – EAGLE PASSAGE. My Viking Alternative History developed from an IWSG Anthology entry.

NaNoWriMo 2017 – RUINED RETREAT. Snowdon Shadows series Book 4.

NaNoWriMo 2018 – FEVERED FEW short story collection now revised a year later.

NaNoWriMo 2019 – FEVERED FUSE. The revised version of ‘Fevered Few’, with a revamped title, an amended plot and new scenes. Snowdon Shadows series Book 1.

NaNoWriMo 2023 – FREEDOM FLIGHTS SHORTS Pre-Korean War

On November 2, 2022, I posted #IWSG – NaNoWriMo Challenge, which gives a different perspective on my NaNoWriMo outings. Earlier, in 2019, I also recorded my total word counts each year in Nano Notches.

From: http://foundandcherished.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/nanowrimo-survival-guide.html

It’s interesting looking back to realise how many draft novels I regret abandoning when another idea dragged me in a new direction. I even remember draft novels that weren’t NaNoWriMo projects – two, at least:

‘Seeking A Knife’, Book 3 in the Snowdon Shadows series, which is incomplete and needs previous books to establish Sparkle Anwyl. ‘Wyrm Bait’ is the mystery that preceded Wyrm Blood, and I regret filing it away after detailed comments from a reputable and published British editor, who was positive while suggesting a logical approach to the rewrite.

What is my biggest regret… after leaving North Wales? Not promoting ‘Spiral of Hooves’ enough, so I’d choose to work on the sequel set partly in Idaho, ‘Tortuous Terrain’.

While that’s difficult to fix, I can regret and revise Eagle Passage as an Alternative History with current themes woven into a Heroine’s Journey plotline which might be a more interesting sell than yet another police procedural that lacks action.

The Norwegian Viking ship Draken Harald Harfrage sailing off Greenland – http://www.drakenexpeditionamerica.com

Or am I totally wrong? Or just getting distracted and confused?

The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence, Diedre Knight, Liza, and Pat Garcia!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

#IWSG – Shelf Life

June 2, 2021 by Roland Clarke

Another month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, so I’m back hunting & pecking keys. I’m also having issues scrolling my mouse, so health issues dictate. Therefore, like the two or three previous IWSG pieces, this post will be assembled over time – please bear with the jumble.

No change with progress on Fevered Fuse – and other writing. Sorry, I’m sounding like a stuck record or something.

Anyway, I’ve tapped out a few thoughts for the next bi-monthly WEP/IWSG Challenge flash – another Sparkle & Kama incident. Due June 16^th-18^th with art inspired prompt ‘Great Wave’, so I’m going with some storm surge inspired ideas. Check out more on the flash theme here:

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/05/wep-2021-continues-artistic-inspiration.html

Writing even briefly about my Welsh duo should ensure my mind stays focused on Fevered Fuse even if that’s all. There’s no sign of a co-author – but some avenues might be emerging.

1^st Avenue Approach.

I remembered that two of the editors I used previously were part of two different groups of writers. So, I’ve approached them about my search for a co-author. One is connected to a publishing company and a collective of writers. The other runs a writers’ group and put me in touch with my key diversity beta reader. Perhaps, one will produce something.

Graphics by Jonathan Temples –
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

2^nd Avenue Approach.

My family seemed like a dead end, until I remember a cousin was married to a book abridger. I mentioned that to my brother, who is in regular contact with them. However, he said a better option was another cousin who is a writer. Anyway, he will approach both and give them my details. So, maybe that avenue will yield something.

Mind break I.

I’m back at the keyboard, attempting to address the main reason I’m here – the monthly IWSG post.

First, thanks to the Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh for all you do – and thanks for creating the Insecure Writer’s Support Group without whom my writing would be non-existent…and March’s post might have been ‘farewell’.

Second, my thanks to all those whose encouraging comments ensure I scribble onwards.

Anyway, don’t forget to visit real writers via the IWSG site, and for better answers to this month’s challenging question.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Although the question is optional, I’m again tempted to answer.

June 2 question – For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?

In the beginning – in the last century – I suspect I never shelved my attempts at writing anything. Certainly, as a journalist, I was forever juggling/chasing deadlines, so read throughs, editing, revisions, etc., rarely involved shelving.

Anyway, the shelf life of journalistic scribbles was usually short.

Unlike my fictional opuses – or should that be opera? Tragedy? Historical?

When I wrote my first completed novel, Spiral of Hooves, I shelved it for a couple of months on the advice of the writing group I belonged to – Tunbridge Wells and District Writers Circle.

Mind break II.

That approach worked for me – even if I rewrote the novel multiple times, even abandoning certain plotlines in the first draft. In fact, the novel got shelved so many times – for various reasons – that it took 13 years for Spiral of Hooves to be published. Even then, I needed to make revisions for the second edition – the first paperback version.

From then on, I continued the habit of shelving or ‘marinading’ first and subsequent drafts of novels and shorts for as long as possible, sometimes even six months. I even put my posts on the ‘shelf’ overnight as my mistakes/improvements are revealed on a ‘fresh’ reading.

Whether this works like quality wine, I’m unsure. Maybe, when I revisit some of my older/other projects – like Eagle Passage – I’ll either recognise a potential vintage or a bottle of vinegar.

Innovation Never Stops @ **www.aeroscraft.com**

Mind break III.

Suffice to say, the sequel to Spiral of Hooves – Tortuous Terrain – might surprise me as well. Well, it is partially set in the US state where I live – Idaho.

But first comes where my heart is: Wales and Snowdon Shadows.

And that depends on a co-author. Shelved surprise or cryogenic legacy?

Watch this space.

Synopsis – Starters – Side-lined – Shelved – Spirals – Surprises

***

The awesome co-hosts for the June 2 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner,Sarah Foster,Natalie Aguirre,Lee Lowery, and Rachna Chhabria!

How can I be repetitive asking you to agree these guys are the best? Well, they are – especially as they all have concerns, fears, and insecurities. But they struggle on, so ticker-tape applause for all of them – plus toasts with the best brew available.

Purpose of IWSG: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something.

Overnight Marinade.

For more on the IWSG monthly post and links to other participants visit:

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

Z for Zaachila

April 30, 2020 by Roland Clarke

My 2020 Blogging from A to Z Challenge revisits my best posts from the 2014 to 2019 Challenges.

Z for Zaachila 1521 (2017)

From Zephyr to Zoo, I’ve always dug up some Zingers.

Anyway, my interest in history in my teens compelled me along various paths of research, which haven’t abated. At school, I learnt about the Anglo-Saxons and did a project on Sutton Hoo. My specialist subject for A level history was the Portuguese & Spanish Seaborne Empires. So, my alternative history has Norse and Meso-Americans fighting alongside each other.

Before the ‘our timeline’ revelation, how many of the real historical events and characters seem familiar? Or is this event pure fiction?

Although I’m engrossed in my Welsh procedural, I’ll keep tinkering with my Kanata alternative history. The initial trigger, Leif Eriksson’s permanent colonisation of Vinland, inspired me to rewrite other key episodes in history – and there must be more. The legacy forged from Vikings merging with the indigenous people will continue ripple down time. My vision of Kanata and a 21^st Century Viking Age isn’t buried.

Links to my other 2020 A to Z posts can be found here: https://rolandclarke.com/blogging-from-a-to-z/blogging-from-a-to-z-challenge-2020/

To visit other participants see The OFFICIAL MASTER LIST: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YphbP47JyH_FuGPIIrFuJfAQiBBzacEkM7iBnq6DGDA/

V for Vijayanagara Confederation

April 25, 2020 by Roland Clarke

My 2020 Blogging from A to Z Challenge revisits my best posts from the 2014 to 2019 Challenges.

V for Vijayanagara Confederation 1929 (2017)

Trying to devise an alternative timeline for the Indian sub-continent was intriguing and insightful. I’ve had a fascination with the sub-continent since travelling there in 1978, travelling overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan – all on the verge of major upheavals. From Nepal to Sri Lanka, I found the landscape, culture, and people mesmerising. Ever since, parts of the sub-continent have crept into my writing.

Therefore, I inevitably included the sub-continent when I was constructing my Kanata alternative history. The initial trigger, Leif Eriksson’s permanent colonisation of Vinland, inspired me to rewrite other key episodes in history. I wanted the legacy forged from Vikings merging with the indigenous people to ripple down time. Kanata evolved into my vision of a 21^st Century Viking Age that interacts across the globe.

Expect more alternative history ahead.

Before the ‘our timeline’ revelation, do you recognise all the real historical players in this alternative reality?

V is also for Voyagers: The Third Ghost, which is released on May 5th, 2020. Visit the IWSG Anthologies blog for details.

Links to my other 2020 A to Z posts can be found here: https://rolandclarke.com/blogging-from-a-to-z/blogging-from-a-to-z-challenge-2020/

To visit other participants see The OFFICIAL MASTER LIST: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YphbP47JyH_FuGPIIrFuJfAQiBBzacEkM7iBnq6DGDA/

R for Rurikid Diarchy

April 21, 2020 by Roland Clarke

My 2020 Blogging from A to Z Challenge revisits my best posts from the 2014 to 2019 Challenges.

R for Rurikid Diarchy 1933 (2017)

Time for another shift in world history.

And all because I couldn’t stop constructing my Kanata alternative history. The initial trigger, Leif Eriksson’s permanent colonisation of Vinland, inspired me to rewrite other key episodes in history. I wanted the legacy forged from Vikings merging with the indigenous people to ripple down time. Kanata evolved into my vision of a 21^st Century Viking Age.

Anyway, this one has deep roots as well as great ripples. Before the ‘our timeline’ revelation, will you recognise all the real historical events echoed here? I threw my whole set of spanners into this period. Amusing? Believably or fantasy?

Expect more alternative history ahead.

In fact, this ties with my current interests – like my short story ‘Feathered Fire’ which has a Ukrainian MC. The tale will appear in the IWSG anthology Voyagers: The Third Ghost, which is released on May 5th, 2020. There’s a taster on the IWSG Anthologies blog – if you’re tempted to delve.