How do you take the perfection of an idea—a pure, sparkly thing—and bring it into a reality constrained by linguistics and math? I’m struggling with the "angel in the stone," trying to write in vivid reds and electric blues while my first drafts feel like washed-out greys. From the philosophy of creation to the "smooth-brained" joy of inventing space-city snacks, here is where I am with my current book, Project Hollow.

It’s on brand that my first blog post of the year is arriving in March. In this instalment, I’m deep in scene 13 of Project Hollow, battling a humourless office scene, writerly self-doubt, and the terrifying possibility that I might not actually be funny. From fumbling wizards to rabbit-shifter taxi drivers, humour usually sneaks into my fantasy romance naturally—but this time I’m having to hunt it down.

Writing a fantasy romance novel means building characters who clash, challenge each other, and slowly evolve. In this update on Project Hollow, I share my progress, the struggle of crafting distinct character voices, and what I'm learning about my writing process.

Writing a fantasy romance novel comes with plenty of creative doubts. In this update on Project Hollow, I reflect on returning to my draft, developing character flashbacks, and finding the right tone for the story.