Ray Harrison's Blog

That's me.

A bad blogger.

This doesn't mean, fortunately, that I've not been writing anything. I've been working on lots of little things recently, mostly personal, but one story for Black Library, called 'The Blooding'.

It's about a member of the Blood Angels second company, Helias, going through the rite that they call the Blooding. This involves them succumbing to, and enduring the Red Thirst, in order to best it.

This story was a lot of fun to write. I've always been a big fan of thousand word stories. They give you a great opportunity to use devices when you're writing that maybe wouldn't hold up in a longer story, and the format being so short means you have to pare what you're doing right down.

This story was born from its first line “A monster walks in step beside me, and it is made of teeth.”. This was one of those excellent occasions where the first line shows itself from the outset, instead of hiding at the back of the room where you can't see it. I've always been of the opinion that getting going is the hardest part about writing anything, and once you get over that initial hurdle, it usually gets easier.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS TOTALLY NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
This project also followed on pretty quickly from something I'd been working on for a while, and it was great to clear the decks completely with something really different. Writing begets more writing, and I came out of 'The Blooding' feeling more creative than I had done for a long time.

I almost wish it was as easy on Helias. ;)

This means I'm aiming for a blog resurgence. I've read loads of books in the last few months that I wanted to drop some opinions about, plus a bunch of RPG chat and board game related thoughts.

More to come.

For real, this time.

Okay, so I didn't post again as soon as I said I would.

Strike one for the aspiring writist in the corner.

However, I do have something cool to include in this post, in lieu of the Mortifactors blog I said I'd write.

I was fortunate enough with my short story 'The Third War', to not only have it published digitally by Black Library, but it also went into their event-exclusive anthology, too.

This was especially cool for me, as it's the first time something of mine has ever appeared in print (apart from, you know, me printing it). The book is a lovely little hardback, and I'm privileged enough to share its pages with a whole host of lovely folks who have written Space Marine fiction that I've read and nerded over.

If you managed to get hold of a copy at Games Day, then I'd love to hear what you thought of 'The Third War'.

I'm new to this, but both times I've been published so far it has felt an awful lot like standing on the beach, waving and worrying as you launch a tiny boat.

A boat that you made.

Out of your own feelings.

Neuroses aside, I really hope anyone who reads it enjoys 'The Third War'. I've wanted to write a story set on Armageddon for a long time. It is, after all, the planet on which to have a war. For me, the ongoing conflict around Armageddon feels like a microcosm of what Warhammer 40,000 is. 

I'd love to go back there sometime to play in the dust some more.

Until then, there's always that Mortifactors blog that I promised.

R

I've made a resolution today, to do more writing.

I've been feeling the familiar frustration of writer's block for a couple of weeks, and I think that part of my issue is that I'm not thinking outside the box, I'm just headbutting that brick wall of being Stuck With What I'm Currently Doing.

So now I'm varying what I'm doing, and part of that will be this blog.

As I type, I'm working on some new ideas, and trying very hard not to question and second-guess myself into oblivion.

I'm pretty good at that.

I think it's easy with a craft like writing, which is by nature, pretty solitary, to get caught up in your own head and start picking your ideas to pieces. I've done this in the past and often the result is me not really getting anywhere, as I am my own first hurdle.

So this time, I'm trying to get everything down on paper (or screen) before I start picking the meat off it.

Hopefully it'll mean I do less starting over, and more polishing.

However, in the mean time, I'd be remiss if I didn't plug the current Angels of Death promotion over at Black Library. There are a whole host of stories in there featuring both familiar and unfamiliar Space Marine Chapters, including one from me, about the Mortifactors.

Which reminds me. I should do a blog about the Mortifactors next week, and why I think they're so interesting.

There's me, making a commitment to 'doing more writing'.

Guess this thing's working already.