Writing Journey

Magic in Ældorra: A Gift, a Curse, or Something More?

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

In Ældorra, magic is not studied. It is claimed. A birthright, a spark born into the blood, seen by the Order, and seized before the world can lay its hands on you.

From the moment a child reveals the first hint of magic, whether by accident or fear, the Order of Magicians arrives. There are no family farewells. No second chances. The child is taken, their name entered into the record of the Academy, and whatever life they knew is quietly severed. To possess magic is to belong to the Order. Nothing else.

All magicians begin the same. They are taught the spoken forms, the written glyphs, the rigid cadence of incantation. Magic cannot be used without language. It must be spoken aloud, shaped by voice and carved by word. There are no silent spells, no intuitive gestures, no whispered charms in the night. If a magician forgets a word, the spell fails. If they twist its structure, the spell misfires, or worse.

Yet among those who speak the same spells, power is not equal.

Each magician draws from what the Order calls their well. Some wells are shallow, only able to fuel modest enchantments, brief illusions, momentary shields, small bursts of flame. Others are deep, vast, and enduring. Those who carry such wells rise quickly. These are the ones who bend flame to their will, who can speak a word and bring down the sky. They are the ones who ascend to the Council: The Order of Five, whose decisions shape the kingdoms more than any throne.

But even the greatest magician faces one immutable truth: they cannot heal.

It is not that healing magic is forbidden, it is simply beyond their reach. No spell, no incantation, no force of arcane will can mend the flesh or restore the spirit. That gift belongs solely to the Church of Christiana. Theirs is the divine touch, the holy word. It is a truth both sides know, yet seldom speak aloud: the Order commands the arcane, but it is the Church that claims the soul.

And though the world fears the Order, it is not without its own cruelty.

In Ældorra, only men may wield magic. Women, no matter how gifted, are forbidden by law. A woman who speaks a spell, whether for battle or for mercy, is declared a criminal. Even a healing incantation, performed in secret, may bring death. The punishment is absolute. The Order’s law is iron, and its reach does not falter.

So is magic a gift? A curse? Or something stranger still?

For those who carry the spark, there is no choice. Only the path set before them, the laws carved in stone, and the weight of a power they did not ask for, spoken word by spoken word, until their voice is no longer their own.

Editing, Rereading, and Rediscovering My Story

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

Over the past few days, I’ve been deep in the process of proof-reading and editing three chapters of my novel, The Veil of Kings and Gods. It’s not the most glamorous part of writing, but this time, it felt different.

Something about reading the story with fresh eyes after a short break made the experience… enjoyable. Genuinely enjoyable.

I wasn’t just correcting grammar or trimming repetition, I was rediscovering the world I’d built. The tension in a particular scene, the rhythm of dialogue I’d forgotten writing, or that one line that landed exactly how I hoped it would months ago. These small victories reminded me that, yes, I’m actually telling a story worth reading.

There’s a strange kind of pride that comes with this phase. It’s less about ambition and more about affirmation. Not “Will this sell?” but “I’m glad I wrote this.”

Of course, I still tweak. I still cut. I still sigh when a sentence refuses to behave. But the difference now is that I’m refining something real, something that already exists, not chasing a blank page.

If you’ve ever written something long-form, be it a novel, a thesis, or even a personal journal, you might know the feeling: rereading your own words and thinking, This isn’t perfect… but it’s mine. And it’s good.

That’s the stage I’m in right now. And I wanted to share it, not just the technical process, but the strange joy of falling back into a world you created and realising you want to stay there a little longer.

Want to Hear the Behind-the-Scenes Version?

If you’d rather hear me talk through the editing process, I recorded a short face-to-camera video as well. You can watch it here:

Whether you’re a fellow writer, a reader waiting for the book, or just curious about the creative process, I hope this gives you a little window into what it means to edit with joy.

Let me know in the comments: Have you ever gone back to something you made and felt quietly proud of it?

Writing Between Worlds: How I Create Without a Dedicated Space

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

There’s a romantic image of writers, sitting at a tidy desk by the window, sunlight pouring in, coffee steaming, and silence wrapping around them like a warm blanket. I admire that image. But my reality looks nothing like it.

I don’t have a designated writing space. Instead, I bounce between my school desk during quiet moments, the dining table when it’s free, and sometimes, my children’s study desk, usually after they’ve abandoned it for something more exciting. These places aren’t ideal, but they’ve become little writing islands where my story continues to grow.

As for my schedule, it’s a puzzle I solve day by day. I try to write in the afternoons between lessons, catching the quiet moments when the school slows down. Evenings are when I get the most done, once the family is asleep and the house slips into silence, that’s when I open the laptop and step back into Ældorra or whatever world I’m working on.

Weekends are unpredictable. If there’s time, after the housework, the errands, the family time, I write. Sometimes it’s just for twenty minutes, sometimes I surprise myself with a full hour of deep focus. But I’ve learned something valuable: consistency doesn’t always mean strict routines. Sometimes it just means showing up when you can, and making those small moments count.

I don’t write in perfect conditions. I write around life. And in a way, I think that gives my stories more life too.

If you’re a writer juggling your own chaos, I’d love to hear where and when you find your writing windows. Let’s build a space together, even if it’s scattered.

How I Stay Inspired While Writing the Same Story for Years

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

Writing a novel isn’t always a straight path. For me, it’s been more like a winding mountain trail, sometimes clear and exciting, other times foggy and slow. I’ve been working on The Veil of Kings and Gods for years now. The world, the characters, and the themes have all evolved over time. And yet, somehow, I’ve never walked away from it.

So how do I stay inspired?

It’s not some mystical lightning bolt. It’s smaller than that, quieter. Sometimes it’s rediscovering an old scene I wrote months ago that still makes me smile. Other times it’s worldbuilding, filling in the map of Ældorra, thinking about what life is like in a ruined empire or how a long-forgotten piece of magic reshapes a character’s fate.

I also let the story grow with me. When I started this book, I was in a very different place in life. But I didn’t throw it out and start over. Instead, I’ve allowed my voice, my ideas, and my perspective to shift as the years have passed. I’ve rewritten, restructured, and reimagined, but never lost the heart of it.

What helps most, though, is this: I don’t pressure myself to rush.

This is a story I care about. I want it to be the best version of itself, not the fastest one. That mindset keeps the love alive. Some days I only manage a few lines. Other days I go deep. But each word brings me closer to the story I want to share.

If you’re writing something that’s taken years, you’re not alone. Let it take the time it needs. Let it change with you. The story will be stronger for it.

I’d love to hear about your long-term projects. What keeps you going? What has changed since you started?

Inside the Life of an Aspiring Author

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

Most people imagine authors as curled up in quiet rooms, sipping tea and watching the words pour effortlessly onto the page. A kind of literary tranquillity, wrapped in books and warmed by candlelight.

I wish that were true.

The reality, at least for me, is far from romantic. It’s writing between real-life responsibilities, when the house is quiet and the world finally pauses. I’ve made a decision to pursue this dream fully, working extra hours not because I love the grind, but because that income, after family needs, goes straight into editing, proofreading, and eventually publishing. I’m investing in my own story, one sacrifice at a time.

My day is a patchwork of obligations. I run a small English school in Japan, manage creative routines around work and home life, and still find time to draw maps, script lore videos, and edit chapters that feel like they’ll never end. I’m not yet published. I’m not famous. But I’m building something, page by page, post by post.

There’s a mental weight to this work that few talk about. Some days, I stare at a sentence for an hour, unsure if it even belongs. Other days, it all flows so quickly I can barely keep up. The emotional shifts are real, self-doubt, exhaustion, the nagging feeling that I should be doing something more “practical.” But then a scene clicks. A piece of world-building locks into place. And for a moment, it feels like magic again.

So why do I keep going?

Because I believe in the stories I’m telling. The Veil of Kings and Gods is more than a novel, it’s a world I’ve carried for years. The short stories of Ældorra let me explore lost myths and haunted corners I’ve only glimpsed in dreams. And my sci-fi series, still in early development, pushes me to imagine a future I can barely articulate.

I don’t know when success will come, or even what it’ll look like when it does. But I know this: I want to create worlds that feel real, dangerous, and beautiful. Worlds where characters fight for something, where gods whisper from beyond, and where the weight of time never fully lifts.

Why I Wrote The Veil of Kings and Gods

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

There was a moment, years ago, when I finished reading a fantasy book and set it down with that lingering ache only good stories leave behind. But this time, something different stirred. I remember thinking, I love this world… but I would have done the magic differently.

That thought, quiet but persistent, was the spark that began this journey.

A Quiet Beginning

I’ve always loved stories. I was sketching characters and scribbling in notebooks before I knew what genre even meant. For me, storytelling wasn’t about ambition. It wasn’t about publishing or platforms or careers.

It was something I did because I loved the word-building and the idea of losing myself in my fantasies.

Writing, like painting, was my calm space in a world that often felt too loud.

The Question That Wouldn’t Let Go

Years later, I read a fantasy series that changed something in me. I won’t name it, but I remember wishing that the magic system worked differently. I wanted to see a kind of magic that wasn’t spoken or shouted, but silent. What if casting spells required nothing but will and cost? What if power came from absence, not control?

That question sat with me. And over time, it grew.

It became the foundation for The Veil of Kings and Gods.

Years of Silence and Sparks

Writing this novel wasn’t quick, and it certainly wasn’t easy. Life was full, sometimes too full. Jobs, exhaustion, raising a newborn, moments of doubt. There were months where I barely touched the manuscript… and others where I couldn’t stop.

I rewrote chapters. Deleted scenes. Rethought characters. Rebuilt the entire world from scratch. But I never stopped, because the story wouldn’t let me go.

What began as a simple idea, a magician who doesn’t speak, turned into something far bigger. A world where gods have gone silent. Where prophecy falters. Where fate rewrites itself.

What This Story Truly Is

I won’t spoil too much, but here’s the heart of it:

The Veil of Kings and Gods is set in Ældorra, a fractured realm of forgotten empires and divine silence. The old god-chosen magicians are gone. The demon they once sealed away is stirring again.

At the centre is Simion, a quiet magician who doesn’t cast spells the way others do. He doesn’t speak incantations. He doesn’t crave power. But he’s the one who will break the Spiral and reshape prophecy.

There’s a prince scarred by loyalty and forbidden sexual preference.

A noble sister caught between obedience and rebellion.

Secret orders. Collapsing kingdoms. Ancient ruins that whisper truths long buried.

And above it all, the Spiral, a symbol that marks not just fate, but the collapse and rebirth of magic itself.

Why Now?

Because I stopped waiting.

For years I told myself the same things: “When life settles down… when I’ve got more time… when it’s perfect.” But none of that ever came.

So I’ve decided to start where I am.

I’m sharing this novel. I’m building this world aloud. Not because I believe I’m the next great fantasy author, but because I believe this story matters. And maybe… it will matter to someone else too.

Watch the Video

If you’d like to hear the more personal version of this journey, I recorded a video where I speak directly about why I wrote this book, how long it’s taken, and what’s still to come. You can watch it below:

Join Me

If this world sounds like something you’d like to explore, you’re in the right place.

I’ll be sharing lore, character art, short stories, and behind-the-scenes posts as I bring The Veil of Kings and Gods to life. You can follow the blog or subscribe to the YouTube channel.

This is just the beginning and I’m glad you’re here.

Welcome to the Archive

/ Author Simon Phillips / Leave a comment

The beginning of this archive, and the journey behind it.

This space has taken time to shape. Like the stories I write, it came together slowly, with silence between the threads. I didn’t rush it. I couldn’t. The worlds I build are not made in bursts of light. They are carved out of quiet, over long nights and early mornings, in the hours when everything else has settled and the work finally begins.

If you’ve arrived here, I’m grateful. Perhaps you’ve come from my YouTube channel. Perhaps from a short story, a drawing, or something whispered in passing from one page to another. However you found this place, know that it was built with purpose. It is an archive of things still in progress. A collection of worlds that are not yet whole, but growing.

What I Write

I write across fantasy and science fiction, but neither word quite holds what I mean. My stories often begin with silence. A god gone quiet. A system no longer stable. A spiral forming in the place where something once held firm.

You will find epic fantasy here, shaped by prophecy, broken kingdoms, and gods that do not answer. You will also find slow, psychological science fiction, where deep-space vessels drift far from Earth, and the only sound left is the echo of something watching from behind the interface.

I don’t believe in tidy stories. I write to explore what happens when power collapses, when prophecy fails, and when the line between magic and memory fades.

What This Site Offers

This blog will carry fragments of everything I build. It will grow slowly, as the projects do, shaped by time and intention.

Here you’ll find:

  • Reflections on the creative process and what it demands
  • Updates on my current projects, including novels and short story collections
  • Lore fragments, worldbuilding notes, and mythic structures from my worlds
  • Occasional behind-the-scenes artwork and video features drawn from my YouTube channel

If you’re unsure where to begin, you might want to explore the Projects archive, or glance through the Short Stories & Lore page, where fragments from different timelines are gathered.

What Comes Next

I have no announcement to make here. No date to mark on a calendar. This is not a launch. It is an opening.

I intend to release short stories in digital form, first as standalones, later in curated bundles. I am also working toward the completion of my epic fantasy novel, The Veil of Kings and Gods, a project that holds the heart of much of this world. There will be more. Other books. Other timelines. But not all at once.

This site will grow. Quietly. Steadily. As I do.

Beyond the Page

My YouTube channel is a companion to this space. There I read from my stories, draw maps from broken histories, and speak on the slow road of building worlds from scratch. If you prefer to listen or to watch, you may find what you’re looking for there.

Thank you for visiting. Thank you for arriving at this point in the process, the part no one sees, when the work is still forming and the pieces do not yet connect.

The spiral has begun. The first thread is drawn.

Simon J. Phillips