Graeme Brandham
@graemesatlas.substack.com
Writer | Artist | World-Builder
🌀Charting the intersection of story, philosophy & wonder in my Substack Atlas.
🌀Currently navigating rabbits, dinosaurs & the nature of reality. 🐰🦕☯️
🌀Charting the intersection of story, philosophy & wonder in my Substack Atlas.
🌀Currently navigating rabbits, dinosaurs & the nature of reality. 🐰🦕☯️
22) WIP Aesthetic Board
#FantasyIndiesAugust
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 28, 2025 at 8:04 PM
22) WIP Aesthetic Board
#FantasyIndiesAugust
#FantasyIndiesAugust
21) Is my MC a morning person?
I would say yes and no. Once they get into their journey, strict regimented industrial earth time, i.e. doing a 9-5, is less relevant. He sleeps with the curtains open. So that helps to be a morning person by virtue of the light seeping through.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
I would say yes and no. Once they get into their journey, strict regimented industrial earth time, i.e. doing a 9-5, is less relevant. He sleeps with the curtains open. So that helps to be a morning person by virtue of the light seeping through.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
21) Is my MC a morning person?
I would say yes and no. Once they get into their journey, strict regimented industrial earth time, i.e. doing a 9-5, is less relevant. He sleeps with the curtains open. So that helps to be a morning person by virtue of the light seeping through.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
I would say yes and no. Once they get into their journey, strict regimented industrial earth time, i.e. doing a 9-5, is less relevant. He sleeps with the curtains open. So that helps to be a morning person by virtue of the light seeping through.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Ahh running out of time!
20) Superstitions in WIP
There is a thing called the strings. Its relatively unknown by humans, and those that have heard of it think its nonsense.
Rabbits on the other hand live with it every day. To them it is a way of life. Who has the truth of it?
#FantasyIndiesAugust
20) Superstitions in WIP
There is a thing called the strings. Its relatively unknown by humans, and those that have heard of it think its nonsense.
Rabbits on the other hand live with it every day. To them it is a way of life. Who has the truth of it?
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 28, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Ahh running out of time!
20) Superstitions in WIP
There is a thing called the strings. Its relatively unknown by humans, and those that have heard of it think its nonsense.
Rabbits on the other hand live with it every day. To them it is a way of life. Who has the truth of it?
#FantasyIndiesAugust
20) Superstitions in WIP
There is a thing called the strings. Its relatively unknown by humans, and those that have heard of it think its nonsense.
Rabbits on the other hand live with it every day. To them it is a way of life. Who has the truth of it?
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Time to break up my feed with some personal art. A quick scroll through my albums uncovered this. Painted on my iPad (procreate) about 2 years ago. It's an interpretation of Gavilar Kholin, from 'The way of kings' by Brandon Sanderson.
#ArtSky #Art #Illustration #ConceptArt #DigitalArt #Drawing
#ArtSky #Art #Illustration #ConceptArt #DigitalArt #Drawing
August 22, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Time to break up my feed with some personal art. A quick scroll through my albums uncovered this. Painted on my iPad (procreate) about 2 years ago. It's an interpretation of Gavilar Kholin, from 'The way of kings' by Brandon Sanderson.
#ArtSky #Art #Illustration #ConceptArt #DigitalArt #Drawing
#ArtSky #Art #Illustration #ConceptArt #DigitalArt #Drawing
19) "It's called ma. Emptiness. It's there intentionally. The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness, but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension".
#FantasyIndiesAugust
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 22, 2025 at 4:59 PM
19) "It's called ma. Emptiness. It's there intentionally. The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness, but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension".
#FantasyIndiesAugust
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Still catching up
18) a WIP playlist. I tend to let the music fit the mood of what I'm writing. This recent fit of words has been quite a serene one, and so this playlist of mine has been in rotation. It's called 'working in the garden'
#FantasyIndiesAugust
open.spotify.com/playlist/6j5...
18) a WIP playlist. I tend to let the music fit the mood of what I'm writing. This recent fit of words has been quite a serene one, and so this playlist of mine has been in rotation. It's called 'working in the garden'
#FantasyIndiesAugust
open.spotify.com/playlist/6j5...
August 22, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Still catching up
18) a WIP playlist. I tend to let the music fit the mood of what I'm writing. This recent fit of words has been quite a serene one, and so this playlist of mine has been in rotation. It's called 'working in the garden'
#FantasyIndiesAugust
open.spotify.com/playlist/6j5...
18) a WIP playlist. I tend to let the music fit the mood of what I'm writing. This recent fit of words has been quite a serene one, and so this playlist of mine has been in rotation. It's called 'working in the garden'
#FantasyIndiesAugust
open.spotify.com/playlist/6j5...
Flash fiction:
It all started when the Koi walked.
I remember it well. Almost 2000 years ago a pair of gentlemen walked by my river and began a discussion that begged of each other to answer a ponderous question, ‘what is the happiness of fish'. (1/7) 👇
#FantasyIndiesAugust
It all started when the Koi walked.
I remember it well. Almost 2000 years ago a pair of gentlemen walked by my river and began a discussion that begged of each other to answer a ponderous question, ‘what is the happiness of fish'. (1/7) 👇
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 20, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Flash fiction:
It all started when the Koi walked.
I remember it well. Almost 2000 years ago a pair of gentlemen walked by my river and began a discussion that begged of each other to answer a ponderous question, ‘what is the happiness of fish'. (1/7) 👇
#FantasyIndiesAugust
It all started when the Koi walked.
I remember it well. Almost 2000 years ago a pair of gentlemen walked by my river and began a discussion that begged of each other to answer a ponderous question, ‘what is the happiness of fish'. (1/7) 👇
#FantasyIndiesAugust
(Catching up still)
Snippet Saturday:
'If she could sense it in them, why did they not sense it in us? Her song faltered as this new understanding dawned on her, and as she stumbled, she felt the child's string stumble too'.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Snippet Saturday:
'If she could sense it in them, why did they not sense it in us? Her song faltered as this new understanding dawned on her, and as she stumbled, she felt the child's string stumble too'.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 20, 2025 at 9:18 PM
(Catching up still)
Snippet Saturday:
'If she could sense it in them, why did they not sense it in us? Her song faltered as this new understanding dawned on her, and as she stumbled, she felt the child's string stumble too'.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Snippet Saturday:
'If she could sense it in them, why did they not sense it in us? Her song faltered as this new understanding dawned on her, and as she stumbled, she felt the child's string stumble too'.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Catch up time!
15) Comfort movie/tv show.
Movie: Lilo and Stitch, Master and Commander, Way out west, Lost in Translation, My neighbor Totoro, Lord of the Rings.
TV show: The good place, Mash, Stargate Sg1, Downton Abbey, Only fools and Horses, Looney Toons.
I'm sure I've forgotten plenty!
15) Comfort movie/tv show.
Movie: Lilo and Stitch, Master and Commander, Way out west, Lost in Translation, My neighbor Totoro, Lord of the Rings.
TV show: The good place, Mash, Stargate Sg1, Downton Abbey, Only fools and Horses, Looney Toons.
I'm sure I've forgotten plenty!
August 20, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Catch up time!
15) Comfort movie/tv show.
Movie: Lilo and Stitch, Master and Commander, Way out west, Lost in Translation, My neighbor Totoro, Lord of the Rings.
TV show: The good place, Mash, Stargate Sg1, Downton Abbey, Only fools and Horses, Looney Toons.
I'm sure I've forgotten plenty!
15) Comfort movie/tv show.
Movie: Lilo and Stitch, Master and Commander, Way out west, Lost in Translation, My neighbor Totoro, Lord of the Rings.
TV show: The good place, Mash, Stargate Sg1, Downton Abbey, Only fools and Horses, Looney Toons.
I'm sure I've forgotten plenty!
New post exploring my drawings for one of my characters: Cash'ya.
Let me know what you think. 😀
open.substack.com/pub/graemesa...
Let me know what you think. 😀
open.substack.com/pub/graemesa...
August 18, 2025 at 12:38 PM
New post exploring my drawings for one of my characters: Cash'ya.
Let me know what you think. 😀
open.substack.com/pub/graemesa...
Let me know what you think. 😀
open.substack.com/pub/graemesa...
14) Romance?
Not yet. But that does not mean there won't be. I just haven't got to it. I have a few suspicions as to how this might evolve. But also a theme I want to explore is to emotionally validate platonic companions as having just as much emotional and communal meaning.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Not yet. But that does not mean there won't be. I just haven't got to it. I have a few suspicions as to how this might evolve. But also a theme I want to explore is to emotionally validate platonic companions as having just as much emotional and communal meaning.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 14, 2025 at 7:51 PM
14) Romance?
Not yet. But that does not mean there won't be. I just haven't got to it. I have a few suspicions as to how this might evolve. But also a theme I want to explore is to emotionally validate platonic companions as having just as much emotional and communal meaning.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
Not yet. But that does not mean there won't be. I just haven't got to it. I have a few suspicions as to how this might evolve. But also a theme I want to explore is to emotionally validate platonic companions as having just as much emotional and communal meaning.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
13) Ebooks for me. I like physical copies too. But I once lived on a boat, and now live in quite a small single room. There isn't much space for books, so when I buy physical, I make sure they're special.
EBooks are great space-savers. Much more boat friendly. #FantasyIndiesAugust #booksky
EBooks are great space-savers. Much more boat friendly. #FantasyIndiesAugust #booksky
August 13, 2025 at 9:25 PM
13) Ebooks for me. I like physical copies too. But I once lived on a boat, and now live in quite a small single room. There isn't much space for books, so when I buy physical, I make sure they're special.
EBooks are great space-savers. Much more boat friendly. #FantasyIndiesAugust #booksky
EBooks are great space-savers. Much more boat friendly. #FantasyIndiesAugust #booksky
Last, current, and next reads:
🌀The old man and the sea - Ernest Hemingway
🌀 One thousand vines - Pascaline Lepeltier
🌀A pirate of exquisite mind - Diana and Michael Preston
Generally I'm more of a non fiction reader for some reason. 60/40.
#FantasyIndiesAugust #Booksky
🌀The old man and the sea - Ernest Hemingway
🌀 One thousand vines - Pascaline Lepeltier
🌀A pirate of exquisite mind - Diana and Michael Preston
Generally I'm more of a non fiction reader for some reason. 60/40.
#FantasyIndiesAugust #Booksky
August 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Last, current, and next reads:
🌀The old man and the sea - Ernest Hemingway
🌀 One thousand vines - Pascaline Lepeltier
🌀A pirate of exquisite mind - Diana and Michael Preston
Generally I'm more of a non fiction reader for some reason. 60/40.
#FantasyIndiesAugust #Booksky
🌀The old man and the sea - Ernest Hemingway
🌀 One thousand vines - Pascaline Lepeltier
🌀A pirate of exquisite mind - Diana and Michael Preston
Generally I'm more of a non fiction reader for some reason. 60/40.
#FantasyIndiesAugust #Booksky
Surprisingly I have not used the word split in my WIP so far. So borrowing some creative license, I have taken this excerpt instead from when a husband splits from his wife and daughter. 😭
#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #Fiction #Writing
#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #Fiction #Writing
August 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Surprisingly I have not used the word split in my WIP so far. So borrowing some creative license, I have taken this excerpt instead from when a husband splits from his wife and daughter. 😭
#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #Fiction #Writing
#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #Fiction #Writing
Every story has a spirit.
This is Terrance - a character I keep returning to, a personal locus of wonder who has transcended time. He's a creature of energy, imagination, and fun. (1/2)
#characterdesign #illustration #storytelling
This is Terrance - a character I keep returning to, a personal locus of wonder who has transcended time. He's a creature of energy, imagination, and fun. (1/2)
#characterdesign #illustration #storytelling
August 11, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Every story has a spirit.
This is Terrance - a character I keep returning to, a personal locus of wonder who has transcended time. He's a creature of energy, imagination, and fun. (1/2)
#characterdesign #illustration #storytelling
This is Terrance - a character I keep returning to, a personal locus of wonder who has transcended time. He's a creature of energy, imagination, and fun. (1/2)
#characterdesign #illustration #storytelling
August 11, 2025 at 12:25 PM
#FantasyIndiesAugust
11) Fave fairytale:
I think mine would have to be Enid Blyton with the 'Magic Faraway Tree'. It might not be as classic as some fairy-tales, but it has so much mystery and intrigue. Some tense parts, some delightful parts. It makes me reminiscent of childhood.
11) Fave fairytale:
I think mine would have to be Enid Blyton with the 'Magic Faraway Tree'. It might not be as classic as some fairy-tales, but it has so much mystery and intrigue. Some tense parts, some delightful parts. It makes me reminiscent of childhood.
August 11, 2025 at 11:22 AM
#FantasyIndiesAugust
11) Fave fairytale:
I think mine would have to be Enid Blyton with the 'Magic Faraway Tree'. It might not be as classic as some fairy-tales, but it has so much mystery and intrigue. Some tense parts, some delightful parts. It makes me reminiscent of childhood.
11) Fave fairytale:
I think mine would have to be Enid Blyton with the 'Magic Faraway Tree'. It might not be as classic as some fairy-tales, but it has so much mystery and intrigue. Some tense parts, some delightful parts. It makes me reminiscent of childhood.
There's something truly magical about the raw first draft, isn't there? For me, it's a stream-of-consciousness process, two pages every morning to let the subconscious chart the course. It’s messy, often surprising, and where the real discovery happens.
#Writing #WritingCommunity
#Writing #WritingCommunity
August 11, 2025 at 8:28 AM
There's something truly magical about the raw first draft, isn't there? For me, it's a stream-of-consciousness process, two pages every morning to let the subconscious chart the course. It’s messy, often surprising, and where the real discovery happens.
#Writing #WritingCommunity
#Writing #WritingCommunity
WIP tagline:
For the Rabbits, gravity doesn't pull down, it pulls them across the stars—and now they're finally going to find out why.
Or
One man abandoned his daughter to give her the world; one species is leaving the world to find their centre.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
For the Rabbits, gravity doesn't pull down, it pulls them across the stars—and now they're finally going to find out why.
Or
One man abandoned his daughter to give her the world; one species is leaving the world to find their centre.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 10, 2025 at 5:33 PM
WIP tagline:
For the Rabbits, gravity doesn't pull down, it pulls them across the stars—and now they're finally going to find out why.
Or
One man abandoned his daughter to give her the world; one species is leaving the world to find their centre.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
For the Rabbits, gravity doesn't pull down, it pulls them across the stars—and now they're finally going to find out why.
Or
One man abandoned his daughter to give her the world; one species is leaving the world to find their centre.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
I am loving these WIP snips so far. So many people are creating such beautifully written work.
I am loving these WIP snips so far. So many people are creating such beautifully written work.
August 10, 2025 at 9:44 AM
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
I am loving these WIP snips so far. So many people are creating such beautifully written work.
I am loving these WIP snips so far. So many people are creating such beautifully written work.
Snip Sat:
The capsule glided into a station that was seamlessly integrated into the robust structure built at the glaciers apparent edge. The air that greeted them as the doors hissed open was noticeably cooler, carrying the crisp tang of mountain air and the faint, distant roar of rushing water.
The capsule glided into a station that was seamlessly integrated into the robust structure built at the glaciers apparent edge. The air that greeted them as the doors hissed open was noticeably cooler, carrying the crisp tang of mountain air and the faint, distant roar of rushing water.
August 9, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Snip Sat:
The capsule glided into a station that was seamlessly integrated into the robust structure built at the glaciers apparent edge. The air that greeted them as the doors hissed open was noticeably cooler, carrying the crisp tang of mountain air and the faint, distant roar of rushing water.
The capsule glided into a station that was seamlessly integrated into the robust structure built at the glaciers apparent edge. The air that greeted them as the doors hissed open was noticeably cooler, carrying the crisp tang of mountain air and the faint, distant roar of rushing water.
August 9, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Dreams & Goals:
A few; I would love to finish my book and have it available online as a serialisation. I am keen to progress in my wine journalism/marketing career. I would like to go on a silent retreat. Maybe one day be a dad? Visit St Lucia, derive income by my own means.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
A few; I would love to finish my book and have it available online as a serialisation. I am keen to progress in my wine journalism/marketing career. I would like to go on a silent retreat. Maybe one day be a dad? Visit St Lucia, derive income by my own means.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
August 8, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Dreams & Goals:
A few; I would love to finish my book and have it available online as a serialisation. I am keen to progress in my wine journalism/marketing career. I would like to go on a silent retreat. Maybe one day be a dad? Visit St Lucia, derive income by my own means.
#FantasyIndiesAugust
A few; I would love to finish my book and have it available online as a serialisation. I am keen to progress in my wine journalism/marketing career. I would like to go on a silent retreat. Maybe one day be a dad? Visit St Lucia, derive income by my own means.
#FantasyIndiesAugust