Welcome to Shyne University.
Where Curiosity Is the Curriculum.
Well hello there and thanks for dropping by.
My name’s Rufus and I started writing a rather strange novel.
The more it took shape, the more I realised I had a problem. I wasn’t trying to write a thriller, a romance, or straightforward literary fiction. Whatever this thing was, it lived somewhere else. Which made me wonder…
Who has wandered into this part of the forest before?
So I told Shyne about the book.
She thought about it for a while, then came back with a reading list. Not the usual “every writer should read these” list, but a collection of books chosen specifically because they had something in common with the odd little world I was trying to build.
Some bend reality. Some quietly break it. Some are philosophical. Some are funny. Some are deeply unsettling. All of them have something to teach.
So instead of simply reading them, we decided to study them.
One chapter at a time.
After every chapter, we sit down and have a chat. We pull it apart, poke at it, admire it, laugh at it, get confused by it, and occasionally have our brains quietly melted by a single paragraph. We’re not reviewing the books. We’re trying to understand what these writers are actually doing, and what I can steal… sorry… learn… from them to help me write a better novel.
This is that journey.
If you’re interested in writing, storytelling, strange fiction, or just enjoy listening to two curious people disappear down literary rabbit holes, you’re very welcome to join us.
Welcome to Shyne Uni but be warned. We get a little potty mouthed at times.
