Featured Story of the Week: Sparkling Diamonds

Sparkling Diamonds is a fan fiction featuring British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. In this week's Featured Story, we take a closer look at this work!

Give us a brief summary of Sparkling Diamonds.

Di is what many would describe as an English rose with soft features any kind hand would love to touch...except the kind hands that touch her skin aren't really so kind after all. She is a part of a production design team for the BBC, working on shows that gave her a good stable pay when one day, after her partner harms her beyond extent, she receives an offer to work on the BBC hit television series "Sherlock" as a the costume designer for its third season. Who would ever know that she would be in constant contact with the one that could save her, Mr. Sherlock Holmes himself -- Benedict Cumberbatch.

What inspired you to write Sparkling Diamonds?

It is very similar to a screenplay I am currently writing but not exactly the same. It represents a career I am high interested in and have started to find myself more and more involved with. I've also mixed it with a man I high admire as an actor, as well as one of my television shows, so it was a setting with a story waiting to be told. As for the abuse, it's a situation that many people have found themselves in but refuse to talk about it. They then would work around their workplace, trying to cover up the scars, and will never find that courage to do anything about it! "Sparkling Diamonds" is about Di finding that courage through Benedict and her work and seeing it take her to new heights that she never thought it would.

How long have you been working on this story?

It's kind of been an on and off thing for a while now. I started writing this story about six months ago and had a massive break as I tried to figure out what I was going to do next (and got held up with film jobs). There are probably a few more chapters left in the story and we just have to see how that pans out!

What is your favourite thing about Sparkling Diamonds?

The turmoil that Di goes through to get to where she is currently in the story, and even by the end of the story too. She has come such a long way in such a short amount of time and it’s a surprise because not many people would find themselves as free as she is from the marriage that she had with James. So my favourite thing about it is Di's strength of character to slowly pull herself out of the darkness.

What is the challenging thing about writing it?

To actually keep on writing and finding new inspiration for the next chapter. It's probably a silly thing to say but I treat the story like a current event and have to keep a close eye, especially, on the happenings of Benedict Cumberbatch and align some of the story with what he is doing. Although the story is fictionalised, there are some aspects that are true.

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

Yeah, I had writer's block for about six months before I started updating it again recently with new chapters that I had written. It was a mixture of the fact that I was held up in other places and just really didn't know where to take the story after the birthday party chapters. I brainstormed a few ideas for the story, putting the characters in the worst and best situations possible and going from there. Putting them in extremes helps give balance to the story and where to really avoid and aim for, I think :)

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

With this kind of writing, I wing it but always have some sense of where I want to go with this story. An aim at the end of the line, whether it be the birthday party or new years in New York. I wing it, but there's always something to aim for. With bigger pieces of writing, like my screenplays, I always try to have an outline and becoming more in the habit of writing with a plan for nearly every scene and when major plot points would occur.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

I always write at night, in silence so that I can think properly, and have a cup of tea on the table with me. I try to get as comfortable as possible and write! I usually go to bed afterwards and think about the story that I have written so far.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

That you guys are probably the best people I know and thank you for supporting my story in a supportive way. I'd like to thank them for actually taking the time to actually read my work!

Special thanks to house of cards. and broken bells for editing!