From early encounters with sci-fi and fantasy to formally innovative writing and putting Wales on the map, Writer at Work Steffan Wilson-Jones lets us into his writing life as he writes his debut novel, Dim Ond Ti (Only You)

Tell us about your writing life. When did it start? What does it look like now?

It all started with creating worlds when I was young. Fantasy worlds, sci-fi worlds, maps, diagrams and floorplans for fictional buildings. These worlds would start to take shape, and as I got older, I graduated to creating monsters, aliens, and eventually characters and stories. I added layers of politics, theme and subtext as I grew older, and expanded my literary references throughout university.

Now, I tend to start with a ‘set-up’. What if character A met character B? What if they held wildly different worldviews, and what would happen if they were trapped in a room? The themes, politics and subtext tend to reveal themselves as I let the characters make choices that inform the story. Very rarely do I start with a theme or a political idea, but they always seem to unearth themselves as I dig down into the characters. Once I read Stephen Kings’s On Writing where he talks about this process of unearthing these nuggets of story as ‘fossils’ and letting the characters reveal the additional layers to you, everything seemed to click. I’m hoping to delve back into my worldbuilding someday, combining King’s advice with an alien planet!

What kind of writing excites you most?

New writing, punchy, tender and political writing. Writing that challenges form, and writing that make me say ‘I’ve never seen that in a book before.’ I love opening a book and realising that we’re jumping POVs, or that a different font represents a different time period and so on.

What are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m working on my debut novel, Dim Ond Ti (Only You) which will be published by Sebra in 2027. I’m about 80% of the way through the first draft. The first draft of many, I think.

Where do you write?

It’s a pretty even split between my couch in my Cardiff flat with some kind of meditation soundscape playing from YouTube on the TV in the background, or in a busy café with a flat white or two. Or three or four . . .

When do you write?

If it’s in a café, any time during the day. If it’s in my flat, usually in the evenings.

And… Why do you write?

I write because I’m fascinated by cause and effect. I’m constantly coming up with ‘what if’ scenarios in my head. If A happens, what would B be? And if B happened, what is C? These building blocks help me make sense of not only my stories, but also why characters do what they do, and why people do what they do in the real world! It also helps me make sense of the very chaotic world that we live in, and guides me toward finding meaning. I wish I could say that writing is a mediative/relaxing process for me, but chaotic, invigorating, frustrating and exciting would be more accurate descriptions. These ideas that I come up with are constantly swirling in my head, so writing is a way of processing them.

Also, representation is a big part of why I write. I want to tell stories from rural perspectives, queer perspectives, Welsh perspectives, and when these overlap, even better! I strive to always set my stories in Wales, even if the subject matter isn’t inherently Welsh or Welsh-focused. We’re a really under-represented part of the world, so I want to take every chance I can to put us on the map when I tell my stories, just as Martin Scorsese tells his stories through the lens of the Italian-American experience in New York!

Is there a book or author that has influenced you?

So many! Everything from Sally Rooney, Douglas Stewart and Édouard Louis to Colm Tóibín, Brandon Sanderson, and many more. Closer to home, I recently loved Cwlwm by Ffion Enlli and Local Fires by Joshua Jones – two fabulous Welsh writers everyone should know.

And what role does reading play in your creative practice?

Reading is really important to me, especially keeping up with the bestsellers and local Welsh talent to see what’s out there. Reading a wide variety of books is also important to me, not just the types of genres I’m used to or the authors I’m inspired by.

Tell us about something you are really proud of.

I’m really proud of my short story, ‘Awgrym o Wawr’ (‘A Hint of Dawn’) that was published in the Pelydrau Short Story Anthology by Sebra. It was launched in the National Eisteddfod in Wrecsam in 2025 where I spoke on a panel during the launch. This was really exciting and a big first step for me. I’m also super excited for my debut novel to come out in 2027 (also published by Sebra) but that’s a work in progress!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a writer developing your practice?

Russell T Davies saying ‘just write’. It may sound a bit glib, but it actually is quite profound. There’ll always be a billion reasons to have a day off or to not even start, but actually just knuckling down and getting some words written is essential. He said he couldn’t believe how many young writers come to him with an ‘incredible idea’ for a story, but are yet to put pen to paper (or word to Microsoft Word). So ‘just write’ is a piece of advice I’ve cherished as I developed my practice – a crap written draft is a infinitely better than an amazing idea that never came to be.

Either that, or Stephen King’s advice to ‘write the first draft with the door closed, and the second draft with the door open’ – meaning not to share your first draft with anyone – keep it to yourself. Only start sharing your work with others when it’s been through at least one draft and that quality control has been done.

There are so many ways to have a creative career. What would life as a ‘working’ writer look like for you?

I think it would look like writing lots of different things. Working on a novel in the morning, maybe a short story in the afternoon, and maybe other writing projects for other mediums in the evenings and weekends. A structured, full-time approach to writing would be the dream, though I know many people work in other jobs on top of their writing work. For me, as long as I’m writing, I’m doing what I love.