Category: Blog

A small section of the archive of The City of Veilquartz has now been opened to the public on the website. It’s just a small section, but it explains a bit about The Heart, The Darkness and The Edge of the world.

More parts of the archive will be unveiled soon.

You might have noticed that the website looks completely different. I originally set out to add a new page for the next story, but one look at the menu made me think: no, it’s time for a fresh coat of paint. So, no more menu taking up half the screen. Just something subtle at the top.

You may have also seen that Smoke has evolved into Veilquartz. You can explore it on its own page. The City of Veilquartz will be a new dark fantasy story that I’ll be building slowly, adding fragments over time and revealing more piece by piece.

For now, I’ll keep tinkering.

Lots of love,
Martijn

Two small changes have been made to the website. Until you fall asleep is no longer the current story in the main menu of the website. It has moved to the projects section of the website as the story is now finished.

I have started working on a brand-new project that I will soon share more about. For now, the working title is Smoke and I will be doing things a bit differently with this project.

The final closing chapter of Until You Fall Asleep is here, and it’s called Nightlight. In this short final chapter, the story wraps up nicely. Our main character looks back on how things started and ahead into the future, ending with a short reflection on nightlife and how the dance floor unites us, something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.

It feels strange to finally finish this story online. I wrote it such a long time ago that it feels like this should have been uploaded well before When I Was Your Man and The Things That I Have Kept From You were put online. But I felt like this needed more time to settle, as it is the biggest story so far. I still feel like it could use a lot of editing, and that worries me in its current state. But I guess I can do whatever I want. And for now, it’s okay for it to exist the way it is.

There’s no way of sharing personal work without that fear taking hold a little, I guess, the fear of it not being good enough, the fear of imperfections, of plot points not connecting, or the overall story not being cohesive enough. Maybe no one will even like it, but maybe some people will.

I see it as another learning process. Another chapter that will slowly move me forward in becoming a better writer.

I hope you like it.

Lots of love,
Martijn

Hey everyone,

With summer just around the corner, I hope you’ve all been staying hydrated and keeping cool. Chapter nine of Until You Fall Asleep has been online for two weeks now, and I really hope you enjoyed reading it. The final chapter, titled Nightlight, should arrive sometime next month. With that, this book will be finished.

I’m looking forward to writing new things again, building on everything I’ve learned from this project.

Lots of love,
Martijn

Hey everyone,

Toothpaste is the ninth chapter of Until You Fall Asleep. We’re slowly reaching the end of the story, but will it be a happy ending?

Shout-out to my old dentist, I almost forgot to take her name out at the last minute. She was the best dentist I ever had. But I moved, so I had to find a new one.

In this chapter, the empress returns, and our main character reflects on everything that has happened, and what might happen next. It even gets a little cheeky… sorry, Mum and Dad.

I hope you enjoy Toothpaste.

Lots of love,
Martijn

Hey everyone,

Chapter 8 of Until you fall asleep has been added to the website. The chapter where doubt, insecurities and uncertainties have fully taken over. The moment you realize that the other person does not feel the same way about you, but you keep going back and forth in your mind. What if there is still a sliver of hope that he does?

You give up and try to move on, but what happens in between? The endless emptiness from here to there. The no-man’s-land between having feelings for someone and no longer having them.

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Lots of love,
Martijn

Hey everyone,

I’m back from a much-needed vacation! I spent the last two weeks on the beautiful island of Kefalonia in Greece. Enjoying delicious food, reading, staying active every day, and finally clearing my head.

Feeling refreshed and re-energized, I’m ready to dive back into finishing Until You Fall Asleep. Keep an eye out for Chapter Eight, “Softer,” arriving soon.

Lots of love,
Martijn

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Hey everyone,
Chapter seven of Until You Fall Asleep is live. This one takes a bit of a strange turn—but I really like where it ended up. Curious what you’ll think of it.

Lots of love,
Martijn

Hey everyone,

I’ve made a few updates to the website. The “Until You Fall Asleep” button on the homepage is now called “Current Story.” I’ve also reorganized parts of the “Until You Fall Asleep” page and updated the chapter page to make everything a bit clearer. Additionally, I’ve added two new banners to the site.

Next up: Chapter Seven of the story, coming very soon.

Lots of love,
Martijn