ANTHEA WILSON | FEATURES
My last semester of University is finally here and I am beyond nervous about starting my career. As a creative writing student, there is no clear path ahead of me; it is up to me to cultivate the future I want. That is exactly what Macquarie and Grapeshot alumna Aylish Dowsett did. I sat down with Aylish over Zoom bright and early on a Friday morning to discuss her career path as a writer. Aylish graduated from Macquarie in 2020 (however, she’s still waiting on her graduation ceremony - thanks Covid) with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in creative writing. She has taken all that she has learnt from her degree and crafted a career that works for her.
Aylish has partnered with a new app called Mythrill that publishes serialised fiction for sci-fi and fantasy stories. Aylish’s virtual novel, In case of fire: Please call the division of magical mishaps, is released in weekly “episodes” - or you can unlock episodes with daily tickets. In case of fire is about 17-year-old Elva who discovers that her twin sister she thought was dead is alive trapped in a dark magical world ruled by The Order, an elitist government of fae set on enslaving humanity. Elva must navigate the real world with her horrible aunt, Agatha, and the magical darkness that looms over her. Each episode is made up of approximately 750-1500 words, so the episodes are short and sweet but will leave you wanting more so you flip the virtual screen to the next episode. When reading each episode, you will come across collectable lore cards hidden in the prose. The lore cards depict Aylish’s characters beautifully illustrated by Mythrill designers, alongside a descriptive background of each character in the story. The Mythrill app provides a new way of consuming fiction that is interactive and easy to use. In this case, form meets content exceedingly well.
When discussing how she became involved with Mythrill, it was as simple as seeing an advertisement on facebook that peaked her interest. A few days after reaching out to Mythrill, she was accepted as a partner with a three year contract. The inspiration for her story came from her own love for magic, folklore and fairies. As a twin herself, she wanted to capture the twin experience in her writing as well. Aylish workshopped these characters throughout her degree and Mythrill gave her the opportunity to bring them to life. She said, “It’s been amazing because I’ve imagined them in my head for so long and then for them to be created is really cool.”
Aylish attributes her success to being proactive throughout her degree. After her PACE internship with Grapeshot she went on to do internships with Westerly Magazine, The Quarry, Book Beauty and the Writers Studio who offered her a position after her internship. Aylish also works as a copywriter and creative writing teacher, alongside her work with Mythrill.
Aylish wants upcoming writers to find something or someone that pushes them to keep writing and improving their craft. When I asked for her advice, she told me to get as many rejections as possible because that means I have the drive to put myself out there and improve. Writing is what she is passionate about, and working with Mythrill has been a dream come true. Download Mythrill today to read all about Elva and her magical mishaps.
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