THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

#Writeblr. This blog is a sketchbook for my novel. // Sideblog to @philosophika // Tag and Ask Game Friendly // 30+

[thesorcerersapprentice]

“Here I sit, forming men in my own image, a race to be like me, to suffer, to weep, to delight and to rejoice, and to defy you, as I do.”— Goethe, Prometheus.

Hello, citizens of Tumblr! I'm @philosophika (she/her), a British and Colombian philosopher (BA/MA), freelance editor, and aspiring novelist. Welcome to my WRITEBLR, a blog dedicated to developing THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE, a literary fantasy novel that follows a young woman caught in the crosshairs of her elderly mentor's frantic quest for the philosopher’s stone — the key to eternal life. It’s The Devil Wears Prada if Miranda were a stylish but irascible old, gay alchemist and Andy were a brilliant but penniless, bisexual, Latin immigrant. Check out the project details below!

BOOK BLURB

Following his estranged sister’s death, Ambrose M. Cromwell, New York City’s most distinguished alchemist, invites her granddaughter, Nimue Delacroix, to attend his 90th birthday party. Expecting nothing more than a naïve provincial girl, Ambrose is shocked when, instead, a brilliant and charismatic 26-year-old bearing a striking resemblance to his younger self shows up at his door. Sparks fly, and Nimue’s remarkable talents quickly earn her an offer of apprenticeship—a chance to join Ambrose in his lifelong pursuit of the Philosopher’s Stone, the key to eternal life. However, what begins as a seemingly perfect partnership quickly unravels into a high-stakes battle of wills as they approach a historic breakthrough. With both their lives on the line, mentor and protégé must decide what they’re willing to risk, and what they’re prepared to sacrifice, to win. 

TARGET AUDIENCE

Adult readers who enjoy medium-paced, character-driven, dark, reflective, surreal, and socially conscious literary fantasy. If you loved Babel's themes and complex magic system, and Piranesi’s surreal worldbuilding, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is for you.

CURRENT STATUS

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is designed as a standalone novel for adult readers and is currently undergoing yet another round of revisions. While the story originally set out to explore disembodied and embodied models of cognition, it has gradually evolved into a character study that delves into themes of morality, class, privilege, racism, and sexism. Stay tuned for updates to catch all the latest developments!

INSPIRATION

The story is inspired by my time as a frazzled intern at an Art History publication and my brief, decidedly unwelcome foray into New York City high society. The novel also draws deeply from my academic background in philosophy and my complex relationship with my own mercurial (and at times monstrous) grandparents.

LET’S BE FRIENDS

I’m always looking for other writeblrs to follow! Writing is lonely, let’s be alone together! I’m always down for tag/ask games. Just send me a message. I follow, reblog, and send asks from my main account @philosophika

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull

© The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. All rights reserved.

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Get to Know Your Mutuals!

Thank you to @tamarasharker (check out their answers here) for tagging me! Soft tagging: @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @tamarasharker @avrablake @writerray @sarnai4 @elritze @lexiklecksi @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @saberblizzardblogs @forthesanityofstorytellers @ieppiq @writingingraves @starwright @ace-malarky @steph-manser @winterpinetrees @melpomenelamusa @pinkevilwriter and anyone else who would like to participate.

Currently Reading: Cuentos completos/Complete Short Stories by Jorge Luis Borges 🖤 My favourite stories so far are "The Library of Babel" and “The Garden of Forking Paths." If you've read this collection before or are currently reading it, do you have a favourite? Last Song: Papaoutai by Stromae. Last Film: Crimson Peak, directed by Guillermo del Toro. (I want that nightgown.)

Last Game: I don't really play games anymore. 😅 No time. I am sporadically watching a playthrough of Resident Evil: Requiem, though!

Last Series: Carnival Row! I was craving a gaslamp fantasy, and it scratched the itch. Ended up reading a few academic articles on the series. My favourite was "Immigration, Passing, and the Racial Other in Neo-Victorian Imperialist Fiction: The Case of Carnival Row" by Dina Pedro.

Coffee or Tea: Both! I'm now able to drink coffee again, which I'm very happy about, but I still enjoy the occasional Earl Grey. Currently Working On: When I have the mental space, which isn't often these days, I work on my long-suffering WIP, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the story of an elderly sorcerer and his young protogé's quest for the key to eternal life. It's taking ages, but with every subsequent draft, I truly feel I'm getting closer to what I'm looking for.

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Five Things Tag

Thank you to @sodaliteskull (check out their answers here) for tagging me! Soft tagging: @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @tamarasharker @avrablake @writerray @sarnai4 @elritze @kaatiba @lexiklecksi @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @saberblizzardblogs @forthesanityofstorytellers @ieppiq @writingingraves @starwright @ace-malarky @steph-manser @winterpinetrees @melpomenelamusa @pinkevilwriter and anyone else who would like to participate 💜

Here are five things you'll find in The Sorcerer's Apprentice:

A contemporary twist on the Gothic Heroine and her typical storyline.

2. A terrifying but charming antagonist (I mean "mentor to the FMC") you can't help but love.

3. A surreal quest for the key to eternal life.

4. A NYC apartment that acts like a labyrinth.

5. A (hopefully) profound meditation on race, class, gender, and death.

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Zeus himself could not undo the web of stone closing around me. I have forgotten the men I was before; I follow the hated path of monotonous walls that is my destiny. Severe galleries which curve in secret circles to the end of the years. Parapets cracked by the days’ usury. In the pale dust I have discerned signs that frighten me. In the concave evenings the air has carried a roar toward me, or the echo of a desolate howl. I know there is an Other in the shadows, whose fate it is to wear out the long solitudes which weave and unweave this Hades and to long for my blood and devour my death. Each of us seeks the other. If only this were the final day of waiting.

“The Labyrinth” by Jorge Luis Borges, (Stephen Kessler translation)

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Here are my top reads of 2025!

The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie (an excellent rec from the one and only @inkovert)

Plato and the Tyrant by James Romm

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Tangled Wires by D. M. Foyle (our very own @foyle-writes-things!)

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

The Iliad by Homer (the Emily Wilson translation)

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Human Acts by Han Kang

[thesorcerersapprentice]

To all my dear friends in the writeblr community,

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2026 💜

Lots of love,

Dominique

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull @kaatiba

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Writerly Questions!

Thank you to @sodaliteskull (check out their answers here) and @forthesanityofstorytellers (check out their answers here) for tagging me! Soft tagging: @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @tamarasharker @avrablake @writerray @sarnai4 @elritze @kaatiba @lexiklecksi and anyone else who would like to participate 💜

1. What is your ideal setting for focusing on your writing?

I like writing in cafes. For some reason, the noise helps me focus (which is odd, because when I'm writing at home, even the smallest noise distracts me).

2. What is your favourite genre to write?

I've always loved writing fantasy, but I'm leaning more towards literary fiction these days.

3. Do you prefer to write on paper or digitally?

I prefer to write digitally. My handwriting is awful. Plus, writing stuff out by hand is super slow, and my mind tends to go a mile a minute, so it's not a great match. I like the speed and flexibility of digital software.

4. It’s the middle of the night and you suddenly wake up with an idea, what do you do?

I grab my computer, open up a note, type it out, then go back to sleep.

5. Who is your favourite person to write about?

I really enjoy writing about the main protagonist (Nimue) and antagonist (Bo) of my current WIP, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I find them fascinating, they find each other fascinating, and hopefully one day a reader will find them fascinating as well!

6. Do you like making your own characters or do you write about real people?

I like making my own characters up, although I do draw on people I know and my personal experiences to create them.

7. Have you ever written a book or story with more than 15 chapter or 100K words?

Yes, I've written very, very long drafts.

8. How often do you get ideas?

Often! I usually jot them down for later. Right now, I haven't got time for anything but my current WIP. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is the only idea I've ever had that hasn't eventually bored the living daylights out of me, and I'm not going to let it go until it's done. I'm like a dog that's finally found a bone, haha.

9. Do you ever get an idea that you really like but can’t seem to ever finish?

I mean, my current WIP is taking a long time to write, but I'm not worried that I won't finish it. This is all just part of the process. It'll be ready when it's ready.

10. What is your least favourite plot?

Honestly, I don't know if I read for specific plots? I'll pick pretty much anything up as long as it's well done.

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Nimue (the protagonist) isn't ✨the chosen one,✨ she's "the only one left." Throughout his life, Bo (the main antagonist) has gone to great lengths to sabotage any relative who might rival him. Now, there are no others. Nimue's the last player on the board, and she's the last player because she's the youngest, not necessarily because she's the most talented. When she arrives on the scene, time itself has levelled the playing field; at 90, Bo’s power and influence are finally waning just enough to give her a chance.

For more about The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, check out my writeblr!

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull

[thesorcerersapprentice]

⚠︎ CW: Animal Abuse

Here's a seemingly inconsequential detail about Bo (the main antagonist) that says a lot about his character:

At the start of ACT TWO, Bo introduces Nimue to his beloved cat. Right away, Nimue notices that the cat is unable to vocalise, but thinks nothing of it and gets on with her life. However, at the end of ACT TWO, as Nimue is beginning to suspect Bo isn't as benevolent as he would have her believe, she asks about the cat's mutism. Turns out Bo had the cat's vocal cords removed a couple of years ago because her meowing irritated him.

This small, horrific detail exposes what it is to be "loved" by Bo, and reveals the ridiculous level of danger Nimue (Bo's "favourite") has always been in. In the WIP itself, Nimue’s discovery of the cat’s mutilation actually serves as a pivotal turning point, propelling the story into ACT THREE and fundamentally shifting her understanding of Bo and her place in his world.

For more about The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, check out my writeblr!

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Today I'm fan-casting the two main characters from my WIP, The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The perfect pick for Bo (the antagonist) would be ✨Anthony Hopkins.✨ He's got the expressions, the tone, the sneer! I'm not quite sure how I'd cast any of the other characters, but I'm absolutely certain about Anthony (especially as he appears in "The Father.")

As for Nimue (the protagonist), I'd need a Latin actress with Daisy Edgar-Jones vibes. I haven't found her yet, so, in the interim, here's Daisy in Normal People:

For more about my WIP The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, check out my writeblr!

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Bo (the antagonist) always wears red shoes.

Why? No clue. (If I had a penny for every time a member of my dad's family did this, I would have two pennies, which isn't much, but it's weird that it happened twice, so now Bo does it too.)

What kind of shoes? Loafers (either in suede like the ones in the pic below or in velvet), because they're comfortable (he's in his 90s), but still fancy. On the rare occasion he can't wear red shoes, he wears black shoes with red soles. (Again, usually loafers, and probably made of velvet.) It's his signature look!

For more about The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, check out my writeblr!

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull

[thesorcerersapprentice]

In ACT TWO, Nimue (the protagonist) moves into Bo's (the antagonist's) luxurious 5,400-square-foot Manhattan apartment. Although she’s initially excited to call it home, the location of Bo’s bedroom at the centre of the floor plan unsettles her, transforming the loft into a labyrinth with Bo—a modern-day minotaur—lurking at its heart.

This is, in fact, the desired effect. Bo has arranged the apartment around his bedroom for two reasons:

First, so he can oversee everything that goes on from the comfort of his bed or recliner, allowing him to maintain control over his domain even when old age forces him to retire for the day.

Second, so that everyone in the apartment feels he’s keeping tabs on them. Because he is! And if he's not, he might be! This constant sense of surveillance discourages theft and curtails overt scheming among visitors/staff/etc.

Unfortunately for Nimue, the apartment’s layout has one additional effect: it turns simple nighttime trips to the bathroom or the kitchen into nerve-wracking ordeals. If Bo hears so much as the faintest creak of a floorboard, he'll grumble loudly about his rest being disturbed and complain about it endlessly the next day. Which is about as awkward as it sounds.

For more about The Sorcerer's Apprentice, check out my writeblr!

TAG LIST: (ask to be + or - ) @the-finch-address @achilleanmafia @fearofahumanplanet @winterninja-fr  @avrablake @outpost51 @d3mon-ology @hippiewrites @threeking @lexiklecksi @ashirisu @thelaughingstag @foyle-writes-things @inkovert @sodaliteskull

[thesorcerersapprentice]

testing, testing

[t4timekeeper]

romance is lame and overrated i love mentor/mentee relationships in fiction and especially when theyre sort of fucked up

[t4timekeeper]

greatest hits:

- You started out as a bet/challenge to see if I could successfully wrangle the infamous Problem Child but oh whoops I got attached!

- You are my kind, bright-eyed protegé who would never do so much as rip a tag off a mattress. anyway I am going to acquaint you with Criminal Activity

- I showed you genuine kindness and it was maybe the first time you’d ever experienced it and accidentally ended up becoming more of a parent to you than your “real” blood family ever was. Uh. Do you want to play catch in the park or

- I will gladly take any punishment meant for you. I would go to the ends of the earth to protect you, even if it meant I had to die in the process. I would do it a thousand times over, and I wouldn’t regret any of it.

- I taught you how to fight, and now through some circumstance or another, I’m forced to engage you in life-or-death combat without holding back.

- I put you through training from hell to make you the person you are today, for “your own good”, and now you’ve realized that you can hit back. And you can hit hard.

- I have made you into something greater than yourself - but you are changing from how I have designed you, and this is something I cannot allow.

- I taught you everything you know, and it was the greatest mistake I’ve ever made.

- I will make you just like me - by force, if necessary.

[t4timekeeper]

stop taggin this with ships / “and then they kiss” / “but what if it WAS romantic” you are missing the whole point of this post so bad. this is a Certified Aro Post. get weird about platonic dynamics NOW

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Hot take of the day: worldbuilding is *always* political.

[lofiyaketysax]

is there a writeblr community for people who are interested in writing things other than fanfic or YA?

specifically i'm looking to see if anyone out there is interested in writing/publishing (self or traditionally) books and stories for the 25+ crowd, because i'd love to get involved in that.

[abalonetea]

Hi, Lofiyaketysax!

There's a huge community for this, actually! I'm one of them! While I do have a few YA pieces in my collection, I mostly write horror aimed at an adult audience and am going to be launching my romance penname in the coming year.

And my currently up-for-pre-order horror series is most certainly not YA!

I know quite a few of my followers also write for a non-YA crowd!

While @writeblrsummerfest ended last month, it's a great way to share your work and find other writeblrs with a similar taste and genre as you! I would recommend browsing through the reblogs and checking out @writeblrsummerfestreblogs to see if anyone who took part has a wip you might be interested in!

Personally, I'm an indie author rather than trad-pub but a fair few of my mutuals lean in both directions when it comes to publishing preferences!

[foyle-writes-things]

Adult scifi crime thrillers here lol.

Gonna be self pubbing in a few months.

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Original social fantasy for adult readers this way ✨️ 30+ Writer. Looking to publish eventually.

[foyle-writes-things]

Top ten trends I've seen in my writing over my 4+ novels:

You will pry sun and moon themes from my cold dead hands

I kill my protagonist lol

Main cast is always 5 characters. Y?????

There is always a slow descent into madness

Single parenting (not surprising)

Main casts names have meaning

The parents have hidden something from the protagonist

I probably killed one of the parents too

ML's tend to be congenial and kind

Traumaaaaaaaaaa

[thesorcerersapprentice]

Hmmmm, okay, top ten trends. Here we go!

My main characters are always ostracised underdogs with hearts of gold (whether they know that last part or not, lol).

My main characters are always (with one or two exceptions) women.

There is always magic in the world.

Magic is never a thing that can be picked up and wielded like a sword. It is, instead, something the main character becomes and then expresses.

There is always a quest for self-discovery and acceptance.

The main story always connects (whether directly or indirectly) to a larger plot that involves the fate of the main character's community or world.

Either both the main character's parents are dead, or one parent is. If one parent is left alive, it is always the mother.

My main characters' mothers are always intimidating and ruthless. They are the whetstones I sharpen my characters' claws on.

There is usually no love interest, and on the rare occasion that there is, true love tends to be F/F.

All my stories expiate a wound I've incurred in real life, an experience that disturbs me or something I've learned about how the world and people work that I still don't fully understand (or can't reconcile or sit comfortably with). All my stories are the mental equivalent of tonguing a mouth-sore.