My regular update on my novel writing progress, including insight into living and working as an indie author with a full-time job and Crohn’s disease.
my_writing_week
I’ve been operating below optimum levels most of this week. Stress from work gave me a tension headache for a few days, and fatigue has been difficult to shake off.
I was able to persuade my manager at the day job that working from home might help. It may have, a bit — it’s impossible to know how much worse it could have been if I’d needed to go into the office for three days.
This has been my least productive week for a couple of months, and it began by being lazy on Sunday. I continued with the series bible for The Spike by adding another chapter from Volume 1. I’m now into part 2, and some of these chapters crossover with chapters I’ve already added from part 1; I need to include both perspectives where they overlap, and add any extras.
In the evening, I began work on a bio page for this site. I’ve resisted writing one in the past because I’m an introvert and there isn’t much I want to share. It hasn’t been straightforward.
On Monday, I added a couple more bits to my bio draft, and added another chapter to the series bible.
Tuesday was the first day of the week I’d normally have had to go into the office for my day job. When there, I do make the most of being in a focussed headspace to write in my spare time. This Tuesday was particularly busy and frustrating, and inspiration was hard to come by.
I played around with an idea I’ve had for the cover of the 2nd edition of The Spike Volume 1; I’ve proven the basic concept but it needs much more work.
For Wednesday, I added a further chapter to the series bible. Thursday, I began this WWW; tweaked my bio; and began my reading_report for the current quarter — I’ve been reading more books and instead of keeping separate notes, it made sense to add them straight to the post as I’m going along.
Thursday evening, I finished watching New Amsterdam season 5, the series finale. More on that in the weekly_inspiration below.
Friday, I decided I wasn’t happy with the draft of my bio so ripped it up and started again. (Regular readers may notice a pattern here). My desire to be original makes everything more difficult.
In the evening, I finished reading Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh. It left me feeling angry. There were a few moments where the characters were uncharacteristically stupid which meant it wasn’t going to get above 3 out of 5 from me, but the “showpiece” twist at the end took that to the extreme. Keep an eye out for my next reading_report if you want to see me at my most scathing.
I had a lazy day today, Saturday. I looked again at my bio and think the second draft is too boring. I’m far more comfortable writing fiction than writing about myself. I might have one more crack at it; I might shelve the whole idea.
The coming week at the day job should not be as consistently stressful as the past few weeks, but I already know it will have its moments. I should be back in the office for three days which will at least make my midweek more productive, so I hope to report better progress next Saturday.
Reading this week: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Watching this week: The Wire season 1
Playing this week: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139
status_report
I’m still wavering on a new cover design for a second edition of The Spike Volume 1, and have begun work on a different idea. I think I’ve proven the concept — more work required.
I’m also working on covers for the two individual parts, 1.1_Application Infiltration and 1.2_Laying Down The Law, which are going to be published separately for the first time. I want both to have a similar style and layout, and I have an idea I like for each. The drafts I’ve created feel a little too minimalist, so I’m investigating what I can add that will make it more visually interesting without distracting from the main image.
Draft 2 of The Spike Volume 2 is complete! It contains three separate books from the perspectives of seven characters.
Revision will begin soon.
The aim is to have Volume 2 finished by the end of 2025 for publication early 2026, although this is beginning to look ambitious.
Early brainstorming has been done for The Spike Volume 3. I know how it must begin; I have an ending that I think will be great; and I have a long list of ideas to get from one to the other that needs to be whittled down and put in an order. I’m not intending to do much more work on this until revision is complete on Volume 2.
There are a couple of other projects in the works that I’m not ready to share yet – they’ll be announced here first.
connecting_links
The Spike is set in our world, incorporating real events; the links below are relevant to the themes and overarching storyline, and may or may not provide clues to the direction of the series.
I do not necessarily agree with or endorse any of the views within.
UK government swoons over OpenAI in legally meaningless love-in
Google AI Overviews are killing the web, Pew study shows (again)
X tells the French police ‘non’ to its request for algorithmic data
Meta says it won’t sign the EU’s AI code of practice
ChatGPT advises women to ask for lower salaries, study finds
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I finished watching the final season of New Amsterdam, a show that’s ridiculously effective at tugging on heartstrings. I try to analyse how it’s so potent so I can apply the lessons to my writing, but it whisks me away every time. Further analysis required.
No spoilers, but the finale thrust a big change on us out of the blue, which felt a little jarring, but if they’d built it up, it would have been too similar to a prior season, so I get why they went this way. The last episode brought everyone together in one set-piece really well, and it finished strong on the themes it’s been about all along. If you want to watch something hopeful, give this a whirl.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 