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
On last week’s blog, I mentioned I might break up my large goal of “publish The Spike Volume 2 in 2026” into smaller goals. I gave it more thought and… no.
There are so many smaller goals, and a lot of them don’t need to be done in any particular order. The flexibility to work on whatever part of the project that most interests me in the moment is part of the fun. Any deadline would need to be generous enough to allow that flexibility, but then wouldn’t be strict enough to be motivational.
I’ll revisit the idea of a timetable nearer the end of the project, especially for marketing (shudder), because certain tasks will need to be done at certain times approaching publication. It still feels a way off yet, unfortunately.
So, what have I been doing this past week?
I haven’t been compiling the series bible for The Spike, at least not as much as I should’ve been. I need to get it finished before I can continue with the fun stuff of revising Volume 2, but I’ve been doing other fun stuff instead.
On Sunday, I began a(nother) new blog post that may become part of a series (the prior WWW’s weekly_inspiration might give you a clue). I’m not going to put a time frame on it because, if I’ve learnt anything from trying to write my bio for my site, I can tweak and polish endlessly.
Monday, I continued the new blog post, and spent too long creating a banner image for my author origin story blog post. I also spent a while trying to create a banner for my bio page, but abandoned that for something simple. No, it definitely won’t be a photo of me.
On Tuesday, I was in the office for my day job. I edited my author origin story, and added a chapter to the series bible (that’s one!).
Wednesday was lazier; I worked from home for my day job and had a few chores to do. I wrote more for my new blog post, but that was it.
For Thursday, I was back in the office and, as has become my normal routine, began this WWW during my lunch-hour. In the evening, I posted my author origin story, which you can read here.
Later Thursday evening, I finished reading Dissolution by Nicholas Binge. Quick review: it’s good. To see what I liked about it, see the weekly_inspiration below.
On Friday, I had the realisation that my completionist habit has been delaying my work on the series bible. I don’t like leaving things half-finished, and tend not to start something if I know I won’t have enough time to finish it (or, if it’s something I don’t want to do, I won’t start if there’s even a small chance I might not finish it).
With some of the longer chapters in The Spike Volume 1 taking more than an hour to go through — not something I could fit into my lunch break — I’d been finding excuses not to begin them, which has made the whole process slower than it needed to be.
During Friday lunchtime, I began adding a chapter to the bible I knew I had no chance of finishing, intending to finish it in the evening.
Unfortunately, the day job was really busy, so I allowed myself the night off, and completed the rest of the chapter today, Saturday, instead (that’s two!). Still, progress was made, and that’s, er, progress.
Also today, I wrote some more for the new blog post I started last Sunday. It looks like being quite long, but the subject deserves it.
And I finish the week, as always, with this WWW, intending yet again that next week will be more focussed on the series bible than my other, more interesting, tasks.
If I can hobble my completionist tendency, I might get more done. That would be nice.
Reading this week: Blood Slaves (The Blood Saga #1) by Marcus Redmond
Watching this week: The Wire season 1 and Californication 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 publish Volume 2 in 2026.
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.
AI Isn’t Here to Help You — It’s Here to Replace You, Says Ex-Google Exec
China’s vision for a driverless future is miles ahead of everyone else’s
Google Gemini struggles to write code, calls itself “a disgrace to my species”
Robots can program each other’s brains with AI, scientist shows
AI browsers share sensitive personal data, new study finds
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I enjoyed finishing Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, an interesting sci-fi mystery-thriller about an old man losing his memory, and his wife who goes into his memories to try to save them.
The structure works really well, alternating between the husband’s memory from his perspective, and the wife’s efforts to salvage them. It’s a wonderful idea, executed really well. Many high concept books fail to find a satisfying conclusion, but this nails the landing.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 