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
Previously on WWW…
I did begin adding another lengthy chapter to the series bible. There are now only three and a half remaining from Volume 1, and like last week, I’m not going to set myself the target of finishing those chapters before my week off from the day job. Fate will have to remain untempted.
Not setting myself targets (but also kinda) seems to be working. So I’m definitely not going to set myself any targets for my week off from the day job this coming week. Nope. None at all.
I haven’t spent as much time working on my writing this week as I did the week before, but I’ve ticked a few items off my to-do list, so it’s felt more productive in a weird sort of way.
Much of Sunday was spent visiting my parents. I finished last week part way through adding a chapter from The Spike Volume 1, so I completed that in the evening once I got home.
On Monday, I wrote some of my next reading_report for Q3 of this year, which will be published next week. It was a mixed bag, and my scores for the books I read cover the full range. One review was particularly scathing, so if you like reading takedowns of bad books, keep an eye out for that.
I wanted to make up for not progressing much the previous two days, so on Tuesday I knuckled down and added two more chapters to the series bible. That left just the epilogue remaining from Volume 1.
However, I have short stories that need to be added to the bible too. Three have already been published (you can read those here), but I have three more that I’m planning to publish in the run up to publication of Volume 2.
(When that happens, in the space of a few months, there’ll suddenly be a lot more of my books on sale.)
Three of the shorts (0.1, 0.2, 0.3) are ready to add to the bible, but I wanted to give a final editing pass on the other three (0.4, 0.5, 0.6) before committing to them as “finished”. That’s what I did on Wednesday.
0.4 needed only minor tweaks and that’s now complete.
0.5 is pretty much done, but I want a beta reader to check one thing before I sign it off.
0.6 is also pretty much done, but the main character appears in Volume 1 and has a vocabulary all his own, so I need to check that’s consistent.
During my lunch-hour on Thursday, I wrote more for my Q3 reading_report.
In the evening, I added the Volume 1 epilogue to the series bible, finally completing a task that took me far longer than I anticipated – just under 5 months. To be fair, I recorded a vast amount of detail: 1,593 separate passages, split into 24 different categories of info, cut from 81 chapters.
It’s already been useful, and should only become more and more beneficial as I continue writing the universe of The Spike.
Friday evening was the beginning of my week off from the day job, and I decided to take a couple of days to enjoy it and rest; I began writing this WWW, which I’m finishing and posting now, on Saturday evening.
I’ll see how I feel on Sunday before deciding how much to do; I have plans all day Monday; but the rest of the week I have nothing booked so intend to spend much of it writing.
A revision plan for draft 3 of The Spike Volume 2 is next up. I’ve been itching to do some actual writing again.
I’m definitely, definitely not setting any targets though. Aiming to create a full revision plan from my (incomplete) list of 104 notes, in one week, would be crazy.
I’m not crazy. I’m not.
Reading this week: Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Watching this week: The Wire season 2 (rewatch)
Playing this week: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139
status_report
In addition to the three short stories available to read for free here, there are three more yet to be published that make up The Spike Volume 0. The new three are in the final stages, and will be available some time before Volume 2 is published.
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.
I’ll be working on a revision plan in the next week or two. Draft 3 has already begun with a new prologue.
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.
‘What if they’re right?’ CEOs sound alarm on jobs crisis ‘unfolding in plain sight’
‘You’ll never need to work again’: Criminals offer reporter money to hack BBC
When AI is trained for treachery, it becomes the perfect agent
Prospect of life on Saturn’s moons rises after discovery of organic substances
Meta plans to sell targeted ads based on data in your AI chats
OpenAI’s New Data Centers Will Draw More Power Than the Entirety of New York City, Sam Altman Says
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I finished watching season seven of Californication, the end of a full series rewatch over the past couple of months. For a show about an author, it needed to be well written, and the dialogue in particular stands out as witty and smart. The music is good too (but not the song you might be expecting by that band named after a fiery vegetable).
It’s quite a rude show and certainly not for everyone – it’s not even the sort of thing I’d normally watch – but I enjoy it.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 