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. Spoiler free!
my_writing_week
Previously on WWW…
For the week, I take the total time spent creating or consuming, and calculate the percentage spent creating. The aim is to increase the creativity percentage over time.
At time of writing, my creativity (vs consumption) percentage for this week is 30%. I can certainly improve on that once I’m over my cold.
This week was supposed to be about two things: writing a blogpost; and editing draft 3 of The Spike Volume 2. It ended up being about two different things, because of course it did.
It’s annoying that I can’t really say too much about the Two Different Things, even though they’re the most noteworthy Things of this week.
(It’ll make sense when I get there.)
So, in order, as usual: Sunday, I spent more time looking through stock images for the second edition cover for The Spike Volume 1 (that isn’t one of the “two different things”).
In the evening, I finished reading Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, and I find it a little bizarre this novel-cum-textbook ever became famous. The prose is impressive, but the rest of it is all over the place. I added my thoughts to my next quarterly reading_report whilst it was fresh in my mind, so if you want to know my rating, keep an eye out for that in the first couple of weeks of January.
On Monday, I began writing my next blogpost. I know the point I want to get across, but I was having trouble articulating it.
It was a slightly frustrating way to mark my 500th consecutive day working on my writing. I’m not sure I imagined getting this far when I started – I thought something would have happened by now to unavoidably derail it – but I’m pleased, and will keep it going as long as I can.
I wrote about how I’ve built this habit in my piece “One year of writing* every day“.
On Tuesday I switched to my other main aim for the week, editing draft 3 of Volume 2. I restarted work on chapter 0.2.1.4, dipped back into 0.2.1.3, and continued on to 0.2.1.5. I was still feeling drained from my cold, and was having difficulty concentrating enough to word words, so I shifted focus to the Volume 1 2nd ed cover again.
During my Wednesday lunch-hour, I had another stab at my blogpost, and this is when the idea for Different Thing Number One struck me. I’ve thought of a new way of structuring my other blogposts that will certainly work for the one I began writing on Monday, and could be something fresh for most future posts (not this WWW). I’ve maybe seen it done once or twice before, but usually for specific type of post, not consistently.
It could take more time to write, and I’m not sure it’ll work, but at times like this, I often return to one of my favourite quotes from Nick Cave:
To act on a bad idea is better than to not act at all, because the worth of an idea never becomes apparent until you do it.
(You can see that in the weekly_inspiration below).
Wednesday evening, I did some more editing, completing chapters 0.2.1.5, 0.2.1.6, and 0.2.1.7.
The first 10-15 chapters have had more work on them than the later ones, and most of the edits I’ve got listed will come later too, so I’m definitely not expecting three chapters in an evening to be the norm, but it was nice to make some progress whilst the going is relatively straightforward.
I will say also that all the time spent creating The Spike series bible has already begun to pay off. I’ve referred to it several times for facts that would have been time-consuming to find if I’d had to search Volume 1.
Thursday lunchtime, I sat down to work on my blogpost again, and was battered over the head by Different Thing Number Two. It’s not even related to this blogpost, it would be a separate project, but I spent the rest of my break thinking about it and researching it.
I don’t want to say much about it now because I’m not sure if I’ll do it. I need to determine whether I can do it without sinking too much time into it, and whether the potential benefits would be worth the extra effort.
If I do decide to do it, I’ll announce it here first.
In the evening, I edited chapter 0.2.1.8, and spent yet more time on the cover for Volume 1 2nd ed.
As it’s “spooky season”, I wanted to play a horror game, and I’d had The Evil Within in my library for a while. Something happens early on that doesn’t fill me with confidence (very mild spoiler): at the beginning of chapter one, you’re strung up, and grab a knife to cut yourself loose; as soon as you do, however, the knife has magically disappeared so that you’re unarmed to face the level’s bad guy. That’s poor game design/sloppy writing. Fingers crossed that’s not a sign of things to come.
It had been a long week, so on Friday, I began this WWW but gave myself some time to relax.
Saturday, today, I’ve edited one and a half more chapters in which I had the first exchange between the two POV characters for this part. It’s sparky and fun, and I’m looking forward to fleshing out the new character more over the coming chapters.
Of course, I also wrote and posted this WWW.
So, with the week complete, what was my Creativity vs Consumption percentage, after it was 30% last week?
35%.
An improvement, but I can do better. With my head cold pretty much behind me now, I’m hopeful next week will bring a further upswing.
Reading this week: Kill Process (Kill Chain #1) by William Hertling
Watching this week: The Wire season 2 (rewatch) and Hacks season 2
Playing this week: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 and The Evil Within
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 3 is under way for The Spike Volume 2! I’d tentatively like to finish editing by the end of 2025.
Volume 2 is my biggest, most complex project, containing three separate books from the perspectives of seven characters.
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.
Chancellor says Brexit deal caused long-term damage to economy
When Face Recognition Doesn’t Know Your Face Is a Face
Driverless cars are coming to the UK – but the road to autonomy has bumps ahead
Giant mirrors in space to reflect sunlight at night? No thank you, astronomers say
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I’m sharing a clip from Nick Cave kinda-documentary “20,000 Days on Earth”. The film is a day in the life of Nick Cave, but scripted and exaggerated for artistic effect. For example, as he drives around Brighton in his Jag, he has “imagined” conversations with people he’s worked with who appear as passengers, like Ray Winstone and Kylie Minogue.
This clip is the end of the film, and begins with Nick explaining the value of carrying through on your ideas. It segues into a concert performance of their song “Jubilee Street”, which is intercut with clips from other concerts from the previous 30-odd years in a really nice way, showing past members of his bands, The Bad Seeds and The Birthday Party. And it ends with some more words of inspiration.
I highly recommend watching the whole film; it’s unlike anything else I’ve seen (in a good way).
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 