My regular spoiler-free 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.
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Previously on WWW…
For the coming week, revising The Spike Volume 2 will be my top priority, although I may start my next blogpost too. And, when my brain can no longer tell one word from another, I’ll continue with the new cover for the Volume 1 second edition.
Well well, 2026, that’s quite an opening chapter. I hope you haven’t started the way you intend to continue.
I’m not going to write about everything that’s going on in the world beyond urging Trump to dial back his distracting dictatorship – he’s delaying my next book. Arsehole.
This is my Weekly Writing Wrapup, so I’ll concentrate on that. This week has been spent on two tasks (other than this WWW).
Whilst I was in the office for my day job, I began a blogpost about my Creativity vs Consumption system, hoping it might help others in the way it’s helped me (nearly doubling the amount of time I spend on my writing per week). I hesitated on it though – I’m unsure whether to include a stripped-down version of my spreadsheet for download. I’m still wavering on it now, but leaning towards not; if people read my piece and want it, I could add it later.
My main focus has been revising The Spike Volume 2. I reached a multi-chapter sequence that switches between two tense scenes.
I heard Christopher Nolan say he does this in his movies since his early days as it gives more options when editing.
Obviously, this isn’t the same in a book because if you miss something, you can write it in without expensive reshoots, but I’ve always liked how alternating between two scenes ratchets up the tension in both. It’s a tactic I’m using on more than one occasion in The Spike Volume 2.
Like everything, it has negatives, and how and when to switch needs to be carefully planned: there needs to be an almost constant rise throughout, with twists; every switch needs to be a sensible break with a cliffhanger; and there needs to be a pay off for each scene at the end.
In this sequence, there were a couple of bits to add, and other bits to expand on, but the overall flow of it works well and there’s no need for any structural reworking, which is a relief.
That’s a total of ten chapters revised this week, which brings me up to chapter 0.2.1.41 and the beginning of another multi-chapter sequence.
In revisions so far, part 1 of Volume 2 has increased from 43,498 words to 56,579, partly through the addition of new chapters, partly through fleshing out parts that were a little thin. Part 1 needed to grow to be closer to the other two parts: part 2 will likely come down a bit from its 82k; and part 3 probably won’t change too much from 76k. That plan could evolve when I get there though.
Last week, I wrote that I was considering purchasing a new sideboard to go next to my desk, to help declutter my workspace and make it a more pleasant area to spend time.
The new furniture has arrived! I intend to build it and rearrange my lounge tomorrow, Sunday. I’m sure it’ll take longer than I expect, but I hope it doesn’t take as long as I dread. The recabling will be the worst bit – I’m not looking forward to that.
My creativity vs consumption percentage for this week dropped (ironic in the week I began a blogpost about its benefits), down from 49% to 44%. The first full week back in a new year is always rough, so I’m giving myself grace this time. I expect better from myself next week though.
Over the next seven days, my top priority remains revising The Spike Volume 2.
I’ve nearly finished reading The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue #1) by Christopher Buehlman, and I intend to write individual reviews of all the books I read this year, perhaps dropping the quarterly summaries I did last year. Some reviews will be more in-depth than others, depending how much I have to say; not every book will get an analysis on the level of the one I wrote for Alchemised by SenLinYu. There should be a review of The Blacktongue Thief sometime in the next week.
If I can’t decide how to proceed with my creativity vs consumption blogpost, I may begin another as I’ve got three or four subjects I’m looking forward to writing about.
And I need to progress the cover for The Spike Volume 1 second edition, which I haven’t touched this past week.
Much to do.
Reading this week: The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue #1) by Christopher Buehlman
Watching this week: The Wire season 5
Playing this week: Red Dead Redemption 2 and Baba Is You
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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.
Work continues on a new cover design for a second edition of The Spike Volume 1.
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 revisions by the end of April 2026.
Volume 2 is my biggest, most complex project to date, 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.
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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.
Nvidia unveils self-driving car tech as it seeks to power more products with AI
How AI is posing a threat to democracy in Yorkshire
AI’s grand promise: Less drudgery, more complexity, same (or lower) pay
The secret to human intelligence? It might be in our gut
Researchers poison stolen data to make AI systems return wrong results
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, the video I’m sharing is a little different. I’ve been following Merphy Napier’s YouTube channel for a while for book reviews, and included it in my recommendations on my 2025_wrapup, but her first video of 2026 seems to have surprised her as much as me.
Once a month, she lets patrons recommend a book they think she’ll hate, for the amusement of her ripping it apart, and in December, that was the novelisation of Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. For context, she knew next to nothing of Star Wars, so starting in the middle was intended to be even funnier.
It’s safe to say it backfired, and this video is the result. Her new enthusiasm for Star Wars is lovely to see and infectious; any creative would love to see someone react like that to their work. And it goes to show that the story of Star Wars (the initial six-film arc by George Lucas at least) is still captivating no matter how you come to it.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 