An indie author’s regular spoiler-free update on his writing, editing, cover design, marketing, publishing, website maintenance, and blogging. Issue 73.
This week in one word: focussed.
my_writing_week
Previously on WWW…
My writing tasks for the coming seven days are: to continue revising The Spike Volume 2 and designing the cover for The Spike Volume 1 second edition; to edit the short story 0.6, and to add the four short stories to The Spike Series Bible; and to pick a topic for my next blogpost.
As listed above, I had a few different tasks I wanted to tackle this week; instead, I focussed almost exclusively on one of them, and I’m not disappointed.
I’ve made good progress revising The Spike Volume 2, with 17 more chapters done, leaving 26 to go in part 2. As is normal, some needed more work than others. There were a couple of quite big decisions to be made that will have an impact later on (into Volume 3 and maybe beyond).
There was one scene where I thought I’d been quite clever when drafting, and I wrote a solution to a problem only to realise that I’d used the same solution when drafting part 3. It took a little while to come up with an alternative; the new version is less smartarse but makes more sense overall.
Today, I’ve finished reading All That We See or Seem (Julia Z #1) by Ken Liu and, in getting my thoughts together for my review (to go live early next week), I realised one of my criticisms could also be levelled at the current draft of The Spike Volume 2. I’ve made a note and will fix it in my next, more detailed, sweep of revisions.
It’s a prime example of how important reading can be for authors.
I did mention my focus was almost exclusive – there were a couple of other things I spent time on.
Last week, I was finally happy with the layout for the cover design for The Spike Volume 1 second edition, and this week I started filling in some of the detail. It’s time consuming, so I need to dedicate more hours to it over the next few weeks, especially as I have seven(!) other covers to do.
I’d planned to decide on my next blogpost this week, and I have come to a decision without yet picking a specific topic. It will mean a change in the way I’ve done it – smaller and quicker posts – so I’ll try it and see how it goes before publishing anything. If it pans out, the shift would be significant enough to warrant calling it a new season of my blog – season 3 incoming?
I didn’t touch the short story 0.6, or add anything more to The Spike Series Bible, this week, but the bible has proven useful when revising part 2 of Volume 2; I’ll definitely need to add the other shorts before I move into the next sweep of revisions.
I returned to recording my creativity vs consumption percentage this week after a restful holiday, and hit 49%. That’s just shy of my 50/50 target, but the best since I came down with a head cold a few weeks ago.
For next week, I think my top priority needs to be the cover design for The Spike Volume 1 second edition, closely followed by revising The Spike Volume 2, then editing short story 0.6 and adding the shorts to The Spike Series Bible. My review of All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu will go live, and I want to begin experimenting for my potential new season of blogposts.
I doubt I’ll fit all of that in, so come back next week to see what I didn’t do.
Reading this week: All That We See or Seem (Julia Z #1) by Ken Liu and Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker
Watching this week: Mint season 1
Playing this week: Red Dead Redemption 2
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’ve resumed work 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.
Draft 3 is under way for The Spike Volume 2!
Volume 2 is my biggest and most complex project to date, containing three separate books from the perspectives of seven characters.
The aim is to finish 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 (that keeps growing) 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.
I have other project ideas that are on the backburner:
Project Lawless is a non-fiction book.
Project Fang is a fiction book that I’m still trying to work out a way to incorporate into The Spike.
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.
Court challenge over Met Police’s use of live facial recognition lost
Russia uses AI to hack Europe, Dutch intelligence warns
Scammers are becoming ever more sophisticated – this is what the fightback looks like
Inside Ukraine’s robot war revolution
What if time were reversed? Physicists show how time could flow backward on a quantum scale
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I’ve rewatched (more than once) the 1985 Live Aid performance by Queen.
The iconic crowd interaction is what most people seem to talk about, but one of the most interesting things to me was the amount of preparation they put in. Stories vary, but legend has it they booked out a theatre for several days to thoroughly rehearse their set. Despite their undoubted massive talents, they knew they still needed to put the work in, and that’s a great lesson for all creatives.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 