An indie author’s regular spoiler-free update on his writing, editing, cover design, marketing, publishing, website maintenance, and blogging. Issue 74.
This week in one word: braindead.
my_writing_week
Previously on WWW…
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.
Oh, how little I suspected…
From Sunday morning, I began coming down with another head cold (one month after the last) that impacted the whole week. Like the previous time, I gave myself grace and paused my creativity vs consumption records; also like the previous time, I did do at least a little work on my writing every day to push my streak up to 694 days.
But there isn’t much progress to report.
I finished and posted my review of All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu, a technothriller with some interesting ideas but with too many weaknesses. As mentioned last week, though, I did learn a lesson from it for my writing which I began to put into effect…
…in the minimal work I did on revising The Spike Volume 2. Whilst last week I worked on 17 chapters, this week it was only a few paragraphs. My brain was chugging more than an old Atari ST trying to run Cyberpunk 2077, so I didn’t trust myself to make major changes. I made a couple of small edits that add character more than story – nothing big, but every contribution counts.
I added a little more detail to the cover design for The Spike Volume 1 second edition.
I was struck by inspiration for my next blogpost and began work on it. Whenever the topic is based on a strong opinion, the first thing I do now is try to argue the other side, to see whether I can defend my initial impulse. Turns out I couldn’t, so that’s been shelved unless I perhaps make it more specific.
Afterwards, however, I did come up with a different topic that I very much like and will explore further. It came when I began reading the classic Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – see my weekly_inspiration below for the second way it’s inspired me in just the first few chapters.
Again, I didn’t touch the short story 0.6, or add anything more to The Spike Series Bible.
So given my lack of progress this week, my priorities for next week are mostly unchanged: 1) design the cover for The Spike Volume 1 second edition; 2) revise The Spike Volume 2; 3) write my next blogpost; 4) edit short story 0.6 and add the shorts to The Spike Series Bible.
I’m nearly over my cold, so fingers crossed for a much more productive week.
Reading this week: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 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.
UK cyber chiefs say it’s time to ditch passwords for passkeys – what are they?
Bosses Are Blowing More Money on AI Agents Than It’d Cost Them to Just Pay Human Workers
BCI startup Neurable looks to license its ‘mind-reading’ tech for consumer wearables
Met Police criticised over ‘intrusive’ use of AI
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I began reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and it was very quickly clear why this is a classic.
I’ll write a full review once I’ve finished reading it so won’t go into too many of my initial impressions. Instead, I’m focussing on one particular dream sequence in the fifth chapter that was disturbing and difficult to read. This is only the second book I can remember reading with a section so unpleasant that I wanted to skip ahead (the other being American Psycho), but this time it wasn’t about gore or the choice of words, although obviously they made some of the impact. It was the pacing and structure of the sequence I found most interesting: he hinted what was going to happen; slowly built the tension and discomfort; then exceeded the horror that was promised. It was masterfully done.
I don’t think I have the need for this kind of sequence in the near future (maybe one day), but this was a lesson that will stick with me.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 