An indie author’s regular spoiler-free update on his writing, editing, cover design, marketing, publishing, website maintenance, and blogging. Issue 82.
This week in one word: overheating.
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Previously on WWW…
My priorities for next week are: 1) post my review of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro; 2) design the cover for The Spike Volume 1 second edition; 3) revise part 3 of The Spike Volume 2.
Three consecutive days with record temperatures for June in the UK this week. It’s almost as if the climate is changing.
The heat has made it difficult to sit and work for long periods, so whilst I sat down to work on my writing 20 times this week (before writing this WWW), only two sessions went beyond 45 minutes, mostly because I had to get up and try to cool down.
I did make some decent progress, though.
The task I spent the most time on this week was the cover design for The Spike Volume 1 second edition. I wrote last week that I’d had the idea to switch the colours around, tried it, but didn’t like it. Today, I’ve had another idea to change the colours and it looks pretty good.
I’m not convinced which version to go with, so I’ll continue working on both in tandem and make a decision once they’re nearer completion.
On Monday, I posted my review of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I’m not always a fan of novels that don’t have much plot, but I enjoyed this. It’s odd but thought-provoking.
In the revisions to The Spike Volume 2 part 3, I’d expected to rewrite chapter 0.2.3.8 due to a character trait that I’m bringing forward from an unreleased short story. Instead of mentioning the trait once during that chapter and explaining why the character no longer has it, I decided to reintroduce it only under very specific stress triggers, which will reveal something interesting about them in the finale. Plot and character are nothing without each other, or without the context of the world they’re in.
I needed to rewrite chapter 0.2.3.6, which took a while, and I continued up to 0.2.3.9. Only 56 chapters plus the epilogue to go!
I had an exciting new idea for a major event to happen after Volume 2, probably in Volume 3, and spent a little time brainstorming how the different characters would react. This is my favourite part of the writing process, so it was enjoyable imagining the repercussions and thinking through how they would interact with each other and impact the greater arc.
This is why I describe myself as an idea junkie.
On Thursday, I posted my latest blogpost: How to be good at being an introvert. If you prefer being alone instead of socialising, come join my club: we never meet up or interact; membership is a solo activity. It’s great!
My creativity vs consumption stats this week suffered from the aforementioned shorter working sessions caused by the stifling heat, but I did continue my upward trend from 34% last week to 45% this. That’s getting closer to my ideal 50/50 split, but with the day job being busy at the moment, and for another six weeks at least, I’m not going to put pressure on myself.
In the week ahead, I’ll finish reading The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow in the next few days so my review should go live shortly after. Beyond that, my twin main priorities remain the cover design for The Spike Volume 1 second edition, and revisions to part 3 of The Spike Volume 2.
Reading this week: The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow and The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Watching this week: The Leftovers season 2
Playing this week: n/a
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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.
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.
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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.
Five Eyes cyber security agencies statement. The AI shift in cyber risk: why leaders must act now
Why the tech industry wants to take away your screen
IBM has unveiled chip technology that could help extend Moore’s Law another decade
Gas stations are using AI to inflate prices, new lawsuit alleges
‘We had to get out of the way’: The backlash over delivery robots
Ten years on, Brexit’s economic impact is becoming clearer
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
I know a song is great when I listen to it for the first time in a while and have an emotional reaction. That happened today with Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
It’s the first track of theirs to become widely popular (deservedly so), but it nearly wasn’t the case. It was thought it shouldn’t be a single because it doesn’t have a chorus and is led by a mandolin, not the typical ingredients for a chart hit. Whoever made the decision to go for it was right.
Another fantastic example of creative rule-breaking paying off.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 