WeeklyWritingWrapup.20260801

An indie author’s regular spoiler-free update on his writing, editing, cover design, marketing, publishing, website maintenance, and blogging. Issue 87.
This week in one word: iterating.

my_writing_week

Previously on WWW…

In the coming week, I’ll publish my review of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, continue work on one or both of the covers for 1.1_Application_Infiltration and 1.2_Laying_Down_The_Law, and maybe for the second edition of Volume 1, plus I’ll continue revising Volume 2.

Similar to last week, most of my writing time the past seven days has been spent on cover design.

Just before the previous WWW, I’d come up with a new composition for the cover for The Spike 1.2_Laying_Down_The_Law. I wanted it to follow the same concept as the cover for 1.1_Application Infiltration and incorporate a photo of an object which interacts with the text of the title.
I used the Unsplash photo library to find several possible images of the object I wanted, and tried four different iterations, swapping around the colours and trying different photos. I’ve narrowed down my options until I’ve got all the right elements, but haven’t quite got the placement and proportion of everything right yet.

It’s occurred to me that, before I can design the cover for my short story collection, The Spike Volume 0, I need to collate the stories into one document so I know how many pages the book will be, how thick it will be, so I can design the cover to the correct size. And before I do that, the stories need to be in their finished state, which means I need to complete the final edits. That task has just been bumped up my priority list.

On Monday, I posted my review of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. My personal opinion didn’t match with my objective ranking, which made it interesting but tricky to score.

I continued revisions to The Spike Volume 2 with another two and a half chapters done – not much, but at least it’s still ticking along whilst I’ve got the cover design habit.
The changes I’m making at the moment are mostly small additions that tie back to Volume 1, either by adding necessary backstory for context of what’s happening in Volume 2, or actions that would be direct logical impacts of prior events.
Last night, about five minutes after lying down to go to sleep, I had another idea for a follow-on from Volume 1 to include in Volume 2. Frustrating as it may be, it’s a good sign that my subconscious is working things out even when I’m not actively thinking about it, and is one of the positives of immersing myself in writing every day.

On the subject of writing every day, I continued my streak (now up to 785 days) despite feeling really unwell on Thursday. I had an iron infusion on Monday to treat a Crohn’s symptom, and I regularly have a reaction on the third day following it, with flu-like symptoms. I struggled to 15 minutes, which still counts. Fortunately I felt better the next day.
That Thursday made a mark on my creativity vs consumption percentage for this week. It could have been so much better, but I still hit 50%, only a 1% drop from last week.
I’ve never done three weeks in a row at 50%+, so that gives me a target for next week. I’d like to get a streak going because my hatred for letting them end is a strong motivation (see: writing 15 minutes whilst really unwell on Thursday).

I haven’t finished reading a book this week, and probably won’t finish either of the two I’m reading before the next WWW, so there’s no imminent review to post.

In the coming week, I’ll continue with at least one of the three cover designs I have in progress. I want to finish edits on The Spike Volume 0 and continue revising The Spike Volume 2, but might only work on one of them.

As always, there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Reading this week: Contrapposto by Dave Eggers and Kill Switch by William Hertling
Watching this week: The Leftovers season 3
Playing this week: Black Book

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 working on a new cover design for a second edition of The Spike Volume 1, with two different versions being developed in tandem whilst I decide which colour layout I prefer.
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.

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.

weekly_inspiration

Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.

This week, I was gutted to hear of the passing of Irish musician Glen Hansard in a road traffic accident.

He first came to my attention playing a busker in the “indie musical” Once. The opening song on that soundtrack, Falling Slowly, later won him and Markéta Irglová an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2008.

He was a busker before he had success, and in 2010, after that Oscar win, he started an annual Christmas Eve busk in Dublin City Centre raising money for the homeless, performing with Bono, Sinéad O’Connor, Shane McGowan, and others.

I’ve enjoyed a lot of his music, but when I think of him, I’ll always see him on the street, belting his heart out. Here’s the opening scene of Once where he does just that.

What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.

See you next week.