An indie author’s regular spoiler-free update on his writing, editing, cover design, marketing, publishing, website maintenance, and blogging. Issue 95.
This week in one word: unison.
my_writing_week
Previously on WWW…
For the coming week, my review of The Dark Side of Super by Matthew Siadak is scheduled for Monday; then my top two priorities are the cover for The Spike 1.1_Application_Infiltration, and revisions to The Spike Volume 2.
As I sat down to write this, I realised there’s been an unintentional theme running through most of what I’ve done this week, even including the song I selected as the weekly_inspiration.
My main focus was revising The Spike Volume 2. I’m working down the list of remaining changes I want to make, and this week all of the revisions I made were about joining dots: links back to Volume 1, foreshadowing a new addition I’m going to make to the Vol2 epilogue, and sowing seeds for storylines that will appear in Volume 3 (or beyond).
of course every change relates to something else, but these were specifically about making the whole series feel more cohesive.
I have a slight suspicion that, with all these revisions, there may be too much exposition. I won’t know until I read through the whole book.
One possible solution is something I’ve been considering for a while anyway, which is to include a quick recap of Volume 1 within Volume 2. It would lessen the necessity to squeeze in some of what happened in the first book, that can only really be exposition unless I use flashbacks, which I don’t want to do.
Having a recap at the front of Volume 2 also reaffirms the connection with Volume 1, which is especially important as the Volume 2 prologue continues from where the Volume 1 epilogue left off. It brings the two volumes together a bit more.
I’ve made some progress with the cover for The Spike 1.1_Application_Infiltration this week. Having decided that the last part of detail I needed to do could be echoed in the cover for The Spike Volume 1 second edition, and link all three covers together, I spent some time trying a few different methods, and I think I’ve finally nailed down how I’m going to do it.
Now I just need to actually do it, which will be time-consuming.
And then I’ll eventually need to repeat it on the Volume 1 second edition cover.
I wrote more for my publication blogpost series, a collection of posts about Volume 1 and my writing that are intended to go live around the time The Spike Volume 1 second edition is published. I finished the second post and began the third; I’m planning between eight and eleven, so still more to do.
My review of The Dark Side of Super by Matthew Siadak was posted on Monday. It’s a collection of linked short stories about the drawbacks of superpowers, and is well worth a read if you want to see a slightly different spin on superheroes.
That was the 23rd book I’ve read in 2026, well past my target of 18 and the same as I read in the whole of 2025. Choosing to write a review for each book has encouraged me to be more analytical, which has in turn helped my own writing. Not only am I more able to spot any weaknesses, but it introduces me to tools or methods I may not have thought to use otherwise.
This week has been the tenth in a row hitting at least 50/50 for my creativity vs consumption, with bang on 50%. I’m pretty confident I can maintain this streak for the next two weeks, but the week after that I’m on holiday from the day job and will have a lot of free time. I’m considering treating one/some of the days as “working days” on my writing and doing a 9 to 5. But I need rest too.
For the week ahead, I have two top priorities – the cover for The Spike 1.1_Application_Infiltration and revisions to The Spike Volume 2 – but as both of those require a good chunk of time to work on properly, I’ll continue writing my publication blogpost series when I have shorter opportunities.
Reading this week: Neuromancer by William Gibson and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Watching this week: Peaky Blinders season 4 (rewatch) and Colin from Accounts season 3
Playing this week: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
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. One of the new three is ready to go; the other two require some final editing. I may submit the new three to journals or short story collections, but all will be published by Arrowmaker Books some time before Volume 2 is published.
I’m working 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. Both 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 shelved Project Lawless Fang for the time being. It’s unrelated to The Spike series (at least for now).
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I’ve been listening to Vespertine by Björk whilst working on my cover design, and particularly the final track, Unison.
It’s a beautiful song but her performance elevates it. No-one sings like Björk, and the big finale is spine-tingling.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
