Achievement

My new writing year saw me focusing on a hard-copy edit of MacLennan. This new story features a male vigilante-style character loosely based on the lead in my short story, Resettlement, which appears in my anthology, Shadow: and Other Stories. It was fellow author, Barbara Speake who suggested that the theme of the Resettlement story would work well in a longer form.

I expected that the initial manuscript of 118k words would be reduced during a thorough edit, but more than one scene developed which caused the word count to rise to 120k. In the next full edit which will take place in February, I’ll continue to develop, but cut where needed, simultaneously killing my ‘darlings’.

During the edit, I amended the opening chapter, which I believe is now more effective. The new version is available here on my blog if you’d like to select Chapter 1 – The Invisible Man.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, Helen, initially a minor player, has now earned her place in a future story and will feature in her own book, Codename: Larkspur.

What else have I got lined up to work on this year?

Selena: Sea Nymph has been a work in progress over the past couple of years, and I’ll continue the job this year. I don’t rush a story, so like some others before it, this one may continue to simmer on the back-burner as I continue with other projects.

As a non-swimmer and, therefore, someone who’s never been keen on waterspouts or travel by boat, I will be literally out of my depth in some parts of the story. In my favour, many years ago I attended a two-week swimming course, so I’m not without experience when it comes to spending time underwater. My imagination, coupled with a lifelong interest in natural history and a nod to conservation, will play their parts in the storytelling.

As is my habit with my Work in Progress files, I’ll work on A Life of Choice: The Retail Years when the other two stories are resting between drafts. This story stems from the idea that we relate anecdotes and say things like, ‘I could write a book about it.’ It was as recently as November 2024 when I decided I’d aim to do that. I chose the title to fit with A Life of Choice, my five-book series loosely based on my military career. As with my military memoirs, I’ll be in no rush with this story, but I foresee it as a single volume in a different format to the series. When I eventually have something to offer for feedback, I’ll post a chapter here on my blog.

I will, as usual, offer my services as a beta-reader to fellow authors whenever time and my productivity allow.

I sincerely thank my regular readers for choosing and supporting my brand. If you’re new to my writing, I hope you’ll soon become one of my valued readers.

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MacLennan has been one of those stories that started well, then, like a fighter jet in a climb, stalled and, for a while, looked like it would come screaming back to earth. Fortunately, having been trained to deal with such frightening situations (the story stalling, not the jet), I fought the controls, and moments before I blacked out from the G-force, I pulled out of the dive and flew on to continue the mission.

Apart from amending both the strap line and the blurb, the more astute among you will have noticed that I’ve also changed the spelling from McLennan to MacLennan. There is a reason for the specific spelling, and it is revealed within the story.

The first draft is now complete, at 120,000 words, so the easy part is done. I’m certain that when I’ve reread from the beginning, and made copious separate notes, the word count will reduce and increase with each successive edit. Fellow authors familiar with my method and work will know that I don’t set a tight publication deadline, so the ballpark date is late March/early April 2026.

What was the secret weapon that brought me back from the headache of rewriting scenes and switching characters in and out?

Two things brought the story clearly into focus, and both were character-related.

The first was the introduction of Helen, whom the main character meets early in the story. She, in turn, takes an interest in his situation, and by coincidence, she has a contact who regularly deals with such issues as MacLennan’s. I was reminded of when I wrote Crusader, and how Constance captured my imagination when she came on the scene.

Suffice to say, that once again, I’ve employed a blend of fast-paced action and violence, combined with brief periods of a more settled nature. Importantly, as the tale developed, I began to enjoy it more, and for me, that is crucial. If I don’t find pleasure in the writing, the end product won’t work for readers. Fans of my Beyond The Law trilogy and the spin-offs will be pleased to know that a few old (and young) favourites make an appearance.

As I said earlier in this post, the easy part is now done, so over the following three months, I’ll reread the manuscript, edit it, print it, reread it, edit it again, rest it, and continue with that sequence until I feel it’s ready for beta readers to both enjoy and dissect for feedback.

For anyone interested in seeing how MacLennan gets underway, I’ve updated the first chapter here on my blog. As a guide, Chapter 1 – The Invisible Man is 3,200 words, so about the equivalent of a short story.

Yes, Codename: Larkspur is an addition to my Work in Progress list, and another spin-off from my BTL ‘universe’ as Rudders refers to the stories. I aim to produce an introductory chapter soon to offer a flavour of how Helen evolved to become Larkspur.

As always, comments are welcome, and thank you for reading.