Category: writing

Progress and Pleasure

On By TomIn Achievement, author honesty, author ideas, beta readers, collections, editing, General, Insight, killing your darlings, Novel, reading, series, thriller, work in progress, writing2 Comments

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.

Admit when you’re wrong

On By TomIn Achievement, author honesty, author ideas, beta readers, editing, General, Insight, killing your darlings, Novel, reading, relaxation, Review, self-publishing, thriller, work in progress, writing

For a few months, I’ve been working simultaneously on different projects. This has always been an effective way for me to keep the ideas and words flowing, therefore avoiding the dreaded writer’s block. My method has a drawback that I’ve only experienced twice before, but it happened recently.

Whilst on a caravanning holiday in the Scottish Highlands, I reread MacLennan from the beginning, and found that although I’d produced lots of words, the story I’d created wouldn’t have captured and held the attention of a reader. I removed and saved approximately 20,000 words to a folder designated for that purpose, and then I began reworking the remainder.

Over a period of ten days, during early morning sessions and occasional hours spent sitting in the awning, I applied myself to injecting more intrigue, suspense, and action, and the words flowed once again. Like many of you other scribes out there, I know when the story feels ‘right’, and I’m pleased to say that in its new format, MacLennan is in that category.

Yes, we must all have self-belief, but we must all be brutally honest with ourselves. We must utilise beta readers, editors, and anyone else recommended for guidance and the polishing of a tale. It remains, however, our responsibility as authors to produce our best efforts at each stage.

It’s vitally important to admit when you’re wrong.

I now have 50,000 words, and I’m comfortable with the new characters, those being reintroduced, and the pace, which is crucial in such a story. The action works, and so do the occasional breathing spaces, so I feel I have another viable thriller in the making. It may or may not be ready for publication by the end of the year, but I’m in no rush.

I’ll give plenty of notice in the IASD group on Facebook with an approximate date for when I’d appreciate beta readers.

If you’d like a flavour of the story, here is a link to Chapter 1, The Invisible Man.

As always, comments are welcome. Thank you for visiting.