Tag: fiction

My Writing Year – 2026

On By TomIn Achievement, author honesty, author ideas, beta readers, collections, editing, General, Insight, killing your darlings, Novel, reading, relaxation, self-publishing, series, thriller, work in progress, writingLeave a comment

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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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.