The Fiction Factory

Writing Update

It’s been an odd couple of weeks. I’ve been doing a lot of taking stock and planning which is all part of the process, but few words have been written. This is fine, because I need a break now and again. The effort involved in outlining a new novel at the start of the year – when I really didn’t have the mind space for it – seems to have taken it out of me and that along with the dreich weather resulted in me taking a break and leaving the draft alone. I’m so pleased I have the outline, but the thought of writing the draft has been a daunting one.

I have many stories on the go, so I need to decide what to write next. The follow up to The Kill Chain, called The Kill Switch, is with my publisher. I have no idea if this will be picked up, or whether I have to wait another year before I can take this elsewhere. That’s been parked for now. I have ideas for subsequent novels in this series, but these are on hold. I have outlines for them and odd ideas pop up now and again for inclusion. I could at any moment start on one of these, but for now I’m happy they are lying in wait.

I have produced a cover for what was known as The Canongate Containment. This novel is more or less ready to go and is now called Deflection Point. I was down in the Canongate in Edinburgh last week, taking further pictures in and around the numerous Closes, confirming my dystopian take on what is a real area of the city. I have the odd tweak to make to location and the naming of some of the places, but an hour or two should take care of that. I’m in two minds whether to query this one or to put it out. The follow up to this novel is around two thirds drafted but stalled while I outlined and started a new novel about Artificial Intelligence. I’m a couple of chapters in, but have since been debating the wisdom over carrying on when I have other work to complete. I did think I would nail the first draft, but it didn’t happen.

I have a novella available for download called EVA. Some feedback questioned the ending and this led me to outline a sequel. The only thing to do now is to write it out and come up with a title. At present it’s known as EVA II. The same goes for a new novella called Algorithm and another novella called Magic. The outlines are complete, along with odd paragraphs and dialogue in draft, so again I just need to get to work and finish them up. The novella called Magic, may be a full-length novel. I won’t know until I start writing. The outline suggests it could be, but I don’t know if that would be stretching the idea too far, and won’t know until the draft is underway.

The Copernicus Coercion has a follow up in draft, but I haven’t had the mindset to take this to a stage where it can be read. The Clockmaker Conspiracy has had a structural edit and has a plan to turn the book into something that could be my best work. It is my biggest project in the pipeline. The scale of the task is causing me to put it to one side and distract myself with other projects. I’m aware of this, so that’s progress. Whether I will do anything about it, is open to debate.

I could decide to finish up all of the above, resulting in space to get on with Clockmaker. I imagine however, that by the time I do this, I will have a number of new ideas for stories that will be in outline ready to draft. So I will never get there. Along with the novels and novellas noted, I have another novel in outline which has been started – this is about A.I. and a nuclear bunker and a plan for another which revolves around time travel.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I have wondered if I would be able to write more if I wasn’t working fulltime in a demanding role. I suspect I would be able to write a little more, but I have other interests as well and these are also competing for what time I have available.

Today, my thinking is to complete the draft of the A.I. novel I have started. I’m giving a talk on this area at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, so that ties in nicely with that. I’ve also been asked to give a talk on A.I. and cyber security next month so I’m busy writing that up and again some of the aspects I’m talking on will feature in the novel. As I finish this blog piece, the notion of writing the third book in the Kill series is looming large as that may be a useful piece to have ready to go for the start of next year along with The Kill Switch. Plenty to be getting on with.