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July was way busier than expected, filled with plenty of notable writing updates throughout—all in the run-up to my son breaking up for the summer.
You see, last month I wrote about challenging myself to complete the editing of my second Ultraverse novel, Evolution, before school ended for the holidays.
It was a firm deadline, one that crept ever closer in a month filled with attending events in London, getting horrendously ill, the little thing of celebrating my birthday, starting to plot a new short story, and a surprising first for my author journey.
So, the question becomes…was I successful? Did I manage a full two-fold edit of Evolution?
Read on and find out below! |
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Editing Evolution
I mentioned above how I wanted to do a two-fold edit of Evolution.
In case you’re wondering what I meant by that, it’s this:
- Read and edit the story, tightening, honing, and removing chunks as needed based on the beta reader notes I received
- Once that’s done, put the edited manuscript through a Pro Writing Aid edit, allowing me to finesse and hew the writing and grammar, making it as tight as possible
So, with the challenge set, needing to complete two full passes before my son’s school broke up for summer, working diligently against the clock with a deadline ever looming…did I do it? Was I able to edit the manuscript twice and get it ready for my editor?
Short answer: No. Yes. But not totally. So, sort of? But also, kinda.
I was able to finish the initial redraft and get about 70% through the PWA edit before Austin’s school broke up, working around times when he was with Thea or visiting his Nana.
It was a difficult endeavour, especially as I got horrendously sick for a week in early July. That saw me laid up in bed, unable to really do anything. At first, I attributed it to bad hay fever, but given how absolutely out of it I was, I must have caught something.
All I knew was that I was losing writing time, so I forced myself to edit a few days before I was really feeling better. Fingers crossed those particular sessions, edited during a sickness-induced haze, are to the same standard I tried to hit throughout the whole process.
I’m sure it is.
Right?
We’ll see. If I eventually get notes from my editor to the effect of “really good all around, but what happened here?” referencing a hyperspecific section…well…
So, yeah. The momentum I’d gained and maintained in late June/early July was sadly derailed.
I usually begrudgingly accept being sick, allowing myself time to wallow, often accompanied by several horror movies, but because I had a deadline and active motivation, it was hard to accept that I should probably rest until Thea made me.
Seven-ish days later, I was back in the chair, catching up for lost time.
Now, it’s not easy reading through a manuscript with an eye on editing everything, everywhere, all at once. Breaking it into two stages is super helpful for me and my specific process as I can approach it twice with strict focus and purpose.
It undeniably adds to the overall process (mine is, I believe, pretty convoluted and definitely falls into some weird hyper-obsessive, OCD compulsion), but I feel as though I am being more thorough because of it. So it’s worth it. To me. Your mileage may vary. That being said, I have no doubt a few typos or minor sentence errors still made it through, much to my chagrin.
Spoiler: they always do, even in traditionally published books. Yes, even the classics. Those little fuckers find a way to slip in, no matter how many eyes go over them.
To bring this back on track, I was able to complete the initial story-honing edit before Austin broke up despite being bed-bound for a week. I let it rest a few days to allow my brain and creative spirit to recover and reset before jumping back in for the PWA edit, a process that I completed days after my son broke up for summer.
Still, to take a step back and look at the big picture, that’s an approximate 85k words edited twice over, leaving me with a manuscript that’s now ready to be sent to my editor. Once that’s done, I’ll be that much closer to getting this story into your hands as we revisit Five Star City and carry on Neon’s journey!
Oh, you’re not familiar with Neon? Weird. Sounds like you need to read the free short story you got by signing up to this very newsletter!
Christmas in July
It’s an odd thing being an author sometimes.
There are the big, obvious things like creating worlds and characters, having them interact only to take a life of their own, often propelling the story in unplanned directions.
And then there are the quieter, odder moments. Moments that are smaller in scope than the sweeping creation of a narrative, but part of the process nonetheless.
This particular example saw me sitting alone in a pub on Charing Cross Road, London, on a sweltering day.
As the mercury crept up, gripping the capital in a heatwave, I was enjoying an ice-cold pint with an open notebook, my headphones playing “Last Christmas” by Wham! Along the top page was my scrawled chicken scratch writing, reading “Steen 0.5”.
You see, I was in London that day for a special Death Stranding 2 event, featuring the iconic video game auteur Hideo Kojima (more on this later). This technically took place on June 30th, but considering June’s Recap had already been sent out, it felt appropriate to include it in this month’s issue.
But, yeah, there in London, in one of my favourite pubs—a place I’ve been frequenting since first attending concerts that also happens to be a stone’s throw from the old location of the Astoria (RIP)—I began plotting the early narrative structure of what will become Steen 0.5, a short story set at Christmas (hence the season appropriate music I forced upon myself during a heatwave).
Having hit up my regular London spots upon arrival, I nestled into the pub for the majority of the day, waiting for a friend before attending the DS2 event.
I was able to get a lot done because of it, even with a few pints in me, imbibed purely as a means to cool me down.
Promise.
Maybe it made the story better.
Who knows?
So if you’re a Steen fan or subscribed to the newsletter because of your love for a certain surly Canuck, take heart that there’s more on the horizon!
Achievement Unlocked
The last writerly update I want to share is a pretty personal achievement for me: my books are now officially in a library for the first time ever!
Steen, Burden, and Temporary are now all available to borrow from my local library—the very library I frequent with my son as I try to help foster and fuel his love for story and reading.
It’s an awesome feeling knowing people in my area are now able to discover my work and may, hopefully, tell their friends or family, sharing the stories so more people can find them. It’s really low-level, grassroots stuff, but I’m grateful to the library for being open-minded enough to have them on their shelves at all.
There were a lot of emails sent back and forth, and some time waiting as someone was on holiday, before it was explained to me that, because my books are self-published, the library couldn’t order them directly through their system, and so would need to be donated to be added and placed on the shelves.
Hell to the freakin’ yeah, man. Let’s do it!
So thanks again to my local library for being so open to indie authors, letting me have a place on the shelves, and hopefully connecting my stories with some new readers along the way!
To date, my books have now been stocked and sold in a brick-and-mortar store at Lighthouse Comics, have been hand selected and featured in an indie subscription box with Your Paper Quest, helped me be part of a panel at a book festival where I spoke on writing horror, have reached #1 within their specific genres on Amazon, and are now available in a library!
To be candid, sales could be better without a doubt, but, man…looking at that list, it’s hard not to feel some pride!
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Keep On Keeping On The Beach
Like many, I’ve been a fan of Hideo Kojima since Metal Gear Solid on PlayStation. I know the games and lore go back a bit before that, but MGS on the PS1 was my first introduction to Kojima and that kind of stylised, cinematic game chock full of social commentary.
I’ve followed his career since, but only got around to playing Death Stranding last year. I was put off thanks to the overall look and negative commentary on the game: a walking simulator with missions predicated on infinite delivery and fetch quests, endless traversal, etc. Everything about it was the antithesis of what I generally look for in a game.
But when Death Stranding Director’s Cut became available on PS+, I figured why not give it a go? I had nothing to lose as I’d already paid for the subscription.
For a game that, on paper, is the exact opposite of what I personally find fun in video games…I wasn’t prepared for how immersive, captivating, and enjoyable it would be, even with the pre-requisite Kojima weirdness.
Death Stranding is a game that has stayed with me months after completing it because of how it tackled the very things I thought I’d hate about it. It’s also one of the most thematically rich games I’ve ever experienced.
So, unsurprisingly, I was super stoked for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. It is currently set as my “You Survived the Summer. Go You!” game to play once Austin goes back to school in September (which feels like an age away as I write this!).
When I discovered Kojima would be in London as part of the Death Stranding 2 World Tour, I knew I wanted to be there to see the maestro in person. So, securing kind of last-minute tickets, I went up to London on the last day of June, hunkered down in a pub and started work on Steen 0.5 as I waited for my Resi Bro to arrive before we headed over for the Death Stranding event.
Given the type of event it was, who was involved, and what it was celebrating, I expected a seated venue with air con (heatwave weather, if you remember).
Instead, we all got herded into a venue better suited for a gig. It gave it a cool punk rock vibe, true, but the space soon became filled and we were soon all shoulder to shoulder with fellow Kojima fans, all sweating buckets.
Seeing footage from other dates around the world only heightened my relative envy as, believe it or not, pretty much every other Death Stranding World Tour date were seated in comfortable venues. Probably with air con and without people pressing into you from every angle.
Here in London? Fuck it, stick ‘em all in a pen and charge the lunatics for the privilege.
Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome seeing Kojima for an event that was hosted by none other than Geoff Keighley and boasted surprise appearances from Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux alongside musical performances, including from CHVRCHES playing one of the standout tracks from Death Stranding…but it would have been undeniably more enjoyable without having to play Sweaty Sardine Simulator.
And now to survive the summer, keep on keeping on, have fun with Austin, and count down the days until I can finally experience DS2.
Birthday Boy
My birthday is in July, and I usually take the time to embrace it, treating myself to one too many baked goods or sweet treats along the way.
This year was sadly impacted by my being ill in the run-up to the date itself. I also received some surprising and upsetting bad news days before. Still, despite it all, the day itself was a great albeit very chilled affair.
My son was at school, so Thea and I took the opportunity to actually catch a movie together at the cinema for once.
We watched Superman and, although I have some thoughts and opinions on the movie overall, I had a good time with it. Based on the trailers I’d seen, I went into the flick with the understanding that this wouldn’t really be “my” version of Superman, and, honestly, I’m glad I had that self-awareness—especially when considering the toxic online discourse that’s still being waged over the Man of Steel and James Gunn.
Following the movie, we picked up my son and went into town for a lovely steak meal at an Argentinean restaurant. Pricey as hell, but also one of the best meals I’ve had in recent memory, and quite possibly the best meal I’ve had since moving to this area a few years ago.
Then, blink, and it’s over. Done. Finito. Another one in the books. Here and gone far too quickly. As they always are.
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RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop
This month’s recommendation is RoboDoc, a 4+ hour deep dive into the creation of 1987’s RoboCop—a flick that, if you haven’t watched it in a while, or if you’ve somehow never seen, you should absolutely stick on ASAP.
I, for one, have fallen down a total RoboCop rabbit hole since watching it whilst sick in bed. I’ve always been a fan of RoboCop and its overt satire and commentary on big business, corporations, and government, but this documentary helped me appreciate the characters, Robo’s creation, its satirical commentary, grandiose violence, and the movie itself all the more.
Rewatching RoboCop after this series really helps highlight its razor-sharp commentary, underlining why someone like Paul Verhoeven (the same director behind Starship Troopers, incidentally) was the perfect choice to bring it to life.
RoboCop is a lot smarter, funnier, and tragic than an initial first blush opinion could possibly provide. There’s so much depth to the man vs machine exploration of Murphy/Robo and the documentary isn’t shy to explore this, the explosive troubles and tension on set, the funny anecdotes and memories of filming the damn thing, and its surprising success following its release in great detail.
With that kinda runtime, it better, right?
So, if you’ve ever enjoyed RoboCop, you should definitely consider making your way through this extensive documentary. You may not be able to buy it for a dollar, but you can watch it on Amazon Prime in the UK as of the time of writing.
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In case you haven't picked up your copy of Burden, you can do so right now as an eBook or paperback! Or, if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can check it out via KU!
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UNTIL NEXT TIME
Be sure to recommend my books and The Recap, follow me on the socials, and remember you can also support me with a cup of coffee on Ko-Fi!
Take care and all the best. |
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