Last week
Last week, I managed to get my head into the other ocean I’ve been dipping my toes into. And very refreshing it was too. I sat down each morning with a bit of an inkling that I wouldn’t be able to do this book, then within literally seconds I was off, connecting boxes and themes.
The way I work is using a screenwriting approach. I break down the idea through a few stages, the penultimate of which is the outline, which is what I was working on. Usually, my books go to 40 chapters — 2000 words per chapter gives an 80,000 word novel, and that’s based on a few books’ worth of that analysis. It might sound cynical, but it gives a nice and balanced book pretty much straight off, rather than having to go through months of painful editing, like I have done.
Anyway, this new book is 111 chapters. It’s going to be massive. I know there are some gaps in there — my crime books are more like thrillers in terms of calendar, with the action happening quick and fast over a few days at most, with each scene leading into the next to build tension and keep you lot reading until the end. But this one takes place from early September to early December, so there are gaps of days in there, maybe even a week. And it’s less plot and more character.
Anyway, the first-cut outline is done. 14,500 words. Phew. And it’s off to my agent for a review, so I’ll hopefully know this week whether it hits the mark. Either way, I’ve loved working on something that wasn’t a police procedural.
This week
So, this week’s work is looking like the edit of A HILL TO DIE ON (Fenchurch 8, which you can pre-order here). I’ve got a solid idea for the ninth book, which will be December 2022, so I’ll do that as one of the two maximum police procedurals I write next year.
Hopefully I’ll get a bit of time to work out some of the kinks on LOST CAUSE, which I’d like to release sometime in Spring next year.
And I’m hoping I get the outline back for that new book, so I can tweak and amend or tear apart as necessary. And maybe get writing on it. I’ve suffered a bit of decision paralysis this year. I’ve had about six or seven ideas I could’ve written, but have felt the weight of the pressure to get them to be successful, so chose to do the final two Cullen & Bain books and a Fenchurch instead. Which is very conservative of me, unlikely to yield much financial success, and has also bored me a bit. So, striking while the iron is hot on something I’m very passionate about is going to be a good thing. A very good thing.
There’s going to be a lot of work on my advertising stuff, which is starting to bear fruit so I’m pleased with that, at least.
Have a good week, whatever you’re doing. I’ll be back here, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
Cheers,
Ed
Status 2021-10-11
Sounds like some of your mojo is back. Good news!