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Yes, he's still alive, LOL.
As ever, I've been busy writing, rewriting, shaking my fist at the screen, and abandoning all kinds of things over the year, so here is a brief summary of the main active projects:
1) a story set in the Star Wars universe, original characters only, of what happens when a Force sensitive slave dancer hides on the ship of someone who might be a little bit Sith in order to escape what was about to happen to her next. First draft is pretty much done, then I take a break for a little while to let it settle, and then back in. Not too long, either, so I don't get the paralysis of editing something the length of War and peace.
2) a story set in the Star Trek universe, original characters again, of a woman with a seemingly unique ability which Star Fleet keep using her for. She wants out. StarFleet are not the good guys in this.
3) a story about a father and daughter taking a themed summer holiday together in a camper van. This was originally meant to be part one of something larger, but it needs a little more time to 'cook' in order to make it a standalone, as 85k words for an introduction to two characters is excessive.
4) Greyshough. Yeah, that one. Book One has been rewritten, removing Leri, and zipping along with a little more focus, even though I miss her presence. Book Two is complete but for a couple of chapters, but that's where I hit a roadblock in that, once again, it was sprawling out of control. A newly introduced character really needs excising, and Book Three's plot points need folding into Book Two to make it have a better and swifter ending. My first 'big' project for 2026 once (1) and (2) get polished and published.
5) Summer 76, the story of a brother and sister, left alone in their holiday caravan over the summer, and their adventures. Although I know what happens to them by the end of that summer, and a lot of things they get up to, it feels a little unfocused in that each chapter is just another 'what tomfoolery can we get up to today' kind of deal. Fun to write, but needs more focused plotlines for the main characters. It also might benefit from some kind of antagonist, but I've no idea who or how that could happen. It might also help to break it into definitive beginning-middle-end 'books', each one covering an in-story week of shenanigans.
6) The Herefordshire Cottage. The story of an autistic young man, moving with his father to a cottage on the outskirts of a village, and encountering a singular young woman. This is still being plotted out as the premise is good and the first couple of chapters are zipping along, but it lacks for something to add dramatic tension.
And that's it other than a few sketches to test characters, work on my music, and taking my dog for three walks a day; he insists.
Happy Holidays, folks.
CH
Well now, seems like I might have done a little more damage to myself when I fell than I realised. Took about 5 weeks for most of it to resolve itself, but I still have some occasional pain, my wrist is in no way capable of bearing any weight, and I can only just about turn a door handle without it making me wince. Tendon damage.
This means I'm still on 'light duties' at the moment, noodling around other things, just a few paragraphs a day if that as I wait for things to improve.
So for now I'm enjoying the new 1.20 of Vintage Story and writing a couple of shorter things in the Star Trek universe of the original series. At least the conclusion to Greyshough is pretty solid now, I just need to edit/rewrite book 2 and write the majority of book 3 which, hopefully, will go easily since I know where it's all headed - for a genuine The End.
Cheers,
Clee
For those wondering, the wholescale rewrite of Book 2 is going well with new characters slotting in, old characters moving out, and plotting changes to accommodate it all.
Unfortunately, I fell over recently and damaged my left hand. It's nothing too bad or permanent, but it does meant that most writing is on hold as I cannot dictate the changes as I edit; I think with my hands when I write.
So there's a slight hiccup, nothing derailing, and giving me a few weeks to think and plot before I get back to it.
Cheers,
CH
The good part is I finished rewriting Book 1 and am much happier with how things work.
I think I might need a few days off as I'm feeling a little burned out because, obsessive as I am, I did the whole thing in 10 days. That's 250k words. Ah.
The less good part is Book 2 is going to need a lot of work, bringing in the antagonist, changing minor characters, and removing a main character. It's also 450k words. Oh.
As for Book 3 where it ends, all I have at the moment are scenes or fragments of chapters where I was basically telling myself what is going to happen. I know how the story ends for my protagonists, but want to add a little more of a threat to them so it is more than a simple walkthrough to the end credits. No idea how many words that might take. Hmm.
So, yes I'm writing again, but Lord do I have a lot more writing to do before I want to start posting. At the very least I want a full draft for Book 3, maybe a second draft (I aim for 3, with the last being a proofreading).
Or.
Instead of driving myself insane editing such a colossus, I skim through to arrange a calandar of what happens with whom and when -- and start over, fresh page, and see how that looks. Hmm. It may be time to crack out the old notes and see how doable that still is.
Ho Hum,
Clee
...you go back to something from a few years ago with an idea how to make it better, and find it is almost physically painful as you cut a main character out of a story.
...how you had conflated what you had published with what you had written, meaning most of what I was thinking was already in the published story is not.
...when you look how much first draft continuation you wrote back then and see it was a lot.
...when new characters and situations keep you awake as you imagine them through.
Don't go holding your breath, but we'll see. At least I ain't dead.
Cheers,
Clee
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