The Writer’s Diary: Audio Excitement, The Void, and Roman Revenge

Writing, writing and more writing

​The momentum from the Open Novella Contest hasn't slowed down; if anything, it has branched out into half a dozen new directions. It is a busy time in the pond, but a very rewarding one.

​Memory Letters Properly Moves to Audio

​Now that Memory Letters has been through its rigorous editing phases, I have officially sent the full manuscript over to the Voice Artist who will be bringing Jane Newton’s story to life. Seeing the final word count settle and handing it off for the audio version feels like a massive milestone. I can’t wait to hear how the claustrophobic tension of the setting translates into a performance.

​Refreshing the Veil

​With the bulk of the ONC heavy lifting behind me and the long wait for results stretches ahead, I’ve returned to Sanctorum’s Veil. 

Before the ONC I'd already written over 15,000 words, in 12 chapters. Therefore, to get my head back in the game I've decided to give the existing chapters a total refresh. It’s amazing how much your perspective changes after a sprint like the ONC; I’m finding new ways to sharpen the world-building and the stakes before I push forward into new territory.

​A "Hypewriter" Hopeful

​I’ve also sent my short story, Only Three Pills Left, over to the team at the Failing Writers Podcast (https://www.failingwriterspodcast.com/). They suggested sending along the story so they could either review or use it in one of their regular features. I’m hoping they might consider it for their "Hypewriter" feature. However, it does exceed their usual word limit guidelines, so it’s a bit of a long shot. They've given me positive feedback when I've sent them contest entries so I thought it was well worth a try!

​Introducing: The Voidborne Saga

​The HFY project I’ve been teasing now has a name: The Voidborne Saga. This is planned as a three-book series exploring a unique human edge. They have the ability to perceive and navigate "the void" through telekinetic and psychic means.

​The story kicks off when the human ship, the Sol Explorer, crosses paths with a scout patrol from the Renth Hegemony. I’m still toying with the perfect title for Book One, but the "Humanity First" themes are already feeling very strong and chapter one has already been drafted. 

​From the Archives: Forever Jupiter

​Finally, I’ve decided to reach back in time to 2022 and revive a novella called Forever Jupiter. The original is around 22,000 words long and I want to now expand this into a full-length novel (and I'm already thinking of a sequel).

​It follows James Hamlin, a man who was once a Roman Senator during the signing of the Pax Romana in 27BCE. Fast forward to the modern day, and Hamlin is forced into action when another former senator from his past begins targeting his loved ones. It’s a blend of historical legacy and modern-day thriller that I’m really excited to rework.

The Writer’s Diary: Draft One, Audio Deals, and Groundhog Days

Moving Forward: Round Three and Spanish Sunshine

​It has been a whirlwind fortnight, but I’m coming out the other side with some fantastic news. If you’re reading this on or after Monday, 13th April, then the wait is finally over... I am thrilled to announce that Memory Letters has officially made the cut for Round 3 of the Open Novella Contest!

​Qualifying for Round 2 was a massive boost, and it clearly lit a fire under me. I’ve been typing away at a frantic pace to stay ahead of the game; though I have to admit, a few days away in Spain certainly helped clear the head and keep the inspiration flowing. There’s something about a change of scenery that makes the words come a little easier.

​Knowing that I’ve secured my place in the next round is a brilliant feeling. However, regardless of the official lists and milestones, the work hasn't stopped. My fingers are still flying over the keyboards as I move from drafting into the all-important polish. We’re into the final stretch now, and I’m ready to see Jane’s story through to the end.

​Memory Letters: The First Draft is In

​I am also incredibly pleased to say that I’ve officially completed the first full draft of Memory Letters!

​What started as a claustrophobic idea in my head has blossomed, thanks to a prompt on the ONC, into a 17-chapter techno-thriller. It is currently sitting at just over 32,200 words, and I’m now deep in the editing phase. The final count will likely fluctuate as I tighten the screws on Jane’s story.

​If you’ve been following along on Wattpad, Chapters 1 to 12 are already live and ready for your eyes. I’ll be releasing the final chapters soon as the "polish" is finished.

And then on to the next phase for this story...

​A Voice for the Story

​In some rather unexpected and exciting news, I’ve already secured an audiobook partner for Memory Letters.

​We’ve verbally agreed on a 50/50 royalty split, with the ultimate goal of publishing the story on Audible. This is a huge step for me, though we’re holding off on production until the ONC has officially wrapped. There’s something special about hearing your characters come to life, and I can’t wait to share more as this develops.

​Something Free: "Only Three Pills Left"

​While the novels take up a lot of my headspace, I’ve also been tidying up my shorter works. I’ve decided to update my author website with a free, downloadable version of my short story, Only Three Pills Left.

​It’s a high-concept sci-fi story that plays with the "Groundhog Day" trope—but in true diary fashion, it has a much darker twist than Bill Murray ever faced. You can grab it in both ePub and PDF formats right now.

The Writer’s Diary: Round Two, Data-Driven Drafting, and Queue-Side Chapters

It's getting technical

​We’ve officially hit the business end of March. It’s been a fortnight of technical tweaks and steady progress, and I’m feeling a real sense of achievement as the "data" starts to back up the creative effort in the pond.

​Round Two is In the Bag

​The biggest milestone this week is that Memory Letters has officially been submitted for Round 2 of the Open Novella Contest.

​The requirement was to reach 8,000 words by the end of the month, but I’ve managed to sail well past that. I’m currently sitting at over 22,000 words. Jane’s story is reaching a fever pitch, and having the bulk of the required writing done so early has allowed me to really focus on the tension of the prose.

​The Mobile Studio & Writing on the Move

​One of the reasons I’ve been able to maintain this pace is my "platform-agnostic" approach to the craft. I’m a firm believer that the best time to write is whenever you have a spare minute.

​Whether I’m on my Windows laptop at my desk, lounging in the living room with my Samsung tablet, or out and about with phone, the story is always with me. In fact, I’ve been known to draft entire chapters while standing in queues for theme park rides! If I’ve got my phone in my hand, the work doesn't have to stop. It’s a great way to turn "dead time" into productive milestones.

​A Writer’s Dashboard

​To keep track of all this multi-device progress, I’ve recently shifted my workflow entirely into Google Docs. Being a bit of a tech enthusiast, I’ve written a custom automated script for my Memory Letters document.

​It isn’t just a simple word counter; it provides a comprehensive breakdown of the story as I write. The script handles:

• ​Chapter-by-Chapter Tracking: Monitoring the flow and length of every scene.
• Goal Progress: Real-time updates on how close I am to my defined targets.
• Reading Time Insights: Helping me understand the "pace" from a reader’s perspective.
• ​Contest Milestones: It actually flags exactly where the specific narrative milestones fall within the text.
• ​The "Countdown" Logic: It tells me exactly how many days I have left and calculates the precise words-per-day I need to write to hit my goal.

​Seeing the data behind the narrative, tracking pacing and word-count trends, adds a really satisfying layer to the process. It feels like having a digital assistant in the pond with me, ensuring I never fall behind.

​"Sanctorum’s Veil" Getting the Tech Treatment

​I was so impressed with how the script helped my ONC progress that I’ve now moved Sanctorum’s Veil also over to Google Docs. I’ve set it up with a similar automated script for analytics. 

This script has subtle differences in that I'm tailored it for novel writing instead of a novella contest. I've also added a dynamic goal tracking function. I can set a target word count on what in calling the Details tab and the script is clever enough to pick this out. 

Even though the Veil is on a strategic pause, having it prepped with its own dashboard means I can pick up exactly where I left off with full visibility.

The Writer’s Diary: Round Two Bound and Galactic Surprises

​

Building a Mystery

It’s been an intense fortnight in the pond. When you’re in the ‘zone’ with a particular story, it can feel everthing els fade into the background. That has certainly been the case lately as I’ve been living almost exclusively within the world of Memory Letters.

​Round Two: Qualified!

​I am absolutely thrilled to share that Memory Letters has officially qualified for Round 2 of Wattpad's Open Novella Contest!

I've had a number of posts on Wattpad from readers too, with amazing feedback. 

​The requirements for this next stage are to reach the 8,000-word mark and submit before the end of March. Because of the ‘sprint’ I’ve been on, I’m currently sitting at over 18,000 words with nine chapters fully drafted. It feels brilliant to be heading into this deadline with so much momentum. Jane’s discovery of the ‘stranger’ she buried is taking some dark, claustrophobic turns, and I’m finding the techno-thriller elements are really clicking into place.

I've updated the cover with the 2K sticker Wattpad have created and sent to all qualifiers.  (Attached here is the new cover) 

​First Look: The Renth Trilogy (HFY)

​In my last post, I hinted at a new project inspired by the "Humanity First" (HFY) stories I’ve been reading and consuming via audio stories. Now that I’ve spent some time in the planning phase, I have a few more details to share about this upcoming trilogy.

​The story centres on the first contact between humanity and The Renth.

​The Renth Empire is an ancient, sprawling civilisation that views itself as the pinnacle of galactic evolution. The Renth are tall and many limbed with four arms and four legs. When they stumble upon our solar system, they expect to find a primitive race ripe for "uplifting" (or, more accurately, subjugation). However, they’ve made a catastrophic error in judgement. They’ve mistaken our lack of interstellar presence for a lack of capability.

​The trilogy will explore what happens when an empire built on superiority meets a species that doesn't just refuse to bow—but possesses technology and a "never-say-die" spirit that defies every Renth law of physics and sociology.

​Seeking a Home for Horror

​While the novels are moving forward, I haven’t forgotten my shorter works. I’m currently looking for the right options for my sci-fi horror short story, Only Three Pills Left.

​It’s a dark, punchy piece that I’m really proud of, and I’m now on the hunt for the right anthology or literary magazine that caters to that specific blend of speculative fiction and dread. 

If anyone has recommendations for markets that are currently open for submissions, do let me know!

The Writer’s Diary: Round One, Future Trilogies, and Corrupted Blooms

Image by John Kristensen from Pixabay

Busy, busy, busy

It’s been another productive f.ortnight in the pond. There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from being "ahead of the curve" on a project; it opens up breathing room you didn't know you needed, and allows other ideas to start getting the attention they deserve.

​ONC Round One: Submitted!

​The biggest news this week is that Memory Letters has officially been submitted for Round 1 of the Open Novella Contest.

​I’ve kept up a steady pace with this story and I’m currently sitting at over 13,500 words. This is fantastic because I've just started Chapter 7 and I'm already over the milestone for the March deadline. Having that word count "in the bank" made the submission process much less stressful than in previous years. Jane’s journey into the truth behind her husband’s life is getting more intense by the page, and I’m really enjoying the process of writing this UK-based techno-thriller. I'm learning a lot too because I'm having to research cybernetic security and spies. It's all fun! 

​February Reflections

​Now that we’ve moved into March, I’ve also been looking back at the launch of The Concorda Files. It has been a whole month now since release and I am so incredibly proud of this book's success so far. I’ve sold a few copies throughout February, and I’m genuinely, genuinely grateful to everyone who has picked up a copy or shared it. Seeing a project move from a contest shortlist to a published reality is a feeling that never quite gets old.

If you've read The Concorda Files, I'd really love to hear your thoughts and would be really grateful for a review either on Amazon or on Goodreads. 

​The Next Frontier: A New Trilogy?

​With Memory Letters moving so quickly, I’ve found some spare time to start outlining a totally new project. I've been binge reading & listening to a ton of Humanity First (HFY) stories.... yeah, the F here is not usually for the word "first", but I like to use swearing sparingly. 

So many of these stories are perfect for the daily commute! And I've been inspired to have a go myself. The idea was a short story at first, but the scope is growing! What started as a single idea is now looking like it might need to be split over three books. There’s something so compelling about writing humans as the outliers in a wider galaxy, and I’m having a lot of fun mapping out this broader universe.

​Breathing Room

​Also, the extra time I've generated has also allowed me to "check in" on my other projects. I’ve been able to dive back into Sanctorum’s Veil a little to edit some of the existing chapters. It’s a nice change of pace to switch from the high-speed drafting of the ONC to the more deliberate, careful work of polishing a WIP.

​Back to the Tabletop

​Finally, I’ve been flexing my world-building muscles in a very different way by creating a new D&D campaign called The Corrupted Bloom. I'm actually running a campaign with four of my friends based on the ideas, and their interactions have helped me shape what I'm writing. Hopefully, I'll be able to release this for others to play too.

There’s a lot of crossover between campaign design and novel writing—both require that sense of "what’s around the next corner?"—and it’s been a great way to unwind after running after my ideas for everything else I'm doing.

The Writer’s Diary: Momentum, Milestones, and Memory Letters

Writing, writing, just keep writing

If the last update was about the "calm before the storm," this one is very much about the storm itself. It’s been a fortnight of shifting gears—from the excitement of a new release to the deep-dive intensity of a fresh manuscript in the pond.

The Concorda Files Takes Flight

Since my last post, The Concorda Files has officially landed on Kindle and KU. I’m thrilled to say I’ve already seen my first few sales! There is a unique kind of joy in seeing those first numbers tick up on the dashboard after all the work that went into the release.

Even more exciting was the reaction on social media. A member of my favourite writing podcast, The Failing Writers, picked up a copy and shared some very kind words on Threads to confirm his satisfaction. Knowing that a fellow writer, and one from a show I enjoy so much, genuinely liked the story has been a massive boost.

ONC 2026: Enter "Memory Letters"

The Open Novella Contest started with a bang, and I haven’t slowed down since. My entry for this year is a claustrophobic techno-thriller set right here in the UK titled Memory Letters.

Here is the hook:

Two years after burying her husband, Jane Newton finds a hidden file that proves she didn't bury the truth—she buried a stranger. 

I’ve already completed the first six chapters and am currently sitting at over 11,900 words. The goal for the contest is a minimum of 20,000 words, but based on my current average of about 2k per chapter, I’m on track to hit around 30,000 words. I’m feeling really good about the pacing; the story has a natural flow and that tight, tense atmosphere I was aiming for.

• Where to read: Chapters 1 and 2 of Memory Letters are officially live on Wattpad.
• Round 1 Status: I’ll be submitting my entry for the first round very soon. Chapter 1 alone meets the 2,000-word requirement for this stage, so I’m heading into the deadline with plenty of breathing room.

Into the Deep End

With The Concorda Files out in the world and Jane Newton's story well underway, my "Writer’s Brain" is currently a very busy place. It’s a bit of a juggling act, but the momentum is carrying me through.

Are you following along with any ONC entries this year? If you’ve had a chance to check out the start of Memory Letters, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Launch Days, Fresh Covers, and Contest Fever

 

The Writer’s Diary

​If you’re reading this on the day of posting—Monday, 2nd February—then, all being well with KDP release schedules, it is officially a "celebratory brew" day in the pond. We’ve reached a major milestone for a past project just as the starting gun fires for the next one.

​Here is what’s happening in my writing world this week.

​The Concorda Files is Live on Kindle!

​I am incredibly chuffed to announce that The Concorda Files is officially available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

​This story started its life as my 2025 Open Novella Contest entry on Wattpad, where it fought its way onto the shortlist! Moving it from a web-serial to a formal ebook release has been a major goal of mine since reaching the shortlist.  Seeing it finally ‘out there’ in the wild is a fantastic feeling.

​To celebrate the launch, I’ve given the book a total visual overhaul. I’ve updated the cover and moved away from the original light-coloured aesthetic in favour of a gritty, high-contrast look that fits current sci-fi thriller trends. It feels much more aligned with the tone of the story now.

​If you want a taste, I’ve updated the Wattpad version to include the new cover I've created and a one-chapter preview to give new readers a glimpse into the world.

​The ONC 2026: Choosing the Next Path

​The 2026 Open Novella Contest officially kicked off yesterday, and I have spent the last 24 hours mulling over the prompts. This will be my sixth year. 

​I’m entering this time around with a bit of a 'choose your own adventure' mindset. I have six potential stories currently vying for my attention. It’s a bit of a creative standoff between concepts like "Population 842" (a rogue space station AI story) and an urban fantasy set in modern-day Manchester that currently has the working title of "The Tenth Circle."

​The final decision depends entirely on which prompt speaks the loudest. I have a rough map for a Sci-Fi Crime Thriller and a solar-system-spanning 'HFY' epic, but I’m leaving room for the prompts to surprise me. Sometimes the best stories come from the ideas you didn't see coming.

​Pausing the Veil

​To give the ONC my full focus, I’ve made the difficult decision to pause work on "Sanctorum’s Veil." I’ve left the story sitting at Chapter 12—just over 15,000 words in. It’s currently at a bit of a cliffhanger, and leaving my characters in the lurch is tough, but I’ll be returning to it with fresh eyes once the ONC madness has settled.

​Over to You

​Are you participating in the ONC this year? Whether you’re writing or reading, I’d love to know which prompts are jumping out at you. Drop a comment below and let’s talk shop!