Waiting is a Skill
Another week, another anxious period of standing by the inbox. Waiting.
It's a good job I am a patient person.
While the Open Novella Contest judges continue their deliberations over the upcoming shortlist, I’ve been busy making sure the ink in the pond doesn't have a chance to dry.
Still Waiting on the ONC
There is no fresh news yet on the shortlist front. And I get why. It is a massive reading task for the judges, so the silence is entirely understandable, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t keeping one eye on my notifications at all times. In the meantime, the distraction of new projects is keeping me sane.
Progress on the Pages
The Whisper in the Margins: My D&D-inspired wizard-archivist mystery is moving at a great pace. I’ve pushed through to Chapter 3, and Rollo Whitglade's adventure is proving to be a lot of fun to write.
Sanctorum’s Veil: The extensive rewrite of the early chapters is almost entirely behind me. I’m currently 95% done with the edits on the first batch of chapters, and I am just about ready to dive into the next part of Sam's story by drafting the next chapter.
World-Building: Creating the Backstories
The Voidborne Series: I’ve been spending a lot of time mapping out the foundational lore for the series, especially the first book, The Void Between. I am specifically focusing on character layouts and alien biology. I want the extra-terrestrial elements to feel genuinely alien, which includes their language.
I’m working on concepts that our human-engineered Universal Translators simply won’t be able to process easily. For instance, the Renth Hegemony use titles like "Stolt" to refer to a ship's commander or captain. It is a title wrapped in cultural nuance that a computerised translation AI just can't quite bridge.
Forever Jupiter: I am adding a whole new set of secret soceities and sects that make the world of the immortal Roman senator feel real. The novella is already written, but to flesh ioot out into a novel length, more details are needed.
Going Visual (And Budget-Friendly) on YouTube
I've also been planning a bit of a refresh for my YouTube channel. Alongside sharing more of my stories in audio format, I want to start producing practical 'how-to' videos for the indie community.
My first planned guide is one I think a lot of indie writers will likely find useful: how to design your own book covers. This will focus on how to create stunning covers without using GenAI, without a design degree, and without any actual drawing skills. This is in no way aimed at removing professionals from the look. However, when you're operating on a shoestring budget as an indie, learning how to manipulate typography and clean, human-made imagery is an essential survival skill.
A Silly Little Poem
The lovely weather we've been having in the UK this last few weeks has not been condusive to writing. So, when the prose brain temporarily locked up this week, I decided to let off some steam by writing a light-hearted piece of verse. I’ve called it, fittingly:
'A Silly Little Poem'
Sitting here with keyboard and not a pen,
I've been trying to write poems again.
Unfortunately my brain is almost blank,
I don't have anything in the tank.
I don't want to make another silly rhyme,
But it's hard when you don't have the time,
As the clock goes tickedy-tock,
My thinking part, that grey stuff, has a block.
So, roses are red, and violets are blue,
This poem is REALLY bad, I know it's true.
I tried to write something good and clever,
Instead, it's just the worst thing ever.
Stepping Away for a Summer Recharge
With so many creative irons in the fire, I am taking a short, well-earned break with the family to relax, recharge, and step away from the screens for a bit. Because of this, the pond will be briefly quiet. I expect to return to both the blog and my YouTube channel in mid-August, hopefully refreshed and ready to jump right back in at the deep end.
Thank you for reading, and I'll see you all on the other side of the summer sun!
Geoff
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