I haven’t started rewriting the Ooning yet. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve done a good deal of work on it, but I’ve managed to avoid putting down any of the second draft by doing other things. I’m now happy with it from a plot perspective. I think. A friend recommended I read Nail Your Novel…

I’ve decided to rewrite The Ooning from scratch. The entire project’s been bothering me since I announced I was going to publish it. Having gone through the pages for a final sub towards the end of last year, it’s obvious it’s not indicative of my current style; “editing” isn’t going to change that. Almost ten…

Someone once told me good writing always sells. I haven’t read Simon Spurrier’s A Serpent Uncoiled, but others believe it’s a fine piece. It hasn’t sold. See why below. Via Gillen.

I fiddled about with Misery Guts’ design, and even updated my profile shot. We’re so pretty.I’ve been getting on decently with the short story, but I think I’m going to enter it into a competition rather than posting it here straight away. It’s probably the most I’ve worked at setting a piece of fiction, so…

Happy New Year. I’ve spent the break soldiering on with the female serial killer. I think I’ve finally got the handle of her, but it’s been a pain. There’s been more fact involved than in the previous stories and none of it’s come easily. Research aside, I was genuinely exhausted when I finished work in…

I’m reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Meredith at the moment. She’s on the verge of tears in parts, so completely is she transported by the vision. It’s amazing. This is the first book I’ve read to her as a “big girl” that’s shocked her imagination. I can see it in her eyes. She’s…

I’m not doing a great deal of work outside of VG247 at the moment, so I’ve been forced to go back to the “30-minute rule”. I inflicted this on myself when I was writing the Ooning. It’s simple: you work for a minimum of 30 minutes a day on your writing project. I’m a chronic procrastinator,…

Inevitable. I finished editing the book, then gave it to a few trusted friends to read. They immediately came back with some fundamental criticism, making it clear it’s not finished. I need to rewrite the first two chapters at least, so I’m not planning on releasing it any time soon. I think it’s unlikely I’ll…

October has been and gone, but I’m over 160 pages into the final edit and down to 206 in total. It’s going to happen this week, as I’m on holiday and not back to work until Monday. Determined to get it done before returning. I now understand why everything slips.

My first novel is called The Ooning. Eurogamer’s Martin Taylor has made its promotional site, which includes first details of the plot:“AFTER A TEENAGE drugs binge ends in disaster, Christopher Coal spends the next decade burying self-hate in fear and drink. Forced to face his past, he finds himself in a Welsh village full of…