Where Are We? - October 2023

This is the first monthly post that will serve as a marker for you (and me) as to what I've been doing to progress the next Hateful Tale. Because if you're not writing for yourself, are you really gonna keep it up? I aim to release these updates on the last Sunday of each month to keep it consistent.

We'll go in three sections: the writing, my life (if you're at all interested), and a question from a reader *cough or one I made up cough* that I thought I'd throw here. That way you can skip to the bits you want to read. I'm not big on social updates, and I think we both would prefer I spend time writing the actual novel, so these are gonna be pithy.

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The Writing

The written text of Blood Reign is completely finished and there's just a few formatting things to do before the book has 'gone gold'. I'll be summoning a few people to get some early reviews for it around December with the view of sending them out in January about a month ahead of the release date of 24th February 2024.

The second Hateful Tale has been written completely in first draft form, and I'll spend the next year or so sharpening the text. This is probably the hardest part because you have to take your freeform mess and mould it into a literary masterpiece. We'll get there. As I did with the first, alpha copies will be sent to a few people to strip the rot from the text and tell me what makes zero sense.

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The Life

I finished playing Baldur's Gate 3 this month and it was so damn good, I think it'll ruin then next two games I play. A densely packed high fantasy role-playing game full of interesting characters and complex decisions that have genuine consequences, altering the outcome of the story and characters you meet in a meaningful way. Excellent game. 105hrs well spent. Highly recommended.

After telling one of my colleagues I'd booked a holiday to Thailand, her mother recommended I read Private Dancer by Stephen Leather. Based on the cover of the naked woman and the blurb with the guy's description of this dancer he'd fallen for, this really wasn't a book I was thrilled to start. Romance really isn't my genre. But the very grounded nature of the story being told from multiple perspectives and matter-of-fact descriptions make it an engaging read. Too early to recommend but I'll definitely finish it.

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Question of the Month

How long will it take to finish the second Hateful Tale?

I've set myself three years to complete each entry: one for the first draft, one for the revision and one for finalisation. Maybe too generous? But this isn't my only hobby, and it isn't my source of income (that's not why we're here). I'm not rushing it. That said, I overlap the third year of a novel with the first of the next so in your eyes, it should feel like it takes two years. I plan to have HT2 released by late 2026 but if the stars align, you might get it sooner.

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And that it! Got anything you want me to discuss in the next one? Lemme know and I'll add it in. Until next time! :)