Taking Breaks [CC]

Rest and breaks are so important, and I'm breaking down why! #Authortube

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The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Planning New Stories

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: PLANNING MORE STORIES

I gotta be honest here, after everything I went through last October, and the way things changed so much for me, I didn't know if I would ever be able to both return to being an author, and also be in a place to do more than revise, do edits, and publish. Those felt like very minimal typing needed. I already knew that it would be a lot harder for me to do a whole heap of things I'd been able to do before. From writing these posts, to doing scripts, to recording and captioning, and all of that. I had a lot of people say things like: dictation might work. I already knew it was not something I worked well with. For me to be able to tell a story, I had to be writing with hands rather than voice.

So when it's gotten to this point, the fact that in less than a month it will have been a year, and I am still here, and not just still here, but also, here, and writing, or at least planning to write makes me kinda emotional. I took a chunk of time off writing before the sepsis and such. I wanted to be able to spend some time doing both revisions and rewrites for older projects that I felt would need more time than I'd have been able to give them otherwise. I always planned to draft again at some point, in fact had tentatively booked April as my start month. It didn't happen, and I'll admit, during recovery, seeing those plans on my calendar, it hurt, it really did. I was at that stage where I didn't know still, and it kinda broke me for a time.

What makes me smile is that even though this April didn't happen, next April is looking like it might be a possible thing for me to start drafting two new books. For the first time ever really, I have allowed myself time to kinda really sketch out what I want from the books, and also where I want them to go. Normally when it comes to planning, my idea of it is, make a chapter list, and put like a couple of words for what should happen then. People see me and the way I'm so organised and assume that applies to drafting too. It does not. Those couple of words? Sometimes they are as descriptive as: Intro, school day, and X Meets Y.

So this is why a lot of my planning and organisational advice sticks to all the other ways I plan, because I would not even know where to begin with a proper outline, and by proper, I mean those who plan with a lot more detail than me, which to be fair, would not be hard!

That said, I do like fleshing out the story ideas. I can't always promise even half those ideas end up in the story itself, because it's more just me thinking that this thing would be great, and then I just never ever use it. An example would be for the Invisible Quartet, which to showcase how little I plan, was meant to be a duology, and Lights Out trilogy? Meant to be one book. Anyhoo, the example, I had a whole antagonist plan and character. I knew where I wanted them to come in and all their backstory. They never ever even got close to being hinted at, let alone mentioned!

So when it comes to being back to being able to actually plan stories I'm going to draft, it's lightness, and just joy at being able to be a writer again, to be able to start at the start again. I don't know how long it will take, I don't know what will come after those stories, if I will break for a bit and do more revision, I do know though that this is who I am, who I was meant to be, and I will never stop telling stories. They are mine to tell. 

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Writer Reflection: Learning Balance [CC]

Talking about learning how to balance when it comes to the projects on your plate! #Authortube

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When Revisions End - The After Process

WHEN REVISIONS END

I've had this one on my list for a while, mostly because it was originally planned to be done when I went from mostly revision projects, to starting to go back towards maybe drafting again, and while that plan blew up in my face, it feels like something that should be talked about. At the end of the day, a lot of the time things in the author life operate on a kind of: you'll know what it's time. 

Which, okay, fair, but what if you don't 'know'? Like is there a checklist somewhere I can go through and just have some idea of when this knowing should happen? Will there be like a booming (or even whispering) voice from nowhere telling me this? Like, I would like to know what the 'know' means? And I kinda doubt I'm the only one, so I thought I would give you some of these things I've picked up having written almost 50 first drafts, and published 24 books. And yes, for those wondering, I do still genuinely need to phone a friend to ask if the know has know'd yet, so it might be something other long term writers do know, I am not always one of them!

#1: REVISION IS BORING
I need to add a caveat here because there's a difference between, I know this story so freaking well at this point that I could probably recite it from memory alone, and ugh, this scene/chapter/plot beat are just so boring, when does the good stuff start? The former is the sign, the latter is a whole different sign and not a good one, but I won't get into that here!

If you have spent so long reading, and tweaking, and changing and shaping, and you are able to read through your work so much that it's now just like re-reading a book and it's not something where you're trying to add this or that, it's a sign that maybe you have done all you can, for the moment, and depending on where you are in that journey, it might be time for betas, or CP, or even like an editor. If you can no longer see things that might need fixing and it's just a boring task because of that, that be the know in this case!

#2: YOU NO LONGER PRIORITISE IT
Now, I know that there are a million different reasons that people move away from a project, either for a time, or for good, and those are all valid. I am talking about those who don't have those reasons, the writers who put another project ahead of their current one because they feel like that distance will allow them to come back refreshed and more able to change and strengthen their work. I mean, again, it's not wrong to have that space, and it is very much needed for a whole heap of reasons, but, and I say this to be taken with a grain of salt, sometimes that action isn't about wanting to come back with fresh eyes. Some of it is you knowing you have done all you can for that project, and that is okay, that is that know silently whispering, and also pushing you onto a project that does need your attention more.

#3: THERE'S NO FIRE FOR YOU THERE
This one I feel like is the biggest one for me. I have worked on multiple projects. Like I said, 24 books published more than that drafted, I've been in this situation, and it's not always being completely done, but for me that's usually what it means. I don't spend my rest hours turning over plot beats for that project, I don't get excited about inputting changes and seeing how they look on the page. I don't have any of that, because I've done all I can, and now it's time for a different stage.

So there we go, like I said, even after all these years, it's sometimes hard for me to truly hold onto what that know is and whether I'm hearing it right. At the end of the day, you gotta do what works for you. I wish you all the luck! 

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Questions From Readers - September 2026 [CC]

I'm answering questions from you guys today! #Authortube

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5 Facts About My Current Working Projects

5 FACTS ABOUT MY CURRENT WORKING PROJECTS

While when I planned this piece I had about 5 projects on the go, it has turned out to be wholly different than I could have imagined. This is my fourth (I think) month back since almost dying last October. That made it so that I didn't work on anything for eight months, and while I like to think I am back to author life completely, my body, and brain, always like to remind me that there are vast differences to the way I worked then, to the way I work now, and that's okay, no matter what my brain tries to convince me, it's okay work at a different pace, and that is not either failure, or an inherently bad thing that must be stopped by any measures possible. 

Like I said, my work looks different now. I have two projects I'm working on. Both are revisions, both are on the last stop before the editing train begins, with one hopefully heading that way in November, and the other in April 2027. For all the things I hate about that huge chunk of time I wasn't able to work, the distance it gave me for both projects is not one of them. I had story fixes that even at the time I knew would have to be seriously worked on in dev edits, and other bits and pieces that at the time, I did not know if it were possible for me to manage to smooth things out before dev edits. Both of these issues are mostly now non-issues, I fixed the plot bits, I found solutions, and ways to naturally weave things through. That was a very big plus, because an author brain at rest, is not totally shut down.

But anyway, onto the facts and the projects. I'm gonna start us off with Visible, which is the third in the Invisible quartet, a YA dystopian dealing with chronic illness, disabled resilience, and the haunting reality that disability is somehow always inherently bad. Two POVs, all living in a futuristic England where the country is split into 9 self-governing segments. One day bombs fall on Zya's segment (South-West), and Jonah's segment (North-West). The bombs contained a virus that infected and disabled all survivors, leaving the segments on their knees, and striving to survive. Obviously with this being the third book, there are some things I can't share due to spoilers, but I shall do my best!

FACT #1: ZYA WILL FIGHT TO GET ANSWERS
Zya, has been disabled since a very young age, and with them all being outside of the segments, the only place any of them have ever known, she will take that leadership given to her and do whatever she can to protect everyone. Even those who might be seeming to hold back on some of the very real truths about the way the world is, and also what lies ahead for them. Zya will fight for answers, and to save as many as she can.

FACT #2: JONAH WILL NO LONGER BE PASSIVE
While Jonah became disabled because of the virus, and while he has been the more severely affected, he is not going to lie down and expect someone else to save him, or anyone else he cares about. He will adjust, he will do better, and he is no longer going to be the weakest link, even with the body blows coming his way time after time, he will fight so that everyone he cares about might survive.

FACT #3: THEIR JOURNEY IS FAR FROM OVER
The group of them, those who came with Zya, and those with Jonah, are in for the fight of their lives. One side want to use them, the other sees them as beyond saving, and the whole group is having to come to terms with the fact that no one is coming to save them, and they are going to have to fight to live, and hope that they all come through the other side of it all.

The second project is Cramping Chronicles: The Fifth Agony, which is the fifth and final book in the Cramping Chronicles series, which is a YA urban fantasy dealing with empaths, triggers, chronic illness, and a threat to the world as we know it. Again, I can't give spoilers because that would not be good, but it's gonna be good!

FACT #4: JESSIE IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS SAVING
Jessie, the main character has gone through a whole lot, learning about her empath ability, working out how to control it, and dealing with all of her triggers, and this time, she's the one that needs to be saved, and no one knows if it's even possible. The focus has to be on making sure that threat is stopped, but the horrible things is, it might be at the expense of saving Jessie, and no one wants that.

FACT #5: ROE WILL DO EVERYTHING SHE CAN, EVEN AT THE RISK OF HER SAFETY
Roe might not have been the one closest to Jessie, with Meera being Jessie's girlfriend, and Gray being her childhood bestie, but Roe is the one who seems to have some way to reach across the breach between her and Jessie, and she will do that, and anything else that might help, even if it puts her life at risk.

So there you go, my five facts of my two current projects. I don't know if I will ever be back to the level of working I was before, but right now I'm okay with just being here, and able, to continue being an author. 

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Life Of Joey & Bi-Monthly Goals - September 2026 [CC]

Looking back over what I achieved last month, as well as reviewing goals, and setting some new ones! #Authortube

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How Planning Works For Me

HOW PLANNING WORKS FOR ME

Most people who've followed me for a time know that I am exceptionally organised and I'm big on planning. It made me chuckle the other day when a friend thought that because of that love of planning, I must be a big planner when it comes to drafting, and I was like, oh, no, I plan absolutely everything but not that, never there. My plan there is more vibes and brain squirrels!

But that aside, I am, and have been a planner of my author life for a while. A big win for me was finding planners that actually worked for me. I didn't want much, but I did want them undated, and also ones with a monthly spread and also a weekly one. For the past five or so years, that was how I planned. Sadly, after the sepsis and the loss of the majority of use of my right hand and arm (my dominant side) I can't use my paper planner. Eerily, it has the plan for what would have been November pencilled in. But I did find an app that works for me, so I can still, somewhat, do the thing.

Planning has been a massive thing for me, mostly since I got a bit more serious with the author life after I graduated with my degree. To begin with it was the sticky notes app on computer, from there it went to the paper planner, and now here we are. I will also add that as a teen, I did similar kinds of things when revising for my exams, so I think it's safe to say that's just how my brain works best!

I still, even coming back to work after eight months of recovery, find that planning is better for me. It allows me to know what I'm gonna be doing on any day of the week, and it also allows me to just keep that anxiety calm. I always feel like if I don't get started doing things by a certain time that I am not going to have time for the thing I need to do. Sometimes it would get to the point where I just didn't do the thing, but now I've been tracking my time for a while, I also have some clue about how long things will take so that happens less now.

It's more than just wanting to be organised, it's also a way for me to keep track of what happened when. I have several chronic illnesses that get worse if I push through on days when I should rest. Or when I pile too much work on a specific day. For the majority of the time before sepsis I would do one thing a day, occasionally two. After, I'm back to one only because my body is not a happy camper if I sit up too long. I don't know when or if I will go back to the occasional two, but it'll be something to keep a close eye on through planner and an app I use to track pain levels and such.

The bottom line is that planning does, very much so, work for me. It also helps me on so many levels. I know that for some people it's not an option, and that's okay not everyone's brains work the same and we gotta do what works for us. Planning has been a saviour for me, and I'm glad that I still have that even if only in an app rather than in different colour pens!  

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Balancing Multiple Projects: Tips [CC]

Giving you some tips that help me balance multiple projects, and what works for me! #Authortube

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Leaning Into Your Strengths - The Creative Process

LEANING INTO YOUR STRENGTHS

One of the things that have always helped me stay grounded when it comes to emergencies in the publishing stages or the like, is that I know what works for me. I know how my brain works in a crisis: I panic, I freak, and then I try and work out a solution along with bullet point list that will show me just what has to be done, and when it has to be done by. This can be something that pulls me out of the fire and allows me to, somewhat calmly, work towards fixing the issue and keeping the remainder of my ducks in a row.

At the end of the day, we can't always see these issues coming. They can blind-side us. They can pop up and freak us out, and make us think we're cursed. I feel like during the panic and freak stage of fixing the crisis, I will always try and cut through the panic rushing around my head, and be like, hey we got this, we've been here before, and it will be okay. I can't claim that it always works or gets through, but it has at times, which has to be a win. 

Whether you're in the drafting stage and found out that whole first half of your book has this massive glaring plot hole that you only just spotted, or when you're in revisions and realise you have three months from the deadline to get the book to the editor, and need to rewrite the whole book from scratch because it's very very wrong. There are more instances, but I feel like you get what I'm going for. There will be times when these things happen, and you're gonna need to have that freak and panic moment, before you settle in at your desk, get serious, and do what needs to be done.

The issue is that a lot of writers don't realise how important that initial stage is. I feel like it might be because that kind of panic and such is usually associated with women? Or that we're told we're adults and should always act like it? I dunno, but I see nothing wrong with venting all of that out and then taking your time, limited or not, to get the work done.

One of my strengths has been knowing that while I will, usually, find the answer I need on my own, I also know that asking for help isn't failing. It's letting me reach out, talk things through and just be allowed to feel what I feel. If you're out there trying to fix this or that, and you do have people you can reach out to, there is nothing wrong with that, like at all, and that applies to all genders.

Writing doesn't need to be something that's isolating. It can be, and I am very aware of that, but it doesn't have to be. We can have our friends, our community, and we are very much allowed to ask for help. Like you might be the person who doesn't ever need to freak and vent, but that doesn't mean you might not, at some point, need that community to help you through this or that. We all need people in our corners, and that's okay, the strength of that should be something you can, and do lean into at any point.

Saying that I do know that it can be hard, and daunting, to both find that community for you, and also be vulnerable with them. It's not easy. I feel like too often the assumption is made that it's awarded to you the moment you pick up a pen or publish a book. It's not, and that means being a grown up, and fighting that vulnerability to put yourself out there.

You got this, and I wish you all the luck! 

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