So, my working title for my next novella is The Man From Porton Down. It’s a part of the Post-Apocalyptic Gothic series and, much like any other book in that series, it’s directly inspired by a period gothic novel. I tend not to reveal ahead of time what that inspiration is, so as to avoid people coming in with preconceived ideas of what the plot will be.
I’ve been reviewing my notes, refreshing myself on the story, and I think I’m actually in a good position to actually start writing the first draft. I’ve got the very rough basics of a plot outline and I know who my characters are. I’ve already done a decent bit of research — this one is set in the communities that have sprung up in the London Underground post-apocalypse, so I did a bit of reading and looking at maps to work out where stuff is. Also had to do a bit of research on bore water, purification systems, and some other stuff. Notes are all lined up. I’ve even got a short write-up, a couple of paragraphs long, of what will happen in the very first scene.
I know from past experience that writing regularly is a momentum thing for me — it’s very difficult for me to start a daily writing habit, but once I’ve started it gets easier and easier over time. To give myself a little space to do a little more work on my notes and to maximise my chances of getting back into a daily habit, I’ve decided that I’ll start writing the manuscript properly this Saturday. I’ll reinstate my tried-and-tested goal of writing 500 words a day, every day, seeing as that’s how I successfully completed my previous works.
I’m also going to have to work out what my music playlist will be for the story. While writing Prometheus’ Daughter, I basically listened to Where Is My Mind by Maxence Cyrin on a loop. It felt like it captured how I was feeling while writing it. For me, music is generally an important part of writing. I prefer stuff with no lyrics, as that tends to distract, so I listen to a lot of classical and other piano stuff. This story has a bit more of a mechanical, technological edge to it, so I might look for something appropriately unique that captures what I’m looking for.
