No writer’s block, just busy days

Teaching in the woods

Alongside Black Voltage, I have been busy teaching bushcraft lessons and workshops. Outdoors, you learn by watching, trying and starting again. No day and no group is quite the same. It takes preparation and attention in the moment, and after such a day there is not always room for hours at the manuscript.

That does not mean the writing stops. Working with people and spending time outside sharpen my eye for small actions, choices and relationships. I bring that back to the desk. The world of the Polaris is different from a forest, but both ask me to pay attention to what people do under pressure.

So a quiet spell in the logbook does not mean I have reached an impasse. I continue to think about the scenes, the people and the choices in the second book. Sometimes the answer to a passage comes precisely when I am working on something else and return to it with fresh eyes.

Back aboard

Divided Shores continues the voyage that began in Dead Reckoning. This book gives the consequences of that voyage more room. The broad lines feel increasingly solid. Now the details demand attention: does a scene have the right pace, has a character’s decision been earned, and does the tension hold even in the quieter moments?

Those are not questions I want to rush through. At this stage a small adjustment can make a real difference to the whole. I am rereading, refining and making sure the different threads fall into place. The story is moving closer to the form in which I want to share it.

Publication draws nearer

This month, Divided Shores is getting quite close to publication. That is an encouraging step, and I can feel the anticipation rising myself. Some work still needs to be completed before I can name a definite date. When I have one, I will share it here.

Thank you to everyone following the progress and asking about the sequel. I am continuing the work. I will post again when there is concrete news to share.