- Published on
Last week, to my intense relief, I finally finished a major reconstruction of ‘Unlocked Lies’. I cut several chapters and stripped others back, then rewrote them. I added a lot of new material. Earlier chapters had to be revisited to lay the groundwork for the new plot elements and ensure everything fitted together.
This has been the most difficult novel I’ve written to date. Until now, that dubious honour belonged to ‘After She’s Gone’, because my publisher imposed a deadline that I can only describe as brutal. ‘Unlocked Lies’ has been problematic in a different way. The novel needed much more structural work than I expected, mostly because, as usual, I failed to plan it properly. I ended up with pages of notes and new plot ideas, almost giving up many times because sorting it out seemed overwhelming. I’m determined not to make that mistake again!
Now, though, the basic story is finally out of my head and into Scrivener, the writing software I use. That doesn’t mean the novel is ready to be published. Far from it! The manuscript now stands at around 116,000 words, which is too long, and I’d like to lose at least 20,000 of them. I need to work on tightening, trimming, improving, and making sure every chapter earns its place. Luckily for me, that’s the part I enjoy most. I’ll probably rearrange the chapter sequence as well.
All of that feels very manageable compared with what I’ve just finished, though.
I’d hoped to get ‘Unlocked Lies’ published before Christmas 2026, but I no longer think that’s realistic. I’d rather give the book the time it needs than rush it to hit an arbitrary deadline. For now, though, I’m allowing myself to enjoy this milestone. The hardest part is done, and I’m so relieved.
This has been the most difficult novel I’ve written to date. Until now, that dubious honour belonged to ‘After She’s Gone’, because my publisher imposed a deadline that I can only describe as brutal. ‘Unlocked Lies’ has been problematic in a different way. The novel needed much more structural work than I expected, mostly because, as usual, I failed to plan it properly. I ended up with pages of notes and new plot ideas, almost giving up many times because sorting it out seemed overwhelming. I’m determined not to make that mistake again!
Now, though, the basic story is finally out of my head and into Scrivener, the writing software I use. That doesn’t mean the novel is ready to be published. Far from it! The manuscript now stands at around 116,000 words, which is too long, and I’d like to lose at least 20,000 of them. I need to work on tightening, trimming, improving, and making sure every chapter earns its place. Luckily for me, that’s the part I enjoy most. I’ll probably rearrange the chapter sequence as well.
All of that feels very manageable compared with what I’ve just finished, though.
I’d hoped to get ‘Unlocked Lies’ published before Christmas 2026, but I no longer think that’s realistic. I’d rather give the book the time it needs than rush it to hit an arbitrary deadline. For now, though, I’m allowing myself to enjoy this milestone. The hardest part is done, and I’m so relieved.
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