One significant step is that I’ve got two new writing projects on the go. They’re both in the planning stages – there’s one in particular that needs a good deal more meat on the bones than there is at the moment – but they’re both ideas that are making interesting things spark in my brain. One of the things this last rewrite on The Hypernova Gambit has taught me is exactly how important character is – and I’m trying to approach these ideas from the right angle, to try and lay down strong character stories first and then construct a whole load of craziness around them. I still know what I want to do, I just feel like I have a slightly better idea of how to go about it now. I don’t want to pre-plan too much; the point will come pretty soon where I’ve got to just say “Screw it” and start writing. I’m also not sure which one I will prioritise first – one’s a loose spin-off from The Hypernova Gambit (completely self-contained though), and the other is a somewhat crazy mixture of emotional family drama and bugged-out psychedelic pulp storytelling. I’m actually tempted to try them both at once, bouncing from one to the other and see if one wins out naturally over the other. But either way… I know that this is what I need to do next.

I also had a quick look at The Hypernova Gambit again this morning. Maybe it’s not wise looking at a project once it’s out the door and being officially looked at by important people… but you know what? I’m really, really proud of it. Whatever happens from hereon in, I tried my damndest, I made some pretty significant changes (there’s only a handful of scenes that I haven’t tweaked in some way), and the book is now much, much better than it was in its previous ‘official’ incarnation. Frustratingly, of course, it won’t change anything with the editors who read the previous version of the book and turned it down (however much I’m filled with the desire to be able to leap up and down and shout “Look! It’s much better now, honest!”), but it gives me a much better chance with the remaining opportunities. Whatever is destined to happen, it’s taught me a hell of a lot about writing. And I’m not about to stop now…