P.J. Murphy's Writer Site

It is with a heavy heart that I reach the end of my work sabbatical, but it’s been productive, so it seems a good time for an update.

I had four main objectives for my sabbatical:

1. Have a break from work and press the ‘reset’ button – achieved!
2. Explore Switzerland a bit – partially achieved, hampered by unpredictable weather in May and June.
3. Complete the first draft of Troubleshot International and make progress on Beach of Spies – achieved!
4. Attend writing courses and do a bit of prep around publication – achieved!

As this blog is supposed to be around writing, I’ll concentrate here on the last two points. You’ll need to check my social media updates if you want to see photos of Switzerland!

Oh, okay, here’s one …

So, to the writing. The first thing you need to know about Troubleshot International is that it’s no longer called Troubleshot International. I finally came up with a – I think – better title, Six Steps to Save a Soul. I know it sounds a bit like a self-help book, but as it’s about the redemption of the antagonist from Troubleshot, it has relevance. It also has structural significance, as each of the book’s six chapters is a ‘step’.

Still, the title will probably change again before it’s published …

I mentioned above that I’ve now finished the first draft. That can mean different things to different people, from a rough scrawl of the main scenes and dialogue to something more worked up. Mine is more on the ‘worked up’ end of the spectrum because I had to get it to a standard to share as part of the writing courses. I’m pretty happy with the story structure and the writing. That’s not to say it isn’t rough around the edges, but it should mean that subsequent drafts don’t require more substantial, foundational work.

In draft two, I’ll be concentrating on sorting out a few identified issues and consistency errors, adding more character descriptions and generally cleaning up the writing. To this end, after a couple of weeks’ break to refresh my mind, I’ve now gone back through the novel and written a scene-by-scene outline and character profiles. It’s pretty boring stuff, but it’s essential to lay the groundwork for consistency and spotting any gaps in the narrative / illogical moments. With that in hand, I’ll go through to edit the text.

So, still quite a bit of work to do, but we’re getting there. I hope to have a completed second draft ready in a couple of months, ready to share with readers to get an outside perspective. Then, more edits!

Since I’ve started talking about the broader plan, let’s look at point 4 of my objectives. I already mentioned about the writing courses in this previous blog, so I’ll concentrate now on the ‘prep for publication’ element.

While self-publication is, again, very much an option for this novel, I want to take the opportunity to explore the traditional route first. Although ‘Six Steps’ is a loose sequel, I have written it specifically to stand on its own. I’ll be approaching agents soon. I don’t know why I do this to myself –  it’s like applying for jobs (another one of my least favourite things to do). I’ve subscribed to the Writers and Artists Yearbook and have been going through their listings to see agencies that might be interested. A lot depends on how you categorise the book. Comedy fiction is not a big seller, but literary fiction, maybe …

Here I come! I bet they can’t wait!