Man Writes Crime Novel

Added on 02 April 2012

I've not been blogging much the last couple of months. On here. I've been writing a novel, which is time consuming. I like to write the first draft of a novel at as fast a pace as I can manage. Submerge myself in it and type away frantically until it's finished. Then I like to imagine that I'll go back to it and spend months fine-tuning and re-writing. In reality, however, I'll go back and spend five minutes straightening out any plot inconsistencies that have arisen and trying to remove as many lines such as "He nods his head" as I can find. (What other part of your body are you going to nod, for crying out loud? 'Indeed,' he said, nodding his scrotum in agreement.)

I always miss some. There are usually too many words. That's one of the problems with writing quickly, and then spending five minutes making sure you think - at that particular moment in time - that it's not shit.

This book is a follow-up to The Unburied Dead. Working title, The Unburied Dead 2. Since it further explores the theme of DS Hutton's mis-deeds in Bosnia, to the which the title might possibly refer, I quite like the title The Unburied Dead 2. Very cinematic. However, that immediately makes it of interest purely to people who have read The Unburied Dead. Not nearly enough people have.

So the book will likely end up with a generic crime book title like Fatal Murder or Crimson Blood or, in fact, The Unburied Dead; one of those titles that could apply to any crime novel.

The first draft is nearly done. Aiming to get it finished at around 3:57pm tomorrow afternoon. Then I'll get around to the other thing, where I go through and tie up loose ends. No idea when the book will appear on the slate of Blasted Heath.

Before that we have the all-new WE ARE THE HANGED MAN. Coming soon. I believe.

Meanwhile, here's a picture from the Falkland Islands. Just because.