Well, That's Embarrassing...

So a funny thing happened last month. I wrote a newsletter and tried sending it, but somewhere along the line, I failed. It was sitting unpublished in my mailbox.

Which is probably for the best, as it turns out.

Plans? What Plans?

Last month, I announced my plans to write a 30,000-word novella called Skyline. I had a whole process mapped out—daily writing goals, publication strategy, and even a timeline for completion.

All of that is now irrelevant.

The book was based on a short story I'd written, exploring characters wandering across a post-apocalyptic landscape. I planned to write it as interconnected short stories with an almost diary-like quality.

This seemed promising until it became increasingly depressing. The fictional apocalypse was absorbing all my real-world anxieties, and I hated showing up to write each day.

There was also a problem with direction. The characters had no destination, and neither did the narrative. I couldn't define the wants, understand who these people were, or determine where they were going.

My characters were wandering aimlessly—and so was I as their writer.

Ultimately, I tossed Skyline aside and rewrote my whole idea, process, and plan. The writing approach has been abandoned, and the book I was working on is now shelved. I might still post that first newsletter for context, but honestly, everything in it has changed.

Finding a New Project

So, a week into this month, I abandoned the project and searched for a different story and plan. To help me rebuild, I turned to Claude, an AI I've been experimenting with.

My first attempt turned out to be overcomplicated. I created a script to generate randomized story prompts based on my interests. After a week of frustrating attempts and the AI fixating on the same ideas despite my instructions, I scrapped that approach.

Eventually, I simplified. I selected a universal want that interested me, then used Claude to explore extreme versions of that desire. Through conversation and iteration with the AI, I developed an idea that excited me about community and what happens when it falls apart.

The key difference in this new project was that the characters had defined goals and motivations, and I knew where the story would end. That focus was entirely missing from my first attempt.

I was happy as I developed the idea until I hit another snag. I pitched the story to my wife and realized it wasn't working. I had all the pieces, but I wasn't presenting the stakes in a clean, understandable way.

So I've been rebuilding it again, finding the right entry point into the story. I think I've got it now, but there are still details to strengthen.

Next Steps

So that's where I am right now—working through the final details of this new story idea before beginning the actual writing. I'm excited about this direction, even though it's completely different from what I outlined last month.

What I initially planned as a 30,000-word novella is evolving into a full-length novel. This means it won't be written as quickly as I'd hoped.

I don't even know what to say to all that. Sometimes, the story tells you what it wants to be—or not be, in this case—and all you can do is listen.

Until next time,
David