Writing Update

As the year winds down, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve managed to achieve. On the surface? Not a lot. Between moving house and the demands of the day job, my writing time has been squeezed. I had hoped to have something published on Amazon by now… but as the saying goes, hope in one hand and—well, you know the rest.

But stepping back, I did actually get some things done:

Manuscript Submissions
Earlier this year, my manuscript Wolf of War, which was longlisted in the Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Competition, made its way to the Penguin Random House submissions portal. Submissions only just closed, so if I hear anything back (and that’s a big if), it won’t be for another 3–6 months. If that door stays shut, I’ll be publishing it on Wattpad to gather beta reader feedback, then polishing it up for Amazon KDP.

Two New Novellas
I drafted two 30k-word high fantasy, action/adventure comedies. Both are expansions of short stories I’ve shared here on Substack. One of them, originally titled The Hero’s Gaze, went through the Queensland Writers Centre’s (QWC) “Writer’s Surgery” program, where I workshopped the first 30 pages with a mentor. Just when I thought I had my act together, I realised I don’t know nearly as much as I thought—but in the best possible way. It means there’s more room to grow. I plan to rewrite and expand it to 50k, then release it on Kindle Unlimited after some testing on Wattpad.

The Novella Series Plan
I’m working toward a series of standalone fantasy novellas—think monster-of-the-week like TV shows from the 80s and 90s, but with threads of a larger arc tying them together. I’ve got outlines for five more, and the goal is to release one every three months or so. Each will lean into a different genre flavour—action adventure, murder mystery, horror—so I can experiment with structure and technique. Sanderson wrote ten books before breaking through; I don’t have time to write ten doorstops, but a string of novellas is my way of putting in the reps.

The Dreaded Socials
As for social media—well, let’s just say the needle hasn’t moved much. But honestly, I’m not losing sleep over it. Every writer starts at zero, and I’d rather build slowly with readers who actually care about the stories than chase hollow clicks and empty follows. The way I see it, if I keep putting work out there—novellas, short stories, updates like this—an audience will come together in time. It’s the long game, and I’m in it.

Pitching and Competitions
I also pitched a graphic novel idea to the QWC Pitchable competition. I didn’t get shortlisted, but the idea itself has received strong reactions, so I’ll revisit it in prose form.

And, drum roll please, I actually won QWC’s monthly short story competition Right Left Write in July. The theme was “One Room Story.” No prize money, but glory and recognition are plenty. Sometimes it’s just nice to know you don’t suck.

So, while I didn’t hit my original goal, this year wasn’t wasted. I’m laying foundations, learning a ton, and gearing up for a stronger push in 2026.

Here’s the winning short story The Neon Verge.

Let me know what you think, and thanks for sticking with me on this journey.

Andrew.