(This post originally appeared on Substack, earlier today. I’ll repost each Substack post here, but if you click here you can read the original and sign up to get the Substack versions straight to your inbox when they come out)

I should introduce myself. I’m TW Iain, and over the last ten years, since I got serious with my writing, I’ve published around twenty books. I have a dark Dystopian thriller series, a sci-fi/horror trilogy and a seven-book sci-fi action/adventure series. I’ve also written around a hundred short stories (currently available on my website and in a series of free ebooks, although that may change in the not-too-distant future).

And now, I’m starting a new project. A space opera series.

I’ve learnt a great deal over those twenty books. My writing has improved, as has my understanding of story. While each book was the best I could do at the time, I look back on some of the older stuff and cringe. Every book I write is (I hope) better than the one before.

But progress isn’t linear. There are plateaus. There are times of consolidation. Occasionally there’s a slump, where struggles build.

And sometimes things jump forward. All that slow learning coalesces. There’s a ‘eureka”’ moment where things come into focus.

This feels like one of those moments. This new project shouldn’t be a little better than my previous books, it should be on another level.

But that’s going to take work. Before I start ‘writing’ I need to organise. I need to make decisions about the series and the individual books.

And I’ve decided to document (or share) this whole process. Every couple of weeks (maybe once a week, depending on how much I have to write about) I’ll go through what I’ve been up to. From ideas to planning, then to writing and editing. I’ll go into my inspirations, and what I learn from books I’m reading.

It’s a look behind the scenes. You know how DVDs used to come with those ‘making of’ documentaries? Think of this as something akin to that, only coming out in real-time.

So, who’s this for?

If you’re a reader, this will be an insight into the work it takes to produce a story worth reading. It won’t tell you how every writer does it, because we’re all different. This will be my process, for this particular project.

If you’re a writer, I hope you’ll find some useful takeaways here. You might not agree with everything (again, we’re all different), but even in those disagreements you can sharpen your focus on what works for you.

And if nobody reads this? Then it’s for me. To produce this project I need to overcome all kinds of problems. Some people think by talking, others by doing. I find writing works for me. Documenting my thinking on these problems will help me find solutions.

So this is an ongoing work-in-progress following my current work-in-progress. Welcome along for the ride.