If you ask a hundred different writers how they work, you’ll get a hundred different answers.

Which is why I’m always a bit reluctant to give out advice to aspiring novelists – because every author has a different way of doing things, and what works for me probably looks pretty weird to someone else.

Take the structural edit, for example. I’ve just finished this stage of the process for The Weekend, re-writing some chapters, cutting others completely, writing new ones from scratch, pulling in all the comments and suggestions from my first three readers. I’m sure my way of doing it might look a bit strange to some people! But in case you’re wondering what a structural edit looks like (for me), here’s a snapshot that shows how I’ve been spending the last few weeks in my writing cabin.

It helps me to have all my notes to hand, on my desk, where I can easily refer to them as I go. Here you can see:

1 - My story summary, one line per chapter
2 - Notes from a Zoom call with my editor and agent
3 - Notes from my wife, Sally
4 - Email from my editor with her main points
5 - Line by line editorial notes, on specific pages
6 - Notes from a chat with my agent at the Harrogate festival
7 - My outline plans for new chapters

As you can see, it’s quite an involved method! Thankfully I’m now onto the next stage – the line edit – which is usually a much quicker process.

The Weekend will be my tenth book in the UK and we’ve been looking around for special ways to celebrate that milestone – including some that are close to home. Take a look at this picture of my local ice hockey team, for example:

Did you spot it? Have a close look at the jersey, just below the number…

As a family, we’ve been ice hockey fans for more than a decade and so thought it would be nice to sponsor a player (Matt Marcinew #8) on our local team, the Nottingham Panthers. It seemed fitting, as I’ve sprinkled a fair few players’ names in the books over the years – for lots of minor characters – and I even had the inspiration for a book (Trust Me) while watching a game a few years ago. So it’s feels really good to be able to give something back.

To continue the North American theme, I have an exciting update for readers in the USA and Canada… a cover for The Room In The Attic. What do you think? It originally came out in the UK as The Dream Home but has a new title and this new cover, with a deliciously dark and menacing vibe. Coming to the USA and Canada in January 2026 😊

Honing the story

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