Outlining a stand-alone novella.

Writing progress as of 11th March 2019.

I promised in the last update that I’d share a few details of the new novella with you - set in the same world as the novel itself, but standalone.

In the novel, we learn that the protagonist Richard is unaware that generations of his family have been part of a secret society defending us from the supernatural threats most of us have never even imagined. His grandfather’s death is the catalyst for everything that happens, as he’s catapulted into a dangerous world he had no way of preparing for.

The novella will be set around the time of the First World War, and focus on Richard’s Great-Grandfather Jacob - the first family member to join the society. He does so after being invalided home from the trenches, where he feels he hasn’t truly done his duty and is still looking for his chance to defend his country.

At present, I am still outlining the story - I have a setting and a theme, and the idea is that it’s set during 1919 & 1920, a time when he and his colleagues will have to face down and defeat an enemy they do not truly comprehend.

My current idea is that each chapter of the novella will be prefaced by a diary entry from the same time 4 years earlier, when Jacob was in the trenches. This allows me to tell his back-story in a different way than simply dumping information into the middle of a chapter, and also highlight the echoes between The Great War and the new supernatural struggles he’s engaged in.

I shall continue updating with my progress as I go - I should know better than now than setting out a timescale, but I ought to be finished with a first draft by the end of April without too much trouble - still before I expect to hear back from any agents.

Draft 1 is still at the outlining stage.

Novella