I have quite literally just finished the latest CSI Eddie Collins novel \u2013 his seventh in the series. It has gone well, if a little slowly. It went slowly because I don\u2019t have as much time to donate to writing as I\u2019d like. I work full time, as you know, and we have a (nearly) two-year-old who is, quite literally, a tornado. Before you\u2019ve crawled to where her latest wreck site is, she\u2019s two more wreck sites in front of you. It\u2019s never ending; it was funny to begin with, but now my back, knees, and sense of humour are wearing thin. Only kidding \u2013 she\u2019s my angel and makes me laugh and cry every day. Mostly cry.\u00a0\n

While writing EC7, as it became known, I diligently backed-up my progress with regular email attachments of the document to date, and saved it in several key places online and on the computer. I\u2019ve been caught out by missing chapters before, you see, and I wasn\u2019t about to be caught out like that again.\u00a0\n

Except, I was.\n

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When in my home office, I use a desktop computer, and when out and about I carry a tablet and Bluetooth keyboard. And because I use OneDrive, I know my document will always be safe and synchronised. I don\u2019t need to check that everything is sorted for me, it just is. The last time I used the tablet to write in EC7 was in November 2022 \u2013 otherwise I use it for notes and any new writing I might have.\u00a0\n

Fast forward to last week when I\u2019d reached the end of EC7, and I noticed that my Chapter Profile (a document in which I keep a summary of each chapter) said I\u2019d written a chapter half way into the book, and another couple of small chapters at the end of the book. Right, so where were they?\u00a0\n

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They were not on my tablet. They were not on my desktop or on the external hard drive. I hadn\u2019t flipped them over to Google Docs to look after, and they weren\u2019t in any trash bins or in my emails. Shit, where were they?\u00a0\u00a0\n

When I\u2019ve written something, I let it go \u2013 it\u2019s written, I don\u2019t need to remember anything more than the basics of what was in that piece of work, and this had happened with the several missing chapters. I could remember what they were about \u2013 more or less, but I had no idea what details I\u2019d included. By now, I was frantic, worrying that I\u2019d have to try to write them again. If I had to, I could, but they wouldn\u2019t be anywhere near as good as the first iteration \u2013 things like this, replacements, never are. You always long for the first one, always worry that any subsequent effort will be a poor effort. And if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll always mourn the missing chapters.\u00a0\n

I can still remember losing some chapters in early 90s, and my efforts to retrieve them included driving to Otley at silly o\u2019clock to have a computer expert dismantle my machine. I didn\u2019t get those chapters back and losing them cut really deep. That I can still remember this incident is testament to how much it hurt.\u00a0\n

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Anyway, I lay awake most of the night fretting over my latest missing work, and this is after searching electronically for the better part of a full day and getting the same files with different names all the time. All I got in return from my stupid brain was Cher singing Gypsys, Tramps, and Thieves. If you\u2019ve now got that tune zipping around your head, I apologise. I considered one last drastic thing: moving OneDrive back to a date shortly after the date I\u2019d written the missing chapters \u2013 restoring it. Trouble was, I didn\u2019t know exactly when that was: if I restored to a date too early, the chapters wouldn\u2019t have been written yet, and if I restored to a date too late, they might have already been deleted. Tense time.\u00a0\n

I would never just go ahead and press a load of buttons that did something so radical as to turn back the time of my OneDrive \u2013 think of all the repercussions! While doing my research, I stumbled across something I\u2019d never heard of before \u2013 version history.\u00a0\n

[image error]\n

Version history is just totally amazing. Each time you save a document; OneDrive creates a new version of it. It is magical. It\u2019s hidden, but it\u2019s magical. Anyway, I found it, and I clicked on documents from November, and I found my missing pieces. I have no idea why they\u2019d disappeared from later versions \u2013 unless I\u2019d selected \u2018do not sync\u2019 or something. Anyway, I didn\u2019t care, I\u2019d found the missing bits. I read them and I almost wept (okay, I didn\u2019t \u2013 but I was bloody happy to see them again); they weren\u2019t the staggeringly great bits of exposition my mind had turned them into, but they were important, and they were serviceable pieces that could be made into something good.\u00a0\n

So, EC7 is now complete. Take a deep breath, Andy\u2026\u00a0","tablet":"Time\n

Just as we hit the third month of the year, I squeeze out my first blog of 2020. Doesn\u2019t sound very glamorous that, does it. Hmmm.\n

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This blog post is about learning. And how I don\u2019t do it. In the last three months I\u2019ve learned that I\u2019m still no good at advertising my wares, and that no matter how often or how hard I smack my head against a brick wall, this knowledge will not suddenly become available to me. It also means that I get blood on the wallpaper and the wife gets miffed at me.\n

But I do have a bit of good news. While I\u2019m still terrible at promoting my books, I\u2019m doing okay with writing them. The latest CSI Eddie Collins novel \u2013 tentatively entitled Juniper Hill is finished. No, no, wait, that\u2019s wrong. I have written the first draft, that\u2019s all. That means I\u2019ve got 90k words ready and lined up to put in a different order. Sigh.\nA New Release\n

This is good, though. Listen, I began with a blank page 27th September 2019. I now have a truckload of words only five months later \u2013 exactly five months later: 27th February 2020 to be precise. And those five months were comprehensively interrupted by Christmas and by launching the SOCO Roger Conniston books as a box set called The Dead Trilogy. Good, eh?[image error]\n

But there\u2019s more!\n

Have you heard of a lass called Emma Mitchell? Yes, you\u2019re right, she\u2019s an editor, but she\u2019s also responsible for putting together an anthology of short stories by some stunning authors, and then flogging them under the title, When Stars Will Shine: Helping Our Heroes One Page At A Time, and giving the proceeds to Help the Heroes. So, all in all, a very charitable lady.\n

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Why am I telling you about this? Good question. After the success of the first anthology, Emma is putting together another one. And I\u2019ve written a short story as a contribution. I was given a maximum word count of 5000. And after the first draft I had 5555 (true!), I had to get the red pen out. But guess what? It\u2019s now at 5000 precisely.\n

Novel Ideas\n

Nope, it\u2019s not a CSI Eddie Collins short story. I don\u2019t think it could be further form that, actually. It\u2019s called The Magic Roundabout, and it\u2019s all about what happens when\u2026 um, no, can\u2019t tell you, sorry. I think the new anthology comes out in June, so I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be able to tell you more nearer the time \u2013 probably in my next quarter\u2019s blog post!\n

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I was looking through a folder I keep on my computer called Novel Ideas - it's where I keep my ideas... for erm... novels. And it in was one entitled Theatre of Consequence, and I quite liked the sound of it. This idea was born around 2014 but was destined to be a full-length novel. But then something a bit sneaky crept into my mind (they're apt to do this, beware!) about a woman who... wait, no, you nearly tricked it out of me then! Emma will batter me!\n

Okay, so you want to know what\u2019s next? The short answer is: loads, actually. Did I ever tell you how much I loved writing? Well, I love writing. I love disappearing through some loft hatch and into another world. I enjoy it so much that, aside from family time, I\u2019d rather do it than anything else.\n

Back to the keyboard\n

Once I\u2019ve nailed Juniper Hill, I\u2019ll be working on the next CSI Eddie Collins short story. When it's done I\u2019ll consider releasing them as a collection (or I might wait until I have six, don\u2019t know yet). And I have another stand-alone thriller in mind that I am absolutely itching to write.\n

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This was a fairly short and very sweet blog post today, so please forgive me. I\u2019ll try to do better next time. I\u2019m going to begin the edits for Juniper Hill as soon as I\u2019ve posted this.\n

Stay safe.\n"}},"slug":"et_pb_text"}" data-et-multi-view-load-tablet-hidden="true">

I have quite literally just finished the latest CSI Eddie Collins novel – his seventh in the series. It has gone well, if a little slowly. It went slowly because I don’t have as much time to donate to writing as I’d like. I work full time, as you know, and we have a (nearly) two-year-old who is, quite literally, a tornado. Before you’ve crawled to where her latest wreck site is, she’s two more wreck sites in front of you. It’s never ending; it was funny to begin with, but now my back, knees, and sense of humour are wearing thin. Only kidding – she’s my angel and makes me laugh and cry every day. Mostly cry. 

While writing EC7, as it became known, I diligently backed-up my progress with regular email attachments of the document to date, and saved it in several key places online and on the computer. I’ve been caught out by missing chapters before, you see, and I wasn’t about to be caught out like that again. 

Except, I was.

When in my home office, I use a desktop computer, and when out and about I carry a tablet and Bluetooth keyboard. And because I use OneDrive, I know my document will always be safe and synchronised. I don’t need to check that everything is sorted for me, it just is. The last time I used the tablet to write in EC7 was in November 2022 – otherwise I use it for notes and any new writing I might have. 

Fast forward to last week when I’d reached the end of EC7, and I noticed that my Chapter Profile (a document in which I keep a summary of each chapter) said I’d written a chapter half way into the book, and another couple of small chapters at the end of the book. Right, so where were they? 

They were not on my tablet. They were not on my desktop or on the external hard drive. I hadn’t flipped them over to Google Docs to look after, and they weren’t in any trash bins or in my emails. Shit, where were they?  

When I’ve written something, I let it go – it’s written, I don’t need to remember anything more than the basics of what was in that piece of work, and this had happened with the several missing chapters. I could remember what they were about – more or less, but I had no idea what details I’d included. By now, I was frantic, worrying that I’d have to try to write them again. If I had to, I could, but they wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as the first iteration – things like this, replacements, never are. You always long for the first one, always worry that any subsequent effort will be a poor effort. And if you’re like me, you’ll always mourn the missing chapters. 

I can still remember losing some chapters in early 90s, and my efforts to retrieve them included driving to Otley at silly o’clock to have a computer expert dismantle my machine. I didn’t get those chapters back and losing them cut really deep. That I can still remember this incident is testament to how much it hurt. 

Anyway, I lay awake most of the night fretting over my latest missing work, and this is after searching electronically for the better part of a full day and getting the same files with different names all the time. All I got in return from my stupid brain was Cher singing Gypsys, Tramps, and Thieves. If you’ve now got that tune zipping around your head, I apologise. I considered one last drastic thing: moving OneDrive back to a date shortly after the date I’d written the missing chapters – restoring it. Trouble was, I didn’t know exactly when that was: if I restored to a date too early, the chapters wouldn’t have been written yet, and if I restored to a date too late, they might have already been deleted. Tense time. 

I would never just go ahead and press a load of buttons that did something so radical as to turn back the time of my OneDrive – think of all the repercussions! While doing my research, I stumbled across something I’d never heard of before – version history. 

Version history is just totally amazing. Each time you save a document; OneDrive creates a new version of it. It is magical. It’s hidden, but it’s magical. Anyway, I found it, and I clicked on documents from November, and I found my missing pieces. I have no idea why they’d disappeared from later versions – unless I’d selected ‘do not sync’ or something. Anyway, I didn’t care, I’d found the missing bits. I read them and I almost wept (okay, I didn’t – but I was bloody happy to see them again); they weren’t the staggeringly great bits of exposition my mind had turned them into, but they were important, and they were serviceable pieces that could be made into something good. 

So, EC7 is now complete. Take a deep breath, Andy… 

The post If at First You Don’t Succeed, Cry, Cry, Cry Like a Baby appeared first on Andrew Barrett.