Now, I have a special treat for you to celebrate the release of Salt and Ice. I’ve decided to share the short story that started it all! A number of years ago, way back in 2021 or 2022 (I can’t quite remember), I challenged myself during NaNoWriMo to instead write 14 short stories (one every two days). This was one of those short stories. I really liked it and, when I sent it to a few friends for feedback, most of them said they wanted to read more. Hence, Salt and Ice was born.

This story doesn’t take place during the book at all, think of it like an alternative universe, but it does touch on Mikael’s struggles a little. There’s no spoilers per say, but if you’d rather go into the novel completely blind, maybe give this a skip until you’ve read the book. It was also written before I made the decision to change the setting to Australia, so some aspects will be different to the book, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Without further ado, here is my short story Just Like That.

Pacing back and forth in the warm-up area off to the side of the ice rink, my blade guards thunk thunk thunking with each step, I try futilely to slow my breathing. My hands alternate between gripping my opposite elbows, rubbing the back of my neck, and going to run through my hair only to stop at the last minute — my hair is already styled and ready for the competition; I can’t ruin it with... This. I glance at the small TV that’s showing the current competitor, one Daniil Ivanov, just in time to see him land a perfect quad flip. Fuck. My biggest competition, and his score is just climbing higher and higher. It’s going to be a struggle to catch it even if the Russian genius can’t dance for shit.

Taking a deep breath, I try again to let it out slowly as I tear my gaze away from the TV, deliberately turning my back on it. My breath hitches a little as it blows out. I can do this. I can. I don’t even have to win; I just have to land in the top ten.

But I WANT to win. I want it so badly it hurts. The thought of losing to him, to Dhanyel, again…

Let’s be real. I probably will lose to him. I always lose to him. Every time. Without fail. I will lose again. I will fall on my arse, again and again. The crowd will gasp, I will get that pity applause. And it won’t matter how beautifully I dance because I will have fallen repeatedly. I will finish the competition as bruised as I always do and without a medal.

Fuck!

One hand covering my mouth, the other gripping my chest where it feels as though my heart is going to burst, I stride quickly from the warm up room. I have to get away. Have to calm down, avoid the music I know so well even when all I can hear is the thrumming bass and the roar of the crowd.

“Mik? Where are you going? You’re up in two more!”

I don’t even turn or acknowledge whoever it is who calls out to me. I can’t let them see, can’t let ANYONE see the mess I am. It would ruin the image I have worked so hard to curate.

In the cement-lined corridor, with the fire door closed behind me, the sounds are quieter. I can’t hear the crowd unless they are particularly pleased, and it’s a quiet section of Daniil’s music, so I can’t really hear much of that either. Still, it isn’t enough. Daniil and I have trained at the same rink for three years now, hearing each other’s music again and again. I don’t need to hear it to imagine it, to picture the perfect jumps and perfect landings my rival is no doubt completing. In my mind’s eye, Daniil is even perfecting the step sequences, something he has never done in practice previously. All of it is just highlighting how deficient I am.

My chest hurts. Am I having a heart attack? How pathetic would that be, to die of a heart attack here, in some back corridor where no one would think to look for me, before I even get a chance to compete! But no, that’s stupid. I know I’m not dying. But panicking? Oh yes, that I definitely am. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! My hands clench and unclench rhythmically. What the fuck am I doing here? Why did I even bother trying?

For the applause? The acclaim? Acclaim that I don’t deserve when I can’t even reliably land a jump? I can’t do this, I should just leave and save myself the embarrassment!

Hearing the fire door clunk open, I feel my stomach drop. Someone is coming? Gods, someone will see me like this, with my eyes hot and my hands unable to still! The floor should just open up and swallow me whole!

Glancing over my shoulder, I feel even worse seeing my coach and none other than Daniil standing there. Well, my coach is standing, Daniil is hurrying over, his blonde hair slightly sweaty from his performance. I didn’t even hear the final applause, the end of the music. I didn’t notice.

“Mik...”

“Just... Just leave me alone,” I get out, my voice strained, barely recognisable. Great. Even more embarrassing.

Daniil doesn’t leave, though. Instead, he steps in closer, his hand slipping into my jacket pocket and pulling out my mp3 player.

“What are you doing?”

“Trust me.” His voice is soft compared to the harsh, almost torn tones I use.

He scrolls through the listings, stopping on my short program song. Unwinding the earbuds, he holds them out. I just stare at him.

“Come on. You trusted me to help with your axel, trust me with this as well. I’m not judging you, I don’t think less of you. Just listen.”

Well, what do I have to lose? I glance over to my coach but she stays out of it, letting the two of us sort things out, as we have for the past year. She is nearby in case she is needed but that’s it. Turning my gaze back to the blonde in front of me, I take a deep breath and insert the earbuds.

The opening of Dancing Through Life starts playing, and I lean against the concrete wall, the cold seeping through my jacket and costume. Eyes closed, I see my short program play out in my mind’s eye. I am Fiyero, the wealthy, charming, popular student.

Nothing matters, but knowing nothing matters

It’s just life, so keep dancing through.

I originally chose this song because it speaks to me, or rather the persona I put forward for the cameras during competitions. The playboy who is just in it for the fun, charming, with the best step sequences in any competition, not a care in the world that the jumps that would allow for a high score aren’t perfect. After all, why chase perfection when it doesn’t matter?

No one knows the truth of my anxiety, of the panic attacks behind closed doors, of the fear of being shamed, again, for not being that image of perfection all skaters seek.

Of disappointing Dad.

No one except my coach, of course. And Daniil.

In my mind’s eye, the first jump combination is coming up. Already, I know that even my mental image of myself will screw it up. I jump—

“You land perfectly, blade straight, no wobbles.”

I land without falling, flying backward to continue the routine without needing to climb back up from the ice.

Daniil knows my routine as well as I know his, and at each jump, he speaks, dictating a perfect landing that I then see behind my closed lids.

The song ends. “The crowd roars,” Dhanyel says as he reaches out to take the earbuds from my ears. And, just as he said, I can hear the audience cheering, muted though it is from where we are standing.

“We have to go,” my coach calls from the doorway.

I glance to her, but then look back to Dhanyel, looking down at the slightly shorter man. He is smiling softly, encouragingly.

“You got this. Just like that.”

“Just like that,” I echo.

Taking a breath, I give a short nod and then lead the way back through the waiting area. My heart is still fluttering in my chest, my hands clammy, but it’s familiar nerves rather than terrifying panic. I still don’t know if I can do it, but forcefully, I push those fears aside.

I’ll land the jumps. Just like that.

Reaching the rinkside, I unzip my jacket, revealing my costume: a white billowy shirt with a red vest over the top, over cream tights. My normally black skates have brown covers on them to make them look like boots, matching the ensemble. I am Fiyero, cocky, arrogant, and confident.

Blade guards removed, I hand the lot over to my coach before stepping through the gate onto the ice. I turn to my coach over the barrier. “They don’t matter,” she says. “The crowd, the judges — they’re not here. Just you and the ice.”

I nod.

“You got this. Just like that,” Daniil says again.

“Just like that,” I repeat. Then I turn and slide out to the centre of the rink. Ready to begin.

THE END

There you have it, the story that started it all! Let me know what you thought, and if you want to read more about Mikael and Daniil and the journey they go on to get to this level of resepct, be sure to check out Salt and Ice on Amazon or my website!

There are many reasons why this is the case, and a lot of it has to do with money. Figure skating, and all winter sports really, don’t get the same level of funding from sporting committees and government incentives or programs as typical summer sports like swimming, cricket, or rugby. And without that funding, we’re not able to attract the best coaches.

Consequently, the most successful Australian figure skaters usually live and train internationally. That also makes it cheaper and easier for skaters to compete in international competitions, when you don’t have to fly for 12+ hours (closer to 24 hours for Europe) for every competition. Training internationally also gives the skaters access to peers at their level of competition, friendly rivalries that can drive them to push harder and become better.

For the 2026 Winter Olympics, Australia has two teams competing: Anastasiia Golubeva (born in Russia) and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (born in Australia) competing in the Pairs event, and Holly Harris (born in Australia) and Jason Chan (born in Canada). Their mix of nationalities is a good reflection of the multiculturalism that Australians love and value. Unfortunately, while we had both womens and mens competitors in the qualifier event, none placed high enough to secure one of the coveted positions.

With this general lack of Australian skaters on the international stage, I had to look more local for my research. One of the best sources I used in my research was the livestreams of the National competitions, available for free on YouTube. And in watching this, I had to make some significant edits to my novel!

I had assumed that Australian competitions would run the same as ISU events. That is, each level would have their weekend event of the short and long program, and then after the medals are awarded, there’ll be an exhibition gala. And early drafts of Salt and Ice followed that formula.

However, that turned out to be incorrect. Because figure skating is so small, even a nationwide competition encompasses all levels of competition, from novice all the way up to elite. The skaters would compete alternating mens and womens in order of their level, and since there were so few competitors, this didn’t take long. Finally, there was no exhibition performance at all.

There are remnants of this that I kept in Salt and Ice. For example, Mik and Daniil discuss their exhibition pieces, but since they aren’t part of the Nationals competition, in doing some digging I found that sometimes regional competitions will include exhibition pieces. I decided that I could still keep the references for those regional competitions that do not take place as part of the novel (outside of the big finale gala at the end).

Additionally, the first draft of Salt and Ice wasn’t written with Australian figure skaters specifically in mind. I was basing the characters of Mikael and Daniil on internationally competitive men’s skaters. Consequently, Daniil could do quads across the board (except for the quad axel, because, at the time of writing, that hadn’t been landed in competition yet), and Mik had one or two quads. However, in watching the Men’s National competitions, most of the competitors stuck to triples. That meant I had to lower the difficulty of my protagonists’ jumps to still be realistic with what Australian skaters typically perform.

But here’s what surprised me most: these adjustments didn’t weaken my story — they strengthened it. By grounding Mik and Daniil in the reality of Australian figure skating, with its smaller competitions, triple jumps instead of quads, and skaters who train abroad out of necessity rather than choice, I created characters who felt authentic to their world. They don’t train internationally, not because they aren’t talented enough, but because of real restraints: Daniil with his fear of flying, and Mikael because of his family ties.

These challenges facing Australian figure skating — the funding gaps, the lack of local high-level competition, the need to train overseas — aren’t just obstacles for real skaters. They’re the foundation of compelling stories about athletes who love a sport their country barely notices. As I watch Holly Harris and Jason Chan, and Anastasiia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore compete at the 2026 Olympics, I’m reminded why I chose to set Salt and Ice in Australia. Because sometimes the most interesting stories come from the margins, not the centre, of the skating world.

Salt and Ice is releasing in just 3 days on the 25th of January 2025! Be sure to keep an eye out and, if you’re keen, absolutely preorder a copy! If you’re lucky enough to live in Australia, I sell signed copies from my website, or you can order from Amazon if you prefer. Salt and Ice will also be released for free in Kindle Unlimited.

Program Score

This is the overall score a performance receives. It is made up of the technical score plus the performance score. This is the score we see on television, awarded at the kiss and cry.

Technical Score

Every scored element (jumps, spins, and step sequences) has a base value, as was seen in the Jumps article. This base value is higher or lower depending on the difficulty of the element. The technical score rewards risk and complexity.

There is some discussion that it rewards jumps too much, and a program’s artistic merrit is not rewarded highly enough. In Salt and Ice this is something that Mikael complains a lot about, because it directly affects his overall performance. It’s not strictly true, but often a decently performed quad jump, even if it’s not perfect, will still score higher than a perfectly performed triple jump, because the judging system rewards the risk the skater takes by adding another rotation.

Grade of Execution (GOE)

The GOE adjusts a score either up or down depending on the quality of the element. For example, if a jump has a difficult entrance (a favourite of mine is entering an axel from a spread eagle), it gets extra points awarded. This shows on TV with a green score or box next to the element.

Conversely, if an element is not performed well, it gets points deducted. For example, if a jump is deemed to be under-rotated, so it’s landed and to the average viewer looks fine, but the blade is only three-quarters of the way around, there will be a negative GOE. This shows on TV with a red score or box next to the element.

There are also times when an element has an X in the box. This means an element is significantly incorrect and is worth zero points. In elite competition, it happens if a skater pops, or aborts, a jump and only rotates one or two times. At the elite level, all jumps except for the axel must be at least a triple, so doing a single or a double awards no points.

Both the Technical and the GOE scores are standardised and do not change, and if there is any doubt over something (sometimes the rotation of a jump can be called into question), judges watch footage in slow motion to decide.

Performance Score

Finally, the performance score is where musicality, choreography, transitions, and performance and expression are judged. In Salt and Ice, this is always Daniil’s lowest scoring area and Mikael’s highest.

Even though this is a little more fluid than the rigidity of the technical score, there are still specific things a judge looks for and considers well executed. For example, landing a jump on a powerful beat or moment in the music will award high marks for musical interpretation.

Final Thoughts

Even with this new, more complex scoring system, subjectivity still exists, and there is variation depending on the judges at a competition, but it is less able to become corrupt than the old system, and it is more transparent for the skaters to know exactly why they got the scores they did.

Last year, my biggest achievement was completing a novel. That novel, Salt and Ice, is due out in just one week.

Everyone always says you learn so much from finishing your first novel, and it was something I could intellectually acknowledge, but it wasn’t until I experienced that same thing that I really understood it.

One of the things I have more recently learned this month is that I need to continue writing fiction, even when I’m busy with other things. This doesn’t have to be every day, but it should be every second day. Basically as often as possible with life circumstances. Because when I finished my second draft of Salt and Ice, I essentially stopped writing fiction. I wrote articles for substack, I edited like crazy for all subsequent drafts, but I didn’t actually write anything new. And then, when I tried to go back to writing something new, it was like wading through molasses.

Consequently, I have planned out a sequel to Salt and Ice and, while I’m not sure if I really love it, I will be working on that while I plan other things, just to keep those writing juices flowing.

So far this month, I’ve finished writing a reader magnet short story for the sequel, mostly to get into the headspace of a new protagonist. It’s not good and definitely not ready to send out, but it’s written. I also started zero drafting the actual sequel itself and am about half way through chapter 1 of that.

Outside of writing, I spent a little time working with my serial fiction here on Substack to turn it into a visual novel game. But I haven’t spent more than a couple of hours on it. Most of my time has instead been looking at one of my more popular fanfictions and trying to turn it into something original that I can use. I think I’ve mostly come up with replacement scenarios for the definitely proprietary stuff, and now I’m looking at the piece as a whole and working out where it needs to be broken up into separate books and what needs to be added to make each book a complete story in itself. It’s something completely different that I’m having fun with. And since it’s a combination of fantasy and science fiction, I feel like it’s more true to what I enjoy writing. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun writing in the contemporary setting of Salt and Ice, and there will probably be some Australian elements in this new fiction piece since the setting obviously needs to change, but I’ve always been a fantasy writer, and I feel like going back to those roots will be the most beneficial.

I am also learning to give myself grace in how much I produce. This year is going to be very busy. If you’ve seen my notes, you’ve gotten a hint as to why. I need to accept that, between those big changes, and that I have a job now, my writing time and, more importantly, my energy levels are going to be lower, and that’s okay.

So, here’s to the new year, and let’s work towards a successful 2026!

Step Sequences

These are technically scored sequences of figure skating skills, and the step sequence has its own grading attached to it. When you start learning how to skate, you’re taught some of the more basic forms of these moves.

For example, when I was skating regularly, I was at level 5 and was learning the moves I needed to complete levels 6 and 7.

These included three turns (also known as C turns) where you skate in one direction around a circle, then turn your foot to continue skating in the opposite direction on the same foot. So imagine skating forwards in a circle on one foot, then doing a 180 and continuing around that circle skating backwards.

Another move I was learning was the mohawk, where you’re skating forward on one foot, then you bring your back leg in with as much turnout as possible and transfer your weight to it so you’re skating backwards on the other foot.

Obviously, at an elite level, these skills have a lot more nuance to them, but if you watch the routines carefully, you can still see these fundamentals.

The step sequence consists of several moves like these, in a sequence and is judged on:

• use of the entire ice surface (it has to at least go from one end to the other, though often it turns around and goes back again),

• the difficulty of the moves,

• how well they are controlled (especially upper body control),

• how fast they are,

• the variety of moves used,

• how well they match the music,

• and how deep the edges are (as in, how much a skater leans into the angle).

A routine also often has several required moves a skater must make as part of their step sequence, in the same way that they must have a certain number of jumps.

Choreographic Sequence

The choreographic sequence, on the other hand, doesn’t have any technical scores or specific requirements. They are used to add to the presentation score and are judged on the performance, creativity, and musical interpretation.

Choreographic sequences can include:

• slides

• lunges

• spirals

• expressive movements

• “small” jumps or jumps that don’t have a set requirement

This is the “raspberry twist” that Ilia Malinin performs (I think he invented it, but I could be wrong). It’s basically a butterfly jump, with a horizontal twist added into it. It’s an example of a jump that is part of the choreographic sequence (and proof that even these so-called small jumps aren’t really small), but isn’t worth any specific points itself outside of presentation points:

Final Thoughts

Step sequences are designed to show skating skills, where choreographic sequences are designed to show who you are.

In Salt and Ice, these are where Mikael absolutely shines and what he loves to do, where Daniil struggles with them and usually rushes them in the hopes they will be over faster.

These are what make a program feel unique and usually what we remember the most (unless some record has just been broken). I’ll leave by sharing my absolute favourite figure skating routine of all time, Jason Brown’s Riverdance, where his step sequence and choreographic sequences absolutely excel. You might even be able to pick out some of what we’ve been talking about the last few days, including Brown’s own “small” side and front split leaps:

Note: I stuffed up. This was supposed to come out before the Spins article, so if you were a little lost about the anatomy of the blade, then hopefully this will explain things a little better.

The jumps in figure skating are, perhaps, the most iconic part of the sport. They are also the easiest element to tell if an athlete performs them well. If they fall: bad. If they land cleanly: good.

But when it comes to knowing the difference between the different jumps, that’s where things get tricky. This article will break them down for you, but even with this handy dandy guide, don’t worry if you still can’t spot them live on TV. It takes a lot of practice and focus to distinguish between them. Still, with this, the terms won’t be completely foreign to you.

Before we go into detail on this though, I need to explain blade anatomy. A figure skating blade has four main parts.

Blade Anatomy

The toe pick

If you’ve ever seen the movie The Cutting Edge, you’ll know all about the toe pick. It’s the grippy bit of the blade at the toe. It’s used as a pivot, to aid in some jumps, and to trip up unsuspecting hockey players who think they can figure skate.

The rocker

Contrary to how they look at a distance, figure skating blades are not flat to the ground. They have a gentle curve and the point where the blade is curved is called the rocker. Figure skaters position their weight at different points along the blade in relation to the rocker to perform different moves.

Edges

Even though the blade looks like one piece of metal, it’s actually got two edges. The hollow is small, but important when it comes to correctly performing skating skills.

The inside edge

This image is of a left boot, so the inside edge is on the right hand side, or facing the inside of the body. If a skater is on their left foot, they use their inside edge when travelling in a clockwise direction when travelling forwards, or anticlockwise when travelling backwards.

The outside edge

Again, a left boot, so the outside edge is on the left hand side, or facing away from the body. If a skater is on their left foot, they use their outside edge when travelling in an anticlockwise direction when travelling forwards, or clockwise when travelling backwards.

Right, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the jumps!

Toe Loop (T)

Even though the video is the same for each of the jumps, I have bookmarked it at the right time for that particular jump.

The toe loop is one of the easier jumps and, as such, it’s often added on as a second jump in jump combinations (more on that below).

The skater is travelling backwards on the outside edge of one foot. They then slam the toe pick of their free foot into the ice and use that to launch them into the air. They then rotate the required amount (between one and four times), and land on the outside edge of the same foot they took off on.

So, backwards outside edge, toe pick assisted jump, land on the same foot, outside edge.

The base value for a single toe loop is 0.40 points. But in elite competition, the single jump is usually not allowed, so will score 0 points. Instead there is a scaling score based on the number of rotations.

Salchow (S)

For the salchow jump, the skater is travelling backwards on the inside edge of one foot. They then jump without the toe pick, rotate the required amount, and land on the outside edge of the opposite foot of the one they took off on.

So, backwards inside edge, no toe pick, land on the opposite foot’s inside edge.

The base value for a single Salchow is also 0.40.

Loop (Lo)

The loop jump has the skater travelling backwards on the outside edge of one foot. They jump without the aid of the toe pick, rotate the required amount, and land on the outside edge of the same foot.

So, backwards outside edge, no toe pick, land on the same foot’s outside edge.

As you can see, this is the same as the toe loop, just without the toe pick assist. However, because the use of the toe pick makes the jump easier, a single Loop jump is awarded 0.50 points.

Flip (F)

The flip starts with the skater travelling backwards on the inside edge of one foot. The toe pick is used to assist with the jump, then rotate the required amount, and land on the outside edge of the opposite (the toe pick using) foot.

So, backwards inside edge, toe pick assist, land on the opposite foot’s outside edge.

As you can see, this is the same as the Salchow, but with the toe pick assisting. However in this case, adding the toe pick take off adds complexity to the jump. As such, the single Flip is awarded 0.50 points.

Lutz (Lz)

The lutz jump begins with the skater travelling backwards on the outside edge of one foot. The toe pick is used to assist in the jump, then rotate the required amount, and land on the outside edge of the opposite (the toe pick using) foot.

So, backwards outside edge, toe pick assist, land on the opposite foot’s outside edge.

This is considered the most difficult and technically demanding of the jumps that are performed while travelling backwards. As such, a single Lutz jump is awarded 0.60 points.

Axel (A)

Now, this video is a few years old so Jason Brown’s comments about the quad axel not having been done is no longer accurate.

This is the only jump that starts while travelling forwards. The skater begins on the forward outside edge of one foot. They do not use the toe pick for this jump. They rotate the required amount, which is always half a rotation more than the number (so a single axel requires 1 1/2 rotations, Ilia Malinin’s quad axel (the only person to land it in competition as of this article) requires 4 1/2 rotations). Then they land backwards outside edge of the opposite foot.

So, forwards outside edge, no toe pick, an extra half rotation, and land on the backwards outside edge of the opposite foot.

The Axel is widely considered to be the most difficult of all the jumps, partially because it is the only one to launch while skating forwards when most skaters learn to jump while skating backwards, and also because of the extra half rotation it requires. As such, a single axel is awarded 1.10.

As an aside, the ISU have decided that the ultra rare quad axel is to be awarded a whopping 12.50 points (1 point more than the quad lutz).

Combination Jumps

In elite competition, there needs to be at least one combination jump performed. This is one jump, followed by another, sometimes separated by an Euler, or a half loop.

The ending edge of the first jump should be the starting edge of the second one, and the second is usually assisted by the toe pick.

For example, a Toe-Toe is a combination jump, or it could be a Lutz-Toe. Because the lutz ends on an outside edge and the toe starts on the outside edge, one naturally flows into the other.

If a skater ends on an outside edge, and wants to add a flip or, more commonly, a salchow as the second jump, they need to change edges. They do this with a half jump called the Euler. This actually looks like a mistake if you see it in competition. It looks a little like a skater has stumbled or messed up a jump (and personally, I don’t like how it looks because of that), but it is a legitimate way to switch the edge in preparation for the second jump.

Adding an Euler adds an extra 1 point to the combination jump, and allows for more interesting and higher scoring combinations.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, a basic run down of the single jumps. If you’re reading this after 2025, then it’s possible the scores may have changed but, to my knowledge, they are correct as of the time of writing. And the jumps themselves are not going to change.

Any questions? Drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!

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Spin Types

There are three main types of spins:

• Upright spin — a skater is standing upright while performing the spin; the leg they’re skating on is straight. It includes variations like the Bielman (holding the free leg behind and above your head) and the layback (free leg behind you and leaning backwards from the waist).

• Sit spin — a skater is in a sitting position while performing the spin. Some variants include having their free leg extended out before them, parallel to the ice (this is the most common variant) or with the free leg across the skating leg and either straight or bent.

• Camel spin — if you’re familiar with ballet terms, this is a spin in the arabesque position. Your skating leg is straight, and you bend forwards and lift your free leg behind you so that you make a T position, with your chest and leg parallel to the ice.

After those basic spin types, you then have:

• Single position spins — where you hold that position for the required number of rotations,

• Combination spins — where you change position mid-spin and continue spinning,

• Change of foot spins — where you do a little hop mid-spin and change which foot you’re spinning on, and

• Flying spins — where you enter the spin from a jump.

What makes a spin good or bad?

To the untrained eye, so long as a skater doesn’t fall in the spin, they all look pretty good, but there are techniques and control that the judges are looking for. Good spins usually have:

• Strong centring — that is, not travelling across the ice as they spin; they remain in one place. While practising, you might see a skater end their spin, then check the ice. They are looking to see a tight circle pattern rather than a drifting spiral.

• Either increasing speed or consistent speed — Along with the requirement of rotating at least three times per spin position, extra points are awarded for a fast spin that either increases in speed or remains consistent.

• Clear, controlled positions — It should be clear what positions are held; no sloppy, wobbling, half-reached positions before aborting.

• Smooth entries and exits — skaters shouldn’t stumble out of a spin (sometimes difficult with dizziness), and they should also enter it cleanly.

Conversely, along with not hitting those points, a poor spin will also often:

• wobble

• lose speed

• travel

• or rush into the positions.

Why spins are difficult (even for elite skaters)

Despite looking like they are easier than jumps, spins require a lot of skill to get right. They need extreme core strength, as that’s what stops you from wobbling while you spin. A skater needs to be precise with their blade, knowing the exact edge and section of the blade to put their weight, and be able to hold it there. And that’s not counting the balance required while rotating at high speeds and maintaining the position while fighting dizziness.

When a spin is done well, it can convey elegance, tension, playfulness, or power. It is a storytelling device and can contribute high artistic scores.

Don’t skaters get dizzy?

This actually varies from person to person. Some people get used to spinning that fast through practice, while others always get dizzy every time, and they just learn to adjust and skate through it.

But don’t take it from me, I still get dizzy every time when I try a spin. Take it from the experts:

1. Men’s

2. Women’s

3. Pairs

4. Ice dance

5. Synchronised

Within each of these divisions, they are broken up further by skill level. Most of what you’ll see on television is the Seniors, which is the elite level, the ones who get to go to the Olympics. They have to have passed a number of tests and, as of the 2024-2025 season, must have turned 17 before July 1st of that year. I’ll mostly be focusing on the senior level information in these articles as that’s the level my two protagonists are competing at.

You might also see the Juniors on sporting networks. These are competitors who are on track to compete at the Olympics but are currently too young. For most divisions, a competitor can not have turned 19 before July 1st of that year (in pairs and ice dance, the upper limit is 21 for women and 23 for men).

This means that there can be some cross over where a competitor is able to compete in both Juniors and Seniors at the same time. In my novel, this is the case for one of the skaters, Noah.

As my novel is about men’s skaters, most of these articles will focus on that division, but I’ve included all of them here for reference.

Divisions

Here’s a basic rundown of each of the divisions in figure skating.

Men’s

As is probably obvious, the Men’s division is for men to compete in. The rules are slightly different as there are no caps on the jumps that are allowed for men (so far, only up to quads). The focus for the men’s competition is power and strength.

Costumes are also somewhat different as men typically wear black boots and their costume must consist of a shirt and pants. The costumes are also typically less showy and sparkly than women’s but this is more of a trend than a rule (and some skaters like Yuzuru Hanyu bucked that trend with some stunning costumes).

Women’s

Again, obviously, the Women’s division is for women to compete in. Women are not allowed to perform quad jumps (more on that later) in the short program. The focus for the women’s competition is artistry and flexibility, such that there is a required element of a layback/biellmann which can only be achieved with great flexibility.

Women typically wear white boots and, until recently, their costume had to consist of a short dress. This has changed in recent years with pants being allowed, but the dress is still the most popular costume.

Pairs

The pair competition is a division where a man and a woman compete as a team. They must skate in sync with each other and it involves several elements where the man lifts the woman above his head, or throws her across the ice. Pairs is the most dangerous division due to the height and speed at which the woman can fall and strike the ice, so that risk makes it a high adrenaline and popular division to watch.

Ice Dance

The ice dance is also a division with a man and a woman competing as a team, but unlike Pairs, the lifts are lower and the woman is not thrown across the ice. Ice dancers must skate very close to each other and the expectations for staying in sync and skating with deep edges are higher. Ice Dance is often referred to as ballroom dancing on ice.

Instead of short and free programs, Ice Dancers have the Rhythm Dance and the Free dance. Since there are no ice dancers in my novel, I won’t go into too much detail about this category.

Synchronized

Synchronized skating doesn’t get as much air time as the other categories but it is a recognised form in the ISU (International Skating Union). It consists of teams of 16 skaters (plus up to 4 alternates) of any gender skating together as a team in formation, and generally doesn’t involve any lifts or throws.

Similar to the Ice Dance, it has a lot of different rules to the other categories and there’s no synchronized skating in my novel, so I won’t go into detail about it.

Competitions

A skating competition takes place over two days for each division, with the whole competition taking four or five full days (this doesn’t include synchronized skating as they have a completely separate competition circuit).

Short Program

The first day of competition is taken up with the Short Program. Each routine can only go for 2 minutes 40 seconds (+/- 10 seconds) and, for the men’s competition, must include the following elements:

1. A double or triple Axel.

2. One triple or quadruple jump.

3. One jump combination involving double/triple/quad jumps.

4. One flying spin.

5. One camel or sit spin (with one change of foot).

6. One spin combination (with one change of foot).

7. A step sequence using the whole ice surface.

Don’t worry if you have no idea what each of those are, I’ll be explaining them in future articles!

But as you can see, there’s a lot that a skater needs to pack into the short program which makes it a very punchy, very intense competition.

In large competitions such as the international ISU ones, a skater has to score over a certain amount in order to qualify for the free competition, usually within the top 24 competitors. So just getting to an international competition isn’t enough, you also need to score highly enough to continue competing.

Free Program

If a skater qualifies for the free program, this takes place the next day. Free program is also sometimes called the Long Program, as it goes for 4 minutes (+/- 10 seconds), and for the men must contain:

1. Up to 6 jump elements, one of which must be an Axel

2. Up to three spins:

   • One must be a spin combination.

   • One must be a flying spin or a spin with a flying entrance.

   • One must be a spin with only one position.

3. One step sequence that uses the full ice surface.

4. One choreographic sequence showcasing artistry and creativity.

Please note that rules change frequently. These are the rules for the 2024/25 season which is when my book is set. However, one change that has been implemented for 2025/26 season is allowing 7 jump elements. This is why you might see 7 jumps when watching the Olympics next month and how Illia Malinin was allowed to do his record breaking 7 quad jump routine.

In addition to this, any jumps performed in the second half of the program score an added 10% to reward the attempt at a jump when the skater is more fatigued. Again, don’t worry if this is all gibberish for now, that’s what these articles are for!

While the free has more required elements, because of the extra length, the skater has more time to be expressive and creative with their choreography, and it also really highlights the athlete’s stamina as well.

Exhibition Gala

At the end of the competition, after all divisions have finished and as a celebration of the end of the competition, an exhibition gala is often held. This is not technically part of the competition as there are no judges and no rules. Not everyone gets to perform; it is usually the medallists and a few fan favourites or local skaters from the hosting country who are invited.

It’s a chance for all divisions to share the ice so that the audience can see skaters from a division they didn’t watch, and for the skaters to put on a show and express themselves without the strict structure and rules of competition. Sometimes you’ll even see banned moves being performed here.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, a basic rundown of the divisions and how a competition is structured with each of the events. As stated earlier, rules change but, to my knowledge, they are correct as of the time of writing.

Any questions? Drop them in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer!

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Now, I want my novel to be correct when it comes to figure skating especially since one driving force behind me wanting to write it in the first place was the abysmal research (and I’m using that word in its loosest form) done by writers of figure skating fiction, at least the books that I read (happy for recommendations for ones who do it well!). But I also want it to make sense for anyone who isn’t familiar with the intricacies of the sport.

And so, if you would like to know more about how figure skating competitions are run and scored, I put together this little mini series to run you through the basics. It’s absolutely not required reading to understand my novel, but it may give you a little extra insight if you’re interested.

It’ll run through each of the following subjects:

1. Categories and the two days of competition

2. Jumps

3. Spins

4. Step Sequence & Choreograph sequence

5. Points: Technical, Performance, GOE

6. Figure skating in Australia

Each topic will be released every couple days in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics and the release of my novel (25 January 2026).

It will culminate in a short story being published on the day of my release. This short story is separate from the novel and, even though the characters are the same, the events are different. This story was what kicked off my writing the novel, as when I asked for feedback, people said they wanted to read more.

So here’s to the next 20 days until release!

As a debut indie author, getting a good cover was important, but let’s face it, it was stressful. I knew that the key to a successful book was, in large part, down to the quality of its cover, and I had seen in various ARC groups an abundance of poor, homemade covers. I didn’t want that. No doubt those authors are very proud of what they created, but I wanted more. I just didn’t have the budget.

This is the cover I created while I was working on my novel

I used that on my Lore Forge file and in Heart Breathing’s Rough Draft Challenge. It was a great motivator, and I felt it really fit the story. Unfortunately, that image was stolen from Google and that title, as long-time followers would be aware, was scrapped when I realised there were literally HUNDREDS of books with that title on Amazon, which would render mine lost in the crowd. Finally, the font looked unprofessional, and, of course, I didn’t have a license to use it.

Looking at cover designers, I was about to despair at being able to afford a decent cover (especially considering the US to AUD conversion rates), until the Facebook group 20BooksTo50k made the recommendation of either Miblart, or their cheaper cousin, GetCovers.

Miblart has a free service where you tell them what your book is about, and they will describe a suggested book cover. I took them up on that, and this is what they came back with:

We can show two silhouettes back-to-back against an ice rink background—something like this:
[linked stock photos of the ice of an ice rink]

Inside the silhouettes, we can include a view of the rink with close-up black skating shoes lying on it.

The title can also be written in blocky letters with an ice effect.

I liked this idea, and I played around with it on Canva. I’m not very good at visualising something without seeing it in front of me, so I wanted to try and put a rough estimate of what it could look like. These are the two options I came up with:

Now, obviously these are quite terrible and not even close to what I would want it to look like, but it gave me a bit of a visual representation of what it could look similar to if a professional designer took it on.

I decided I liked the idea of it, but Miblart was still a bit too pricy at US$270 for both ebook and print. So I looked at GetCovers, which offered both print and ebook for only US$35. The difference was, with Miblart, I only paid when I approved the design, whereas with GetCovers I had to pay up front, but they offered unlimited revisions, and a 100% money back guarantee if they couldn’t get it right. After asking around, I learned that they did, in fact, honour that guarantee. Bonus.

So, after browsing GetCover’s catelogue I decided that, while there were some that I didn’t like, there were a lot of covers I really did. And I was sure I would never find a comparable price. So I filled out their application form.

I gave them the blurb I had at the time and a link to 5 stock photos I found on deposit photos:

• one contained a number of male silhouettes

• two beach photos (one with a path and one with a storm rolling in)

• one of the ice of an ice rink

• one of a pair of men’s figure skates (surprisingly hard to find! Most were white, but I wanted the black ones to signal that this was about male skaters)

I also gave the following two covers as comp titles (not of what my book was about, but because I liked elements of each of them):

I then gave the following as my instructions:

The background is a beach scene (I’m unsure what image would work best, so I provided two options from depositphotos but I’m happy for you to use a different one, it just needs to look like an Australian beach). The title uses bold capitals with a shattering ice effect (something like Comp1). There are two sillhoettes, both men, facing away from each other. In the depositphotos image, I like image 3 and 7 if it’s possible to raise the head on 7 so they are looking forward as well, but again, I’m happy for you to choose a different image if you find a better suited one. [The image I’m referring to had about 12 different male sillhouettes to choose from, and head 7 was looking slightly down]. Inside the sillhoettes is an icy effect like the ice on a skating rink. I’ve included an example in the depositphotos but, again, if you find a better colour tint or think something else will work better, feel free, I trust your design skills!

Then I sent it off!

I got a response from the customer liaison person within 24 hours saying my brief had been assigned to a designer, and they requested some further details like what size I wanted it to be, whether it was hardback or paperback, how many pages it is, etc. At this point, I asked ChatGPT to calculate how many pages it would be with a standard fiction book at 95,000 words (as I hadn’t quite finished the draft yet, let alone the edits). I gave those details and was assured that I can amend them at a later date, no problem.

Three days later, I had the first version back:

As you can see, it’s very close to what the final version is! However, they had drawn too heavily on my comp title, as opposed to my description requesting that the silhouettes be back to back. I suppose it COULD look like two rivals trying to stare each other down. But it could also look like two lovers staring longingly into each other’s eyes. Figure skating fiction is full of M/M romances, and the last thing I wanted was to risk a reader getting the wrong impression about my book.

So I requested they change the silhouettes to be back to back. Five days later, I had the revision:

Close! The problem I had with this version was that it wasn’t as impactful as the previous one, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. I showed both versions to my husband and asked what he thought and he pointed out that while the silhouettes facing away from each other signalled a rivalry better, the ones where they were facing towards each other had some nice symmetry, specifically with the path leading down to the beach.

Once more, I reached out and said that I liked the beach path in the original version, so could we decrease the transparency at the bottom, or move them further apart, something to bring that back. Another five days, and then we get to the final version of:

Two weeks after initially reaching out to GetCovers and I had a cover I was happy with! I actually gave myself about two months for this whole process, expecting more turnaround or, potentially, needing to get a refund and go elsewhere and start the whole process again. So this ease meant I was well ahead of schedule!

I have heard mixed things about people’s experiences with GetCovers, but from what I’ve gathered, if you are exact in what you want, and provide them with plenty of examples and stock photos, your experiences are generally much better than if you’re not sure what it should be.

So, with that, just a final reminder that ARC reader positions are open, so if you’re interested in receiving an advanced copy and helping me spread the word with an honest review, be sure to fill out the application form.

With the release of my upcoming novel’s cover, it’s now time to find my ARC team! This is the blurb (subject to change; I’m still tweaking it):

Rival skaters. A dying rink. One last chance to triumph.

Mikael Fitzgibbons was once destined for the Olympics, but now he hides behind laughter, banter, and carefree spins, all while watching his dreams slip away one missed landing at a time.

Daniil Ivanov skates with machine precision, honouring the memory of parents who gave everything for his future. But technical perfection can’t fill the silence in the house they left behind.

When their coach announces that Oceancrest Ice Arena, the only rink for hours along the Australian coast, is closing, bitter rivals Mik and Daniil face an impossible choice: work together or lose everything.

With family secrets unravelling and time running out, they’ll risk everything on one final performance. Because saving their rink means more than keeping the lights on — it means discovering that sometimes the person standing in your way is actually the one who can help you succeed.

ARC readers will receive a unique, trackable copy via BookFunnel at the start of December. The download window will remain open until release day (planned for late January). You can get your name in early by filling out this form.

By signing up, you agree to read the novel by the release date and leave an honest review on platforms where you have a presence (Amazon, Goodreads, Kobo, Substack, Instagram etc).

https://forms.gle/fhfanrYQBXqQqZyb7

Please be aware that there are some restrictions with Amazon reviews.

• You need to have purchased at least $50 of products in the last 12 months.

• You can only post a review after the release date (I suggest adding a calendar reminder so you don’t forget :) )

• Please don’t mention the words ‘ARC’, ‘free’, or ‘in exchange’ as that can flag your account and reject the review.

When it comes to release, the paperback will be wide and the ebook will be in Kindle Unlimited for at least the first three months (after which I’ll reassess and consider whether to leave it there or to go wide). I am also working on a hardback large print copy that will also be available wide.

ARC readers are a vital part of ensuring a book is successful, so thank you so much for your interest and your support, and I look forward to hearing what you think of Salt and Ice!

If you want to just jump to the finale, I have posted a cool little cover reveal trailer which you can just watch.

I’ll also include what few journal entries I wrote in October (a grand total of three).

Sunday, 19 October 2025

3/39 Chapters Edited

I haven’t done a good job at keeping up with this journal and part of the reason is because I have been completely overwhelmed by the whole editing process. The last entry had me doing basic editing and sorting scenes into chapters. My next step was to create an epub and load it onto my new Kobo. Then I read through it like a reader would, making notes as I go.

This revealed to me one major problem: both my protagonists’ subplots are completely disconnected from my main story and both are overall handled poorly. Mik’s is essentially abandoned by the midpoint and Daniil’s is introduced mostly at the midpoint and all wrapped up in a massive exposition dump. Terrible, right?!

So it took me days to figure out how to fix this. Oh, but that’s not all! First I got a new job in disability support. It’s great for our finances, but not so much for my writing time. Then my writing program, Lore Forge, completely glitched out, mixing up scenes, losing scenes, and not having backed up since the 9 September, despite being set to back u p every half an hour. Thankfully, the developer is very active on discord. The backup bug is already fixed in an upcoming patch and I have the doc that I used to make the epub.

So for now I’m working in Google docs. Each chapter is a separate doc with a to do list at the top. I need to finish these changes by the 30th so I can send it to my mum’s book club to beta read.

Monday, 20 October 2025

6/39 Chapters edited

This is taking way longer than I thought. I both overwrite and underwrite. I underwrite by including hardly any descriptions beyond what is functionally required, no sensory details, nothing. But I also overwrite by repeating myself, or more specifically, saying the same thing two or three different ways, and by absolutely packing my manuscript with filter words.

So I am simultaneously cutting and rewriting and adding, hoping that the net amount is down a good 15,000 words. Ideally I would do each pass separately as my sculptor type, but I only have nine days left, which means four chapters per day, or more if work cuts that down. Overwhelm is real.

Chapters edited: 39/39

Saturday, 1 November 2025

I am so bad at writing in this journal for the past month, but in my defence I have been completely slammed with editing ready for beta readers. It’s still not 100% where I wanted it, I just ran out of time, but the major rewrites and edits to fix the subplots are done. I don’t know how I managed to get it nearly on time, but I did! I still need to format it and write instructions on how to access it (my beta readers aren’t tech savvy) but I’m getting there.

Today is also the big cover and title reveal day! I’m both nervous and excited about that! But when today’s work is done I’m taking a week off to give my brain a break before I get stuck into the next phase of publishing.

So what is my title?

Drum roll…

Salt and Ice.

Something unique and evocative of the main elements of my story. And here’s the cover:

What do you think? I hope you like it, be sure to let me know in the comments! I’ll be changing the section name to match in the near future.

Leave a comment

This week was banging! Gotta read on to find out more, but suffice to say I am very, very happy right about now.

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Journal Entries

Tuesday, 23 September 2025

Total words: 0

Today and yesterday I have been focusing on deep outlining the finale, but I did write about 2,000 words in that. Maybe I should call it my zero draft. I think on my next project I will use Lore Forge’s revision system more heavily and write my deep outlines direct into the scene since they are basically super sparse, punctuation free drafts.

It will be the same tomorrow because I want to get to the end with my deep outline so I can really power through with the drafting. I only have a week left to finish, so I’m feeling the crunch. I had hoped to be finished by now, but it seems I’m still very good at underestimating how much work is involved in a project.

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

Total words: 0

Oh man, so much work done today! My lack of word count doesn’t reflect the reality of 3,000 words of deep outline. The Finale is completely outlined and I just have to do the Final Image. Then fill them out with actual prose.

6 days left.

I am hoping to get the rest of the outline done tomorrow, but I do need to go to the dentist so I don’t know how the pain will affect me. I should be able to finish the draft in time just.

Damn this is taking way longer than I estimated though! Literally laughing at how naive I was on the 2nd September thinking there was only 7-10 days of work left! I should know better from when I was a technical writer. However long you think it will take, double it, and then add an extra 50% as a buffer, just in case.

Thursday, 25 September 2025

Total words: 62

No, that’s not a typo. 62 words. Nor is it because of a bad writing day. Quite the opposite actually because… I finished my deep outlining! I was so hyped for getting the roughest of rough drafts complete that I started trying to turn it into prose, but I only got 64 words in before I realised I was just too tired.

I also added like a gazillion scenes, but they are short I’m hoping they don’t add too much. I really need to consider what to cut, though. Maybe there will be left overs from Daniil’s abandoned subplot, but if not, it’s nearly time to get critical.

5 days left to turn this outline into prose. The end is so close I can almost taste it!

Friday, 26 September 2025

Total words: 5,076

And that is not a typo either! I felt so energised by having completed the deep outline that I have spent most of today writing! I only have 3 1/2 major scenes left to write: Mik’s exhibition skate (which has been living rent free in my brain for literally years), the actual duet, the grant results, and the epilogue. That’s it!

Of course, then I have the mammoth task of editing and cutting down the expected 110,000 words. But I will have finished the first draft. For the first time for an original fiction of this length! I’m already happy and proud of myself, and I haven’t even gotten there yet. This has been my dream for literally my whole life (literally, literally, literally, what am I, 12?) and now I’m actually doing it! I’m one step closer!

Saturday, 27 September 2025

Total words: 3,260

And with that, ladies and gentlemen, my draft is complete!

I’m honestly so excited and relieved and happy and proud! And terrified, haha!

Now the real work begins in shaping it into something worth while. I mean, the good thing is I’ve always been good at editing, at least that’s what my technical writing manager said (while I was under performance review after getting caught up in company politics, but let’s not get into that).

I really wish I could afford a developmental editor, it would be so beneficial, but I just don’t have the funds. Hopefully the various AI tools can help. I know they are nothing compared to a human editor, but hopefully it will be enough to get me started. Maybe I will be able to afford one for my next book.

Sunday, 28 September 2025

Scenes edited: 2 today (2/65 complete)

I’m changing it up now that adding words is no longer my main goal. I decided I’m going to track the scenes I’ve edited. There are currently a total of 65 scenes.

Today I moved all of my scenes into one ‘chapter’, ready to break into proper chapters based on pacing needs rather than each ‘chapter’ being a Save the Cat story beat the way I had it set up for writing. I then changed all the scenes to Revision 2, utilising Lore Forge’s revision system so I can easily go back to an old version if need be.

I then rewrote the opening and closing paragraphs in the pairs practice scene, as I had a note to myself saying that it was far too much telling (it was), so now it’s much better.

I also went through all the crits from Critique Circle and the report from a manuscript assessment I had on the first scene and edited it accordingly. I still want to tweak it a bit, but it’s getting there.

Finally, I went through the notes and made the easy changes (like changing Dhanyel to Daniil and Dimitri to Dmitri) and deleted the notes I no longer agree with.

Oh, I also backed up this version of the story and saved a copy locally and to the cloud. Always back up your work, kids!

I completely forgot to publish this on Monday like I was supposed to! I am so sorry for anyone who was hanging out to read about my progress. Only four days late, right?

Anyway, the last week wasn’t exactly spectacular. My anxiety has been particularly bad of late due to real life stressors, and that always affects my writing. But at the same time I have the pressure of finishing my draft by the end of the month as, in order to get a feasible draft ready for my beta readers at the end of October, I’ll also need at least a month to edit (while also writing my substack articles next month). Oh the pressure!

Anyway, enjoy! The gap between this update and my next will be shorter than normally after my gaff. Sorry about that.

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Journal Entries

Tuesday, 16 September 2025

Total words: 1,546

I didn’t write yesterday but Monday is my grace day. It’s not a day off because I might do writing adjacent things like create reels for Instagram, but since I’m busy on Monday’s I allow myself grace for not writing.

Today I finished ‘choreographing’ the gala finale performance. I just hope it makes sense.

My concern today is my word count. I was wanting this to be around 90,000 - 95,000 words. It’s currently around 94,000 and I estimate another 10,000 to write. Writing too much has always been a struggle of mine, which is weird since I rarely include any description in my first drafts.

I’ll see what it looks like after editing and see if beta readers get bored anywhere and tweak accordingly I guess.

Thursday, 18 September 2025

Total words: 680 yesterday, 383 today

Not doing well at the moment. I’ve been offered some work as a disability carer and while we could really use the money, it’s set my anxiety sky high and has completely shot my focus. I’m trying to tell myself that it’s okay, that I need to accept writing in seasons, but it’s hard after the banger week I’ve had and even more so since I’m so close to the finish line.

I never keep a writing habit when my mental health is struggling, I know that. I need to take my own advice that I wrote in my My (current) top 10 writing tips article and focus on my health so that the writing can follow.

Friday, 19 September 2025

Total words: 1,524

Feel a bit less anxious today after speaking to my psychologist (get professional help for mental health, kids!) and it showed in my writing. I was also writing a scene I was looking forward to where the boys are interviewed by a T.V. crew. I have the whole interview already planned out so it was really easy.

I only have ten days left in my plan to get this draft done so I need to get a wriggle on.

I wrote today while watching the pre-Olympic trials for ice dancing and it looks likely that Australia will get one of the coveted four positions to go to the Olympics! Now they just have to not pull a Daniil and do well in the free skate and I can celebrate an Australian in the Olympics with the publishing of my book.

Saturday, 20 September 2025

Total words: 1,759

I’m jumping between two scenes at the moment. One is where they are learning basic pair moves, the other is the T.V. interview, the former has no outline, the later has a deep outline. It’s definitely much easier to write with the deep outline so for my next book I’ll be starting with a complete deep outline.

I don’t know what my next book will be yet. I’m toying with the idea of a sequel to this one. I don’t think there’s enough for a full series, but a duology could work. Maybe Mik and Daniil should hook up so I don’t have to fight so hard against the M/M romance trope.

I’m also toying with the idea of the eBook being in KU since it now allows library distribution, but I need to research where readers get eBooks first.

My faith in my writing this week had a lot of highs and lows. The highs involved getting oh so close to finishing my first draft and getting the final and accepted edits on my cover. The lows was me hating everything about my writing, my story, my characters, the whole lot, so much so that part of me wanted to quit. I, obviouly, didn’t because I knew it was only a temporary dark cloud, but hoo boy did it suck while I was in it!

I wrote a total of 11,174 words this week, nearly double what I wrote last week, so I am rather chuffed about that! However, I didn’t hit my word goal every day. I did come close though, so I’m trying not to let that dampen how good it feels to write so much :)

As always, if you don’t want to hear about my upcoming debut novel, feel free to unsubscribe to this section. Information on unsubscribing to only one section without unsubscribing to the whole newsletter can be found here.

And, if you’re not subscribed but want to follow along with my debut author journey, you can subscribe and get these updates straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing!

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Journal Entries

Monday, 8 September 2025

Total words: 1,356

A little under my 1,500 word goal but I also wrote some more deep outlining so with that I’m probably over my goal and will accept it.

I’m not feeling particularly creative today.

I got 30 days of Canva Pro for free so I spent a few hours making a backlog of Instagram images to talk about my book that I can share closer to release. I just hope my cover is right before then as that will give me a heap of new designs I can do. Honestly, I might consider the pro membership anyway as there’s a lot more I can do with it than on free.

I should have an updated cover by the end of the week. I might have work hours lined up though so I want to finish as much as I can.

Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Total words: 1,878

Booyah! Blasted my word count today! And that’s in addition to writing a book review and making post everywhere for it (Y2K Love, if you’re interested, you should read my review!).

I went back to a Daniil and Lisa earlier scene today. It’s digging more into Daniil’s past and she’s making him actually think about it. I did have to do a heap of research regarding the feasibility of Daniil’s backstory today and I need to tweak the timelines a bit to make it realistic, but at least now if someone who is familiar with the immigration laws in Australia reads my book there shouldn’t be any massive red flags.

This is definitely somewhere I’m glad AI exists. Half an hour back and forth asking questions about hypotheticals is easier than hours reading visa laws, immigration requirements, and official websites in Russian!

Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Total words: 1,509

Everything sucks today! My writing is terrible, their rivalry is too surface level, they don’t hate each other enough, and I can’t come up with a non-pathetic, non-petty way for it to be more fiery. Mikael is too passive and he’s supposed to be a main character but he just reacts to things, mostly by running away and burying his head in the sand. That’s not compelling story telling, it’s shit! I got my updated cover back this morning and no one will like it. I showed my husband and he said it’s great so either he’s placating me or it’s just my head spiral. Probably the later because he was open with his criticisms on the first version.

The life of a writer sucks sometimes.

Thursday, 11 September 2025

Total words: 2,105

We’re well and truly into the final stretch now! I only have 7 1/2 scenes planned left to write and then my first draft will be done! It’s kind of hard though, they finale really needs to hit home. No matter how good a book is, if the ending sucks, that’s all people remember.

The dark cloud of yesterday has passed and while I am still anxious about the story’s issues, I don’t hate it anymore. I am happy with my cover and even if it could be better if I paid more, the fact is I can’t afford a better designer yet. One step at a time, I need to not be so impatient. This is a long game, a full career, not a get rich quick scheme.

I’m actually not feeling as drained right now so I may write some more or just keep making assets on Canva (spoiler alert: I made more assets on Canva).

Saturday, 13 September 2025

Total words: 1,472 (yesterday); 1,542 (today)

I forgot to journal again yesterday. I think because I meant to add more words to cross the 1,500 mark but then got distracted. I hit it today though so yay!

I have changed what I had initially planned to be a flashback scene into a dialogue one so I can get Daniil’s reaction to learning the truth behind his immigration, but now I worry there’s too much dialogue. They’re just sitting on the balcony drinking and talking. I love dialogue, both reading and writing it, so I can’t tell if it’s too much. Well, hopefully my beta readers can.

I’m having fun making images for Instagram, though I haven’t posted many yet. I want to save them for closer to release.

Sunday, 14 September 2025

Total words: 1,312

I finished Daniil’s subplot scene today and I was hoping that would take me over the 1,500 mark, but it was not to be. I thought I was going to come back later and write another 200 words in the next scene, but I didn’t. I think I need to accept that coming back for a second writing session is the exception rather than the norm for me and if I want to hit my word count goal it needs to be in one writing session, then anything after that is a bonus.

Upside is I am that much closer to the end that I’m actually feeling nervous. Confession time: I’ve never finished a full length novel. I usually get distracted or bored and move on to the new shiny. I have finished things, but they were shorter, more a novella. Except for the one fanfiction that was over 150,000 words, but that was fanfiction which is so much easier to write than original fiction. I also didn’t do any significant editing other than a quick gramma check before hitting publish. This is going to take a lot more editing.

This first week of September was spent with dramas surrounding ordering my cover (not really drama, just my own brain making a big deal out of requesting multiple revisions, I’m still really happy with GetCovers).

I wrote a total of 6,521 words this week so I’m happy with that, though I do really want to increase that significantly by the end of next week (details below!).

Because I’m focusing on my novel this month, I’ll send out these updates weekly again. As always, if you don’t want to hear about my upcoming debut novel, feel free to unsubscribe to this part.

Journal Entries

Tuesday, 2 September 2025

Total words: 0

0 new words but about 3,000 in deep outlines! I’m mentally fatigued now but happy with my progress. Another two scenes have their deep outlines done. I only have 3 or four more to go.

I’m actually expecting to finish the draft in the next 7-10 days, so let’s see if my prediction is right!

I need to figure out how to go about changing the title on this substack to match the official title of my book. Should I just post a note announcing the change? Send an email? Or maybe I should wait until I do the cover reveal in December or there abouts? I’m not sure what would be best. I probably need to do some research on what others have done. Maybe someone on substack has some ideas (hint, hint!)

Leave a comment

Total words: 740

I did write a little today after all! I went back in time in my story and started working on one of Daniil’s earlier scenes where he goes into his Baba’s bedroom for the first time after her death and he finds the letters his mother sent her. This is the start of his subplot and his personal inciting incident in that it drives him to want to dig into his family history more to find out the truth as to why they left Russia.

Writing my fiction, working on my novel, it feels right in a way nothing else in my life has. I don’t mean to sound so melodramatic but it’s true. Part of me wishes I had just trusted and backed myself instead of letting everyone convince me that writing is just a hobby, that I would never make money doing it, and I should get a “real job” and write on weekends.

Well, I may not be making money from it yet, but pursuing “real jobs” just broke me, over and over again. This is the only thing that truly feels fully aligned with who I am. And even if I don’t make much money on my debut, it’s a stepping stone to put more out, and the more I publish the more likely I am to be able to make an income.

It’s no different to studying for three years and working for two to become comfortable in one’s field. The five years will still pass, but at least I’m doing what feels right to me. So here’s where I see myself in five years: In 2030 I will have 5 books out and I’ll be making a part time income. Will be fun to look back and see how accurate I was.

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

Total words: 1,310

I finished the scene where Daniil finds his mother’s letters and didn’t that feed my learning drive! I have this whole enemies to lovers and rich versus poor story for his parents but because all of that takes place in Russia I had to research lots to make sure it’s even feasible. I don’t even know how much of what I research will actually end u p on the page, but it’s important for me to know regardless.

Who knows, maybe I’ll turn their story into a prequel novel and it will give me the excuse to travel to Russia when their war is over.

But ideally, I would like most of their story to e revealed in this one. I’m also trying to balance what Daniil would remember. I remember little before I was 12, so hopefully it makes sense for Daniil to also remember little.

Thursday, 4 September 2025

Total words: 825

Only a small word count late at night today because I’ve been busy all day. The good news is I finally got a new laptop (which I’m using right now, yay)! But then I had to spend several hours uninstalling bloatware and setting it all up. I wanted to get a little writing in though.

I tried to do some deep outlining, but I’m too tired for the level of brainpower that requires, so I worked on one of Mik’s earlier scenes instead, including a flashback that shows the start of his rivalry.

I also got the edits back on my cover and I really don’t know what to think. I think the silhouettes facing back to back denotes their rivalry more, but it doesn’t look as catchy or as aesthetically pleasing as face to face. My anxiety is high which is making me indecisive and I don’t know which is better.

Friday, 5 September 2025

Total words: 1,296

My writing has been a bit all over the place today. I went back to the scene I started yesterday but was then interupted by a friend emergency, went back to it and finished it (yay!) and then I meant to deep outline the scene where Mik and Daniil learn some pair moves but wound up just writing it, even though I haven’t written the four or so preceding scenes and I generally prefer to write lineally.

I’ve decided I’m going to ask for another tweak on my cover and have the silhouettes a little smaller and a smidge further apart or maybe a little more transparent at the bottom so the path is more visible.

(I know this doesn’t make a lot of sense to readers right now, but it will when I do the final cover reveal! I’ll probably also do a cover progress update to share the whole process.)

I feel a little guilty asking for all these revisions but this is the reason I started it so soon. Stupid people pleasing brain getting in the way of things.

Sunday, 7 September 2025

Total words: 814 (yesterday); 1,536 (today)

Forgot to write an entry yesterday but I only wrote a little. Had to get up early to go shopping and I was up late the night before so I was tired.

Today, though! Today I decided I want to write 1,500 words each day. It’s a step towards my next goal of writing 2,000 words a day. 1,500 is only two pomodoro sprints so it’s totally doable.

And, frankly, I really really want my e-reader which I’m only allowed to buy when I have a complete first draft. Which means bum in chair, fingers on keyboard, and keep writing!

I might write some more this evening but I’m tired now so I’m just going to read. I have so much I want to read as well, but that’s not as exhausting as writing.

Most of this month was spent writing substack articles so that I’m well and truly ahead and have the time to dedicate to my novel. I wrote all of August’s articles, all of September’s articles, and one of October’s in this time so that the only ones I’ll have to stop for are August’s Calls for Submission article that went out today, and September’s Call for Submission article that will go out at the end of the month.

I plucked up the courage to order the cover for my book with GetCovers and I absolutely love the result! Just a few minor tweaks to the first version they sent me so it makes it clear that this is a rivals story, not an enemies to lovers. I seem to always be fighting that misconception and I don’t know how to make it more obvious!

There is no romance in my novel! Why? Because I’m tired of it being forced into every story whether it serves the narrative or not! There might be romance in a sequel, I’m not against the idea, but this book is not a romance. It is a rivals to friends character arc.

Anyway, rant over. Here’s the few journal articles I did for August. For September, I’ll probably go back to posting these weekly since I’m expecting to be working on my novel nearly every day this month. Looking forward to it!

Journal Entries

Monday, 25 August 2025

Total words: 1,276

It feels so good to be back to this project again and I like writing at least 1,000 words a day. I want to push it to 2,000 but we’ll get there and I’m often busy on Mondays anyway.

I think I’ve settled on a blurb and a title. I’ll update my substack section name soon.

I’ve also opened my Wise business account since it has the lowest international transfer and currency conversion fees (since most things I need to pay for with my novel is USD) and I added the fee from opening it to a new taxes spreadsheet so I can claim it back at tax time. Treating it like a real business!

Next is my cover and man I’m nervous about that! I have a rough idea of what I want but I can’t decide if I’m confident about it! Part of that is because cartoon covers are currently in style, but I hate the look of them, they make a book look childish in my opinion. But I still want mine to do well.

Ahhh decisions are hard!

Total words: 1,043

Part 2! I wasn’t planning on writing more today but then I felt like it. I cut out 151 words, then wrote another 1,043 for a total today of 2,168, my 2,000 goal! And I finished the scene that was half done last month.

I feel like Daniil’s (did I mention that I changed Dhanyel’s name to Daniil last month? I don’t remember. If I didn’t, well I decided to change it to an actual Russian name rather than something that kind of sounds French or something) voice has changed a little so I’ll have to keep an eye on that in the edits.

This evening I also ordered my cover! That makes me so nervous, especially since I haven’t finished the draft or edits yet, but I wanted to give myself plenty of time in case there needs to be a lot of back and forth or if I’m completely not happy, to get a refund and look elsewhere. I’m really anxious about it.

I changed my blurb again too, but I think I need to stop asking opinions and just trust myself.

Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Total words: 1,114

The words were harder today but I rearranged and changed a few earlier scenes then noticed that a later one had a detailed outline (go earlier me!) so I worked on that one.

I think what I’ll try doing is writing words during the day and outlining at night. I might need to switch that but I’ll see how I go.

I found a voucher online for GetCovers so it actually only cost US$28, or a bit over AU$50. I’m still a little nervous about it but I have plenty of time. That’s why I’m doing it so early so I have time to tweak it.

I also have the first two chapters on Critique Circle so we’ll see how they go next week to see if I continue using that resource.

Wednesday, 27 August 2025

Total words: 826

Smaller word count officially but I did lots around it. I finished the scene I was working on and ended it in a cliff hanger, which isn’t like me. I generally don’t like cliff hangers, they feel cheap.

I also started deep outlining the next scene and plan to spend the next few days doing that.

I started writing an 8 part intro to figure skating basics article series to go out in the lead up to the Olympics and my novel release.

I also have my monthly Calls for Submission due soon since it’s nearly the end of the month and that’s not something I can do early. Not that I have any paying subscribers yet, but that’s my highest value item so I’ll continue to do them.

Then I need to update my writing journal for this month. Busy, busy, busy!

Thursday, 27 August 2025

Total words: 0

Technically I wrote 0 new words today, but I did write over 2,000 words in dep outlining which completed two scenes, one which is the next one to write in the 3rd act, and the other is an earlier one redoing a cut scene.

I originally planned to do two scenes with Mik having dinner with his family, the first being relatively calm and friendly, and the next being antagonistic, hinting at his mother’s decline. But I decided that was too repetitive and I couldn’t think of a way to write it and still have Mik reeling and mentally debating after the inciting incident.

So I decided to have a mostly interior scene while he works out. It also wound up with a flashback. I hope this works better.

Only two specific entries for this week because, spoiler alert, I REACHED MY GOAL!!!

By reaching my goal it meant it was time to pivot my attention back to substack. I have the month of August to get all the articles written for both August and September so that I can then focus my attention back on the novel in September and actually finish it.

A couple other updates that I didn’t journal about, first is a title change. Now, I love the title On Thin Ice. So do hundreds of other authors on Amazon. So if I was to release this book with that title, it will be buried beneath the literally hundreds of other books with the same name. What’s more, a lot of the books seem to be MM romances and, because my book also has two male protagonists, I don’t want readers getting the impression that mine is also a MM romance. There might be some of that in the future, but for now at least, there is no romance and if people go into it thinking there is, they’ll be disappointed. I don’t want that.

I have a few ideas on the title, but currently the front runner is The Rival Solution. I know it sounds a bit… boring, but it makes a lot of sense for the story. I’m hoping that that combined with a cover that depicts it’s a figure skating story will help convey what the story is about.

The second piece of news is I’m applying for a grant to support my writing endeavours for the next two years. It’s for a whopping $50,000!!! It’s a slim to none chance that I would get it, of course, there have to be thousands of others also applying, but I have to at least try. And at the very least it’s good practice for other grants I can apply to. If I get it, I have no doubt there’ll be an excited update and blog post about it, explaining the process and encouraging others to go for it. I’ll find out by December.

The next update like this will be at the end of the month (unless I finish all my articles early) and that will outline my plans for September as well to get this thing done!

Journal Entries

Tuesday, 22 July 2025

Total words: 1,564

Finished the Christmas scene today! It’s a hot mess and I love it. The mother’s dementia might be coming across a bit too heavily, but I know it’s accurate for a bad day and Mik, Mik, Mik, you love making things worse, don’t you!

I heard back from the second editor on Reedsy and his prices are WAY beyond what I can afford. I may need to sacrifice the edit if I can’t find an option for under $1,000 or ideally under $800. I know editors deserve to be paid, but my budget is tight.

I also need to research ARC readers this afternoon. I start writing Act 3 tomorrow, so only 25% left to write, and hope will be restored to my poor characters.

My anxiety about this project is pretty high, largely because I really want to hire an editor but I just don’t know where I’ll get the funds for it.

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Total words: 1,520

I win! I reached my goal of writing 25,000 words in July today and wrote about 1/3 into the first scene of the third act. Feels fantastic!

My mum’s book club has agreed to beta read in October / November so now I have a hard deadline to finish it, the major edits, and basic formatting by then. It should be doable but from tomorrow I’ll be focusing on Corporate Shadows. I may keep touching this one so forward momentum continues and I’ll definitely be working on the rest of the scene beats so when I can focus on it, the words can really fly.

I have found a place that does basic covers for US$35, which I’ll probably use and I’ll likely use Pro Writing Aid’s manuscript assessment for US$50. That means it’ll be published for under AU$200.

Oh boy, what a crazy week this has been!

It started with me spending two days writing absolutely nothing as I had so much to write and plan if I was to feel like I was getting anywhere.

Then I finally returned to writing only to realise that my idea of publishing at the same time as the Winter Olympics was so much earlier than I originally thought! So now it’s full steam ahead, get this baby finished fast. It also made the decision of traditional publish or self publish for me since there’s not a publisher on earth who would actually put my book out in 6 months.

However, my increased daily word goal is now much easier to hit at the end of the week than it was at the start. If I can keep it going another two weeks, I’ll try increasing it again by another 500 words or so, rinse and repeat until I’m a writing machine!

Journal Entries

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Total words: 0

That’s right, 0.

Today I focused on writing scene beats for Danyel’s subplot. The good news is, they are done. I’ve worked out where they will go, step by step of what they will cover, and how to weave them into the existing narrative.

Tomorrow will probably also be 0 because I want to use the day to finish the scene beat writing all the way to the finish line. I have worked out that if I have 0 words today, tomorrow, and the last six days in July (extra time for SubStack), I need to write 1,270 words a day to still hit my 25,000 word goal. That’s hard but completely doable, especially with the scene beats already written. I should be able to achieve it if I put aside 1 hour to write (or two sprints) each day.

I can still do this!

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Total words: 0

Today was kind of sucky. I was super busy all day today and didn’t even open my laptop until 10:30pm. I spent one sprint working on the next scene beats, only to click off the screen without saving and lost the lot!

11pm and I had to start all over again!

Upside is, I raised this with the Lore Forge creator and he put it on his list of things to change, that just clicking off the scene description page will autosave what you’ve done.

I got the next scene beats rewritten and finished, but considering I meant to get all of them done and I only got one out of eight or nine, I’m pretty annoyed and frustrated. I don’t have much booked in over the next few days, so I suppose all I can do is really throw myself into it and get it done!

Tomorrow I need to actually write at least 1,270 words and at least one or two scene beats. I hope I can keep it up and the fatigue I feel is just the late hour. The doubts are creeping in.

Thursday, 17 July 2025

Total words: 1,528

I’ve spent all afternoon on this story and am starting to think that being able to finish the scene beats in a day was too ambitious. Maybe I’m being too detailed in them. The scene beats for this scene was around 800 words and I’m maybe 1/3 to 1/2 through. If it ends up being around 4,000 words maybe that will be okay. I’m still experimenting and tweaking.

But I’ve also written the scene beats for the 3 1/2 scenes coming up. If I can keep, say, two scenes ahead and still write my 1,270 words a day I can do this.

I’m not sure how sustainable the pace will be but for now it’s only until around the 26th, I should reach my goal by then. I’ll still work on it next month, but it won’t be my priority.

Friday, 18 July 2025

Total words: 1,576

This is the furthest I’ve ever gotten working on a novel. I’m nearly at 70,000 words in total! Okay, so I’ve completed a fanfiction story that was 140,000 words that I’m proud of, but that was still fanfiction. Not my own world, characters, or plotlines.

I’m actually nearing the end in probably another 20,000-30,000 words. Which means it will definitely be finished by the end of the year so I can start molding it into something good.

I really need to make this work. I need to get these done quickly so I can be on my way to making this my job. I just need my family to keep supporting me while I get there.

I finished Dhanyel’s darkest moment scene today. I also need to change Dhanyel’s name as that’s not Russian enough. Maybe Daniil? Alexei? Not sure.

Saturday, 19 July 2025

Total words: 1,390

Several years ago, I made a music video about figure skating. Then, during the Winter Olympics, it went viral with over 21k views, up from less than 50. I had thought to do something similar with this, release it during the Winter Olympics. I thought they were in 2027 so I’d have time.

I was wrong.

February 2026, only 6 months away. That 100% rules out traditional publishing. And I have a lot to learn before then!

I was really busy today so I think once I hit my word goal tomorrow, it’ll be full steam ahead research! The two main areas I want to spend money on are covers, number 1. Without a fantastic cover, no one will click on the book. And a manuscript assessment, number 2. Ideally I would also have money set aside to run ads as well.

Waaaa! I’m excited but also really, really nervous!

Sunday, 20 July 2025

Total words: 1,273

Tired, headachey, and irritable today but at least I made my word count. Self talk and self doubt is generally fairly negative today, making me wonder if I’m being stupid and unrealistic about this goal to publish in 6 months.

If I finish my draft next month, it should be doable, but I don’t know, what if I’m well and truly biting off more than I can chew? I don’t know what I’m doing! Feels like I fail at every career path I try, what makes me think this one is any different?

Hello, cognitive distortions galore!

I know this is just my tired and irritable brain, and that I can’t believe the thoughts it comes up with, especially in this state, have any truth to them. So now I’ve done my words I’m going to rest and relax and be better tomorrow.

Monday, 21 July 2025

Total words: 1,408

Feeling much better today than I was yesterday. A decent night’s sleep definitely helps! And look, I’m at the end of week 3 with 22,051 word written this month!

I sent out quote enquiries today to three editors on Reedsy that are based in Australia. One declined immediately due to maternity leave so I’ll see where the others stand. I asked for a quote for both a developmental edit and a manuscript review. What I choose will depend on what they charge (and if it’s affordable at all!) and that will also determine how much I have left over for my cover, the other area I want to make sure is good.

I’m having fun writing the Christmas scene and comparing Aussie Christmas to Russian Orthodox. I may even do some more writing this evening. [Spoiler alert, I didn’t].

This has been a week of highs and lows. It included both my highest word count so far, and my lowest.

Something that I touch on in the later entries but don’t go into detail about is needing to potentially take a week at the end of this month in order to fix a substack planning mistake. I covered this in a note, but in case you missed it, last month I prewrote all the articles for substack and scheduled them to release at the correct times this month. My thought was that would free me to focus entirely on my novel.

Great in theory, not so much in practice. The first problem is I publish on Sundays (Australian time) and Sunday in August is the 3rd. If that was a writing craft article that would be rushed but doable. Unfortunately it’s a Corporate Shadows update, my serial fiction. Each of those updates requires writing a new chapter and editing the one that’s due to go out, all of which takes me 4-6 days depending on how easily the draft comes.

The second problem is at the end of the month, I collate a list of several hundred free to submit, paying writing opportunities for fiction, novels, and non-fiction writers as benefit for paying subscribers. This usually takes two full 8-10 hour days to collate, check, format, and post. It’s worth it, and it provides fantastic value for paid subscribers, but it’s still time that will take me away from writing my novel.

So, when I do this again in September, I’ll learn from this and make sure I also include the first post due out in October in my scheduled posts.

Be aware that there are minor spoilers in the Friday 11th and Saturday 12th entries. I mean my book is still a ways out yet, so you’ll probably be fine, but if you want to avoid any spoilers, best skip those entries.

Journal Entries

Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Total words: 808

Tired today so the words were hard, or maybe it was because I was writing (or trying to) at around 3-4pm when I always slump. The good news is I copied out the scenes that deal solely with Dhanyel’s university subplot to a separate cut scenes “story” (if you’re not sure what I mean by that, check out my article on my writing software Lore Forge) and there’s only about 4,000 words that I need to completely redo, not counting the minor mentions throughout. That’s not as much as I feared, and I may yet be able to keep bits of it since I kind of liked the one sided relationship going on (oblivious Dhanyel is so much fun!).

The weird thing is I’ve somehow gained about 2,000 words and I can’t work out where they’ve come from. I’ll have to dig deeper tomorrow, maybe I double pasted a scene I cut or something.

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Total words: 1,674

No idea what’s going on with Lore Forge and its word count. The numbers add up but when I export to Word it’s exactly what it’s meant to be. I posted about it to the creator and his response was “Well that’s fucking weird.” lol.

I wrote lots today since I decided I wanted to finish the scene rather than stop once I reached my word goal. The writing is very disjointed, it’s meant to be, Mik is in a daze, but I’m a bit worried it’s too much.

I’m definitely happy with my speed which was over 2,000 words per hour for both sprints I did. I think I like having detailed scene descriptions to guide my writing. The next scene is planned out and most of the following, but when I get time I need to do the rest and Dhanyel’s new subplot.

Thursday, 10 July 2025

Total words: 1,401

I had a ridiculously busy day today and only got to sit down to write already drained and tired at 9pm. I got a second wind though and the words came fairly easy. I always have been more of a night owl and, despite lack of focus and lots of distractions and interruptions making my words per minute/hour significantly less today, 9pm was easier than 3pm.

I included a little of Mik’s past today with why he briefly quit skating but it was only a paragraph. Maybe it needs more or maybe it can be kept back for a potential book 2. I intend this book to be stand alone, but I could possibly write another if it ends up being popular.

This scene is longer so I didn’t finish it today, but I will tomorrow. I’m still well above my goal though, which is fantastic!

Friday, 11 July 2025

Total words: 1,545

Fantastic word count today with most of it happening in a 30 minute sprint to see how much I could write before waking my husband for dinner. The scene is now complete.

My writing speed is up to 1,500-2,000 words an hour so now I need to work on my stamina. That’s a good sprint, but I need to increase it to 2 or 3 sprints a day when I don’t have pet sitting jobs. I’m thinking of doing a Rough Draft Challenge (like what I’m doing now) every two months, alternating between this and substack writing and scheduling. I like them both too much to give up on one.

I have a problem with my story though in that I need to nut out Dhanyel’s subplot and at least plot it out before I can write much more. I also need to do some more research on family Christmases with dementia family members and write out the scene beats for the next few chapters. The next few word counts will probably be low.

Saturday, 12 July 2025

Total words: 817

Switched this scene that I’m working on up. It was meant to be from Mik’s point of view but I realised, even discounting the scenes that Dhanyel is unconscious for, Mik has over 60% of the scenes, more if you count those scenes, so now that Dhanyel can be a point of view it’s his turn to have some love.

I’ve also reached the point where I need to figure out Dhanyel’s subplot. I might try telling AI to ask me questions to brainstorm it. I’ll probably have a play with that after dinner tonight. I’m still reluctant to share my actual writing with AI, but ideas aren’t copyrighted and maybe its questions will spark the inspiration I need.

Then it will be decision time: do I stick with my usual plan and push on with the story as though the changes are made to reach the end, or do I go back and write them? I’m still leaning towards the former and maybe my new detailed scene beats will help.

Sunday, 13 July 2025

Total words: 725

I really wasn’t feeling it today. I finished the scene which is how I got the words I did, but the next scene is supposed to be Dhanyel’s subplot coming to a head.

I’ve figured his subplot out and marked the scenes that need editing off the top of my head (my first full read through when I’m finished will catch the rest) and created new scenes. I’ve figured out the entire backstory why they left Russia and how Dhanyel can uncover the truth. Next is writing scene beats and that’s time and energy consuming, but once done I know the words will fly.

I had hoped I would have the energy to come back tonight and write more, but it wasn’t to be. I’m still way ahead on my goal though, so it’s okay. I may also need to take time away at the end of the month for my next substack articles.

Monday, 14 July 2025

Total words: 745

Tired today and my word count shows. I still have my speed of about 2,000 words an hour when I focus, but I’m drained after one sprint.

According to my graph, I only need to write a bit over 500 words a day to reach my 25k goal, but that doesn’t take into account needing to finish about a week early because of my substack planning stuff up.

I haven’t quite finished writing the scene beats for Dhanyel’s subplot and until I do I’m not comfortable moving forwards so for today I wrote the scene where he meets Lisa, a new friend who will give him some life perspective and help him uncover the truth about his family.

Tomorrow I’ll either write another subplot replacement scene or I’ll keep moving forwards depending on how I go writing the scene beats.