Jon Cronshaw talks Seeker’s Reckoning, Clout Maxxing and Seven of Swords, celebrates nine years of Author Diary and revisits He Who Fights With Monsters.
This week, I’ve been working across a few different projects. I’ve made more progress on Seeker’s Reckoning, continued writing Clout Maxxing, and spent time editing Seven of Swords.
I’ve also finally decided what I’m going to do with Clout Maxxing. Rather than leaving it as a wacky side project, I’m going to run it as a Patreon serial, posting a new chapter every week.
There are a couple of personal milestones this week too. My wife and I have now been together for 25 years, and I’ve reached nine years of recording my Author Diary podcast without missing a single week.
On the reading side, I’ve returned to He Who Fights With Monsters after DNFing it earlier this year. This time around, something has clicked, and I’m really enjoying it.
Plus, the usual thoughts on writing, reading and life as an indie author.
Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary podcast turns nine! More than 470 weekly episodes on writing, publishing and indie author life, from the Wasteland days to today.
This week marks nine years of the Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary podcast!
Nine years. More than 470 episodes. And somehow, I’ve never missed a week.
When I started recording the podcast back in October 2017, I was still working on my debut Wasteland series. I thought it might be interesting to document my journey as a new author, sharing the ups and downs of writing, publishing, and trying to make a living from telling stories.
I had no idea I’d still be doing it nine years later.
In fact, this anniversary has got me thinking about how much has changed over the past decade.
It was my third attempt at writing a novel, and the first one I actually finished and published.
Looking back, I can see plenty of flaws. There are things I’d approach completely differently today. But I’m still proud of that book. It was the beginning of everything that’s followed.
And what a strange journey it’s been.
Since then, I’ve written more books than I ever imagined I would, created entire worlds, built up several series, and somehow managed to make a career out of something I love.
And all the while, every single week, I’ve sat down to record another Author Diary.
There’s something quite satisfying about that.
Turning Up Every Week
I think writing and podcasting have taught me the same lesson. You just keep turning up and doing the work.
One book becomes two. Two becomes ten. One podcast episode becomes fifty. Then a hundred. And before you know it, you’ve got a back catalogue of more than 470 episodes.
Suddenly, people start calling you prolific.
But from where I’m sitting, it’s mostly just been a case of turning up each week and getting on with it.
There’s a quote often attributed to Bill Gates about how we overestimate what we can achieve in one year and underestimate what we can achieve in ten.
As I’m now approaching a decade since I started taking fiction writing seriously, I couldn’t agree more.
If you’d told me back in 2016 where I’d be today, I don’t think I’d have believed you.
And I’m particularly pleased that I’ve kept the Author Diary going throughout it all. It’s become a record of my writing life, from those early days of figuring out how to write and publish a novel to everything I’m working on now.
The successes, the mistakes, the abandoned ideas, the unexpected detours. It’s all there.
Listen to the Author Diary
If you’ve never listened to the Author Diary, you’re very welcome to join me!
I record a new episode every week, chatting about what I’m writing, what I’m reading, and whatever else is going on in my life as an indie author.
You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you normally listen to podcasts. Just search for Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary.
I also upload the video version to my Patreon every Friday as a public post, so you don’t need to be a paid member to watch.
Whether you’ve been following along since those early Wasteland days or you’ve only recently discovered my books, thank you.
Your support has allowed me to keep doing this, and I never take that for granted.
Here’s to another nine years, many more books, and hundreds more Author Diaries!
Jon Cronshaw reaches 25% of Seeker’s Reckoning, continues his British LitRPG side project, discusses life without Digit and reads Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains.
This week, I’ve been making more progress on my strange little LitRPG side project. I still don’t quite know what I’m going to do with it, but I’m having far too much fun with it to stop.
I’ve also returned to Seeker’s Reckoning, the third standalone novel in the Ravenglass Guardians series. I’m around 25% into the draft now. This one has a very different feel from the previous books, combining archaeological thriller, jungle adventure and eldritch horror in the Ravenglass Universe.
I also talk about adjusting to life without my retired guide dog Digit and what it’s been like suddenly losing that constant companion from my day-to-day routine.
On the reading side, I’m currently on the third Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains book. It’s a wonderfully fun series, although at this point I’m starting to suspect it’s deliberately trolling me with all the emotional dog stuff.
Plus, the usual thoughts on writing, reading and life as an indie author.
Jon Cronshaw finishes Wyvern Academy and The Waywarden, starts a British LitRPG project, and prepares to say goodbye to retired guide dog Digit.
This week, I finished the first drafts of both Wyvern Academy and The Waywarden, which means two more projects are now moving on to their next stages.
I’ve also started playing around with a completely different side project, a slightly wacky LitRPG set in Britain.
I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with it yet, but it’s been a fun palate cleanser between other projects and a chance to write something very different.
There’s also a much more personal update this week. Tomorrow, I’ll be saying goodbye to my guide dog Digit. He’s now retired and is being rehomed after being my constant companion since January 2018.
He’ll be hugely missed, and I talk a little about what it means to reach the end of our time working together. After that, I’ll be waiting to be matched with my next guide dog.
Jon Cronshaw finishes Seven of Swords, starts new Ravenglass novella The Waywarden, and goes gliding with local sight-loss charity Galloway’s.
This week, I finished Seven of Swords and sent the completed draft off to my editor.
With that one done, I’ve started work on a new novella set in the Ravenglass Universe called The Waywarden. It’s a nobledark ranger story set on the border between Ostreich and Molotok, and I talk about the story and its place in the wider world.
I also did something completely different this week. I went gliding in an unpowered aircraft with Galloway’s, a local charity supporting blind and visually impaired people. It was a fantastic experience, and I talk about what it was like getting up into the air without an engine.
Plus, the usual thoughts on writing, storytelling and life as an indie author.
Jon Cronshaw shares progress on Seven of Swords and Wyvern Academy, prepares for his guide dog’s retirement, and talks about his assessment for a new dog.
I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather this week, so writing has been slower than usual, but I’ve still made progress on both Seven of Swords and Wyvern Academy.
Away from the writing, there’s a much bigger change coming. My guide dog’s retirement is now imminent, and he’ll be rehomed early next month. I talk about preparing for that goodbye and what the next few weeks are likely to look like.
I also had my assessment for a new guide dog on Wednesday. The process is moving forward, but it sounds as though I could be without a dog for a while before the right match comes along.
Jon Cronshaw reaches 40% of Seven of Swords, adds new chapters to Wyvern Academy, and shares his final thoughts on Will Wight’s Cradle series.
This week, I’m around 30% of the way through the first draft of Seven of Swords and talk about how the story is progressing as I get deeper into the book.
I’ve also spent some more time on Wyvern Academy, adding three new chapters to the first act and continuing to develop the story beyond the original Wyvern Rider novella.
On the reading side, I’ve finally finished Will Wight’s Cradle series.
Jon Cronshaw reaches 40% of The Hammer and the Crown, returns to Wyvern Academy, and shares his thoughts on finishing Will Wight’s Cradle series.
This week, I’m around 40% of the way through my draft of The Hammer and the Crown, book five in my Ravenglass Legends series.
The story is gathering momentum, and I talk about how the draft is progressing as I move deeper into Ragnar and Maja’s next adventure.
I’ve also returned to an older project, Wyvern Academy, a follow-up to my Wyvern Rider novella for Patreon.
On the reading side, I’m nearing the end of Will Wight’s Cradle series. I’m now on the final book and have been hugely impressed by how the series has developed.
Wight has done a fantastic job of building the characters, escalating the stakes and improving his craft across twelve books while keeping the story compulsively readable.
Jon Cronshaw finishes Six of Swords, reaches 25,000 words on Ravenglass Legends book five, and discusses Will Wight’s Cradle series.
This week, I’ve finished Six of Swords and sent it off for editing, bringing another Ravenglass Chronicles novella to the next stage of production.
I’ve also made good progress on The Hammer and the Crown, book five in the Ravenglass Legends series. I’m now around 25,000 words into the draft as Ragnar and Maja’s story continues.
I also talk about my ongoing readthrough of Will Wight’s Cradle series. I’m currently on book eight, Bloodline, and thoroughly enjoying it.
One of the things that has stood out is how much Wight’s craft develops as the series progresses, particularly in terms of pacing, character work and handling an increasingly large story without losing momentum.
This week I reach 17 chapters of Six of Swords, work on Arthurian prequel The Last Eagle, and visit Lammerside Castle and Pendragon Castle for inspiration.
This week I’ve continued making progress on Six of Swords and now have 17 chapters drafted. The book is moving along well, and I’m getting close to the final stretch.
I’ve also been working on The Last Eagle, a prequel novella for a potential new Arthurian Britain series. The idea is to take the legends of Arthur and place them in a grittier, more grounded post-Roman Britain, while still keeping the heroic and mythic elements that make the stories so enduring.
That project also tied in nicely with a couple of recent visits to Lammerside Castle and Pendragon Castle. Both places have plenty of history and atmosphere, and Pendragon in particular comes with its own Arthurian associations.
So this week’s diary is a mix of Ravenglass progress, new Arthurian ideas, and a bit of real-world historical inspiration.
