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.
This week: halfway through Six of Swords, revisiting The Hammer and the Crown, publishing Blind Sight, returning to Black Death and reading Ghostwater by Will Wight.
This week I’ve been making good progress on Six of Swords.
I’m 12 chapters into the draft, which probably puts me somewhere around the halfway point.
I’ve also been going back over what I’ve written so far for The Hammer and the Crown, continuing work on the next Ravenglass Legends novel.
One of the more satisfying things this week has been returning to older projects. I revisited Blind Sight, a prequel novella to Blind Gambit that I originally abandoned back in 2018. I’ve finally finished it and published it on Patreon.
I’ve also been working through another story from my open projects folder, this time set in the Black Death world, which should hopefully be ready next week.
On the reading front, I’m continuing with Will Wight’s Cradle series and have now reached Book Five, Ghostwater. I’m really enjoying the series, and I’ve also finally worked out why I struggled to follow parts of the second book, Soulsmith. It turned out to be a useful lesson in storytelling craft.
This week I prepare RAF Dragon Corps Book 3 for my editor, begin drafting The Hammer and the Crown, share my thoughts on Soulsmith and decide to take a much-needed break.
This week I’ve been getting RAF Dragon Corps Book 3 ready to send to my editor.
After finishing the draft, I’ve been working through the manuscript one last time, checking that everything is in place before handing it over.
I’ve also started drafting The Hammer and the Crown, the fourth book in my Ravenglass Legends series. It feels good to be back with Ragnar and Maja and moving forward with the next stage of the story.
On the reading front, I’m halfway through Soulsmith by Will Wight. I really enjoyed Unsouled, but I’ve found parts of the second book harder to follow. I’m going to keep reading for now, as so many readers love the Cradle series, and I’m hoping the story finds its footing again.
I also talk about feeling increasingly tired. I haven’t had a proper break since our trip to Rome in May, so I’ve decided to take next week off and give myself some time to recharge.
This week: I finished RAF Dragon Corps Book 3, began The Hammer and the Crown, completed two long-abandoned stories, and enjoyed Unsouled by Will Wight.
This week I wrapped up my draft of RAF Dragon Corps Book 3.
I’ll be letting it rest for a while before coming back with fresh eyes, but it’s always a great feeling to reach the end of another novel.
With that finished, I’ve started outlining—and even written the first chapter of—The Hammer and the Crown, the fifth book in my Ravenglass Legends series. It feels good to be returning to Ragnar and Maja.
I also decided to tackle a couple of older projects as part of my ongoing audit of unfinished work.
I completed Family of the Wasteland, a novella I originally drafted back in 2017. It’s now available exclusively on my Patreon, where even free members can download and read it.
I also finished Threads of Wolfsbane, a Ravenglass Legends prequel starring Maja. That story will be landing on Patreon this weekend, and I’m pleased to finally cross another long-standing project off the list.
On the reading front, I’ve been reading Unsouled by Will Wight and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s my first real taste of progression fantasy. I’m still not entirely sure where the genre boundaries lie, but the focus on steadily developing the protagonist’s abilities gave it an almost anime-like feel.
A really entertaining read, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
This week: I finished the draft of Five of Swords, outlined Six of Swords, and planned a new Black Death apocalyptic thriller set in the UK.
This week I’ve been focused on bringing Five of Swords to the finish line.
The third draft is now complete! Before it heads off to my editor, I’ll do one final read-through to catch any lingering issues and make sure everything hangs together.
Looking ahead, I’ve also finished outlining Six of Swords, so I’m ready to keep the momentum going with The Ravenglass Chronicles.
One unexpected development came from looking through some of my old, unused book covers. That sparked an idea to return to the world of Black Death.
I’ve now outlined a second novel—an apocalyptic thriller set in the UK—and I’m excited by the possibilities.
It’s still early days, but it reminded me how ideas can come from the most unexpected places.
