It’s only been a week since I returned from a short visit to the UK when I didn’t do any writing, and with a week’s holiday in Spain at the end of May, I have about a week remaining to complete my first draft of “Ghost Ship” or I’ll miss my current self-imposed deadline. Yes! I know it’s self-imposed, and I still hear Douglas Adams’ famous quote about deadlines – “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” – every time I think about that reaching that finishing line, but I do want to get this book completed so that I can get more work done on the collection of “Wandelaar” short stories that are clamouring in my mind.

I’m also keen to do more work on the third novel in the “Wandelaar van de Duisternis” series, “Spirit Camera”. I’ve planned out much of the plot already, written my first pass at a few chapters, and am eager to get more writing on the page and to begin fleshing the story out.

My target for completion should be achievable. I’m so close to having every scene at a first draft status now, but there are still a few chapters that contain some scenes which I’m not totally happy about yet. And there are also a couple of scenes and one chapter that I’m trying to decide whether I should keep. They don’t progress the story, but add an element of humour, so I’m in two minds about them. They’ll probably vanish into my archive, perhaps to be reworked for use in a subsequent story, but I haven’t made a final decision yet.
On a more positive note, the editing phase that took so long with “Broken Shards” will likely be quicker: this time, I’ve done a lot more editing as I write, so I already have a few chapters and scenes that I’ve reviewed and revised several times and that are in a second draft status. I’ll still need to do the basic spelling and grammar checking, and ensure that all my dutch words and phrases are italicised, etc, but it should speed up the stage between first draft and publication.

And in the meantime, I’m still learning new aspects of Dutch culture, history and folklore — such as the Elfstedentocht (a 200km long endurance test for ice skaters in Friesland), Kapitein Rob (a heroic comic book character who appeared in Het Parool between 1945 and 1966) and the Avondvierdaagse (an annual four-day event of evening walks) — that will all surely find a place or mention in one of my stories in the future. The more I learn about my adopted country, the more ideas it triggers in my head.
“Ghost Ship” takes Hauke beyond the confines of Amsterdam (albeit only briefly with travel to the areas around Busloo, Gorinchem and Boven-Hardinxveld, and mentions that he has visited Hoorn, Medemblik and IJmuiden), “Spirit Camera” and the short story collection will take him further across the Netherlands (including Drenthe, Maastricht, the Biesbosch and Ameland) and one long journey across Europe. I’ve already visited most of these locations for research (though I’d enjoy going to many of them again).
And on Friday evening, I’m going out on birdwatching tour in the marshes. It’s not research per se, but I’m sure that I can find a way to weave what I see into a story.

So I guess my next status update after I return from Spain will be a ‘make or break’. I really want to complete this second “Wandelaar van de Duisternis” book so I can unleash the new stories chained up inside my head. Beyond “Spirit Camera”, I have further ideas for the series featuring the ongoing adventures of Hauke, Sanne and Keetje, “Ferryman’s Coin” and “Skeleton Key”, and for more short stories or novellas featuring other characters from the series.