Progress Report September/October 2026
Big things first!
I’m working on a big project I will embark on next year. I’m going to post an in-progress (but much delayed!) novel “Sidetracked” in serial form on my blog, starting January 1st, 2027. To do this, I’ve been transcribing written pages, rewriting a lot of those pages and writing new material, as well as re-writing some of the stuff I have. Also going over notes and writing a synopsis/outline and feeling butterflies in my stomach. A big project I think I’m ready for. (I hope!) I intend to have a nice backlog of chapters (running about three or four pages) before launch date. But I largely will be writing it as it is being posted! When I start posting it will not be finished yet! Whew!
Speaking of projects, I have another one I’m going to finally get done next year that I will talk about later.
Wrote the usual weekly and monthly flash fiction stories.
Worked on a bunch of short stories, writing and rewriting. Actually, I had to rewrite more than usual! In one story I realised the tone was totally wrong—too wacky. So I changed it because it calls for a different mood.
The other was too similar to an existing story I discovered that I did not write, so I did a major tweak to the plot making it original but keeping the characters and the setting. (All of which I liked!)
Of course, I keep sending stories out and getting rejections. Which is, of course, progress.
AND in the middle of frantically trying to get the serial novel ready (“Sidetracked,” see above) I started working on stuff for a projected “fix-up novel” (a novel made of previously published short fiction) of one of my series. I got the order of stories made out, did a bunch of notes and wrote/started writing vignettes and linking material. Plus plotting out about three more stories to write and a crackerjack novelette to finish with.
Next year, and actually from this point on I’m pretty much going to have to be writing full-time to get all of this done!
That’s about it for now!
——jeff baker October 19, 2026
