With the new year underway, I thought I’d share what I’m currently working on — and what I’m aiming for in 2026 — in terms of writing.
I’m about 75% of the way through the second part of Aurora, my sci‑fi space‑opera novel. My plan is to finish that this year, along with the final third. I’ve taken a short break from Aurora to focus on a worldbuilding project for Graven. The worldbuilding is now complete, and I’m deep into the writing itself — currently on chapter 7 of what will likely be an 18‑chapter novella.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing from every angle — genre, style, the role of AI, and especially form. After writing A Splash of Flash Fiction last year, I realised that although I enjoyed crafting those 100‑word pieces, flash fiction isn’t a form I want to continue with. I prefer longer work. At the same time, I’ve always found mid‑to‑long‑length novels a challenge.
So I’ve been asking myself what length truly suits my brain, my capacity, and my natural storytelling rhythm. And I keep coming back to the novella. Occasionally I may stray into a short novel (my first was over 70,000 words — trimmed down from more than 90,000!) or dip into novelette territory, but the way stories form in my head consistently lands in that novella sweet spot.
I want to explore worlds and ideas more than I want sprawling epics or long series. I love the idea of a short read — not so short that you can’t immerse yourself, but focused, unique, and enchanting. And I have so many ideas and so many worlds I want to build based on so many interests!
So yes: 2026 will be the year of the novella.
Just a reminder that you can mostly find me on TikTok, Substack, and Facebook, though I’m not the most regular poster I do read all the comments.
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