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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~

@jamesfinegan.bsky.social

450 followers 340 following 190 posts

Wannabe Author. Writes a lot of fantasy and a thruppence of sci-fi. A lover of Shakespeare, space, and sudoku. Married to an absolute lad. He/him jamesfineganauthor.com

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Aug 16

Ryan & Albert live 200 years apart - but once per day a time-slip lets them meet. Now they need to solve the mystery of Clarence Hall before they accidentally change history!

Oh… and try not to fall for each other in the process!

NOT TECHNICALLY GHOSTS

#PosterPit #W #YA #F #R

Movie-style poster for Not Technically Ghosts
Ballroom divided in two by blue energy. Left half shades of gold a silhouette boy casually leans against divide. Right half monochrome silhouette boy leans his head back on divide.
Top of poster fading font: Not Technically Ghosts
Top text - from the queer mind that will (eventually!) bring you Spirit Rider The Royal Problem
Below title - Congrats on finding the guy of your dreams! (Less congrats on him living 200 years away!)Quotes in film festival style wreaths - “Fake dates” “Defying fates” “Heartwarming YA” “Dumbass x Bookworm”Bottom text - This is that part at the bottom of movie posters which I think more than anything else makes them Look like movie posters there are supposed to be names of people involved in the production but I already did that with the Spirit Rider Poster so this one is mostly just filler sorry I couldn’t think of a good joke no wait “knock knock” “WHo’s there?” “To” “To Who?” “No, no, it’s - To Whom” Ba-dum Tiss

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Reposted by James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~

CP Ashton - querying FIREFLY x FOUNDRYSIDE x BONE RAIDERS @cpashton.bsky.social · 3d

IT'S HERE! Five fairy tale retellings like you've never read before. 4.7 stars on Goodreads

Be daring - grab your paperback or ebook today
books2read.com/NotYourEverA...

#indieauthor #fantasy #fairytale #anthology #beautyandthebeast #cinderella #redridinghood #shortstory #novella #booksky #booktok

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 7d

Thanks me too! Just need to actually settle on one haha

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 7d

*sigh*
Guess I’ll put Doctor Who script in the same ‘secondary project’ pile as:

- Witch opens ‘fake’ magic school
- Blacksmith stranded in a flying city
- Space-husbands sci-fi epic

I’ll pick one eventually!

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 7d

Urrgghh edit my stupid important book or have nerdy fun writing my Doctor Who script? Decisions decisions…
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #amediting

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 9d

October 25 Wrap-up!

✍️ Good start on Not Technically Ghosts part 2 edits!

👨‍💼 On the path to getting new day-job!

🔀 Mostly fixed a Not Technically Ghosts side plot that had been bugging me!

#WritingCommunity #amediting

Me (blond pale goblin, wearing skeleton design black jumper, offering a semi smile that suggests I’m doing this under duress), background corner of a large clock, white wall. Overlaid text: October 25 - wrap up — Good start on Not Technically Ghosts part 2 edits! — On the way to getting new day-job! — 99% fixed a Not Technically Ghosts side plot that had been bugging me!

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 12d

Very happy with work done today. Been dithering for some days over a side plot that just wasn’t hitting as I wanted. Nearly scrapped it (again) but after tweaking a scene and planning changes ahead - looking good now! Benji lives to see another day!
#WritingCommunity #amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 14d

Hmm writing (another!) new scene I QUITE like... but that I'm 70% sure I won't include in the book. Still, nice to have as backstory. May incorporate elsewhere.
#WritingCommunity #amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 15d

At last - x2 new scenes finished. A very necessary extra 3200-ish words, but I'm happy with the additions. Getting into one of my favourite sections now, looking forward to *these* edits!
#WritingCommunity #amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 20d

Close to being done on x2 new scenes I’ve needed to add. Happy with how they’ve come out but eager to get on with actual editing again!
#WritingCommunity #amediting

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 23d

Always feels counterintuitive to add scenes during editing but these last couple feel really needed. Letting the plot breath and organically get the mains where they need to be.
#WritingCommunity #amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 26d

Welp if I keep writing much more of this I’ll have no choice but to count Witch-wip as my new side project! (Christopher does NOT approve of me arranging pages on his side of the couch)
#WritingCommunity #amwriting

Various handwritten pages and doodles arranged over a black couch. Standard issue cat staring unimpressed in the foreground.

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · 29d

Edits on this particular scene have been fighting me all week. Needed to add a new part, but dithered between it being a few lines or a whole new section. Well now it's TWO new sections. Ho hum.
#WritingCommunity #amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 7

Had a deleting day - found a subplot that I'm not happy with. Plus it was a tiny bit cliché and stretched credibility. Cut! There's 3000-ish words back
#WritingCommunity #amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 5

Until then, the adventures of the Spirit Rider carry on forever in the world of dreams. When the right day comes, Sam, Grim, Acheron, Legio, Mr. Cinnamon, the Queen, the DUCKS, and the world of Paralex will be waiting!
🦆💀✨🧙🫅

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 5

So one of two things will happen:
1) There's a market boom for this type of story and I re-enter the query pit.

or...

2) When my ducks(😉) are in a row and finances are good enough to do everything as I've always wanted -- I'll self publish.
(cont.)🧵

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 5

But Spirit Rider ISN'T DEAD! This is still my 'magnum opus'. After half my life working on it, I still think about the world and story every single day. If my main or side project aren't working I can freely hop onto writing a new Spirit Rider book, if only just for me!
(cont.)🧵

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 5

The great thing is, with Spirit Rider shelved I'm now free to put my full focus behind my other projects. The feeling of having the story sat in limbo has really weighed on me, so that's a load off!
(cont.)🧵

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 5

I knew there were a lot of points that didn't make this story trad-pub-friendly. But I still think I've made a good go of it. I've scrounged for all the agents I thought might fit. Maybe I'm being dumb - maybe that very next query is the magic one? But I don't see it.
(cont.)🧵

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 5

So I'm officially shelving my first book, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem -- but I'm not sad, no woe-is-me stuff!
(cont.)🧵

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 4

And that's a wrap on edits for Part 1 of Not Technically Ghosts! Part 2 is a LOT meatier so can't decide if it'll be easy to do big cuts, or I'll agonise over every scene??
#WritingCommunity #amediting

a picture of a girl on a slide with the words so fun

Alt: Gif - thorough unimpressed woman slides down a slide. Text: So fun...

media.tenor.com

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Oct 1

September 25 Wrap-up!

✍️ NEARLY finished Not Technically Ghosts (part 1) edits!

🚴‍♂️ Got on a new health kick!

🧙‍♀️ Started a new witchy wip! (Madam Quail’s Totally Legitimate Witching School Where Absolutely No One Gets Eaten)

#WritingCommunity #amediting #amwriting

Me (partially blond pale goblin offering a half smile), background laptop on wooden table. Overlaid text: September 25 - wrap up — NEARLY finished Not Technically Ghosts (part 1) edits — got on a new “health kick” (80% successful??) — started a new wip! Madam Quail’s Totally Legitimate Witching School Where AbsolutelyNo One Gets Eaten

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Sep 23

Very happy with this unplanned pov shift. Had gotten too stuck on the idea all switches need to have a kind of symmetry. Now this quite pivotal scene gets half each!
#amediting

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Sep 20

Into edits for the final scene of Part 1 of Not Technically Ghosts! Splitting POVs, bringing elements from later to now, more feelings, more details - onwards!
#amediting #WritingCommunity

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James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Sep 19

Edits getting good now! Had disliked underwritten this story felt in places. Done a lot of enriching work so far. Just hoping there’s some fat to trim in the middle and pull the wordcount back!
#amediting #WritingCommunity

James ~Yes Mum, I’m still doing “the writing bit”~ @jamesfinegan.bsky.social · Sep 12

Had the chance to read CP’s high-tech Red Riding Hood story that’s part of this collection - and people are in for a TREAT! Better believe I’ll be buying my copy on day one!

CP Ashton - querying FIREFLY x FOUNDRYSIDE x BONE RAIDERS @cpashton.bsky.social · Sep 12

🥿 a heisty Cinderella
🥀 a gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast
✨ a fairy tale crossover Frog Prince
🗡️ a dark fae Hansel and Gretel
☣️ a high-tech Red Riding Hood

What more could you want?

Snag your #ARC! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

#writingcommunity #sff #fantasy #scifi #fairytale 💙📚🖊️

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