Project Undertow
📓 Writing a dystopian romance novel about hope and community.
This is a romance novel set in a futuristic apocalyptic England. I've been bouncing ideas around about this setting for years, but inspiration struck after I watched Yojimbo and realised the plot could revolve around a stranger arriving in a small town and getting sucked into its problems.
Log
2025-10-20
2,390 words today (12,858 total). Still on the chapter-a-day streak. I cannot be contained. And one character is already feeling responsible for another one almost dying, so that's always fun.
2025-10-19
2,225 words today (10,468 total). Writing a chapter a day probably isn't sustainable, but it sure is fun.
2025-10-18
2,059 words today (8,243 total). Chapter 4 is done. These chapters are shorter than I'd normally write, but I'm trying to keep the pace tight, and also trying to account for my tendency to bloat the wordcount in later drafts. If I decide I want to add more to them later on, there should be room for it. On the other hand, I am enjoying how relatively streamlined this story is so far – I was juggling a lot of different plot threads on the other book and it was starting to feel overwhelming. Right now, this one's feeling lean and mean.
I'm also giving the enemies-to-lovers trope a go for the first time and that "I hate this person so much that I can't stop thinking about them" dynamic really is so much fun to write.
2025-10-17
1,672 words today (6,184 total). Another chapter down, mostly verbal sparring. The outline is serving me well so far and the dynamic between these characters is fun to write.
2025-10-16
I wrote 4,512 words today, which is a hell of a solid start by my standards and arguably 5% of the book. I very much doubt I will keep this pace up, but it's fun to get stuck in and start really finding the characters' voices and the substance of the world. I like outlining, but some things about a story can't be discovered until I'm actually in the thick of it.
As well as several character introductions, I also got to write some scene-setting, a brief fight scene and a rather painful meet-cute. Good variety.
2025-10-15
After writing an outline of the plot, I've decided to start the first draft tomorrow. It does mean parking an existing book project that's further along, but I need a break from it.
⬅️ Back