How the sausage is made...
The year leading to MIR.EXE.
I hate hearing myself and other authors talk about our writing “journey.” I’m not taking shots at anyone in particular… like I said, I’ve done it myself. But it feels so pretentious every time. Like actors talking about “the process.” It almost never involves actually explaining a process.
So! In the spirit of my publishing company, The Sapper Scribe, I’m going to take a moment to actually breakdown the last year and lay out how I came to MIR.EXE, a cyberpunk, techno-thriller that I am very proud of. I’m including some snapshots of my illegible scribbles and obsessive attempts to organize. If you like seeing how the sausage is made, take a look.
December, 2024
I had self-published The Voices are Real a few months earlier and had been sacrificing myself on the altar of TikTok to try and build a “following.” I wasn’t great at it, not because the content was hard, it just stole more energy than it gave. On top of that I was learning a hard truth of the publishing world: Romance readers are the absolute best, most loyal and dedicated readers out there… but that mass devotion doesn’t transfer.
I was on my way back to D.C. after another planning exercise in Anchorage, and I decided, “why not start some scribbles?” Voices was a cathartic, chaotic explosion of blood and trauma onto the page, and by completing it, I was ready to tell a more disciplined story. One that didn’t force the reader into dark places with no promise of conclusion. What one of my old writing professors would call “being kind to the reader.”
I got home, purchased some more professional writing software and wrote the first character descriptions while waiting for a car repair at the dealership a few days later.
Structure, practice, discipline, and confidence changed the way I wrote. I finished writing Voices in about 12 months, The first rough draft of MIR.EXE was finished in six weeks. Working with a publisher and setting deadlines made a significant impact.
It wasn’t to say I didn’t inject a little chaos in spite of myself. After sending the first draft to my developmental editor, I decided to change the names of several, very prominent, characters. They just didn’t fit for me, and I couldn’t hold it in. Needless to say, it worked out but made for a difficult first conversation with the editor, who now had no idea to whom I was referring in our discussions.
March, 2025
Timeline was a concern of mine. Voices was so chaotic and independent of reality, that weaving together the timeline was an afterthought toward the end of the process (actually another set of scribbles at an airport. I think this one was the San Antonio USO, if I remember.) For MIR.EXE, I was determined to make sure the story was tight, so I graphed out the characters over time to identify holes in their development and interactions.
April-July, 2026
Working with a developmental editor for the first time was a learning experience. I would highly recommend it in future. I won’t mention his name here without permission, but if the other editors at Atmosphere Press are as helpful, they are worth the cost. We discussed the big ideas of the story: where is there too much? Where is there not enough? What holes are in the characters? After our first conversation, he provided a summary. Which I’ve also redacted…
August, 2025
My social media atrophied, and I had to refocus on my day job for most of the summer as I attended a course at the Army War College. In August, I got the first set of designs from the cover design team, and it kicked off the final stages of publishing. Interior design, exterior design, marketing, event planning. There is so much more to do! But that will have to wait for another time when I have some more perspective on the process.
I can’t wait to continue this journey (see, I told you I use it). There are a lot of exciting things lining up in 2026. Be sure to pre-order your copy of MIR.EXE and stay tuned!
Oh, and before I forget, I run a writing blog that covers topics like this and other useful writing tips. Checkout The Sapper Scribe for more!