Let me begin with some news directly following last month’s report… the first draft of my collection Silhouettes is finished!

Yes, last month was one of our more productive for actual writing, with the final three short stories and one last poem completed. Typically, now that I’ve drawn a line under them, brand-new ideas have started emerging for further shorts and poetry! One inspired by my most recent trip to London to attend the launch party for In the Shadows of Love, by my author pal Awais Khan. I won’t ruin the potential surprise by telling you any more about that…

To go into detail:

Silhouettes

As mentioned before, this is my first-ever collection (or anthology). A collation of the pieces I’ve written for competitions and social content, with varying degrees of success. Many of them are recent and never-before-seen stories and poems, with titles including Last Train to London, Of Monocles and Maltesers, and O to be Bubbleless. Others, the more committed readers/followers might be familiar with. I’m including the real fan favourites such as Sunday on the Boulevard (with my pet lobster) and My To-Do List. There may even be a call-back to my writing origins dealing with French vampires.

I’m reading the book through at the moment, with a mind to send out to a couple of beta readers before the end of 2024. All being well, Silhouettes should be ready for publication by next year. Depending on how the editing process goes, of course…

You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic

I haven’t mentioned by third novel, You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic for what seems like ages. A few followers have continually asked me when it will be finished or available. Now, with Silhouettes taking priority, it’s highly likely that Chopin won’t see the light of day until 2026, at the rate we’re going. Once the collection is published, work can resume with a clearer head — there was a lot of self-doubt and second- and third-guessing the story and the writing style. I think I now know what I need to do to get everything back on track. How to iron out the creases and smooth out the kinks. Chopin is on the back burner for now, but rest assured it won’t be there for too long!

The Dale Hurst Writing Show

And now for a less happy note…

My friends, the time has come to draw the curtain on my podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show. Don’t get me wrong… I love talking about writing with other writers and creatives. But it has come to a point where I actually give more effort to podcasting than writing. So it is with some regret that I announce that Season 5 of the show will be its last. There are some last interviews I’d like to conduct, some final topics to discuss, and then hopefully a fun finale to finish on. Another conversation for next year…

If you haven’t had a listen yet, you can find The Dale Hurst Writing Show on Spotify.

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The monthly update and reflection on my creative projects…

It’s been a busy few weeks since my last progress report. So much so that I’ve had to place a couple of projects on the back burner, where they’ll sit until I have time to give them my full attention. But this leaves the question – how have I been getting on with the projects I prioritised?

The Dale Hurst Writing Show – Season 3

The big one for this month, of course, is the launch of the third season of my podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show. Having learned from previous mistakes, I started production on this back in April. Including interviewing my first guest of the series, the novelist Awais Khan. For a couple of episodes, at least, I’ve gone for a more serious vibe; discussing how to research and write more challenging themes like knife crime and honour killings. That episode kicked the season off on Thursday 3 August. Listen now if you haven’t already.

As always, I’ve loved producing the show; not least because I get to meet such interesting creative people. Whether that’s brilliant young screenwriters, experienced novelists and academics, or actors in an Italian theatre company.

You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic

While the podcast had to take precedence, I still made time to work on my ongoing first draft of You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic. For any new visitors, this is my third novel, a World War II thriller set in a Berlin hotel. In my last progress report, I mentioned that my protagonists had hit pivotal points in their arcs. My hotelier Heinrich is now making plans for a dangerous escape from the city; meanwhile his deputy manager Cordelia mourns a fallen comrade and hopes for a chance of redemption after her failures put everyone at greater risk. The stage I’m at now, is when the net is closing in.

I’ve also taken the occasion to inject a bit of true history into the storyline. I only do this sparingly in my historical works. The history should be for backdrop primarily; I would only ever use specifics when relevant to character or plot development. And so I’m including the real-life bombing of the Hotel Kaiserhof in November 1943 to advance character traits, mainly in Heinrich.

Find out more about You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic.

Other projects

As I said, I’ve had to put pins in the other work I had going on. I’m on course to finish a draft of the third book by December. But I am hoping to work on short pieces in between.

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