A Scrap From the Cutting Room Floor

And over to you...

Something a bit different today, but I did promise my paying subscribers glimpse of works in progress and discarded material, so here we go.

I’ve been digging through some old files, and found this. Judging from the character names and the date, it’s a very early attempt at digging into the meat of the book that would become my second novel, Second Life.

But the weird thing is, I can’t remember writing it.

Reading it now, while it’s obviously first(ish) draft stuff, I kind of like it. It’s got some spark, a spark which I think I sometimes extinguish as I edit and polish.

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to share it. What do you think?

(You can also read a deleted scene from Before I Go to Sleep here, and an original, new short story here.)

And for the writers amongst us, anyone want to take the story on a bit more? It’d be fun if you did, just post below and I’ll read and comment!

If you're a paid subscriber, you can read the full, forgotten fragment—raw, unedited, and pulled straight from the early bones of Second Life. It’s a glimpse into the messy, mysterious process of writing a novel… and of discovering something you didn’t even know you’d created. If you’re curious to see the spark before the polish, consider upgrading your subscription. You’ll get access to this and other behind-the-scenes pieces, plus you’ll be helping me keep writing. Thank you!

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I stare at the screen. I know that somewhere, deep down, I ought to be enraged. I ought to cry out, hurl something — something of his — at the wall, but I don’t. I’m not. Instead I am numb, hollowed out; I feel nothing. Nothing at all.