Manuscript Madness: The Voyages of My Vessels

I was supposed to submit my first novel manuscript for a competition by 10 July 2025. I had been working on it since April, but even today, I haven't started writing the chapters. The first two and a half months were dedicated to planning – research, plot drafts, character drafts, and worldbuilding. I did not expect to need that much time to break the iceberg that had been lodged in the long-abandoned parts of my brain. As the deadline was closing in on me, I knew I could not submit it on time. I was thinking about abandoning the ship, for the iceberg was too big for me to take on.

Suddenly, another opportunity came knocking. It was for an anthology of memoirs, featuring career stories in the ghostwriting industry. Unlike the novel competition that was riddled with uncertainties, this anthology was a confirmed project, planned to be published by the end of 2025. Being grouped together with fourteen other writers—all way seasoned than me—I was super nervous. This project would either make or break my debut after such a long hiatus. Instead of abandoning the Titanic, which is my first novel, I decided to anchor it down and board the memoir manuscript like a dinghy docking by the shore. It took me two weeks to write the first draft, and another week to prune and preen it for the final submission.

Now that the memoir has been approved by the publisher and is entering the editing phase, I am getting back on my ship—not without towing another one behind it, of course. This tailing manuscript is for another novel competition, due September 2025. At first, I planned to rewrite my old short stories or novellas into a novel. After reviewing my old works, I decided to ditch that plan. None of them can be used for the new manuscript, which is supposed to be at least 50% romance. I was more of a thriller writer. So I came up with a new story, inspired by a vintage treasure I found in my father's old office.

My focus for this project is not about meeting the deadline, but rather about injecting more romance into my work. Not much; just 49% more than what it used to be. The rest shall be thriller. To my surprise, the progress of the second manuscript is looking good. Instead of tailing behind the first manuscript, the second one is going ahead. I am guessing that the tip of the iceberg may have melted away, sending gushes of new tides into the ocean of ideas that propel the second sails forward.

Will this second manuscript safely meet its moor? Or will it be stranded somewhere? Or will it turn into something entirely different? We shall see how it sails.