Tag: writing

• Inefficiency

  In my last post, I talked about abandoned projects and wasted words. I have only manage to publish a fraction of what I’ve written since I started in 2012. But why is this the case? Why am I so inefficient? In this post I’ll talk through some reasons as to why I think this is…

  Ryan Patrick

  March 4, 2026

  efficiency, Posts, Writing Advice

  writing, indie author, indie books, author, books, reading, fantasy, book-reviews, scifi, publishing, writing-tips, fiction, creative-writing

• End of Feb 2025/Beginning of Mar 2025

  Not a terrible month, but could have been better. The Saturn Anomaly Still at the Pentagon in its prepublication security review. I pinged them in the middle of the month and they told me that there’s still a DOD element that needs to approve it. Waiting and waiting…hopefully with a resolution soon! Crush Depth Also…

  Ryan Patrick

  February 27, 2026

  Beginning of Month, End of Month, Posts

  author, book-reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, indie author, indie books, publishing, reading, scifi, writing

• Why the Pentagon Can’t Pass an Audit

  Posted this to X/Twitter, will post the story here too. I’ve talked about this before, but after I got through grad school I PCSed to Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque and became the mission manager for the STP-2 launch. That launch was a task order on the OSP-3 contract, which had a few different vendors on…

  Ryan Patrick

  February 23, 2026

  Posts

  nasa, news, space, spacex, technology, writing

• Crush Depth 21: Editing

  Old posts are on the main Crush Depth page at the bottom. Ah, editing. Simultaneously my favorite part and my least favorite part of writing. Thankfully, from a big picture standpoint, Crush Depth is in good shape. That’s honestly to be expected considering it’s the fourth draft of the same story concept. But there’s a…

  Ryan Patrick

  February 17, 2026

  crush-depth, Posts, Writing Advice

  author, books, editing, fiction, indie author, indie books, publishing, scifi, writing

• Wasted Words and Canceled Projects

  I threw out a 100,000 word completed manuscript in December of 2025. It was the 2nd full version of Crush Depth – check out my blog post series on it if you want to know how I’ve recovered (and am now on the 4th version). And it stung. I had spent a lot of my…

  Ryan Patrick

  February 13, 2026

  efficiency, Posts, Writing Advice

  author, books, creative-writing, fiction, indie author, indie books, publishing, reading, scifi, writing, writing-tips

• Crush Depth 20: Chapters 42-Epilogue – The End

  Old posts are on the main Crush Depth page at the bottom. This is the end! Chapter Forty-Two: Pick up as soon as the last chapter ended. The survivors board the Nautilus; mosasaurs gently guide the submersible upward taking into account “the bends”. Lots of discussion and speculation, and a few points where they think…

  Ryan Patrick

  February 11, 2026

  crush-depth, Posts, Writing Advice

  book-review, book-reviews, books, fiction, writing

• Crush Depth 19: Chapters 39-41 – Conversation

  Previous posts are on the main Crush Depth page at the bottom. This is the part of the novel I’m the least sure about and that I’m likely going to fix the most in edits. The core concept is fine, but I think the pacing is wonky. More to come in edits. Chapter Thirty-Nine: It…

  Ryan Patrick

  February 6, 2026

  crush-depth, Posts, Writing Advice

  author, book-review, books, fiction, indie author, indie books, publishing, reading, science fiction, scifi, writing

• End of January/Beginning of February Update

  What a year already! The Saturn Anomaly Still at the Pentagon in its prepublication security review. Probably need to ping them soon. Crush Depth It’s done at 88,000 words. Now, the hard part – editing! I’ve got some beta readers look at it but I’m also making my own edits. I think it’s in great…

  Ryan Patrick

  January 30, 2026

  Beginning of Month, End of Month

  author, books, fiction, indie author, indie books, publishing, reading, writing

• Crush Depth 18: Chapters 36-38 – Climax

  Old posts are on the main Crush Depth page at the bottom. Last time, the mosasaurs had stopped their attack, but also had stopped talking. The surviving characters need to figure out how to speak with them again to see if they could help. Chapter Thirty-Six: The mosasaurs stop communicating. Debating options, Parkowski hypothesizes the…

  Ryan Patrick

  January 27, 2026

  crush-depth

  author, books, fiction, indie author, indie books, publishing, scifi, writing

• Crush Depth 17: Chapters 33-35 – Deliberations

  Older posts can be found on the main Crush Depth page. Last post, the mosasaurs attacked the other submersible Seaquest in the cave system and forced the protagonist and other main characters on the Nautilus to retreat. Chapter Thirty-Three: Continue from where the last scene ends. Parkowski demands an explanation for what happened. The Navy…

  Ryan Patrick

  January 22, 2026

  crush-depth, Posts, Writing Advice

  author, books, fantasy, horror, indie author, indie books, publishing, reviews, scifi, writing