Writing Progress in Q3, 2026: What Worked, What Didn’t, and Why

Back in January, I set out my writing goals for 2026, and wrote about how these were going at the end of Q1 and the end of Q2.

We’re three-quarters of the way through the year now and the last few months have been busy ones! Here’s what’s been happening.

The 2026 goals I set in January (and tweaked halfway through the year) are:

• Big Fiction Project: Finish My Rom-Com Contemporary Romance Novel and Send Out to Agents
• Other Fiction Projects: Short Stories, Reaper, and a Writing Streak
• Non-Fiction: Aliventures Blog, Newsletter … and More

Q3 Progress on Big Fiction Project

At the end of Q2, I’d started on Draft 4 of the novel. During Q3, I finished Draft 4, Draft 5, and now I’m doing Draft 6 – which I very much hope will be the final draft! I also wrote four drafts of my cover letter / query letter, and two drafts of a synopsis.

As always, I’d like to be going faster: the July heatwaves, August trips (including two fantastic weeks in the USA with my parents & kids), and a busy run of things in September have slowed me down a little.

What Worked (And Why?)

As before, I used the writing hours and momentum writing retreats in Writers’ Cafe to work on the novel: having the time set aside on my calendar makes a huge difference.

When working on the query letter, I found Lauren Kay’s free on-demand masterclass really helpful and insightful. I knew the broad structure of a query letter, but this helped make sense of what’s going to appeal to an agent. (Her Instagram account is a great source of querying advice, too.)

I also did more time blocking, as mentioned in my plans at the end of Q2, and I think this was helpful for making sure I was actually writing during writing hours!

What Didn’t Work and What I’m Trying Next

I found that with Draft 4 → Draft 5, and Draft 5 → Draft 6, I struggled with focus during any writing sessions longer than about 20 minutes.

These are very much my fine-tuning drafts (swap out an overused word here, tweak the punctuation there). I like doing this! But I think because I’ve written this novel fairly fast – I started the first draft on 20th May 2025 – I’m feeling like I’ve read these sentences a lot.

I’m trying to edit in shorter bursts, using timers during longer writing sessions, and I’m planning to keep up my energy & focus during the next Writers’ Cafe momentum retreat (this Saturday!) by doing a mix of editing this novel and brainstorming for the next one.

The other thing that’s not worked … is not having a title! I still don’t know what to call this novel. So when I’m brainstorming something new on Saturday, I’m coming up with titles right at the start of the process.

Q3 Progress on Other Fiction Projects

I gave up on the daily writing streak, but I’m still working on fiction most days (usually 5+ days out of 7) and have not felt any renewed inspiration for short stories. So the only project I’m working on is self-publishing my contemporary fantasy novel Reaper.

I got some great feedback on the blurb (thank you Writers’ Cafe members!) and the next steps are to commission the cover design, come up with a simple launch plan, and get it out there into the world.

What Worked (And Why?)

Getting feedback on the blurb was super-helpful … it’s hard when I’m so close to the story to get a sense of how it comes across (and how to make it sound enticing).

What Didn’t Work (And What I’m Trying Next)

I’ve been so busy with all the drafts of my contemporary romance that Reaper keeps getting forgotten. Plus, things like contacting a cover designer and coming up with a launch plan don’t feel like “real” writing activity!

In Q4, I’m going to try devoting one weekly writing session (even if it’s just a short one) to making progress towards the launch.

Q3 Progress on Non-Fiction

Over the summer, I always take some time off from the blog and newsletter. I’ve not got back to these quite as consistently as I’d have liked since then!

I’m continuing to post short-form content on both Instagram and LinkedIn, so do follow me there for bite-size inspiration, writing tips, and more.

What Worked (And Why?)

Time blocking has been helpful, and I probably would have had even less consistency without it! I’m going to keep doing that, especially on busy days or days when I don’t have as much time at my desk as usual.

What Didn’t Work (And What I’m Trying Next)

I want to start drafting blog posts further ahead, as it’s easy to run out of time towards the end of the week. I’m also hoping to build up a little stock of photos I can use on social media, as I feel like it’s taking me ages to create some posts and I’m sure I end up over-thinking it.

How’s 2026 been for you? If you’re working on a novel and it’s not been going as fast as you want, I’ve now got a free on-demand workshop available for you: Four Roadblocks Holding You Back from Finishing Your Novel.

We go through the four most common roadblocks I see writers running up against (two of those are life-related and two are writing-related) … and we cover specific steps you can take to navigate around those roadblocks.