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July's Adventures in Storytelling

Graphic novels, shifting canon, your questions answered, plus all my latest news!

Cavan Scott

01 Jul 2026 • 9 min read

Hello there!

It's the second half of the year – and yes, last week was hotter than hell in the UK and Europe. Did you cope? We more or less moved into the kitchen, which was the coolest place in the house, camping on the floor, as upstairs was like a furnace.

Work-wise, June felt like a turning point. I submitted a major edit on Project: Avarice, which pretty much took over my every waking moment, and immediately dived into my next major project: a graphic novel adaptation of a popular novel. That probably deserves a codename of its own. I think I'm going to go for Project: Passer. Yes, that seems to fit.

The last few days have been all about the beat sheet, figuring out how to turn a 600-page novel into a 280-page comic. It's meant pulling the novel apart, finding the spine of the story and working out what has to stay and what needs to be changed to fit the format. There have been a LOT of moving parts, but it's exactly the kind of storytelling puzzle I love. The outline is now with the editor and the original author for their review, and I'm looking forward to diving into the first draft, which is due in the autumn.

Elsewhere, I've also outlined a new short story, helped map out the next few years of Konflikt '47 and started thinking about what comes after Project: Passer and my ELVTR Comic Writing course.

I always like to stack writing jobs like this:

Post: Projects that are drafted but are now being reviewed and edited, such as Project: Avarice, or comics that are now in the hands of the artists, such as my upcoming Masters of the Universe Origins run.
Present: Projects that I'm drafting.
Prep: Future projects that are waiting in the wings. Outlining, plotting, brainstorming and researching.

Sometimes the categories blur, but I try to keep at least one project moving in each category. That way, there's always something progressing, which is half the battle of freelance life.

(There's also Prospect and Parked, but I'll save those for another newsletter!)

I'm a real process junkie, so always interested in how creatives manage their workflow. So, what about you? How do you keep projects moving in the right direction? Let me know in the comments below!

Okay, onto the rest of the Cavletter..

IN THIS MONTH'S UPDATE

JUSTIN RICHARDS

Earlier this week I received a phone call bringing the sad news that Justin Richards has passed away. Justin was a major figure during Doctor Who's wilderness years, acting as a range consultant for the BBC Book series and contributing dozens of brilliant stories of his own across the years.

Justin had been living with early-onset fronto-temporal dementia for many years now. I first learned of his diagnosis when George Mann and I were working with Justin on Dalek, having just produced the Big Finish adaptation of his brilliant Theatre of War novel. I had been looking forward to spending time with both Justin and George at signing events, but sadly, it wasn't to be.

But I will always look back with immense fondness at a friendship that stretched back to the 1990s, when Mark Wright and I first plucked up the courage to submit a Doctor Who novel idea to BBC Books.

Justin was a complete and utter gentleman, a wonderful collaborator and a supportive and thoughtful creative.

Thanks for all the happy times and places, Justin.

A HAN & CHEWIE ADVENTURE

Following the success of An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure, Audible is releasing a special audio edition of A Han & Chewie Adventure under their Mission Stories line next month.

Landing 23rd July, the adventure – read by Rob Butler –follows the 'canon path' of the choose-your-own-adventure-style story I wrote back in 2018 to tie into the release of Solo.

Here's the official blurb:

Taking a job from Jabba the Hut is always risky business, but this run might prove to be even more risky than usual. When Han and Chewie make a crash landing en route with the Falcon’s hold filled with stolen Imperial tech, they are reminded again that things rarely go smoothly on a smuggler’s run.

I love that these stories are getting another outing in audio, especially as the books are now out of print – although my last remaining copies of the original gamebooks ARE available via my webstore.

Turn to pagy 77 to pick up your own version signed by yours truly (or just click here!)

STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC ON WEBTOONS

Talking of older stories appearing in a new format, did you know that my original Star Wars: The High Republic Marvel run, with art by Ario Anindito, is now available on Webtoon!

The adventures of Keeve Trennis, Skeer and Avar Kriss have been brilliantly adapted, making them perfect for reading on your phone.

A luminous alternative to doom-scrolling!

Forget social media and slide on back to Starlight Beacon instead!

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Time to check the Cavletter postbag!

The question of canon

Hayden Hight emailed to ask:

Is your short story ‘Time of Death’ in Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View still canon to the Star Wars universe?

I only ask because I reread it recently and noticed a few plot inconsistencies due to the release of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Is the story retconned? Or is it going to be altered in the future to better fit the canon timeline?

The short answer is… I don’t know.

To be honest, it’s not something I worry about after a Star Wars story has been published as, from that point on, I have absolutely no control over it.

When I'm in the midst of writing a story, I do everything I can to make sure it fits the current canon, relying on the editors and teams like Lucasfilm's Story Group to let me know when I've got it wrong.

Once it’s out in the world, there’s always a chance that it could get retconned. Some stories I’ve written across various universes are still canon, and some aren’t. It's one of the reasons I used the phrase 'current canon' above.

In the wild and wacky world of work-for-hire, what's considered canon is always evolving. A new film comes out and changes established lore. A new executive comes in who wants to take the franchise in a different direction. A reboot or re-imagining rewrites the rulebook.

I try not to get hung up about it. What matters to me is that I do the best job I possibly can at the time, telling a story that readers can connect with – whether it remains canon or not!

Thanks for the question, Hayden!

S-Foils in attack position

Darko Markovic asked:

I recently listened to Terror of Mustafar and really enjoyed it. I had a quick question about the Rebel starfighter attack scene.

In the passage, the sky is described as being filled with starfighters, with X-wings and Y-wings attacking the area. Since they specifically came to attack Darth Vader after being tipped off by a Rebel spy, I was wondering: did you imagine the Rebel force as being at least several squadrons, maybe three or four, given who the target was and the scale of the attack?

I really enjoyed seeing Vader in action there. The way he took them on so casually and forced the remaining fighters to retreat made a strong impression on me, and really showed how terrifying he was. It was really cool!

Thanks a lot for your time.

And thank you for listening! I'm so glad you enjoyed that sequence. It was probably my favourite part to write. I'd wanted to see something like that on screen for years, so finally putting Vader in that situation was enormous fun!

In my head, there are at least a couple of squadrons in the fight – although (SPOILERS!) they never really stood a chance against the Dark Lord of the Sith!

Got a burning question you want to ask me? Then hit the button below!

ASK ME ANYTHING

FIVE GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN JUNE

The month was gig-tastic! We saw Beverley Knight belt out a series of bangers at Bristol Beacon and celebrated the Summer Solstice with Lady Maisery, Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith performing their brilliant Wakefire album in full!

In case that wasn’t enough, we saw the legend that is Sir Tom Jones – 86 and his voice is still incredible! – with Natalie Imbruglia in support, finishing our little streak of concerts back at the Beacon with The Counting Crows. We've been living our best 90s nostalgia life!
There were celebrations in the Scott household as our youngest finished college with a student-of-the-year award. Next stop, university! Meanwhile, our eldest was back terrifying punters as a zombie at the local scare park for a special summer frights event!
I attended a fascinating virtual Folk Horror conference organised by Alex Davies. Darkness in the Fields 4 featured talks on everything from standing stones and creepy TV, to deep dives into Analogue and Liminal horror.

It made me wonder if I should be running similar events through this newsletter? Would you be interested in talks about folklore, horror, storytelling and more? Let me know!
Strange Matter, the creative consultancy I run with George Mann, signed a new contract with a big RPG publisher. We’re going to be advising them on how to turn their top-notch worldbuilding into fiction and beyond!
I saw two very different films at the cinema and loved both — for very different reasons. Masters of the Universe was just a bundle of fun, and took me right back to being a He-Man-loving kid.

If MOTU was all about nostalgia, Backrooms was a creative shot in the arm, the nearest I’ve ever seen to a nightmare captured on screen.

I’ve since dived into the original web-series and added both soundtracks to my writing playlists.

CURRENTLY READING

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths: I love the Dr. Ruth Galloway mysteries. Archaeology, cold cases, modern murders and the hot mess that is our romantically-challenged lead.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO

Folklore Matters Podcast: The official podcast of the National Folklore Survey of England. I recently binged the first season just in time for season two to drop in the next couple of weeks.

CURRENTLY WATCHING

Godfather of Harlem: One of my favourite shows of recent years, and season four has finally reached the UK! And yes, the title absolutely influenced Godfather of Hell.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS

A few months ago, I mention that I'm planning some changes around here and I'm pleased to say those plans are now starting to take shape. The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted the new subtitle on the website, which gives you an idea of where things are heading.

Later this year, longer-form essays will return to the Cavletter alongside the monthly updates, digging deeper into storytelling, creativity and the realities of making stories for a living.

But don't worry – this is an evolution not a revolution! The mix of creative life, geeky rabbit holes, behind-the-scenes insights and news isn't going anywhere. If anything, there's going to be even more to enjoy!

Watch this space!

Until next time, look after yourself and each other.