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June 14, 2005

Author Boy Tries Something Different

I've been experimenting with different ways to arrange my work day. At the moment, I've got a thing where, as soon as Michelle goes off to work at the Blood Mines each afternoon, at 1:30pm, I get stuck into the scribble, and see what happens. So far, yesterday and today, I managed to bang out 1000 words each time without too much effort.

This, compared to the way I have been working these past several months, is shockingly productive. My main problem is getting distracted too easily. What used to happen was that Michelle would take off for the Blood Mines, and I'd then spend "a while" noodling around on the web, looking at all the interesting things available to read, of which I can find way too many, and, say, around 3pm I'd think about doing some scribble. Maybe.

Hmm. This was bad. It meant that some days not much happened--but I read a whole lot of really interesting stuff! :( Now I'm leaving the interesting stuff for once I'm done with at least 1000 words. With a bit of luck, I can work up to 2000 words a day in time.

And of course, I am still employing the mighty Official Writing Coffee Ritual, in which I must have a coffee in the designated Official Writing Coffee Cup (er, mug). It helps.

Also today: more homework for HYDROGEN STEEL. This covered events in the final 7 chapters, which needed a surprising amount of work. I've now been through the entire manuscript. This will have to go through some number of further cycles, working through the entire book, fixing ever smaller problems. If it's anything like ORBITAL BURN, we'll be fixing tiny problems right up until the point Publisher Brian tells me there's no more time because the book's going to the printer the next day. Nothing focusses an author's attention like that kind of pressure.

All of which leaves me now feeling wiped out. Headachy, hungry, and trying not to notice the stack of dirty dishes requiring my attention over by the kitchen sink. Also: it's bloody cold here in Perth at the moment. We're in the thick of winter already, and June's only just started. Normally we don't get rain and chilly temps like this until July. Instead, I'm told we've had the wettest start to June in 70 years.

Posted by adrian at June 14, 2005 08:45 PM

Comments

Adrian,

I finaly signed up for Typekey. I am one lazy guy.

Posted by: Luke H [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 17, 2005 06:52 PM

I have that same problem of getting distracted at the beginning of a session. Glad to see I'm not alone.

I'm chewing my nails waiting for Eclipse and now you're teasing us with Hydrogen Steel. *drums fingers* ;)

This time of year is probably the one time when the weather in Perth and Canmore are the same. We've had rain, rain, rain for over a week. Today is the first sunny day since the end of May.

Posted by: Charlie [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 15, 2005 12:55 AM

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