I’ll keep this short today, but everything is going pretty swimmingly here.
I’m down to the last two scenes of Cold Streets now. I should be able to knock one out this coming week, and the last the week after.
This is good because next week is Otakon. And then a week and a half after that I will be preparing for a long trip to Seattle in the run-up to PAX Prime.
This month is absolutely insane for me. I kind of love it.
Writers of fiction tend to be pretty good at lying. We even lie to ourselves from time to time. “I’ll make time to write after I get off of work.” “I just need another drink to feel up to writing.” “One more turn, then into the word mines I go!” So on and so forth. I could talk about all sorts of mitigating factors and less than ideal reasons why I got behind in my word count this week, but in the end, all that matters is that I didn’t make my goals. I could blame the generosity of good friends during the Steam sale, or any number of less positive outside factors, but boil it all down, and the shortcomings are all on my head.
I’m close to the end of Cold Streets now. There’s a part of me that believes I’m about to hit the last big hill that will rocket me towards the egress and gift shop of this latest roller coaster of wordsmithing. Maybe all I need is one last concerted push. It’s hard to say.
I’m going to try and shake off this week and move on. It’s been hard for lots of people. The next one better be an improvement. I still believe a better future is something worth striving towards and fighting for.
I just need to puzzle out what that better future is for me, and once I do, make a plan to get started on it as soon as possible.
Mondays can be difficult. Yesterday especially was a trial. The days in which I am legitimately frustrated, angry, or stressed about a project in front of me have been few and far between, but this was a doozy. I drove home from the office hours after I’d usually leave, thinking about how tired I already was, the level at which I was enervated, and keeping the fury from informing the hands on the wheel.
It occurred to me that it was the perfect time to write.
Neil Gaiman has said you need to write when you’re uninspired. This is true. Chuck Wendig’s advice on when and how to write tends to be condensed into little profane gems like “Art Harder, Motherfucker!” and I agree with him, as well. Indeed, it applies no matter what emotional funk you might be in: a dark one, a dour one, a sad one, an angry one.
If you’re a writer, it’s important to keep writing. Remember that the words you don’t write will never be read by another person. That world in your head will never really come to life. Just keep that in mind.
Oof.
It’s been difficult at times to go out my door this week. Heat just hits me like a hammer in the chest. Add to that the injury I did to myself last weekend, and I haven’t exactly been operating at my best. Still, I’ve tried to make the most of it.
Cold Streets is at an odd place, close to being finished but facing down a couple of large obstacles. They’re not insurmountable, but I also don’t want to rush ahead and miss anything crucial. Then again, that’s why I’m lining up test readers; hopefully one of them will call things out when I mess something up.
Instead of just having an idea in mind of what to do over the weekend, I’m going to try to schedule things. It may help me stay on-task.
Here we are, within striking distance of the end of Cold Streets. I have three more scenes to do, and all of them are well laid out in my head. I think a week, two at the most, will be all I need to wrap this puppy up. Then I start editing and getting feedback. Arguably, that step’s harder than the actual writing. It’ll be like I’m doing actual work!
I’m going to lay out an updated outline for Godslayer at the same time. That way, I can jump into 350 a day on that one while Cold Streets is getting the rough treatment from friends and colleagues. I think it’s going to be a nice change to do something entirely fanciful and completely out of my own head rather than something that’s a sequel more grounded in our own world.
And on Sunday I believe I’ll have Flash Fiction to work on, as well as possibly keeping tabs on some other projects. Energy and confidence are surprisingly high for what is usually a lethargic time of the year for me. I’m going to hold on to this as long as I can, nay-sayers and detractors and doubters be damned.
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