Daynote - Fri 25 Jul

I've learned this soulful stare means River is about ready to go for a walk. When I was writing this morning, I could feel him watching me really quite closely to determine when the lead and harness might come out.

ON DECK: A reasonable 581 words this morning. Still a bit behind the pace, but I'll be dogsitting this weekend and I think I'll write a bit and take advantage of the time chilling with the dog.

LISTENING: Really enjoyed this interview with M.H. Ayinde recorded by the Page One Podcast at Cymera this year. I had a clash with another panel so I couldn't make it in person, but it's a great chat.

WATCHING: I was out yesterday evening, so no films or TV, but when I got back and was fiddling around doing some admin on my laptop, I put on a long train review video. There's a whole subculture of Youtubers who do long train journeys and record videos about them. And some of them do it silently (with captions), which is weirdly restful to have on in the background. I'd love to try one of the Nightjet sleeper 'capsules' demoed in this one:

READING: More beta/blurb reading on various buses and before bed last night. Still cracking.

LINK: This is a really interesting piece on giving, receiving and structuring feedback on creative writing. What's most interesting to me about it is that this is essentially what me and my crit group have arrived at, but it's not formalised in this way as a multi-step process, it's come about instinctively through repeated practice. We've essentially arrived at the same end point independently. But if you're new to giving or receiving feedback, this is a very good resource that will really help you become a better critique partner faster. Highly recommended.

UP NEXT: More dogwalking, more writing, a couple of trips into town, and that's about it to be honest. It's going to be a quiet one.

Onward!