Daynote - Fri 6 Mar 2026
Another week rolls to a close.
It's my second full day of writing today, which is marvellous. Still not quite up to a walk in the woods yet, so I'm starting the working day with this daynote, then following my usual routine.
ON DECK: This morning's work is a chunk of drafting on Project VAULT, then going back and editing another chunk of work for my crit partners, then outlining next week's work. I'm settling quite nicely into that rhythm, which is fairly reliably producing 6,000 - 8,000 words of new work a week, about the same in edited work and a week's worth of outlined scenes. This was absolutely my hope for what would Writing Fridays would be like, so I'm very pleased that it's coming together like this.
This afternoon I'm going to do a bit of short story drafting to round out the day. I'm trying to round out each writing day with something new format-wise, or progressing a side project, essentially as a wee treat at the end of the writing week. But also because if you don't make time for a bit of experimentation and trying new things, it can make the rest of the work feel like a bit of an endless slog.
LISTENING: Really enjoyed this second Page One/Narrative Damage crossover interview with illustrator, writer and game designer Dennis Detwiller, creator of the Delta Green TTRPG (among many other things). Absolutely fascinating insight into a very different kind of creative writing.
WATCHING: We watched a bunch of HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST last night. One episode left and it's coming together very well. For a minute there it was kind of right on the line between complex and convoluted, but as it heads into its finale I think its pulling together all the narrative threads in a very satisfying way. While also being very funny.
READING: More of THE INFINITE STATE by Richard Swan (Bookshop.org, Waterstones, Amazon) - I think everyone in this book is either being threatened or doing some threatening in the first third. It's a definite insight into how completely fear blankets everything in totalitarian societies.
LINK: Yesterday was World Book Day, and from yesterday until Sunday, Waterstones are doing double stamps in store and online. Seems like a fine time to pick up one (or both!) of my books.
UP NEXT: Drafting, editing and more! And probably some emails.
Onward!