Daynote - Thu 29 Jan
Making progress and packing bags.
Another cheeky lie-in after I stayed up too late writing this month's newsletter (early since I'll be packing tonight, on a train tomorrow and at Stockport Noir during the day on Saturday). But the words got worded, and that's what matters.
ON DECK: A passable 979 words this morning, finishing off one scene and starting another. Things are gelling reasonably well. Many writers talk about the 'mushy middle' of drafting a novel and it's definitely something I've experienced, though my feelings of mushiness and lack of momentum tend to happen within individual scenes, rather than in the middle 30k or 40k of the book as a whole. So they are passing feelings.
LISTENING: I listen to a bunch of different creatively-focused podcasts from different industries, including film and TV, and I've heard the What Went Wrong podcast mentioned multiple times, so I decided to give it a go with their episode about ALIENS (1986). And wow, what a great show. I'm absolutely fascinated by the mechanics of producing art, especially when it's collaborative, and this is a fascinating podcast, diving into the actual struggles of making great things, rather than just the good news stories. Well worth your time.
WATCHING: Another episode of KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS last night. It's a lot of fun. The lighter tone is very welcome and the two leads are fantastic.
READING: More of PAGANS by James Alistair Henry (Bookshop, Amazon). The worldbuilding in this book is so fun.
LINK: Screenwriter and author Julian Simpson has posted the second part of his career retrospective. The first part is behind a paywall now, but this is still worth the read even if you missed the first bit.
UP NEXT: A podcast recording over my lunch today, then, tonight, packing! I am absolutely determined not to take too much stuff with me on this trip to Manchester, so I'm going to be ruthless. Then tomorrow I'll have a bit of writing in the morning, a quick editorial call, then more writing on the train, then hanging out with my brother and some writer friends before Stockport Noir on Saturday! Can't bloody wait.
Onward!