Daynote - Wed 5 Nov

Wow, today got away from me. Stayed up a bit late, watching BAKE OFF, so I got up a bit late and had one of those mornings where I felt like I was dead last in a 100m sprint. No walk, but did get some proofing done.

ON DECK: I tipped over the halfway point in the proof for SOLITARY AGENTS. It's going pretty well, still mostly continuity errors, rather than flat-out typos. And it's a relief to be reading it and to not be bored or dismayed. I'm pretty happy with it, which is a good place to be as we approach the irrevocable moment when it actually goes to print.

LISTENING: I really enjoyed the appearance of (massive) indie and now trad pub success story Callie Hart on the Books Of The Year podcast. It's always interesting to hear interviewers from traditional media have their first encounter with someone who's come from indie/internet spaces and casually mentions having written 43 novels so far. It's a very different world, but also a respectful and fun conversation.

WATCHING: We watched the BAKE OFF final, of course, but also STORYVILLE: WAR GAME on the BBC, which is an absolutely fascinating documentary about a tabletop exercise played in Washington in 2023, roleplaying a potential far right coup after a contested election. I'm fascinated by exercises and roleplaying games that 'feel real' to their participants, and the multiple real-world examples of people being unsure if something was actually happening, or part of an exercise. This treads that (incredibly stressful) line.

READING: I'm flying through A SPY LIKE ME and hugely enjoying it. The prose continues to dazzle but it's also just a fantastically well-constructed thriller.

LINK: Couldn't agree more with this post from Naomi Alderman about preparing for a world where AI may (emphasis on may, given the underlying economics) be a factor in careers - you have to know how do actually do things before you can or should automate them. Otherwise you have no basis to judge the output. And automation is not necessarily a good thing.

UP NEXT: More proofing. It's going well. But it is going to take me to the end of the week, I think. And a lot of reading to get done too.

Onward!