I think an update is in order on why I’ve been so quiet on the blogging front the last few weeks. Three weeks ago, after a long discussion with my wife, I quit my high paying job. The good wife also has a high paying corporate job, and earns enough for us to pay the bills. My job was the gravy. So we are forgoing the gravy so that I can finally finish writing a book that I have been working on for the past four years. The problem was that I had so much going on in my life during this time, it left me with next to no creative energy to work on the book.
My lovely wife said, take the time out and see if you can really do this. You have to do it for yourself, to see if you’re capable of getting it done right.
I have a whole lotta love for the good lady wife.
So I’ve been treating writing as a job. I get up, do breakfast things, and then I go into my study and I write until late morning. This is normally about four hours. Any more than this and I burn out. Afternoons are for doing other things and working stuff out in my head which I then try and set to paper the following day. I have Sundays off from writing. Thus far in the month of November I have written 40,000 words. In the previous 4 years I managed to get down 50,000. My editor is very pleased at the quality, as is the big publishing house that he works for.
As I am at home, and as I have access to the internet, I am avoiding games and gaming during this time. If I purchased Skyrim now I think it might be dangerous for my progress on the book. Thus my lack of posting on the blog. Kind of a roundabout way for me to get to the point, but there you have it.
What is the book about? I’ll talk about it when it’s done. Not fantasy though, if that’s what you all were wondering.
I still have my finger on the gaming pulse though, and will still make the occasional post when I see something that I want to comment on. But for the next few weeks it will be a bit dry on the blog front.
November 21, 2011 at 9:46 am
It’d be interesting to read piece about your experiances writing your book (when its done), all the nitty gritty of the practical stuff (finding an editor/publisher, the legal side of things etc.), as well as the more esoteric side of things
Plenty of meat there for your readers I’m sure.
November 22, 2011 at 4:20 am
Yeah, I’ll do that after the fact as it would distract at this point. But yes, there’d be lots to talk about for sure.
November 21, 2011 at 1:53 pm
I have a good friend who published his first book last year and has just completed the sequel. I mention this only because it gave me an appreciation of just how difficult it is, not just the writing but the whole process of creating a book and getting it out there.
I wish you good luck and I hope it’s as successful as you’d like it to be.
November 22, 2011 at 4:31 am
Thanks Chewy. This is my third book, (first two not published as I just used them for practice runs), and I have to say that writing a book is damn hard, but writing a really good book is the hardest thing of all.
November 21, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Awesome stuff! Following through on a dream/plan is one of the most rewarding things ever. I wish you all the best, and enjoy your time away from the corporate world…here’s hoping you’ll never have to go back
November 22, 2011 at 4:32 am
Thanks Gank.
November 22, 2011 at 12:41 am
It’s commendable that you’re in a position to chase down a dream, but moreso that you’re doing so. Additionally, not allowing oneself to become distracted with other hobbies is to be applauded.
Happy penning!
November 22, 2011 at 4:32 am
I wish it was happy penning but it’s a daily battle to get started that I never look forward to.