Day 11: Workflow

After doing a quick word count, I realized that there is probably no way I am hitting the 50,000-word quota this month. Which is frustrating, but not unexpected. It also doesn't really mean much; I plan to keep writing nightly, knocking off a little bit at a time.

 

What is unexpected is that, despite my low nightly numbers, I'm actually capable of hammering out a fairly decent word count in the time I have. I'm also discovering a workflow that isn't bad, or rather it wouldn't be bad if I started at 8 or 9 in the morning, rather than 8 or 9 at night. The philosophy of "just fucking write, you hack!" has actually been really good for me, and for my self-esteem, since it appears I can still pull out some half-decent prose even when incredibly overtired. My wife's gentle reminders that I need to write have also been helpful, and are keeping me honest.

 

I'm also enjoying myself, which is nice. It isn't a chore, which is something I was afraid of. I was actually a little disappointed when I stopped last night, but my brain was threatening to punch its way out of my skull, which is rarely a good thing.

I also realized I really enjoy taking mundane things and talking about them in grandiose and dramatic fashions. Really fun!

 

Anyway, here's Steve's Current First-world Workflow

• Pour drink. Usually wine, though this week it's been orange juice since I've been fighting something off. Not sure what, but according to Google it's probably cancer.
• Sit down. This is actually more complicated than it sounds, due to my current PC setup.
• Get up again after realizing that I forgot to plug in my headphones, then sit back down.
• Check all social media (this helps to avoid getting distracted later).
• Turn on music loud enough to block out all external stimuli. Instrumental is preferred, so that I don't get distracted by lyrics. 
• Start writing. I've been writing linearly (that is, straight through the plot), though I'm going to start hopping around a bit more in the near future.
• Write for about an hour. This results in 500–1,000 words before I get tired/bored/distracted.

And that's how the "magic" happens, more or less. Some time this month I would like to take a full day for writing, and see what I can get done if I treat it like "work" instead of a "hobby."

 

I'll be posting a preview sometime soon-ish.