Daynote - Thu 29th Aug 2024 - Two weeks!

How did that happen? Once more, the linear progression of time surprises me.

ON DECK: Jumped into the sample draft for PROJECT SCARLET this morning and got 802 words. Not quite the barnstorming 3k I managed yesterday, but a good result for starting a brand new novel. The first few chapters are often a bit tentative. And, as I never tire of saying, it's not really about word count, day to day. It's about days, in aggregate, over time. I will say it's been a joy returning to characters I know, even in just a couple of short scenes this morning. It's been several months since I last wrote anything featuring the characters from A RELUCTANT SPY and it's like coming into a pub and bumping into friends you've not seen for ages. An absolute delight.

LISTENING: Back to my old standby, the Living in the Library playlist.

WATCHING: We finished GRISELDA yesterday. An excellent and heartbreaking finale as various consequences were reaped. And still, an excellent and snappy script. I do wish I spoke better Spanish though - I know just enough to know that the English subtitles were missing a lot of nuance and sometimes whole phrases.

READING: More NINTH LIFE, though I got to bed late so it was only a few pages. I'm loving it.

UP NEXT: One more day of drafting this week, but I may also do a bit of writing at the weekend - this week has had a lot of ancillary writing (feature articles, Q&As and even notes for my audiobook narrator!) that has eaten into my drafting time a little bit, and I'd really like to get this sample done before the book comes out. I'm in town to get my hair cut and meet a friend for lunch on Saturday, so I might camp out at a cafe in the afternoon and see if I can get a couple of thousand words.