Daynote - Thu 24 Apr

Finally back out for a walk today. Felt really good after not getting out for over a week, and much needed. A lot of blossom on the trees and leaves everywhere. Spring has definitely sprung, even if it's still a little chilly here in Scotland.

ON DECK: My first zero word count (adding or cutting) working day of the year, because I was timelining instead, in Aeon Timeline. That involves me working across two screens, scrolling through the scenes in my Scrivener manuscript, then laying out those same scenes (which are synced to Aeon) in a narrative timeline to make sure all the dates, durations, timestamps and character locations actually work out.

It's slow, painstaking, kind of boring work, but it has two major upsides - I can listen to podcasts while I'm doing it (because it's essentially retrospective paperwork, rather than creative) and once it's done it will be a constant resource I can refer back to at every subsequent stage of editing and development. It will also be useful for future books with the same characters, because I can keep track of the wider series continuity through the timelines for each book. So, a bit boring, but very necessary and useful.

LISTENING: I really enjoyed this re-run of an earlier Scriptnotes episode on idea management - tracking, developing and using your ideas when you're writing. Very, very applicable to novelists too.

WATCHING: Another episode of THE STUDIO last night, involving a lot of very snobby doctors and Seth Rogen sticking up for the true value of art and entertainment. A consistently great show.

READING: More ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK last night. I'm about 50 pages from the end and still have no idea what's going to happen. Superb book.

LINK: A really interesting post from editor and author Phoebe Morgan on how acquisitions meetings work.

UP NEXT: More timelining - this will probably take me another three or four writing sessions, then I'll be re-reading the whole book before I go for the final polish pass. The end is in sight. Onward!