Halloween-inspired artwork tonight from Nick Hyde.

Today…well, it wasn’t a “normal” day because it was the first day that I worked my new job for a solid 12 hours…but, it was a FULL day of work, which FEELS normal now that I’m done. I even got my writing hour done, and a full hour, too.

I’m not as fast or as focused yet with my Netflix work, it’s definitely going to take an adjustment period. Hopefully, my experience working from home for the past four years will help with that. At least I know I can get my butt down in my seat and be there for the hours I’m logging. That’s the first major step 😛 But, yeah…I thought I’d be able to be waaaay further into my work pile than I am. Like, twice as far. I mean, I definitely know that I can, I guess I just have to work my way up to that.

I was just telling the Ho about this quote I saw a couple days ago on the Twitters from Hemmingway (if it was properly attributed, anyway) about his writing process, which is that he trained himself to never think about his writing unless he was actually working. He wanted his subconcious to work on the ideas without interference, so that when he sat down, he was full of ideas to just tumble out. Well…I tried that over the past two days. It’s definitely not been my style. I tend to think a lot about my stories while I’m doing other things. Obsessively, really. I’d say I spent about a third of my time thinking about my stories…a third about other miscellaneous things, and a third on the actual task at-hand. For reals. That’s a pretty accurate break-down of any given waking minute.

But, I’m going to give ol’ Hemmingway a try. It makes some sense to me…it makes sitting down every day to write that much more important, because that’s the time to turn the spicket on and it’s not possible for the flow of ideas to be wasted, because the “pen and “paper” are right there absorbing them, as it were. It worked today, anyway. I worked a scene, a new scene, and it’s nice because I was able to take what was just a plot point, and turn it into a character moment, and an idea moment all at the same time. We’ll see if it reads that way tomorrow, but the groundwork is there, at least.

I’m going to do two hours of writing on my off days for the forseeable future. Godamnit…I’m also going to work out. One hour on the Icarus script, and one hour on the Trek short story. I really wanted to be writing on my next novel right now, but I’m going to finish these to projects first. Then, dive into rewriting Starstuff and 3 pages a day on its sequel.

Hmmm…that sounds like an exciting arrangement, actually…3 pages a day on a first draft, and then…maybe 6 pages on a rewrite. Or maybe it should be 3 pages a day. If I do them back to back, that could still be two books a year, yo. That’d be a pace I’m happy with…super happy with 😛 I’d have to work up to that, but goddamn I could do it.

I should also say that I’m fucking exhausted. Today was a *grind*. Rally at the end for the wind, but I was wiped for the better part of the day. It was a tulmultuous week! The status quo has been upset! In a good way…for sure. But still exhausting.

Guys, here’s to October. We barely knew thee, and you’ve already passed us by. Tomorrow marks a new day, a new month, and a new normal for yours truly. I’m looking forward to it. And some rest 😛 And some morning football. Yessssssssss.