Blog no. 347
It look longer to get her this year than it has so far, but I’m at the point where I’m writing a big piece and not much else is going on. You already know I’m writing the Invasion Novel right now. It’s going okay. Obviously, I’m not giving it as much time and/or effort as I should (I never do). With the day job being what it is (been over that a lot lately) and with both Christian and Elly more busy with family things, I’m having to fit things in when I can and get used to some solo writing again (been three years since that was so common). Other than that, I’m working, still going to boxing once a week, playing D&D on game night (and some odd days as well), playing video games too much (got a pretty fun new one for less than ten bucks) and just, hanging out. I do have some tentative plans for the rest of the summer, but they are just wishful thinking right now. Mostly, I’m just plugging away on the book. Continue reading “Another Week, Another Post”
At the start of summer (but really in the middle of spring (at the end of April?)) I had two major goals. They both involved writing and had to do with the Invasion Novel. Since I always have a drop in productivity in the summer, I wanted to finally figure out why it happens and work through it. Also, now that I’m working on a novel again, I wanted to speed up the first draft process, get it done not only faster, but also on a schedule (that coincidentally would also increase my summer productivity). So far, I can call it a succes-ailure. I believe I’ve discovered that the main source of my summer drop off comes from the change in schedule (and hours) at the day job, and from the fact that 
I normally get Mondays off. The hate for Mondays is one of those things that has always seemed bizarre and kind of exhausting. I get the 9 to 5 office drone hatred for having to go back to work after two short days of freedom (probably spent doing all the chores that get missed all week). My issue comes from that group being a minority. I have never worked a job that has weekends off. Most professions (and crappy jobs) that I can think of don’t fit within that bubble. People have to work evenings, weekends, or shift work. So. I normally get Mondays off, but usually on Mondays I have plenty to do. Besides the chores thing since it’s basically my Sunday (or whatever. It depends on the day). It’s a big writing day for me, and I got to boxing. Those things alone are enough to carve out most of my time. This week, though, I just stayed inside any had a day to myself. 
I have a false memory that persists every time I drive down University Ave. I distinctly recall an ex of mine mention that her father used to take her to Skippy’s for breakfast (I think pancakes) when she was little. I’ve mentioned this to her, but she insists it wasn’t her who said that (and she says that she has never been there). Either way, it’s a longtime establishment in the city, and they serve breakfast, so it’s a place I’ve tried. The parking may be inconvenient, but their hours are good, the food is breakfasty, and they are close to my day job, so it’s become a fixture in my rotation.
So, recently, I bought a minidisc recorder. It’s a Sony model from the early 2000s, used, with some cosmetic wear—but it works. It didn’t come with and discs, though, so I had to buy a pack from Japan. (Did you know Sony still makes new minidiscs, because I didn’t). Because it would take close to a month (three weeks at least) for that shipment to get here, I scoured the local used goods marked for anything minidisc related and found that someone in the city was selling a partially working model with a disc. I talked him down to $20, and then I had two recorders (they are players too) and a single, used disc. Mostly, I wanted the disc so that I could confirm that the first player I bought worked (it does) but having the backup player, even for parts, at such a low price was worth not getting lunch one day. (Also, if I can get it to work (which would be neat) I’d have two players with slightly different abilities and styles that I could go between depending on what I want or need). The problem is that it didn’t stop there. 
I’m writing this on my birthday proper, but by now, it’s already passed. I really only mention my birthday because, as a gift to myself every year, I allow the post that falls on my birthday week to be phoned in. I still do it (you’re reading this is evidence of that) but I let it be short and way more to the point than I usually do. I think things are going better this year in general. I’m not in the clinic on my birthday like I was last year. I’m also getting more writing in over the summer. I’m not writing as much as I’d like (I never am) but with all the other things on my plate, I’m doing okay. Thankfully, now that 
It’s June, again, already. I’ve been working hard to keep myself from slipping this summer and, while I’m not where I wanted to be, I’m doing better than I have been in some years (maybe ever). I originally wanted to get the first draft of a 90 to 100 thousand word novel written by the end of August, giving myself a goal of 20 000 words a month. I am not on pace for that right now. That sounds bad (believe me, it does to me too) but things aren’t quite as bleak as they seem. I’m at just under 25 000 so far (20 000 behind my goal) but I spent all of May reviewing on 