As I said in my last post I've got a little bash script for counting my progress through draft 8 of Sibling. I also now have a little python script which uploads this figure to another blog (using the blogger api), which feeds the total displayed on the right-hand column of this blog.
The whole thing is cronned to run every weekday at noon, so I should have an automatically updating state of progress. I also plan to blog manually my weekly totals so I can see when I've done well and smack myself down when I've been a bit crap.
Unfortunately one of the methods I plan to use to keep myself going is turning off the internet while I work, so the auto blog probably won't work and I'll end up running it manually most of the time.
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Monday 27 August 2007
Stepping back into the water
Well I had a few hours and couldn't resist picking Sibling up again, tackling a big and quite significant scene I've been pondering how best to approach over the past week or two. I have to say I'm quite happy with what I put down so far for this piece.
I've also written a little bash script which counts the total number of draft 8 words written. This evenings scribblings have totaled 433 words so far taking it from 57,431 to 57,864. Extrapolating this average word count I should finish this draft with something like 160,000 words. Which I'm really rather happy with as it's double that of draft 6 (draft 7 didn't really happen). I'm hoping to put a little running progress gizmo on the side-panel of this site, something else to distract me when needed.
I've also written a little bash script which counts the total number of draft 8 words written. This evenings scribblings have totaled 433 words so far taking it from 57,431 to 57,864. Extrapolating this average word count I should finish this draft with something like 160,000 words. Which I'm really rather happy with as it's double that of draft 6 (draft 7 didn't really happen). I'm hoping to put a little running progress gizmo on the side-panel of this site, something else to distract me when needed.
Sunday 26 August 2007
Bye bye University
Righty then, last Friday was my last day at the university, I am now an unemployed bum. After 8 years at the university I've left many times but this is the first time there has been no immediate plan to return.
I'm aiming myself at a four month novel finishing exercise which will probably leave me tired, pissed off, and even more tired. But if I have a draft I'm happy with, if I have even one rejection letter I'll be happy the four months (and savings) have been well spent.
But before that this week is holiday. We're not going anywhere special but the plan is to try and do all the touristy stuff there is to do in Bath which we've never done. Maybe not the most exciting holiday but thankfully a cheap one :)
I'm aiming myself at a four month novel finishing exercise which will probably leave me tired, pissed off, and even more tired. But if I have a draft I'm happy with, if I have even one rejection letter I'll be happy the four months (and savings) have been well spent.
But before that this week is holiday. We're not going anywhere special but the plan is to try and do all the touristy stuff there is to do in Bath which we've never done. Maybe not the most exciting holiday but thankfully a cheap one :)
Monday 20 August 2007
The Frog King
Frog King makes everything better
My very own Frog King plush arrived today, all the way from Canada and pretty damn quick. Huzzah.
Tuesday 14 August 2007
How to write a book in 28 excruciating steps
So, referring back to my first post I'm going to be leaving my job at the uni and becoming one of the unemployed on 24th August 2007.
The plan, though bereft of detail it is, is to leap on this as an opportunity to finish Sibling, the novel I've been working on for about 13 years now (I can't quite remember when I started it).
Sibling has gone through many drafts over the years, sometimes slight, often with dramatic changes. I am currently working on chapter 10 (of 28 hence the title) of draft 8, one of the 'dramatic changes' drafts. Writing has gone in spurts, I go through phases of loads activity punctuated far too often by months of dormancy. Well this is my chance to get my head down and get stuff done, I'm giving myself until the end of the year to be sending it off to publishers. I look forward to all the rejection letters and getting back into the job market in January.
Up until recently I've been doing bits of writing in the evenings after work, and that's been rather dull as it's meant I've gone for days on end without really leaving a computer screen, which isn't healthy. I've also been taking holiday and spending whole weeks working on Sibling. I've found that given a few clear days I've been able to really get into my stride and get loads done, I'm hoping that then next few months will go like this. My main statement is this isn't a holiday, I expect to be getting up in the morning and working as hard as I currently do, just without the getting paid bit.
I intend to post my progress here, wish me luck.
The plan, though bereft of detail it is, is to leap on this as an opportunity to finish Sibling, the novel I've been working on for about 13 years now (I can't quite remember when I started it).
Sibling has gone through many drafts over the years, sometimes slight, often with dramatic changes. I am currently working on chapter 10 (of 28 hence the title) of draft 8, one of the 'dramatic changes' drafts. Writing has gone in spurts, I go through phases of loads activity punctuated far too often by months of dormancy. Well this is my chance to get my head down and get stuff done, I'm giving myself until the end of the year to be sending it off to publishers. I look forward to all the rejection letters and getting back into the job market in January.
Up until recently I've been doing bits of writing in the evenings after work, and that's been rather dull as it's meant I've gone for days on end without really leaving a computer screen, which isn't healthy. I've also been taking holiday and spending whole weeks working on Sibling. I've found that given a few clear days I've been able to really get into my stride and get loads done, I'm hoping that then next few months will go like this. My main statement is this isn't a holiday, I expect to be getting up in the morning and working as hard as I currently do, just without the getting paid bit.
I intend to post my progress here, wish me luck.
Monday 6 August 2007
Wicker Pyramids
Rocket powered wicker pyramids for short-range sub-orbital transport, the solution to our nations public transport needs...
At least according to a dream I had over the weekend.
At least according to a dream I had over the weekend.
Sunday 5 August 2007
The facebook of eternal dispair
I've done it, I've given in and joined facebook. I am now among the multitude... I look forward to spending a great deal of my time worrying about having enough facebook-friends and being in the right groups.
Saturday 4 August 2007
Friday 3 August 2007
Sibling Map
A lot of posts on this blog will be tell of my progress trying to finally finish Sibling, the novel I've been working on for about 13 years. The location has gone through many designs and I've finally got around to scanning the latest one, with scale and train lines and roads and everything.
Thursday 2 August 2007
where I hack
Picking up from a currently popular blog post theme I've noticed on Planet Ubuntu I thought I'd post this picture of my home working environment. I know it's amazing, a desk even messier than the one I have at BUCS / Marketing and Communications.
Wednesday 1 August 2007
I've a blog
The imminent arrival of unemployment status (contract at the University of Bath expiring on 26-8-2007) has driven me to create this blog to help me maintain contact with all those who I still currently work with, plus friends who these days are scattered all over the country/world.
There may not be much appearing here while I'm still at the Uni, but I hope to update more frequently after leaving. Though it's perhaps more likely to become yet another dead blog as I get distracted into another job or similar.
There may not be much appearing here while I'm still at the Uni, but I hope to update more frequently after leaving. Though it's perhaps more likely to become yet another dead blog as I get distracted into another job or similar.
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