Dec 4, 2024
I’m still not feeling great. My side twinges and it’s difficult to get comfortable. Sleeping isn’t easy; I regularly wake up several times in the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep.
But I’m over the worst of it, I hope, and tomorrow I’m going back to work.
It has really thrown me. I didn’t know I could feel so much pain. Now I wonder when it will come back.
My dad suffered from kidney stones and there’s no reason to think this will be a one and done.
There are lifestyle changes I can make, and I intend to. I need to drink more water and eat less processed food. Citrus fruit is supposed to be good for parenting kidney stones.
The drugs I was prescribed were great for stopping the pain, but they didn’t leave me unscathed. I had weird palpitations in my abdomen. The antibiotics have wrecked my gut.
But it’s time to go back out into the world and try to hold onto these lessons. To take better care of myself.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Currently Writing:
- The Storm: a cozy apocalypse short story. Today’s progress: 1,047 / 4,844
- The List: a dark fantasy novella. PLANNING
- The Last Outpost: a science-fiction short story about a human colony on a moon of Jupiter. EDITING
Dec 3, 2024
My current medical situation has given me a lot of time to think. Unsurprisingly, one of the things I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about is writing. I have come up with what I am thinking of as five lessons to make writing fiction work:
1. Read fiction
It seems like the most obvious thing in the world but it’s easy to get slack at it. I used to read a lot more than I do now but if I want to write well, then I have to read well.
2. Read about writing
Another obvious one but it has been a long time since I read a book about writing. I think it’s important to keep learning about the craft and it keeps me in the right mindset. So I am making an effort to read more writing books.
3. Take it seriously
Since I went back to work, and probably even before that, I have been in the habit of speaking dismissively about my writing. On more than a few occasions I have referred to it as my “hobby” or “something I do just for fun”. Which on a practical level might be true, but it also isn’t. I write for more than just to pass the time. I write because I feel like I’m called to do it and it’s the only way I know to truly express myself.
Talking about writing like it’s not important makes it harder for me to treat it like it’s important. It makes it more difficult to justify waking up early every morning and get the words down. So from now on I am going to take it seriously: whether or not I ever make big bucks from writing it is important to me.
4. Reduce distractions
There are a million things easier to do than sit down and write. But that’s not the most difficult thing to deal with. Writing is an activity that I sit down and do and then tick it off my list for the day. What is much harder to deal with is filling every moment of the day with activities.
I can write, I have proven that, but I also need time to think. Time when I’m not browsing the internet or listening to podcasts or music. Time when I’m not even reading. It’s far too easy to fill up every moment of the day with content and I can’t afford to keep doing that.
5. Have fun
Most important and the easiest to forget: writing is fun. I love it. But sometimes I need to remind myself to enjoy it and that means doing some of the extra stuff that doesn’t really count as writing but contributes to the fun of it. The added extras like making logos for upcoming books and stuff like that.
So those are my lessons. There may be more to add in the future, but I think I’m going to get a lot of benefit from learning these ones.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Currently Writing:
- The Storm: a cozy apocalypse short story. Today’s progress: 1,076w / 3,793w
- The List: a dark fantasy novella. PLANNING
- The Last Outpost: a science-fiction short story about a human colony on a moon of Jupiter. EDITING
Dec 2, 2024
It has been about ten days since my last daily blog post and I did not expect it to take so long for me to get back to things. On 22nd November, I thought I had a case of food poisoning and would be back to writing the next day, or at the latest, Monday. On Saturday, I was feeling well enough to take Oscar skating, and on Sunday morning I got up and started prepping food for his birthday party later that day.
Then the pain hit. Pain like I have never felt before. It started as a general ache in my lower back and I took painkillers and rubbed some gel on it. I got on with making food and the pain just kept getting worse and worse. I had to keep stopping to stretch my back, kneel, or lie on the floor in an effort to relieve the pressure, but nothing worked.
By the time I’d finished cooking, all I could do was lie in bed. Tamzin brought me a hot water bottle, but nothing would stop it from getting worse. I had no idea what was wrong with me and eventually all I could do was tell Tamzin I needed to go to the walk-in clinic, which I really didn’t want to do because we had all the family coming for Oscar’s birthday party in a few hours.
We dropped Oscar off with Tamzin’s mum and went to the hospital. Every bump in the road was agony to me. There was a short queue, but I got through triage quickly and they put me in a bed for examination where they thought it might be my appendix. Whatever it was, they couldn’t help me there, other than to give me some strong painkillers and book me into the surgical assessment clinic at the nearest big hospital. By this point, the pain was so bad I couldn’t even walk, so had to get taken to the car in a wheelchair.
The painkillers kicked in halfway to hospital and I could walk inside. Thus began a series of tests to determine what was actually wrong with me.
I have always thought a burst appendix (as one theory of what I might have) was an absolute medical emergency. That scene from The Simpsons where they remove an appendix and throw it away moments before it explodes is imbedded in my memory. But there was no rush or urgency. Not that they didn’t do a great job and everyone there was awesome, but they weren’t rushing me through anything.
Tamzin and I sat in the waiting room and every so often I got called out to have people prod me, inject me, or scan me. Then back to the waiting room.
Anyway, once all the tests were back, they told me I had a kidney stone, and the pain was it coming through the uretera (the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder). They kept me in hospital overnight so I could get more pain relief and see a doctor in the morning.
They were expecting me to need surgery so I couldn’t eat breakfast, but one of the people who had been in to check my vitals during the night (every four hours) was awesome and brought me a black coffee. Then I just had to wait for the doctor.
By the time he arrived, I was on more painkillers (including morphine) so wasn’t really thinking straight. He told me they could go in and get the stone with a laser, but in his opinion, they should send me home with a load of pain relief and see if I could pass it by myself. Looking back at it now, I didn’t ask the right questions and there are still a load of things I’m unclear about, but he was the doctor so, rightly or wrongly, I took his advice.
As I was no longer facing surgery, Tamzin brought me breakfast, and we waited for them to sign me out. By about one o’clock I was back at home.
Which is where I have been since. Taking loads of medicine and waiting. Tamzin has been taking great care of me and I haven’t been able to do very much. My days have consisted of laying in bed, laying on the sofa, and laying in bed again. I have watched a lot of YouTube.
If it hasn’t passed by Friday, I have to go back to the hospital and get the surgery anyway. That wouldn’t be great, but at this point I just want it over so I can get on with things.
Today was my first day behind the keyboard in almost two weeks. It was slow and uncomfortable and continually interrupted by discomfort and other things.
I got 1,000 words written, along with some editing and planning, but it’s going to be a while before it feels properly comfortable again.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have had a lot of time to think when not in agony and I need to make some changes. You will see a different layout to my project tracking from today.
While I am still doing the 1,000 word a day challenge, there is going to be less emphasis on it here. It is more of a target for myself and, as my goals for the year change, other things have as well. I have already written a lot more than usual today so I won’t go into the details yet, but stay tuned to learn more.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Currently Writing:
- The Storm: a cozy apocalypse short story. Today’s progress: 1,044 words / 2,717
- The List: a dark fantasy novella. PLANNING
- The Last Outpost: a science-fiction short story about a human colony on a moon of Jupiter. EDITING
Nov 22, 2024
I’m still here but feeling really rough and haven’t done any work today. Hoping I can be back on it tomorrow.
Nov 20, 2024
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Pre-Production
Minutes today: 21
Minutes total: 107
Plus / Minus target: +7
Currently planning: The List
Production
Words written today: 1,071
Words written total: 56,017
Plus / Minus target: +4,017
Currently writing: The Storm
Post-Production
Minutes today: 23
Minutes total: 444
Plus / Minus target: +44
Currently publishing: The Last Outpost
Nov 19, 2024
There is always an amazing sense of potential when starting a new story. Anything is possible. It’s easier to feel that way when I’ve only written 100 words!
As ever, Tuesdays are very busy, but I managed to get everything done and enjoy the snow. It didn’t set where we are today, but maybe we’ll have more luck on Thursday when it’s Oscar’s birthday.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Pre-Production
Minutes today: 20
Minutes total: 86
Plus / Minus target: +6
Currently planning: The List
Production
Words written today: 1,050
Words written total: 54,946
Plus / Minus target: +3,946
Currently writing: The Storm
Post-Production
Minutes today: 22
Minutes total: 421
Plus / Minus target: +41
Currently publishing: The Last Outpost
Nov 18, 2024
Today is the 50th day in a row that I have sat down and written 1,000 words. It’s probably the most consistent I have ever been. Getting up and writing every morning is feeling like something I just do. It doesn’t feel like a struggle, or something I have to make myself do, I just get up and do it.
At this point, I’m pretty close to being four days ahead of schedule, which is going to be useful when things get crazier around Christmas time. I’m not sure how many days I won’t be able to write anything at all, probably only a couple, but I want to be as flexible as possible.
I’m close to finishing The Lottery now. It is just over 20,000 words as a first draft. I think it’s quite good. I’m expecting to finish it tomorrow morning.
The final edit of The Last Outpost is about halfway through, then I’ll need to do the other publishing business.
I’m making progress with planning The List, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get it finished. Hopefully it should be done by Friday, but it will take however long it takes.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Pre-Production
Minutes today: 22
Minutes total: 66
Plus / Minus target: +6
Currently planning: The List
Production
Words written today: 1,071
Words written total: 53,896
Plus / Minus target: +3,896
Currently writing: The Lottery
Post-Production
Minutes today: 22
Minutes total: 399
Plus / Minus target: +39
Currently publishing: The Last Outpost
Nov 17, 2024
I’m not going to be reporting my reading here any more, but I am still tracking it. So far today I have read for over an hour. I’ve decided that this is really a place to report my writing only, and although reading feeds into that, it’s not the same.
The other thing is that I don’t stop reading in the evening, so anything I report here isn’t going to be accurate.
The writing today went well. I’m pretty close to the end of The Lottery and starting the final edit of The Last Outpost. The List is a way off being finished, but I have figured some things out that I think are going to make it much better than it would otherwise have been.
And that’s it.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Pre-Production
Minutes today: 22
Minutes total: 44
Plus / Minus target: +4
Currently planning: The List
Production
Words written today: 1,077
Words written total: 52,825
Plus / Minus target: +3,825
Currently writing: The Lottery
Post-Production
Minutes today: 22
Minutes total: 377
Plus / Minus target: +37
Currently publishing: The Last Outpost
Nov 16, 2024
Had a good start to the day and got most of my stuff done. It was fun to take my time on the planning and do some world building. I think it’s going to be a fun story to write and potentially the first in a series.
It’s unlikely to be planned in time to be my next project, but that’s fine. Maybe the next short story I try to write will actually be a short story.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Pre-Production
Minutes today: 22
Minutes total: 22
Plus / Minus target: +2
Currently planning: The List
Production
Words written today: 1,032
Words written total: 51,748
Plus / Minus target: +3,748
Currently writing: The Lottery
Post-Production
Minutes today: 21
Minutes total: 355
Plus / Minus target: +35
Currently publishing: The Last Outpost
Nov 15, 2024
Is the new title of the challenge as I officially accept that short stories might not be the best fit for me.
The important parts of the challenge are not going to change: the goal is to write 1,000 words per day, every day, and to finish everything I start. But now that I expect to be writing longer stories, there will be consequences.
Firstly, the aim of publishing a short story every week was dead as soon as I started this. That relied on each story being 5-7,000 words long as a first draft. Now that I am looking to longer stories I have a more realistic aim of a story every month.
Then there are the knock on effects of that: with a longer story it makes sense to publish wide, so these longer stories will no longer be in Kindle Unlimited or exclusive to Amazon. I will put them on all platforms and include a paper edition.
Next, working in a longer format means I will want a more detailed outline. So rather than doing one per day, as I have done for the last month, I am going to switch to doing one a week. I will still work on it every day but some stories might take longer to plan than that.
Editing will remain largely unaffected. I will still do my twenty minutes per day and it will take as long as it takes to get a story finished.
Finally, my reading. This one is trickier. I am thinking of doing a time spent reading fiction and that will be longer stories. But still keeping to the one essay and one poem per day goal. That might be the best option.
I still have two short(ish) stories to edit and publish so the impact won’t be immediatly obvious. This is more about setting the new rules for myself and figuring out how it’s going to work.
This feels like the right decision to have made. There seems little benefit to forcing myself to work in a format that I’m unsuited to and that sells poorly. The novella has always been a more comfortable fit for me. As long as I continue to write my 1,000 words per day and finish everything I start, the original goal of the challenge should still be fulfilled.
—
Latest release: Sisterhood
Pre-Production
Stories planned (total): 30
Production
Words written today: 1,084
Words written total: 50,716
Plus / Minus target: +3,716
Currently writing: The Lottery
Post-Production
Minutes today: 20
Minutes total: 334
Plus / Minus target: +34
Currently publishing: The Last Outpost
