Monday 23rd January 2017

Today was a scrappy day with the day job.  I felt like I was putting fires out all day and never really accomplished anything.  That extends to the writing as well.  Between work and other commitments, there’s not been a lot of time for writing related work and I’ve had to squeeze it around other things.
I’ve also been feeling like I’m coming down with a cold… AGAIN.  My throat is scratchy and drinking doesn’t seem to appease it.  My over-active immune system used to mean I NEVER got ill but it seems in the last couple of months I’ve got ill more times than I have in the past 10 years.  Fuck my life.
I went over the draft for the announcement of The Climb and made a couple of small alterations.  I’ll admit that there was a ton of fear about posting it, mainly worrying what other people might think.  I can just imagine some writers I know saying, “look at him, thinking he knows it all when he’s not even got a print publishing deal.”
Yeah, it’s true but here’s the thing.  Anyone who has known me for any amount of time knows that I don’t give up until I get there.  Whether it be building one of the largest pop culture websites in the world, losing weight, swordfighting or writing, I work hard and get results.  And some people are always surprised, as if they are blind to my track record.   I also get a lot of failures along the way as well but I don’t let that stop me.
I think this is what some people don’t understand.  If you write a book and it doesn’t sell, well you go and write another, and another.  You let yourself get punched in the face until you can’t feel it any longer.  Brandon Sanderson got rejected by the same agent 7 times before he got taken on.  Who said this shit was easy?
So on one hand I’m confident that The Climb will prove to be a good idea but there’s still that underlying worry.  I need to stop caring what other people think.  Like I’ve said, you can either follow other people’s paths or create your own.  Let other people bitch and moan.  I’ll get on with the work.
I posted that article around Midday around the same time as an Instagram post.  Feel I got better response to the Instagram post than the article but it’s early days and the real value is when I have a year or more of content.
I also wrote a draft of The Climb #1.  This was for Sunday, which was an interesting yet ultimately productive day.  However, I think writing it the day after loses a little of the impact and insight I’m trying to go for, and so that will change in future.  I’d rather you see how I’m feeling that day than have it tempered by hindsight.
I also sorted out booking for Eastercon.  I’m notorious for forgetting to book until the last minute.  Found out on twitter that a few friends are going  to be there which means it’ll be a good event whatever.  I’ve been trying to keep my calendar relatively free this year, but that doesn’t mean I don’t already have potential clashes in October.  I suspect it’ll only get worse.
I was out this evening (having to leave earlier than normal due to a mini-emergency) and didn’t get home until a little before midnight.  My anti-virus is currently taking ages to update and locking out launching other programmes before it’s complete.  It’s very frustrating when it’s late and you have work to do.
However, as soon as it sorted itself out I dived into work.  I did another bunch of words on the novel, created a few header images, wrote a blog post for the sword fighting website as well as this edition of The Climb.
It meant finishing the day shortly before 2:30am on about 2600 words for the day.  Considering that this felt like a day where I had about 30 minutes to write and take care of business, I feel quite accomplished.  Some days are just packed and when this happens the only thing you can do is make the time.
Even if that means working until 2:30am
What do you do on days when you feel you have no time to write?  What are your tips for making time during a busy day?  Let me know in the comments below.
If you want to follow more of my journey, then be sure to check me on my social channels.  Likewise, if you’d like me to expand on any point mentioned above, please say so in the comments below.
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