Friday 10th February 2017

Thank fuck it’s Friday.
I feel exhausted.  For the second day running I slept right through and even then I needed to drag myself out of bed.
The day job involved solving a very complex problem and I probably could have solved it sooner had I not felt so emotionally drained.  However, I managed to get it done before the day was out so hopefully that’ll mean I won’t have it hanging around in my head this weekend.
I did a lot of social media admin work today.  I set up Hootsuite with the view to get it to do some of the social media postings I’ve been thinking I need to do.  My idea isn’t about automating content but rather about scheduling it.  My Instagram and daily issue of The Climb go out around lunchtime as that’s when I seem to get the best response.  But it would be nice to prep tomorrow’s Instagram ahead of time.  Of course, this isn’t going to replace any interaction, just I have a heap of links I forget to share where now I can schedule them weeks in advance.
We’ll see how it goes; it’s all an experiment.
Aside from setting Hootsuite up and doing some of the training they provide, I’ve been thinking heavily about the fight in this chapter that I’m writing.  I’ve been told that my action scenes are a real strength by my agent and I intend to continue to make them original, fun and exciting.  But that in itself is a challenge.
I was a feeling a little drained after all that work so I played a bit of Starbound.  I’ve not played it for some time and there’s been a number of updates.  I generally like sandbox games I can dip in and out of.  I find they act as a good counterbalance to my writing and are a good way to clear my mind.  This is particularly good if I’m obsessing over a problem.
I wanted to find time to go to the gym today but it’s been so damn cold today that I’ve not fancied venturing outside the house.
However, I did eventually get a lot done on the novel, writing / editing around 4000 words.  I was able to reuse most of the fight sequence but added elements to raise the tension and action.  This is an important scene as it has to serve an additional purpose of showing the state of the main character and them losing control a little.  The original scene ended with cold-blooded murder and that felt like a step too far.  Instead, the opponent still suffers, but it’s not purely down to the actions of the hero.  It’s a softer result and I think it works better: ensuring that the protagonist is still likeable whilst taking things a little darker.
I still have a little work to do with the fallout following the fight scene to round it off nicely.  I also have an idea for an additional scene.  This extra scene was originally going to go right at the end of the novel, but I actually think it might work better here.  But it was nearly 4am when  I finished writing and so it can wait until tomorrow.
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.
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