Saturday 30th December 2017

I didn’t feel too bad this morning considering how much I’d had to drink at the party, but I was glad when some of the others who’d stayed over decided that we’d go to a greasy spoon.  I’m not sure whether it was just the hangover, but I think that was the best cooked breakfast I’ve ever eaten.
I took it pretty easy for the rest of the day.  Time I came home it was well into afternoon and so I chilled with a few Youtube videos.  It was my usual mix of vlogs.  Most often it’s just videos of people going about their days but every so often there’s something that really makes me think.
I can’t remember where I saw it but in one video someone was talking about being a creative person and the danger of following what you think you should be doing.  They were talking about music and how a musician will go away and draft and draft and draft, throw things out and start again.  Only when it’s perfect do they let it out into the world.  Yet, they argue, letting people into your creative process is so much more rewarding.
You get this in writing too.  Often writers will not talk about their latest project as if by doing so, it somehow jinxes it.  I’ve always thought it stupid.
One of the reasons I started The Climb was to document my process.  One day (hopefully) you’ll read the second Shade Knight book and wonder how it came about.  And then, you’ll be able to come to the blog, go to The Climb #1 and read through it’s creation.  Sure, a lot of the time I’m talking about things other than the novel, but a book isn’t created in isolation.  You’ll see how I struggled on one scene (and I’ve always tried to write so that if you’ve read the book you’ll know exactly what scene I’m referring too).  You’ll see how something influenced my thinking, how I got stuck, how I broke through.
Sure, The Climb is very much me playing the long game.  It’s real value doesn’t come until a couple of years down the line, but I’ve been thinking about this idea of doing what you think you should be doing some more.
You see, Black As Knight was an experimental project.  It was a book that was never supposed to have any chance of being published, a book that was written purely for me.  And now as there’s a good chance that it might see publication…  I wonder if I’m falling foul of doing what I think is expected of me.
Case in point:  I feel I should write more short stories.  I’m not a huge fan of shorts.  I tried to read more of them, heck with my Climb the Sky I challenged myself to read more so I could do one.  But is doing that me just doing what I think I should be doing?
Am I writing aware of an audience, but also planning what I write with an audience in mind?  Sure, I think more publishers use shorts as promotional items for novels, and so being able to write them isn’t a bad thing.  But is it right for me?
It’s something I’ve not come to any conclusions about just yet, except for the fact that I shouldn’t be afraid of doing something different.  Maybe this is what Stephen King means when he says you should write with the door shut, and edit with it open.  I should write with only me in mind, but I should edit with the readership firmly considered.
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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