Two people dead, one fight, assorted mysterious events and the theft of a bicycle – not a bad week’s work.
The first four days’ output for my third Danny Lancaster crime thriller runs to around 8,000 words.
Some of them shimmied into line like a rock diva’s backing dancers. With others it was like teasing shrapnel from an open wound with bent tweezers.
But the adrenalin has been rushing and it feels sort of right, which is a good sign. I look forward to early nights so tomorrow comes sooner.
Day 2 was frustrating and bitty. It started with a promo problem that needed urgent fixing.
The daily plan is to do the real work – the writing – first and mop up promo and admin later. That went out of the window.
But on the up side, one area of research I thought had died has sprouted two exciting new strands.
I’ve introduced a staff incentive scheme. The Stick side is when things don’t work and I kick myself for not trying hard enough. The Carrot is Famous Grouse.
Long hours of typing are punctured with regular bursts of speed Solitaire. Don’t ask me why.
To stop the legs seizing into a permanent seated posture I am doing regular sprints on the creaking exercise bike in the bedroom.
If I keep this up I could have a first draft in 30 days.
ELEPHANTS’ REVENGE: A guide in Kenya once told me that when a safari minibus killed a baby elephant, the pachyderm’s family attacked the bus. After the accident, they attacked every minibus in the park bearing the same logo but never any buses from other companies. The firm involved had to rebrand their vehicles and the attacks stopped.
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www.goodreads.com/author/show/5804102.Bill_Todd