In addition to setting up the website (and socials on facebook, instagram, and reddit), I spent some time in May taking stock of where I’m up to writing-wise. There’s a pretty common piece of writing advice that says write every day. The idea being that building up a habit of writing, even if its only a few words, will keep you cranking out the words.

This idea is, of course, bollocks.

Partly because, like anything in life, if you do it every day it becomes boring. Secondly, because it avoids the fact that you need rest and that some of the best ideas come to you when your brain has a chance to catch up. Finally, because it ignores the fact that if you write every day you do not have time to do the other things you need to do as a writer. Namely, editing your work and plotting your work, learning new things by reading/watching content, submitting stories, reading what’s currently out in the market etc.

Which brings me back to my problem. Earlier in my journey, I spent a lot of time and effort trying to write every day (before coming to the above conclusion). It’s very glamourous. We all want to write new things. When taking stock of things over the last month, however, this has left me with a problem. Namely, that I have a gazillion* pieces that have been written but need editing. Behold!

I’ve spent so much of my writing time over the past year or so in particular trying to write every day that I now have to shift philosophy to “edit every day”. Over May I’ve been able to read back over some of the short stories that need editing and order them for edits, which will likely take up my writing time through June & July (this currently stands at a maximum of about 2-3 hours a day). Then they’ll be ready to go out on the joy-killing submission cycle and (maybe) you’ll see them in print one day.

In the background to this, I am also trying to plot out a sequel idea to the currently edited but unpublished novel which is a target to be written during this years National Novel Writing Month, in November.

So, the next few months will most definitely not be write every day.

That’s the state of things.

GJD

* this may or may not be hyperbole

Yes, you read that right, I now have my very own website! Welcome, come on in, sit yourself down and make yourself comfortable. This is now the go to place for all news about my writing progress, my publications and indeed any old tosh I decide I’d like to post every now and then.

What can you expect?

Obviously, this is the question that’s reverberating around your head like a gnat with a jetpack. And to answer, I’m hoping to post at least once a month, with an update on my writing progress – we’ll see what kind of graphics and outputs I can generate as to day to day wordcounts in both writing and editing. I also want to analyse some of my favourite shows in terms of common writing structures, talk on whatever ideas on writing float into my head at any given time and (hopefully), you might even see other authors pop in from time to time.

How do you keep up with all this red-hot gossip?

Well, you can sign up to the mailing list – I’m hoping to set up a monthly update on all the latest things posted on-site, giving you a a chance to catch up on all the posts, all at once. Other than that, you can find me on facebook, instagram and reddit. Feel free to message me on any of these platforms if you’re just so excited you can’t even wait for the next update! In the meantime, you can check out my published works wherever they’re available and stay tuned for updates!

GJD