Best not gild the lily. Not the greatest of days yesterday. And even if this was for non-writing reasons, there was an inevitable knock-on. Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself to write when 'life' feels like giving you a minor kicking. I did attend the Northallerton poetry reading group in the morning, and … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 28th June →

Oddly enough, one new thing came out of yesterday's start of box-packing for our upcoming move: the draft of a new poem! Perhaps that's an example of there always being something to write about. Who would have thought putting books and DVDs into cardboard boxes could be so rewarding?! On a more serious note I'm … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 27th June →

After yesterday's effort, 'Z' has already reached the dizzy heights of 18,500 words. I'm not quite sure how that has come about, but there you are! Based on average word count per 'episode' and the number of episodes to come, the outturn is looking like something in the mid 90,000s. I'm not surprised by this … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 26th June →

Five or six weeks today I will hopefully be writing the relevant 'Yesterday and Today' entry from my new study, our new house. We're starting to pack things into boxes, and I am only a couple of weeks away from needing to tackle my study... It's an exciting prospect, but one which is also increasingly … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 25th June →

A particularly quiet day yesterday saw me draft a little more of 'Z', plus do some admin work around both New Contexts: 5 and next week's Contextual reading event. With submissions for NC:5 closing next Friday, a week today will see me begin the process of beginning the process of selection for the anthology. That's … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 24th June →

One of the reasons why drafting 'Z' is so straightforward is because the narrative is worked out in detail, step-by-step right through to the end. Essentially I'm writing to a 'to do' list. Doesn't sound very edifying, does it? When working on it yesterday, one of the key side effects of being in such a … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 23rd June →

While working on 'Z' yesterday I found myself able to articulate a challenge I suspect many long-fiction writers face. I have worked out the major events in each of fourteen characters' lifetimes from birth to the present day. The narrative is told in the present tense. The omnipotent narrator knows all of this history of … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 22nd June →

I was half expecting something of a storm yesterday when I confessed my preference for The Hobbit over The Lord of the Rings (film versions). But nothing. This was in relation to some recent binge-watching. So here's another go. Last month I watched the three Godfather films to back-to-back; I far prefer number 2, and … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 21st June →

I have a confession to make. Having binge-watched Shakespeare recently, yesterday I finished viewing all six films in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings franchise. And what well-made, exciting, CGI-filled films they are. But... ...the experience confirmed to me why I don't read or write such escapism; there are more important things for me … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 20th June →

170 days of consecutive posting - it will be interesting to go back at the end of the year and remind myself what 2023 contained... As for yesterday? Very similar to the previous three days in that I'm chipping away at 'Z' to keep my writing muscles active - yet all the while waiting for … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 19th June →