Saturday, 26 January 2008

Thirty Percent

While I'm writing this the third chunk of the novel is printing out for a final read-through. If it makes it past my inspection then I'll be 30% of the way through my second draft which feels a lot better than being 0% but not as good as, say, 70%.

I've found a small source of inspiration to keep on plugging away at it from Neil Gaiman's journal.
There's a big section on the archive harking back to when he was going through the final stages of writing American Gods which i think has one of the best beginnings to a novel ever. The journal only begins once it's actually been picked up and now he's going through the copy-edited manuscript and the reason it doesn't go back sooner, he says, is that it would be a very boring read.

"Feb 13th: wrote some stuff. It was crap."
"Feb 14th: wrote some brilliant stuff. This is going to be such a good novel. Honest it is."
followed by
"Feb 15th. no, it's crap"
and so on.

Which I can really relate to but makes me wonder about writing this blog... Hmmmm...

Anyway, I'm also ill. Those first few days of a cold when it really nails you so I've been sleeping quite a lot which is annoying. I've got pages to edit, dammit! And I've got to get dressed and do the shopping because I've got no food.

Oh, what a hard life I have! Writing and I have to go buy food! People in the third world have it so lucky!

Right, perspective-giving sarcasm over, I need sausages.

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