I’m writing from Lao Shi’s couch. It isn’t really a couch. It’s a futon on a stand with pillows. It makes for awkward posture because my feet don’t quite touch the floor, and I’m leaning back too far. Lucky, the Jack Russell Terrier, is curled up next to me. The girls are having a Chinese lesson. I finished the last three of today’s ten pages here. I hope none of those Chinese words find their way into this draft. In another book it would work, but not for this one.
Stuff I’ve learned this week:
- It takes roughly half an hour to do one page of rewrite. For 10 pages that’s 5 hours a day.
- I’m still walking and doing morning pages. The time debt is 1 hour for those two things.
- Rereading before I go to bed is a bad idea. There’s always something more to do to that particular arrangement of words, and when I’m tired, it’s better to leave well enough alone.
- I’m still concerned that the whole thing isn’t long enough, and it still isn’t growing. Maybe it will in later sections.
- I’ve managed to do 40 pages in 4 days. I’m on target so far.
- Don’t force it. Just do the work and move on.
Thanks to everyone sending encouragement. Your emails and posts help more than you know.
CRISPLY SPOKEN 