Author: Justin Page 8 of 65

(May 11 – 17)

Not much of an update this week. I’ve finished tinkering (i.e. editing) the first half of the horror chapter, and am now back into writing the rest of it. Happily, along the way I’ve also had a few handy flashes of inspiration that have helped add some fun twists and turns to the chapter.

Pandemic Lyfe

The kinderbesten have finally returned to school this week (the Elderbeast wanted to go, while the Kinderbeast was happy to continue homeschooling—however, kids are required to be back at school as of next week so he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter). 

This means I’ve had my first day or two in months of having the house completely to myself. It’s a slightly strange thing to reflect on: this pandemic means that people have been thrown into each other’s spaces on a much longer term basis than most would be used to. I’ve personally not found this a problem—I quite enjoy being holed up at home with my family–but now we have to shift back into part-time solitude. Ultimately, I’m also pretty comfortable with my own company, so I guess this week didn’t end up feeling quite as strange as it might have.

(May 4 – 10)

Still immersed in the initial edit of the horror chapter. One interesting shift I’m starting to notice is that I’ve stopped keeping a close eye on the word counts. When I started on this project, my very vague word target was based around having a certain number of words per chapter; while I’ve not concerned myself too much with the overall word count, I have been making sure there’s at least a certain number of words going in there.

Initially the drive was to make sure I’d written the Minimum Required number of words for each chapter. Now that I’ve taken my eye off the ball a little, I’m noticing that the word counts are heading somewhat north of the initial chapters. Hopefully this means that I’m comfortable with these characters, and this scenario, and the words are simply flowing much more easily now … and not that these later chapters are going to end up being a tedious slog for readers.

(April 27 – May 3)

Still working on the ‘horror’ chapter and, in what is fast becoming standard practice, the story has already taken a slight twist of its own. Accordingly, I have gone back to re-edit the first half.

This process of swift rewriting has highlighted one nagging concern with my writing, which perhaps stems from the fact that the first draft (for me, at least) is always about just getting the damn story down. As such, my first drafts typically suffer from excessive dialogue tags. I always pay attention to how other authors avoid this, but it’s one of those things that doesn’t seem to come naturally to me; and, therefore, one of things that requires significant work in the subsequent edits.

However, there’s no point having beautifully crafted dialogue tags, or alternatives, if there’s no story in the first place, so I’m trying not to let this distract me too much.

One good thing

This week marks the end of the Easter holidays. While schools are open, I’ve decided to keep the Kinderbesten at home for at least the next two weeks. My one good thing this week is how generously the teachers have prepared for this (in spite of having the rug pulled out from beneath them mid-break, with the surprise announcement that schools would be open after all for all parents who ‘choose’ to send their kids in). It allows for a bit more structure in the learning-from-home day and ensures that my Kinderbesten are able to keep up with their peers in the classroom.

One bad thing

The above being said, I find that having a lesson plan to follow (and assignments to monitor) does require a lot more organisation on my part. I clearly need to put some more time into organising and managing the Kinderbesten’s work, which will be my main focus area for improvement next week …

(April 20 – 26)

I finally started the chapter that I’ve probably been most excited about in the novel: the ‘horror’ chapter. This is, obviously, a genre I feel very comfortable about playing around in. However, I do feel a certain amount of trepidation—after all, if there’s any chapter in the book that absolutely *needs* to work, it’s surely this one. I suspect this will end up being a harder write than the others.

One good thing

This week, for horror Fridate, we watched The Stone Tape. I saw this for the first time some years back, and have been keen for a rewatch ever since. I have to say I was a little dismayed that I didn’t find it anywhere near as creepy as I did the first time around, but that doesn’t mean the rewatch was in any way a disappointment.

What I took away from it was a reminder that genre (and themes) can be merged to great effect. Nigel Kneale, after all, effectively made a career out of exploring horror in science fiction terms. Rather than merely telling a scary science-fiction story, Kneale’s relatively simple technique is to place science-fiction characters in a horror setting which instantly delivers a classic science vs supernatural theme. Obviously, these are two genres that already sit very comfortably together, but some day I’d like to explore whether there are any other genres which can be used to interrogate each other in a similar way.

One bad thing

I continue to be surprised by how relatively ‘empty’ my afternoons are. I’m working part-time for now, which takes up my mornings, but the kindergestalt have gotten in the habit of spending their afternoons constructing elaborate Minecraft worlds, which leaves them requiring minimal supervision from me. I feel like I should be making more use of this time, but it turns out I’m not very practised any more in the use of free time.

… oh boy, we’re way behind aren’t we?! Don’t worry, more posts are coming …

(April 13 – 19)

Another welcome milestone with the novel this week. I finished the current chapter and started a new one. I’m now on the final stretch of the novel—the last three chapters—which feels good, having wrapped up the first draft of a potentially challenging set of chapters.I have a pretty good feeling that I’m going to finish this novel without any great stress or delays (unlike my previous attempts) and I’m already looking forward to going back through it for the edit/rewrite.

One good thing

This week my partner and her two children have temporarily moved in, so we can share the load while in what semi-lockdown this is over here. This biggest bonuses of this are that we can support each other a lot more easily (two parents, one household) and the Kinderbeast now has two people to play with all day, which he is absolutely loving. The Elderbeast is more or less living in his room, shacking up with the PS4, but that’s no major change. Overall it’s been working out super-well and is at least something positive that’s come out of this pandemic.

One bad thing

Ironically, far from having my hands full with twice the number of kids in the house, I’ve found myself sitting on my hands a lot of the time. I’ve arranged to work half-days for the next month or two, mostly to enable my partner to disappear and focus entirely on her studied for the other half of the day. However, we allow the kids to have screen time in the afternoons (when I’m not working) and they’ve kept themselves entirely occupied building (and occasionally destroying) worlds in Minecraft.

As a result I’ve had more time on my hands the last few days than I’ve had in years. And, naturally, I have no idea what to do with it. I’ve kept myself busy revisiting Half Life 2 (having discovered I can play it on the big TV), but I’m finding it’s more of a diversion than a fulfilling use of my time.

Consequently, I’ve decided I need to use this time for reading, or for practising guitar, or even for watching things. Anything, basically, that engages my brain a little more than I am presently.

(April 6-12)

It’s been another reasonably good writing week. The words have come slowly, but I’ve reached that special, delightful point in the new chapter where the story has decided to find it’s own way, and is clearly having some fun. In other words, things aren’t quite going to plan and I love it.

I feel a bit like I’m on the home strait now, even though I still have three chapters to go (plus the rest of this chapter, a likely epilogue, and the infinite rewrites). I’ve been really looking forward to these last three chapters in particular, as I have some very clear ideas for them, which of course means they’ll end up being the hardest chapters to write.

One good thing

Since Pandemic Lyfe is much the same as it was last week, I’m going to revert to the One Good Thing section for this week—and this week’s One Good Thing is Clever Dick Films, a channel that YouTube randomly showed me last weekend, and which I’ve been devouring all this week. 

Clever Dick Films is a production of Richard D. Carrier who has put some enviable research, presentation and production skills to good use with a series of in-depth analyses of Doctor Who; one episode per Doctor. Because I can never seem to do things in order, I started with the 4th Doctor, worked my way up to the 9th Doctor (the latest available episode) and subsequently went back to the first three. I can comfortably say that each installment could sit alongside anything that’s been included on the official DVDs or Blu-rays, and offer a really well-considered overview of each Doctor’s tenure. Also, they seem to keep getting better and better, so I’m already looking forward to the next few instalments.

One bad thing

My one bad thing this week is more related to Pandemic Lyfe, and it’s a recognition that there really aren’t enough hours in the day to manage homeschooling, working from home, and the general household duties. I’m lucky that the Kinderbesten are reasonably self-sufficient, but it’s next to impossible to find enough hours to make lunches, do laundry, take some exercise, help out with assignments, and do a full day’s work.

Luckily I have Easter week completely off, and I’ll be going part-time for a few months after that which should help considerably.

On the flip side, I do recognise that having kids around constantly does somewhat stave off the inevitable loneliness that some people must be suffering during this period of enforced isolation.

(March 30 – April 5)

The writing has very much slipped into a predictable cycle now. Last week I embarked on the first draft of a new chapter in the novel, getting a little over halfway through. Once again, I’ve spent this week going back and re-editing that chapter.

It’s not a particularly heavy rewrite—just a bit more descriptive prose here and a touch more character development there. I already know what the story is and where it’s going; what I’m finding is that the shape of that journey firms up as I write that first draft, and eventually I reach a point where I feel compelled to go back to the start to make sure everything is consistent. Again, it’s probably a relatively inefficient way of writing, but I’m enjoying letting the story have a little room to breathe so it can tell me how it wants to be told.

Pandemic Lyfe

Despite my relative success at developing a routine for the kids, and for myself, I’m consistently failing to get the kids to brush their teeth in the morning. It was such a part of the Getting Ready For School routine that it seems to have gotten itself locked away in the past. I’ll need to find some other part of the established new routine to attach it to.

Meanwhile, I find myself starting to look ahead to when this is all over. We’ll have become so used to locking ourselves down and staying indoors that something as simple as meeting up with friends (and being able to hug them again), or eating dinner in a crowded restaurant, is going to seem like completely alien behaviour. I know we’ll adapt back to ‘normal’ life once again, but I wonder how many of these new tiny changes we’ll carry over into our everyday ‘normal’ behaviour.

(March 23 – 29)

It’s been a relatively good writing week: about 1500 words written on the new chapter (yess, it’s hardly an epic spree, but I’ll take it under the circumstances). I have found that while I’ve kept on writing each morning (benefits of a previously established routine), the words have been coming much, much slower. So it’s just as well my mornings have gotten much, much longer of late, allowing me an indulgent two-hour stretch to do writing, exercise, and other sundry morning duties.

My favourite writing moment of this week came when I had to develop a backstory for one of my main characters. I knew the moment was coming, and had a panoply of vague thoughts in the back of my head; nevertheless I still reached a point where I abruptly realised that I couldn’t continue writing until I had this backstory worked out.

So, I ‘sacrificed’ one of my writing mornings to put it together and, frankly, it came together beautifully; so beautifully, in fact, that I find myself wanting to write it as a whole second novel. That may or may not happen (I have this one to get out of the way first) but it’s very gratifying to see a vague idea, become a spark, and grow into a solid, exciting plot.

Pandemic Lyfe

I’m going to skip the one good/bad thing this week in favour of a brief update on how things are going. The routine has been going pretty well, although we all tend to get distracted fairly quickly; it’s hard to maintain the usual focus with all the upheaval (and, for me in particular, it’s hard to maintain focus with kids in the background).

I’ll have to work on some techniques for maintaining focus (which I suspect will involve the use of headphones) but for now the slightly adjusted routine is:

• 8:30am Breakfast
• 9am Homework / Assignments (10 minute break allowed)
• 10am Documentary + Crunch & Sip
• 10:50am Recess
• 11:10am Self-directed learning (10 minute break allowed)
• 12:30 Lunch
• 1pm Creative Play / Hobbies / Exercise
• 3pm Screen Time

We’ve found that we can still hear the various sirens going off at the Kinderbeast’s school (signifying when breaks start and end), so I thought it made sense to stick as closely to the school routine as possible. Within the one-hour blocks, the Kinderbesten get two 10-minute break ‘pass cards’ each which they can use at their own discretion.

The afternoons have typically ended up with the Elderbeast retreating to the PS4 (which at least is a way for him to connect with his friends, even if that connection seems to involve lots of swearing). However, the Kinderbeast has done a great job of keeping himself busy with various activities (mostly involving LEGO) which has been really good to see despite the fact that every single thing has to be narrated directly at me.

All in all, we’re finding our routine and tweaking it as we go where needed. The big challenge will be getting through the holidays, which start a week earlier this time, and getting back into the routine afterward.

(March 16 – 22)

So this is the point at which the blog will shift somewhat to focus on pandemic life. I’ve made the decision to keep my kids off school as of this week which in turn (though it wasn’t exactly planned that way) has resulted in my working from home for this week. To be honest, I’d be happy with this arrangement being a long term one: given the situation, I’m comfortable with physical distancing, I’m comfortable with maintaining an appropriate level of isolation, and I’m able to do my job just as well from home.

So far its working out pretty well. Without the need to get kids ready for school my morning routine is already much improved. I have time for writing, exercise and breakfast, and I can typically start work at 8am instead of 9am.

I also took the time to draft up a daily schedule for the kids (and how looking after them fits into my working pattern). We don’t follow it slavishly, but it’s helped to give some structure to the day. Broadly speaking the mornings are like this:

• 8:30am – breakfast;
• 9am – get dressed and do any homework or online assignments that have been provided by the school (at this point, schools are being directed to focus on teaching attending students, but a few of the Kinderbesten’s teachers have, wonderfully, found the time to post things online);
• 10am – (roughly) short break time. The Kinderbesten have latterly started using this time to settle down with a documentary (it’s learning, but it’s also lounging!);
• 10:30am – online learning. The Kinderbeast has been making good use of Khan Academy, while the Elderbeast almost always has work that can be done on Education Perfect. There are, however, numerous online education resources that are available.
• 11am – crunch and sip time, aka a quick break and a healthy snack;
• 12:30am – lunch and finish. The Kinderbesten obviously have the option to keep working if they want to, or if there’s still assignments to be done, but as long we we can get roughly 3-4 hours of learnin’ happening I’m satisfied.
• Afternoon – craft/hobby time. For the Elderbeast this is PS4 time, but the Kinderbeast is enjoying playing with his LEGO, drawing, or doing whatever takes his fancy.
• 2pm – walk time. I’m trying to balance education, recreation and exercise. One of the easiest ways to ensure we at least get some exercise, and don’t go completely stir crazy, is making sure we at least have a walk at some point in the day. A couple of times this week I’ve, reluctantly, walked the Kinderbesten down to the cafe to get coffee/hot chocolate (I made them wait outside while I ordered), but on another day we walked down the road and discovered that one of our neighbours owns a flock of sheep, which was much fun.

Obviously I’m continuing to work while all of this is going on, but I’ve purposefully scheduled my day into multiple short blocks of work (ensuring I’m doing my hours) instead of expecting to be able to work uninterrupted for 6 to 7 hours.

Adapting to change can be hard, but that should never be a reason not to change when you need to.

One good thing

My good thing this week is how well the Kinderbesten have adapted, and how invested they are in their morning work. They miss their friends, and obviously get distracted at the drop of a hat, but this transition hasn’t been as hard as it might have been largely because the Kinderbesten have taken it in their stride.

One bad thing

I have noticed how easily it is for habits to slip. After a few weeks of being very diligent in washing my hands, it’s all too easy to find myself doing just a quick surface wash, or forgetting entirely. Hopefully I can catch these occasions where I slip up slightly and keen reinforcing those good habits.

(March 9 – 15)

With my brain distracted by the impending Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve opted to edit the last chapter of the novel instead of writing new words for now. The last chapter was the one that I had the least idea about going in, but shaped up quite nicely as I wrote it out. Predictably the first draft needed a little surgery before I could be totally happy to leave it behind me (ready for the next draft) but the edit has helped me tease out the main themes of the chapter and strengthen the characterisation in a number of places. I’ve also added a few new bits here and there. Overall, a relatively positive writing week.

One good/bad thing

My brain is comparative pudding at the moment, consumed by the massive, sudden change we’re all facing in our lives. When everything’s bad, it’s hard to focus on what’s good. If there is a good, it’s that we can change, it is possible to change quickly; we can adapt and get through this. And I wrote a blog post about it if you want to read more.