What is This Salt Mine, and Why Do I Have to Go Back Into It?
Posted on January 2, 2012 Posted by John Scalzi 22 Comments
Which is to say it’s the first work day of the new year and I have work to do, so the “no talking to the rest of the world until I meet the daily writing quota” thing is in effect, starting as soon as I post this (you see what I did there). For those who are going to ask, and who don’t remember from the last time I did this, the daily writing quota is 2,000 words or until noon, whichever comes first. This will continue until the project I’m working on is completed.
So: Catch up with you all a bit later.
So what time do you start writing in the morning? Is it usually a two- or three-hour block of time for you to write 2000 words or get to noon?
*stops what i’m doing. Turns around. Goes to edit*
You just had to remind me about responsibility. ; )
Your boss must be a slave driver ;)~ Happy New Year Brother!!!!!
I get today off because the holiday landed on Sunday.
First work day isn’t until the third here. Mind you that is more because the entire country is hungover on the 2nd, so it’s more bowing to pragmatism than anything else.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” HHHMMMMM, thats ten words right there, if I repeat them 200 times I have met my quota and can get back to the Intertubes thingy.
So, this new project. So, it’s, like, a book, yes? Perhaps a series book, yes? Maybe an OMW series book, yes? Yes? (Please?)
I need to get back to work too, which would be way easier if the kids were back in school I have to say!
Excited to know you are working on a new project, and trying not to start pacing to early while I wait to read it. (although a lot of pacing could help with my other new years resolution….)
Happy New Year, and good luck on the quota, no pressure but you have some eager fans waiting for you next installment! :-D
While I Hate to play the responsibility card, let’s just say that you’re inspiring Athena and that you’re teaching her that good grown-ups go to work when they don’t want to work. And, hey, if you inspire some of us amateur writers to get off our collective duffs & get writing, then, just accept it, you’re a guy lots of us look up to. Thanks for that, then.
sincerely, Tim D.
This whole “we wait for you to right it – gets edited – revised – advertised – published” last year process should be upended. You should just write live. Then we can literally hang on every word. Just a new year thought.
Yes I realize write and right are different …. Maybe live writing is a bad idea?
That’s the sound of the men… working on the chain…gaAAAaaang…
I start back to work tomorrow and the teachers and students will be back in my buildings on Wednesday, so I should have one day to get some projects done without interruptions.
2000 words by 12 parsecs or bust
I strongly believe in what you do, and how you do it.
My fiction word count (since 6 July 2010 when I doubled quota to 23,000 words/day of fiction) as of the end of November 2011 was 1,014.750 words. As of the end of December 2011 it was 1,174,750 words. The difference measures one month in my own salt mine: 160,000 words in 31 days = over 5,160 words per day. Because if you’re in the groove, on a roll, in the zone, in Flow State, you don’t HAVE to stop when you reach the quota.
Typo. I mean I doubled quota to 2,000 words/day of fiction. Though Asimov, Hubbard, Silverbob probably were doing 23,000 words/day…
As the painter said after her break working at Pop’s Ye Olde Soda Fountain & Burger Shoppe: “Well, back to the Malt Signs!”
JJB
The banks are closed. Why shouldn’t the 99% be off?
(I’m retired…hehehehehe)
Honest work”—a euphemism for underpaid bodily exertion, done standing up or on your knees, often in bad weather or other nasty circumstances, and frequently involving shovels, picks, hoes, assembly lines, tractors, and unsympathetic supervisors. . . . Sitting at a typewriter in a nice warm room, with no boss, cannot possibly be described as “honest work.”
– RAH!
Over 6,000 words of new fiction for me in the last two days. And while working my full-time job for year-end duties both days to boot. Me likey keeping goals. Yessiree.
As someone who loves XKCD comics, I just wanted to compliment you on your new masthead, but it felt silly to send an email for such a superfluous thing, and I didn’t want to go all off topic on the recent nomination/political threads, so here I am. Thanks for the smile, now I need to go find that comic again
When you announced you were doing this I thought it was a really good idea to apply to my sporadic writing life (mostly of the non-fiction variety). Today I’m struggling and failing to keep up my dedication to a stay-away-from-the-net-until-1000 words. I’m only at 800 words for the day. (Though, if I want to be lenient on myself, I do re-write as I go for the first draft in order to avoid some pain during the editing process, so I’m probably over 1000.)
It’s tough, I respect the discipline required to make this kind of effort work!