I may have mentioned I’m doing a big project at work with lots and lots and lots and lots of documents. I’ve spent the week typing and fiddling and formatting and typing some more.
All while dealing with a sudden fit of cranky pants. You know, the sort of mood where someone could hand you a million dollar cheque and the typeface would annoy you so badly you’d want to punch them. The sort of mood where you’re probably best staying home in bed with the covers over your head not talking to anyone because talking annoys you. But that isn’t really an option so instead you get up and move through the days with sort of rumbling refrain of ‘grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’ in the back of your mind. As you type and type and type. The type of mood that isn’t improved by inutterably tragic events unfolding. So you type and type and type and snarlingly demand what the heck is going on to the universe and offer prayers for the lost and the grieving.
And then if you’re lucky, and believe me, I know I am unbelievably fortunate, you get to come home and type some more.
I feel like there’s a Word toolbar floating in front of my eyes. I think I’m going to switch for Scrivener and alphie for the weekend, if only for the change of scenery. I managed to sweat out the cranky pants on the elliptical the other night but I’m still feeling a little typed out. And I have a crick in my neck that’s going to be remedied by my wonderful chiro tomorrow. I hope. Otherwise I might just be putting the cranky pants back on.
I mean, I like words. I’m a writer. But sometimes you get sick on black on white and the tip tap tap of the keyboard for hours on end. I’d swap to longhand but this story doesn’t seem to want long hand at the moment. So more typing it is. Another 26 pages and I’ll hit 200. Or halfway. I hope. Should be do-able in a weekend. If I don’t commit word-processor-a-cide in the meantime.
Let’s hope the world is a better place next week.
>You sound like you’re working very hard! VT suggests you book yourself a massage 🙂
>By the way, for all you want to be writer types, just listened to Mercedes Lackey and Steve Libbey on the Biblio File podcast, talking about their Secret World Chronicle podiobook, among other things (Think Wild Cards, with Super Nazis instead of the Swarm, and much much worse).For 5 years straight, she came home, ate something, and wrote till 2-3 a.m., then off she went to work again, all of you slacking off watching hospital soaps. 🙂 No tv or movies for her for a couple of years straight at that time, apparently.
>Well, yes, that would be called the second shift. It’s what most writers who have day jobs do. Get up early and write, write on trains, write at lunch, write after work, write on weekends, wherever they can squeeze it in. And quite frankly most of the full-time writers I know put in damn long hours as well.How many hours depends on how fast you write but there’s no other way to get a couple of hundred thousand words a year other than spend a lot of time in the chair typing. No-one has yet invented the ‘just suck it from your brain’ machine.But there’s nothing wrong with feeding the brain the odd tv show or movie. That’s called feeding the muse. Or filling the well. Can’t keep the words pouring out if the well runs dry.
>I don’t think the odd show means the odd season of shows though. 🙂
>Sure it does…if that’s what it takes : )