Day Two

Well, I have got my word count done - 6,100 in total so far. It is frustrating that the writing is bad and every time I think I have got the structure sorted, I read it through and it just doesn't work. The first draft of the first three chapters consisted of blog posts and tweets, this one has started just as blog posts but I think even that I will probably drop.

I like books that have an interesting structure, ones where the structure itself tells a story. Leanne Shapton's book Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry is a story of a love affair told entirely in the objects, letters and photographs they have collected. It goes beyond a graphic novel in that it has no written narrative at all, just the pictures of the objects themselves, presented as an auctioneer's catalogue. It is a beautiful thing and asks interesting questions about how stories are told.

I imagine in time I would like to play with these ideas a bit more, but for the time being I just need to keep plugging away at the word count and getting it all down. I can play with it later.

Day one round up

Yesterday was my first day of writing up the first draft of the book. I had already written the first three chapters and sent them off to friends to review, so yesterday I was just rewriting the first chapter in the light of their comments. I got to my daily word count of 3000 but because a lot of it was copying and pasting, it didn't feel as satisfying as if I had done it all from scratch. I am looking forward to getting to chapter 4 so I can start new stuff.

The chapter I was writing yesterday and will hopefully finish today is about the social significance of driving, what it means to me and what it means to others. Today's bit is about how gendered it is as an activity. We still think of it as man's work. In my view that has far less to do with the activity itself than with a general fear of women's freedom.

Back to it.

Operation First Draft

The last time I posted here was nearly 2 years ago. It was at that point that I finally worked out how to write the book I have had swirling around in my head for years. Rather than split my energies and try and write the book as well as update the blog, I chose the book.

For the last two years I have been planning and reading and researching and planning some more and now I am ready to get a complete first draft down on paper. I have saved my annual leave so I am only working part time until the end of February. The first three chapters have already been edited by some good friends and as a result, the book has found a focus, one I had not anticipated, which is exciting.

So I have my research, I know where the book is going, and I have allowed myself the time.

Best get on with it.