Day 2 has been a bit of a bust. I had so many errands to run I haven’t had time to do any writing yet! I’m committed to making a daily blog post though, so I’m going to use this one to lay out my writing schedule, some details of my currently in-progress novel, and my plans to find other freelance work. Are you ready? Because I sure am!
I want this to be my day job, hence the title of the blog, and I believe my writing schedule should reflect that. Today was an exception since I had so much to take care of after leaving my job, but moving forward I want to follow the schedule the pros have. I’ve reviewed a few different authors’ writing schedules and tried to grab elements from each of them that I think will help keep me on track.
First off is James Joyce. He sits at the absolute extreme of slow writers (no offence to Joyce of course), and I, unfortunately, have found that I’m on the slow end as well. It took him 10 years to complete his first two novels, and he was estimated to average just 90 words a day! Hopefully I can find it in myself to produce more than that, but just knowing that an author like James Joyce can have such low output and yet also be a semi-household name gives me some hope. The element I’ll be taking from his schedule is crucial, and that is to sit down and write at least one word every single day. I’m not going to include the blog though, that’s cheating.
Number two is at the opposite end of the spectrum, Brandon Sanderson. This guy is actually superhuman and you can’t convince me otherwise. Announcing multiple secret novels on top of an already packed writing schedule without postponing anything is proof enough for me anyway. I don’t think I could hope to match his level of output but I’m certain I can learn a thing or two from his schedule. He talks about his schedule pretty often and I recall watching some videos about it on his YouTube channel. Today I’m using this interview to find my nuggets of wisdom.
My main takeaway from Sanderson is to go with my gut! I don’t want to force myself into doing something a certain way just because someone else has found success, and Sanderson endorses this way of thinking. Apparently he is a ‘night writer’ and gets most of his work done after 10PM, sometimes going to sleep at 5AM! I don’t think I’m that much of an insomniac, but if my brain wants to write at a certain time, I’m not going to deny it just because I feel like the hour is indecent.
The last big name I wanted to steal learn from was Anne Rice. I’ve been reading the Vampire Chronicles recently and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors for the deep emotional resonance that springs from her powerful characterization and lovely prose. There’s a wealth of great advice from this author, written by the woman herself no less, but not much about her writing schedule. Instead I’ve taken this piece of advice I found from a post she wrote in 2009:
“Go where the pleasure is in your writing. Go where the pain is. Write the book you would like to read. Write the book you have been trying to find but have not found. But write. And remember, there are no rules for our profession. Ignore rules. Ignore what I say here if it doesn’t help you. Do it your own way.”
– Anne Rice
A bit similar to the takeaway from Sanderson in that there are no rules, but I was really taken by lines in bold. Not to get too philosophical in a blog post that’s supposed to be more concrete, but writing the novel I’ve been trying to find but can’t is the inspiration behind the story I’m currently working on. I want to talk about it here on my blog as a way to air my thoughts so I can look back and remind myself where I wanted to go (or at least make fun of where I thought I could go), and of course to help promote the book. Below is my work-in-progress tag line. If you are so inclined, leave me some feedback in the comments about it.
‘Oneiromancer’ is a story of magic, forgotten history, and finding oneself.
It feels too vague for my taste, but I’m struggling to eke out more details in such a short format. Here’s a longer blurb that the tagline comes from.
Clara Deeds has been having bad dreams lately. Vivid nightmares, forgotten as quickly as they come, have been tormenting her at night for longer than she can recall. When a mysterious stranger reveals their meaning, she’s dragged into a secret underground society full of danger, magic, and forgotten history. A world where finding oneself is paramount to survival, lest she end up someone else’s pawn permanently.
I’m trying to find the balance, an exciting blurb, but without giving away too many details. There’s nothing I hate more than spoilers on the back of the book. That being said, I’m almost certain I won’t be able to help myself from revealing some things about Oneiromancer over the course of this blog. I’ll try to always mark spoilers if there are any. I’ve been working on the novel on and off since early 2022, and so far I’ve got about 70,000 words down. I’m hoping to really pick up the pace and have it ready for editing by the end of the Summer, or sooner if possible. Like Anne Rice said, it’s the novel I wish I could find on shelves. I’ve been obsessed with modern sci fi/fantasy ever since reading the web serial Worm by Wildbow (John C. McCrae).
(Spoilers ahead!)
I wanted to replicate the way the entire plot unfolds from a single difference between our world and the world of Worm. I find it so compelling when there’s just one thing you have suspend your disbelief to understand the entire plot. Unlike a DC comic where Superman is an alien, the Flash gets powers from the speed force, Wonder Woman is an Amazon, and Cyborg is, well, a Cyborg, Worm has just one origin for all super powers throughout the almost 1.7 million word story. Oneiromancer follows suit by introducing the core world building mechanic early on, a unrecognized type of matter known as Essence. Along with this type of matter comes a fifth fundamental force outside of the usual four recognized by physics. Naturally, it is called the Essential Force. Essence exists unseen all around us, and many organisms, including humans, have evolved to take advantage of the power it can offer …
(Spoilers over!)
I won’t say much more about the world or the characters, but I’m so excited to post something about it in the public sphere I just can’t help but add some juicy details.
Now for the last thing I wanted to cover, freelancing. This is the part of my new career I’m most intimidated by, probably because I have the least understanding of it. I’ve been prowling twitter and content sites searching for opportunities to submit but to be honest none of them are very appealing to write about. I have strong interests in video games, books (obviously), and recently I’ve picked up the guitar, but as soon I sit down to write about these topics my eyes glaze over. I’m going to have to find some content I can write about consistently soon, or I’ll just have to go without any income. Savings will see me through the next year or so, but I want plenty of experience under my belt before they run out. This is the weakest part of my game right now, so tomorrow I’ll be focused on creating a freelancing strategy to implement ASAP. That’s about all my thoughts for today, so until next time, keep reading, writing, or whatever it is you love to do, and I’ll do my best to do the same.
Thank you for reading,
Benjamin Hawley
Dangerous Day Job 