Countdown

I decided a while back that I would take a week off from my day-job developing software, and try to give this novel a good solid start (sometime in July, when my current project is complete). I had originally intended to wait until that week to REALLY get started on the story, but I keep coming up with things that I want to include in it and ways to organize my thoughts throughout the writing process (its amazing what can occur to you when you let your mind wander while mowing the lawn). As with most things in my life, if I don't write them down, I positively WILL forget them.

To that end I've been keeping (for the last couple of months) a very loosely organized document of my thoughts and wishes for the story arc, the characters, the plot twists, etc.. As I get more and more into this "research" phase, I'm beginning to view that week in July as a way to organize those random thoughts.

I'm also intending to try to use that week to put myself in the habit of writing. Having a day-job looks like it will be a double-edged sword. It will be nice to not have the pressure of writing to support my family, but at the same time that day-job is full time plus a little more, so it will be very easy to push off the writing in order to meet its demands. I tend to be a morning person, and a person who does best when there is a routine to be followed, so I'm thinking that waking earlier than usual and writing before I head into work will be the simplest way to make continual progress on the story.

The countdown to "W" week has been set. We are currently at T-minus 34 days (and some change).