8r4d If you’re curious how the writing is going, here’s the thing: I spend at least three solid sessions per week giving Starbucks a few bucks for #coffee and a table. I sit here, in one of three locations, almost always in the same chair pounding away words on my #keyboard for a couple hours. My goal is to average 500 words per day, including all days, off days and on days, work days and play days, and in the last six weeks since implementing a lovely little spreadsheet to more formally track that I’ve averaged about 650, again, writing about 3-4 days per week. In essence, that’s a handful of 1500-2000 word sessions.

The novel itself is not so much stalled as I’ve slowed construction-proper in favour of doing some shoring up of the backstory foundations. I got to a point about 80% of the way in where I found myself trying to build a satisfying build to the climactic conclusion on a concept that I had loosely in my own mind but for which I hadn’t really done enough world-building. That kind of writing risks plot holes or weak sort-of “because story” justifications, and I wouldn’t have been happy with that and surprisingly its much tougher to untangle bad writing than just writing it right in the first place. So my last couple months has been a twisting whirlwind of finding yet another new routine to settle into and simultaneously punching through what is becoming a novel-length collection of backstory short stories. Really.

And if nothing else, I’m keeping the local cafes on their toes, too.

8r4d The Kid booked the makerspace at the library for a couple of hours so that she and her friends could try recording their podcast there, so as a resultI—the responsible, waver-signing adult—needs to hang around and kill a couple hours #writing and having some tlc with my #keyboard. Oddly, a bustling library on a Sunday afternoon is less ideal for my creative efforts than I would have imagined.

8r4d I find myself unexpectedly on #whyteavenue on a Wednesday evening, sipping #tea and #writing because The Kid needed a ride up to an #improvtheatre orientation up here. I didn’t really expect to be up here and, yeah, I tried the library but where my #keyboard is usually quiet enough for the background him of the cafe to not be annoying, I felt very self conscious about the clickety-clack in the super-quiet library what with people, probably students, studying all around me. So—I paid for a peppermint tea and here I sit, trying to feel inspired or something.

8r4d I neglected my parental duties this past week and did not post any birthday pictures, yet here I am a few days later with my #keyboard and #coffee resuming the wordsmithing efforts from the local cafe after buying the kid a fancy latte on her way to class.

8r4d …Meanwhile, after a week of free fancy #bakery #coffee drinks here I sit, back to #writing and spending some quality time with my #keyboard in my favourite Starbucks this morning.

8r4d This gives new meaning to the term “field work” doesn’t it? #keyboard #writing #summer

8r4d Just sitting in the backyard with a #coffee and my #keyboard thinking about getting stuff done this #summer. [read more...]

8r4d A couple weeks in and I’ve written about ten thousand words on the new #keyboard in a variety of settings: home, cafe, backyard and on my lap. I thought the colourful lights were a bit of a gimmick and sure, it mostly is, but I do get a bit of a kick out of writing at night which is about the only time they are bright enough to notice.

8r4d The new #keyboard arrived in the mail sometime this morning after a string of email notifications that I’d signed up for last week when I got the original shipping notice. So that’s that then. I’m one of those guys with a fancy retro keyboard and no more excuses not to get lots and lot of words onto paper. I think I’ll be heading over to a cafe of some sort this afternoon just simply to make up for lost time and get some #writing done. One of the nicer features of this device, and I’m sure it is pretty much standard on any old keyboard these days anyways, is the multi-device functionality. That means with the press of a key or two I can flip between typing on my iPad (serious writing) and typing on my phone (for text like this.) I could go through a lot of rigamorole with the old keyboard unpairing it, repairing it and then back and forth that way, but it was a real big pain. It may not be something I ever use, or it could be exactly what i needed to get some more extensive posts going on here. Who can say? [read more...]

8r4d I probably should’ve gone down the #keyboard rabbit hole back when I was just starting my #writing efforts on this novel, but the slow deterioration of my current wireless keyboard (pictured) has made it a bit of a necessity this week. By the way, did you know there is a whole subculture of obsessive, keyboard enthusiasts? Visiting a crazy subculture is a neat way to spend an evening and I don’t think I’ll stay there, but I did buy myself a new mid range wireless keyboard out of the deal. These are folks who go far beyond your typical Logitech or Apple office peripheral and instead build and modify, highly customizable, high-end keyboard products with in-depth details and reviews on things like the pressure sensitivity of springs, the latency of key press, transmission, typing sound profiles, and of course, battery life. My biggest concern was to treat myself to a reasonably quality, portable, smallish keyboard to help with my fiction writing on a day-to-day basis as my trusty chiclet keyboard approaches the end of its life.And ultimately as a result of my adventure thru the looking glass I opted to buy a fairly good quality, but very small profile, portable mechanical keyboard, which should allow me to keep typing and maybe even finish this damn novel soon.