Plodding on

Hmm interesting how you always remember things being easier than they were. Four weeks in and its a real hard slog. It didnt help that the weekend was my Birthday, and i didnt then want to do any work for two days. Also it didnt help the fact that I played a few computer games too, the classic (and should be remade) "Xcom Terror from the Deep", and a new game (demo in this case) of a new war game RST (the name which escapes me right now). Well ive had to tear myself away from it, so i can get back on track.

Im currently about 19 pages down, havent yet submitted my first two chapters (though i have more than two in progress), but I also havent got my contracts back yet, so Im kinda ok for the moment - well fingers crossed ;). Unfortunately the way I work means that there are 4 chapters in progress, but none are done.

Im still working on Chapter 16, which is a CDROM menu program (in fact two menus one for a game and one for a business). It's taking a while, and its hard work for some reason. It's just not flowing easily. Apparently I was like this last time (so I've been reliably informed).

Chapter 16 is a good chapter in theory, because its all based on fact, and exact steps and so is more finishable than a chapter where i have to think and type (you always have to go over that more).

Ive got Friday off as holiday this week again, and so hopefully i can scratch out some pages.... not much fun eh! Problem is that its really early days and its going to be like this until at least Christmas.

Current Page calculation 55.7 pages. Target for September 75.

Seems that my calculation of 30 pages a week might be over doing it. We shall see the second week in October when ive scheduled thats how many i will do a week. Seems that i am generally doing a couple of pages a day. Weekends I should be able to get 10. So in theory 30 shouldnt be a problem, but alot of time is spent taking the example files apart and rebuilding them (as you have to do this to write the exact steps of what to do).

So time to get back to it, hopefully when i post my blog again towards the end of the week or weekend i will have reached my 75 and got my two chapters done! Lets hope so.

October will be hell :)

Jason

Listening to some A-ha and Talk Talk today

Progress update

The new website/domain has been completed for the new book. It does use the same template as makeamazing's website, but i think it doesnt require anything different or more fancy than that. Once i have more content i will post the web address.

Finally, I'm slowly getting back into writing again. I decided to stop writing chapter 3 which I wouldnt say was a difficult chapter to write, just one of those chapters that take time and effort to put together (its alot of graphics and explaining things).

Ive started on Chapter 16, and have made good progress on that chapter so far.

Im now at around 41 pages (book not manuscript). That leaves me about 14 pages down off Last Mondays target, so about 17 pages down overall including this week. I have a days holiday on Friday, so i'm hoping i can at least cancel out the original 14 pages i am behind and start making a dent on the 20 pages i need to do by Monday next week to keep to my 75 pages for the week.

The target for this week is to complete two chapters of the book and upload them for approval/checking by the publisher. This process is very common, and allows the publisher to check that you are writing the pages in the correct format and also writing in an ok style. This is one of only three milestones, and though the two chapters could be very small, completing it means that your one step nearer to completing the book. In my case the two chapters might not be any more than 20-30 pages (depends on which chapters you write to be uploaded). It could easily be two very small chapters, there is no requirement set down to say what it should be.

The milestone after the first two chapter uploads, is a biggie. Its the half manuscript milestone, where you need to put in half the chapters or half the book pages (doesnt really matter which, again its just and indicator for the publisher to make sure progress is being made). That milestone for me is the end of October, and that is alot more of a challege for me.. serious work is going to be needed to complete that target.

In the next couple of blog posts i will start to reveal what projects are included in the book, and hopefully some idea of what the book is all about.

Jason

Oh So Slow

Last couple of weeks have dragged by. This hasn't kinda been helped by my normal day job, and i've been feeling what i call "Repetative PC use syndrome". I use a PC at work for 7.5 hours, then coming home to do writing, at times i've just not wanted to touch the keyboard.

3 Weeks in and ive done around 33.6 pages. Ive scheduled 55 at this stage, so im currently about 21 pages down :(. So ive got to pick up the pace soon. I think once ive got my mind into it, things should start to get quicker, but at the moment, im really on a go slow. Ive got to complete 75 pages by the end of September to be on target for the month. Oh well lets hope the purchase of a couple of Enigma albums off iTunes will help me speed up? It's not helped by me having so many other things going on (company accounts and returns and all matter of other things).

My graphic artist/Example maker has been making excellent progress though, which is a great positive thing for me. The work I've had back so far has been A++, so thats exciting, and will mean that i can really get some book pages written when i get to it.

I do have two days of holidays coming up, which should help keep the book page alittle bit more healthier.

Well thats it for now, really need to be writing for the book and not my blog :)

Jason

Slow Progress

Well a few days have passed, and it's been really quite difficult getting back on the writing pony. Before the contracts turned up, I made sure I got some of the basic details done (so i don't have to waste a day doing silly little things), like:

Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction (not classed as part of the chapters)
Chapter 1 (60% done).

Just for a little perspective this equals probably only about 6 pages... so still lots to do. Unfortunately except for the small amount done for Chapter 1, the dedication, acknowledgements and Introduction dont actually count towards the final page count anyway.

Ive started work properly on it today, well i say properly. Having sat at my computer i had only done 3 manuscript pages (in one day). Ive only been working on Chapter 2 not finishing Chapter 1 which I've already started. That equals out at about 2 proper book pages, so not very good. In fact pretty rubbish really. Ive targetted to get 20 pages done by Monday, so it's looking bad :(

My main target is 30 book pages a week, so thats alot of manuscript pages (1.6 manuscript pages per 1 single book page). So im looking at 48 manuscipt pages a week. So 6.8 pages a day....oh dear, it feels a little bit like trying to catch up a run rate in cricket... the worse you do each over the harder it gets.

If you remember, I have two chapters to complete by Friday. So why so slow? Well kids were running around crazy :) , I had some screenshots of the installation of the program I am using to do (not slow using Fireworks but all takes time), but also i just couldnt concentrate. I think i am much better at 6am and 11pm, than middle of the day etc.

In total Ive got 24 Chapters set aside. Over the next couple of weeks, i will be letting you know how its going, how many chapters have been written and how many are left. I think this will provide anyone who is looking to be an author with some insight into what happens. Of course you may be a much faster writer, or slower, may have a book with more pages. So its only a guide.

This progress is also good for me to look back and see how fast or slow I am, so i can better plan any next book that i might write (which you try not to think about while writing, because its such a tiring and slow process).

So Progress on the 24 Chapters is

Chapter 1 - 60%
Chapter 2 - 60%

Total Pages done today = 3 Manuscript

Oh just so you know there is alot more to this writing lark than just writing the book, but we will cover that when i get to it :)

Ive got to pick it up tomorrow alot, but at least Im on a very easy bit, which will add a couple of pages quickly within an hour. The weekend is my main work part, so i have to get alot done then to ensure i dont have to worry so much in the week (when i might be too tired to do it because of being at work all day).

I will post again tomorrow, to show you if things have improved any.

Jason

Good News

Well good news at last. Its been a long six or seven months (maybe more) waiting to get another book off the ground.

This week I was expecting an email to say the current status of the book, and a DHL package arrived at home, which was the contracts for the work. So great news!

I've posted them back today, and will start work in ernest on Sunday. The deadlines are tight, and it's going to be very hard work. The book is to be completed (450 pages) by January.

This is about half the time, and a hundred more pages than the last book, but I learnt alot from the last, and fingers crossed, I'm not going to have the same time issues this time around. Dont get me wrong, this timeframe is interesting, and will require me to put alot more dedication to it than before. I will let you know how i get on.

Just to give you an idea of the plan and the requirements (for anyone wanting to be a potential author out there)... Ive now booked 7 days holiday from work (3 in September, 2 in October and 2 in November) to help me keep the page count up. I used alot of my holiday up for the first book the previous year, but partly because of time issues I had to take extra days off to play catch up. So using just the last 7 I have actually doesn't sound alot (let's hope it's enough).

Im working on the basis that I need to do about 30 pages a week. Sounds easy but it can be difficult working full time and spending time with the family. The extra holiday time off helps alot, as the kids will be at school, and I can spread the 30 pages alittle more evenly over the week. The hard work is when you dont have time off, and in the week, its difficult to motivate after a day at a computer screen, to come back and put some time and effort in. So when you dont have a spare day, most of the work comes from the weekend. 30 pages doesnt sound alot, but when your on a few difficult chapters, that can decrease very slowly :(

Im an active game player (of course), and so that will need to be drastically cut. I play WOW (World of Warcraft), this will need to be cut to a very small amount (and any other games), keeping them to short bursts for light relief and writing breaks.

The same will be said for TV time. It's nice to sit down at 9 or 10pm and put on a nice dvd etc (I don't watch alot of normal tv). But that will go until end of December, which will make my wife happy, as she can concentrate on watching her programs without needing to worry about boring me.

Finally, Coffee and Tea will need to be in good supply, music (I-tunes), lots of early mornings and late nights. You need to make sure if your writing you have all the things that can help you progress. Watch out for the things that can distract though, like checking email every five minutes, or logging onto a forum you like and checking for posts... can really dent into your time.

So this is it, felt like a long time, but its now here, time to get on with it and see what happens. I have a couple of weeks to get some work done and give it to the publishers. The half manuscript is due end of October, so I'm going to be busy.

Oh you might be wondering what the book is about? Well its computer based again (hope if your reading this blog thats the kind of books you like), but for now, thats all i can reveal. Once the publisher has completed the front cover, a domain will be purchased and a new website will be made. Then i will let you know what it is and what the content is likely to be.

I will post again in about a weeks time and let you know how i'm getting on.

Thanks

Jason

Time for Reflection

It's been a while since my last post, but there has been a reason for this. Unfortunately the book deal that I was working on, fell through. It left me a little out of sorts, and i didnt feel like doing anything at that point.

Of course I was upset at not getting on with the book (I had already made all the contacts and pressured people into getting the permissions forms sorted quick ready for the start date). But it was not to be, and well thats what happens sometimes. I had my mind set on it and it took me a couple of months to want to even consider another project.

I'm in a position where ive written one book, but I want (need) to write another. Im sure I've mentioned it before but it's a weird experience, I dont feel like a true author at the moment, just someone who's written one book.

Well I've contacted a publisher with a proposal (not the same book idea as the one I was going to do - this is something new :). Ive been told that I will hear next week (probably). So it's back to the waiting game. This next book (if it gets signed) is less of a problem if it doesn't happen, Ive not needed to get peoples permission to get ready for it. Its much more straightforward (I'm glad to say).

If it doens't happen I'm not sure what Im going to do, I really need to write this second computer book. It's something my brain wont let go of, and I just need to do it. I dont really want to wait for the opportunity in 12 months etc, I just want to start it now. This may have something to do with how long it takes to get the book to print but also just needing to write a book that I feel is interesting (I don't have many book ideas that I really love the idea of).

Im hoping if it does happen, the book will be completed by January, which is a very very tight deadline, but I'm just going to have to work really hard and get through it.

If it does happen, I think for now it might be the last computer book I will do. Just because Ive only got three really good computer book ideas, the first Ive done, the second was not signed, and this one that Im currently working on getting signed. A problem then is what to do, I really have always wanted to write a fiction book, but that is a totally different set of challenges, and Im not sure I have those types of skills (I have some ideas but perhaps not the writing style or skills). It will be a challenge and I may well and truely fail. But i didnt actually think i would ever be published, so why not. Oh well that is for another time and another blog, something for me to consider next year.

Hopefully i will post something alittle more positive next week.

Jason

Ps for those that are interested i am now at level 42 of World of Warcraft :)

Getting Started

Still waiting the contracts, but that shouldn't be long now I hope.

Well Ive made a start on the book...now hold on before you tell me off because my last post said I wouldnt start writing until I had a contract turn up!...Ive only been doing little bits and bobs.

Mainly getting the easy stuff out of the way to pave the way to easier writing of the chapters when the contract does turn up. There are alot of permissions to get signed off before the real work can be done, where I actually write some of the book.

So the dedication, acknowledgements and forword are all done! In terms of writing "Nothing" because its hardley anything. But for me to know who to put in the acknowledgements means i'm making some good progress on who is going to help me on the project. It is certainly difficult to write a whole computer book on your own without some form of help, and this project is no different. Of course i will be writing 99.9% of the text, I still need many other forms of help. Especially with the looming deadlines :D

Talking of deadlines we are looking at something like:

May 15th for half the manuscript
July 20th for full manuscript

As you might be able to work out, the second half has less time than the first half. Unfortunately the second half is usually the harder part [gulp].

Reason the second part of the book is harder is because I personally try and get some of the easier chapters out of the way as quickly as possible. The real difficult ones come towards the end of the book writing process (this is so I can make good progress and hit the half manuscript deadline). Also you find that you dont want to spend a week doing research and not have written anything at the start, you just want to get into it and start knocking the page count down.

Ive printed off my calendar, so I can keep a track of page counts (always a fun game you can play when writing). I also know that I need to be writing around 15 book pages a week to be on target for the first deadline. Thats not too bad, and it doesnt sound it when you have a real easy chapter to write (luckily i probably have about 6 chapters that should hit around 30 pages each)..but some chapters might only come in at about 3 or 4 pages each...now they are hardones to write and get right!

When do i really expect to get started on the real process of writing? Well not until the end of next week (March 4th and 5th). I might start to pad out some of the harder chapters with ideas and basic text to make it easier, because I cant do some of the major work until i have some graphics and code.

Anyway, work to do, permissions forms to write. See you next time, when i hope to actually have done some real work!

Jason