Making it Up As I Go

I haven’t posted in forever, but I’m really not dead. I’m still working on my novel, which sometimes feels like death, but it’s actually coming along nicely. I stopped posting the chapters so that I could switch around things if I needed to without any suprises being spoiled for any of you sweet enough to be reading it.

I also am not reading much, and that really feels like death. I keep starting books and then forgetting about them, a byproduct (I think) of this crazy novel writing thing. I’m fiendishly behind on my book count, and if I’m going to make it to 100 by the end of December, I’m going to be binging in December. Actually, I just looked at it, and I’m only 6 books behind, which isn’t so bad. Could be worse. I just find it difficult to read at the same time that I’m writing so intensively, because either it affects the voice I’m writing in, or I just get discouraged because my writing isn’t as good as what I’m reading.

I’m trying to avoid the first problem by focusing on books with very distinct voices that are completely different than the voice of my book. I’m rereading The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler, a book that has one of the most distinct voices I can think of. I’m enjoying it just as much this time through as I did the first, and any problems that I thought might have been present as I finished it last time are actually satisfactorily taken care of.

Anyway, just wanted to let those of you still checking in know that death has not come to me, at least not yet.