Taking My Own Damned Advice
September 25, 2006
Over the weekend I dealt with some bookkeeping issues involving my mailing lists, the contest [for those readers who don't know, if you enter my mailing list, you're automatically entered in a contest to receive a signed copy of THE DEVIL'S PITCHFORK and for one lucky winner, a $100 gift certificate to the bookseller of your choice], and sending out copies of my Derek Stillwater short story, "11 Minutes," which I send to anybody who enters the contest, ie., signs my mailing list. Or hell, e-mails and asks me for it.
Anyway, one of the readers, Richard Cooper, e-mailed to tell me he liked it and commented that he didn't know how he was going to find time to work on his thriller, etc. I told him to try a page a day, that when I used to get real busy, I would convince myself, no matter how late at night, hey, just go down in the office and write one page. It'll take you 10 or 15 minutes and you'll be done. One page a day, 365 pages a year, it adds up, go ahead, maybe you'll get in the groove and find yourself writing 5 or 6 pages, or maybe you'll get one page done and that'll be that, go to bed.
Well, recently I've been swamped with work (a good thing for a freelancer) and I'm trying to finish the final draft of ANGELS FALLING and finish the rough draft of the Lab Industry Strategic Outlook 2007 and a variety of shorter pieces, and the novel I'm tinkering with (a medical thriller) has gotten left in the dust. And yesterday I thought:
Mark, follow your own damned advice. Write one page.
So I did. And it stretched to 2-1/2.
I also spent time working on ANGELS and the LISO, but I managed to get in those 2-1/2 pages on the WIP.
So yeah, it does work.
Best,
Mark Terry
Over the weekend I dealt with some bookkeeping issues involving my mailing lists, the contest [for those readers who don't know, if you enter my mailing list, you're automatically entered in a contest to receive a signed copy of THE DEVIL'S PITCHFORK and for one lucky winner, a $100 gift certificate to the bookseller of your choice], and sending out copies of my Derek Stillwater short story, "11 Minutes," which I send to anybody who enters the contest, ie., signs my mailing list. Or hell, e-mails and asks me for it.
Anyway, one of the readers, Richard Cooper, e-mailed to tell me he liked it and commented that he didn't know how he was going to find time to work on his thriller, etc. I told him to try a page a day, that when I used to get real busy, I would convince myself, no matter how late at night, hey, just go down in the office and write one page. It'll take you 10 or 15 minutes and you'll be done. One page a day, 365 pages a year, it adds up, go ahead, maybe you'll get in the groove and find yourself writing 5 or 6 pages, or maybe you'll get one page done and that'll be that, go to bed.
Well, recently I've been swamped with work (a good thing for a freelancer) and I'm trying to finish the final draft of ANGELS FALLING and finish the rough draft of the Lab Industry Strategic Outlook 2007 and a variety of shorter pieces, and the novel I'm tinkering with (a medical thriller) has gotten left in the dust. And yesterday I thought:
Mark, follow your own damned advice. Write one page.
So I did. And it stretched to 2-1/2.
I also spent time working on ANGELS and the LISO, but I managed to get in those 2-1/2 pages on the WIP.
So yeah, it does work.
Best,
Mark Terry
posted by Mark Terry at 5:55 AM
4 Comments:
Mark - Entered your mailing list the other day. Does this mean I will get your "11 minutes" soon? Am looking forward to it.
Yep. Any lag time is merely a reflection of how slow I am to get the hang of figuring out the Vertical Response mailing lists--like I just noticed they're in alphabetical order, not with new names on the top or bottom.
Yes, I am my own worst enemy.
Like Anne Lamott says, ya gotta take it bird by bird. By the way, since Border's had Devil's Pitchfork sitting on one of the front tables, I felt compelled to add to your retirement fund. It's in the que, which is rather long. I'll see about moving it up so I'll have something other than Oxford politics to talk to you about.
Ron, you just made my day. Borders in Auburn Hills????? Front table???
And thanks. Hope you enjoy it. And if you need a critical eyes for MOTS, you know my #.
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