The Sunday Circle: What Are You Working On This Week?

The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).

After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.

Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).

MY CHECK-IN

What am I working on this week?

There’s a heavy uni week coming up where I’ve got a bunch of days at university, with a month to lock down the new shape of the thesis based on the feedback from confirmation. The next couple of weeks is going to be spent writing rough mini-essays locking down the shape of various arguments a bit better, so I can see where they’re intersecting and which aren’t quite there.

On the Hell Track front, a close study of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express dining car scene finally got me through the draft version of the scene where I introduce a bunch of new characters at once, so I’m moving onto a race scene and building on the set-up.

What’s inspiring me this week?

I devoured Winifred Gallagher’s Rapt, which looks at the role that attention plays in defining our lives, alongside the opening chapter’s of Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook which explores the nature of inspiration when it comes to starting and maintaining creative focus. They’re incredibly useful books to read simultaneously, as I’d increasingly find myself annotating my notes from one with points suggested by the other and seeing possible connections. 

Both are recommended, but if you’re looking for one that will change the way you think about your creative work, try the Gallagher first.  

What action do I need to take?

We’re re-arranging the flat at the moment, setting it up in a new configuration to give my partner a little more space, which means I’ve got to rethink some workflow options and start reorganising books based on certain bookshelves being more or less accessible than they were. It’s also a good time to shift some more stuff over to storage, so I’ll be doing some careful thinking about what needs to be around and what can go out of site for a while.