And Now We Are Forty-Eight
18/03/2025
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It’s the eighteenth of March here in Australia, which means I’ve just turned another year older. We’re still fixing things up after
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?
I’m on the final 2,000 words of my PhD chapter, with three sections left to write. One is an overview of the way verisimultude shapes the way we interpret genre, one is the way in which genres shape reading communities, and one is looking at how the way series works are being published and read has shifted the poetics of series works. It’s a lot to fit into the space, but that’s better than having not enough.
What’s inspiring me this week?
The Good Place. I resisted watching this a lot over the past month because so much is made about “the big twist,” but my partner picked it after we ran out of The Unbreakable Schmidt and it’s been outstanding. I adore the way it sneaks a bunch of legit philosophy into the narrative, and there’s just some incredible performances from the cast.
What action do I need to take?
I really need to go through my chapter draft and double-check all the referencing is correct, and the bibliography is properly put together.
It’s the eighteenth of March here in Australia, which means I’ve just turned another year older. We’re still fixing things up after
I’m writing this from an apartment packed down for impending cyclone/hurricane due to hit Brisbane some time in the next 24 hours.
I recently offered GenrePunk Ninja subscribers a list of options for a series of deep dive entries, and got them to vote
7 Responses
Peter: good work on reaching the final stretch for the chapter! Has the word count been relatively predictable per day, or has it fluctuated with the complexity of what you’re wrangling?
Anywhere between 50 words and 1600, depending on the section.
What am I working on this week?
This week is upskilling reading (The Accidental Creative, Wonderbook and Work Clean) along with learning a new programming language as a bit of a side-skill. Doors closed for recording at the moment except for some final pickups for the film, so I’ve got pretty full control over my week. BLISS. Also looking at spinning a video side-project back up, because it scratches the combined itches of games, narrative and improv.
What’s inspiring me this week?
There’s a lot that’s clicking into place in the re-read of Accidental Creative that I didn’t catch last time around, that’s turning things I’d kind of followed as cargo cult rituals into actions with meaning, and that clarity is bliss.
Also a new Mac app called Focus which became available via my SetApp app subscription. I’m dealing with a bit of a sleep debt at the moment resetting daily schedule, and it turns social media off in the browser for a configurable period of time, making it just that little bit harder to go for the cheap endorphin hit.
What action do I need to take?
I need to be finishing the day earlier at the moment. I’ve rebooted the day’s start to 5:15, but I haven’t inched back the end of the day enough to not be accruing a sleep debt, which is killing my productivity later in the day.
Dear God, 5:15? How much extra time does that give you in the morning? A couple of hours?
I manage to get up an hour early, but realistically that works out to 45 minutes after dragging my carcass out of bed, making coffee, and firing up my laptop.
It makes a huge difference to how starting the day feels, because I’m starting (typically) before the chaos of the household starting its day, so I’m sitting and waking up in my own time, enjoying a coffee and playing video games. After that, I’ve typically gotten my big exercise for the day done by 7AM. The difference that makes in mindset is huge, although it does mean a 20 minute nap in early afternoon is almost mandatory.
If I tried to do any real work during that time though, it’d be a real slog.
Well hello there, guys! Peter, your reminder email has been landing in my inbox with inspiring regularity, but I’d gone so long since I responded it was getting embarrassing. With a New Year around the corner, however, I thought I’d get out of the dudgeons.
Congratulations on getting near to the end of your PhD. A huge achievement!
Kevin, I’m going to look into that App – I could use more time off Social Media. Hope you catch up on your sleep debt soon.
What am I working on this week?
Rewrites. I’m of the belief this is paying myself forwards, because I am getting faster at doing these and gaining more clarity on what each scene is aiming to achieve. I found The Story Genius by Lisa Cron to be a huge help in nailing the special “something” that picks a story up and lifts it.
What’s inspiring me this week?
Actual real life deadlines. Firstly, I need to send something off to an editor for review in 2 weeks. Secondly, I have hard dates for a bunch of family coming over for the Northern summer. Thirdly, my Nanna has told me to get a book published before she dies or else she’ll haunt me. She’s 90. It’s a big incentive.
What action do I need to take?
Keep on swimming. And getting timely feedback, acting on it, and going again. More specifically, I need to get up earlier and get some writing in first thing before the rest of the day takes over.
What am I working on this week?
My book goes live on Amazon on the 7th, so priority is anything that needs doing for that. I think all that’s left are drafting up the announcements I plan to make.
It’s really time to start editing the novella that’s next in my pipeline and I may start that this week, but I’ll wait and see what my day job has in store for me. It could be hectic.
What’s inspiring me this week?
My partner, who keeps making me talk about my book with people. I am very, very bad at this and need to get better.
Also reading the third book in Django Wexler’s Shadow Campaigns gunpowder fantasy series. I’m really enjoying this series in a way I find I rarely do any more.
What action do I need to take?
Keep the commitments light this week. Make sure the book release tasks are done. Leave capacity for work to be crazy. Anything else is gravy.