Writing about Writing
It’s a slippery slope, writing about the craft that I understand the mechanics of, but I don’t understand the mystery of what it is. Then, too, there’s the superstition that writing about it makes it go away, and I can’t afford that, I have an innate drive that must be answered.
However, the pace is different. With Mercury, where it is, and the rest of the planets, where they all are, as noted elsewhere?
There are days when I’m lucky to get out one good horoscope. That’s —maybe— 200 words. Just one coherent commentary about a single sign. Nothing else.
Luck?
Noted in other formats, I define luck as “Preparation meets opportunity.”
Writing about Writing
One morning last week, week before? I popped out of bed, rested and ready. I started working on an upcoming weekly set of horoscopes, and I was working even before I made coffee, beginning at an ungodly hour of 6:45 AM.
I worked, off and on, mostly on, but I toiled away until almost 2 in the afternoon. Sounds about right, took most near 8 hours to write one weekly column — one set of horoscopes. That’s just the completed, rough draft. Not yet posted, just finished, rough draft. The outline — filled in, fleshed out, the meat on the bones.
That’s a really good day, when I can get one done before I’m required to be elsewhere.
It’s not always like that, and the rest of the current mechanics include copy-editing, although more than one person doesn’t believe I do that, but yes, there’s proof-reading, then posting, and then, doing a final proof before it goes live. Not always, but I try to get a third read-through in before the scopes are operational because, because I make mistakes. Not that I’m a bad typists, but the fingers don’t always hit the key I intended.
Writing about Writing
The first part, that first rough draft? When I was quick, I could do it in two sittings, pot of coffee, more like about three cups, one morning, and then, the same the next, get about six individual signs done that way, easy.
The simplest way to break down my internal guidance goal? Four type-script pages, manuscript formatted, or about 250 words per page, which, if you don’t like the math, is about 1,000 words — every day. Because I have other obligations, I can’t do that every day. Days that involve work, play, fishing, or other? Those don’t count, and I can’t get upset if I miss that goal.
Guidance is Internal