July 2024

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Hallow!

I was wondering how many hours a day/week you spend on writing/editing/proofreading/etc. when working on projects? I've really been struggling with making any progress on my one book I'm writing. I do not have any deadline to adhere to, to make me work faster, but I still feel like it goes so incredibly slow.

This is one of those questions I get a lot and never have the time to give a proper answer.

The problem is it’s not answerable. Well, not in the way you think at least.

When working on a project I use a system called batching where I work in clumps to minimise turnaround time. I.e. one week I will spend doing as much writing as possible, the next week I will do as much admin as possible, the next week I will do as much sound design work as possible etc.

I do this so that when I am feeling lazy I can treat myself with work from a different clump for variety rather than just resorting to pure procrastination. it scratches the procrastination itch without being actively unproductive when I can’t afford to waste time.

To answer your specific question though novels and scripts are very very different to write and need pretty distinct skill sets. There’s a reason I still haven’t finished a novel, its super slow (comparatively) and requires a huge amount of dedicated grind, scripting dialogue on the other hand I find is just a case of sit down then words happen.

Assuming I am on a dedicated writing clump, undisturbed with no other draws on my time and I deliberately trigger my huyperfocus I tend to write for about 7 hours/ 7000 words a day but that isn’t sustainable and ends up leaving me exhausted by week’s end and needing a recovery period. (Hence the batching.) I still have not found a way to write sustainably hence why Jonny impresses me so much since he can script AND novel simultaneously.

I think honestly its not about the hours you put in as much as it is about regularity of contribution. I only really made any headway once I was a full-time creative. Anyone who can juggle full time work and write a novel is far more talented than I will ever be. It’s very much my own “white-whale”.

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Hey alex, i noticed you wear suits or turtlenecks most of the time. And i couldnt help but wonder, How are you handling the awful heat in the UK atm?

So at the risk of shattering what little personal brand I have built up:

Don’t confuse the person with the persona.

I tend to wear these things at public events to stand out, show respect and give people what they expect.

The truth is that in the heat I have been wearing a lot of jogging leggings and sleeveless synthetic exercise tops with “barefoot-shoes”. In fact, I am wearing that right now.

It’s “a look” but not necessarily one I want to be seen in public with given my ever-growing paunch.

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What are your reactions to the increasingly more eldrich and cryptid jon art?

I mean, I do not really duck into the fandom as much as people fear so when I do come across it:

“Oh cool someone listened to something I made.”

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Hi Alex

Genuine question from someone who has never (not yet anyways) played D&D: what would have happened to the campaign in Rusty Quill Gaming if the party had gone tpk?

Have a nice day!

I mean you already saw a TPK in the Paris arc.

Unfortunately in an entertainment show you can’t just say “rocks fall everybody dies see ya!” So I had a couple of deus-ex-machinas cued up just in case but a TPK has to hurt so each TPK would have cost us at least one core character either in physical death or massive personality changes due to trauma etc. Also NPCs would treat them differently.

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Did the episode “Schwartzwald” in tma take inspiration from the twilight zone episode “time enough at last” ?

I’m afraid that’s a Jonny Question.

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hey man! any ideas to get rid of a nasty violent cough that feels all weird and spongy inside when I breathe?

Visit a licensed medical healthcare professional.

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Who out of the tma/tmagp (your choice) crew would be better at monopoly?

Lena. Because Lena.