Work
- I’m writing a novel!
- To track my progress and keep myself accountable, I’m restarting my practice of regularly publishing weeknotes.
- I’m terrified. Never in my life have I been more afraid of starting a new project. Send love and reassurance and chocolate.
- So far, I have a basic premise and an inciting incident to kick off the story. I also have a rough idea of the themes I want to tackle. My protagonist remains a mystery, but I hope to discover who she is in the process of writing the first few chapters. I have an ending in mind, but I’m not tied to it at this early stage.
- I’m planning to write this book one chapter at a time. Thinking about the full story all at once gives me a panic attack. My immediate goal is to write just one chapter and email it to early readers without worrying too much about what comes next. Any plot problems I create today are Future Ankur’s responsibility, not mine.
- To figure out how to structure my story, I’m reading Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith and doing a sort of reverse outline. For a book that was shortlisted for the Booker, Fingersmith is highly entertaining and tightly plotted. I want my story to have the same kind of pacing, structure, and plot.
- I’ll probably share more details about the general shape of the novel when I’m a few chapters in.
Not work
- I’ve started using Jujutsu for all my personal projects. My friends are sick of hearing me talk about it, which means I must find a fresh audience for my sermons. Reader, have you accepted our Lord and Savior
jj into your life yet?
- Megabonk is crack. No brain, only bonk.
Links of the week