Remember way back in September Tony Lee said we all ought to write crime novels, cos they were a way of making money from your writing? Well, finally this week, I started.
I'd written a plot back in November, featuring my insurance claims adjuster character called Underwriter Hogg. But I wasn't happy with the plot, that seemed a little complicated, and couldn't get round to start writing it.
Then on Friday 4th Feb I started writing a new one. I wrote, at the top of the Word document, "Made up as I went along version" and just started making shit up as I went.
Last night, Tuesday, I went to the pub with Steve and told him how I'd already written 7500 words. Tonight, at 5pm on Wednesday, I've written 15,148 words. All just made up as I go along. I only have the vaguest idea of how the rest of the plot's going to develop as I'm writing it. And I'm sure I'm going to paint myself into a corner and be unable to finish the thing satisfactorily.
But two key things stick in my mind from "The Tony Lee Speech" which he gave me back in September. It only has to be 70,000 words long. And - and this was the kicker - "it doesn't have to be well written."
So far I am definitely fulfilling one of those criteria. Now I just have to see if I can spin this nonsense out for another 53,852 words and let's see whether this becomes the start of my publishing empire (in precisely the way that the colouring books, on which I wasted three months, and which currently sell between one and four copies a day, sometimes none, wasn't).
And why have I chosen that picture from Findlay Macbeth at the top of the page? When and if I finish this first novel, hopefully all will become clear.
UPDATES
Fri 11. Car into garage Wednesday, School Thursday, less than an hour's writing Friday. 15,865 words.
Weds 16. First bit of writing in a week, in my hotel room in Dartford, between schools, 8.30 - 10.30 at night. 17,488 words.
Fri 18. Classes cancelled by storm, but blown-down fences and other stuff distracting. 18,888 words. Plus an extra half hour at night, 19,293 words.
Sun 20. A day of writing (storm outside) but more thinking than writing done. 21,574 words.
Mon 21. Busy with house moving news, squeezed a tiny bit of writing in. 22,626 words.
Tues 22, 6pm. 24,674. 8pm 25,484.
Weds 23. Tiny bit of writing (the Decree Nisi scene, inserted early on in the book) before setting off to overnight stay in Lancashire. 26,015. 9pm, a brief scribble in my hotel room. 26,400
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