A podcast got me thinking: could I pull a standalone short story out of my novel? Turns out there are two or three buried in there. Selected one. Now to do the editing.
Four Hours’ Sleep and a Short Story Idea https://t.co/cg2Y1kYgvu
The day job, five separate pension timelines, an evening with Joanna Penn on AI, and one second draft still waiting patiently on the desk.
The Arithmetic of a Creative Life https://t.co/dCEAaAM2Cx
Personal update: I've joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative. I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D. I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time.
A webinar, two new Claude skills, an eighteen-page manuscript analysis, and a small return to Medium. Plenty going on this week. None of it, I notice, was actually editing the book.
A Week of Tinkering https://t.co/jZvBvF9F0g
Knowing your antagonist's motivation isn't the same as putting it on the page. This week's newsletter: third draft lessons, a reluctant return to Medium, and dictation on a dog walk.
Knowing Isn’t Writing https://t.co/4WQcpP1pnc
Dictating from someone else's terrace this week, coffee in hand, post-workout. Honest confessions about the book I haven't touched, the cigarettes I can't quit, and why drafting still beats editing.
Confessions From the Sports Club Terrace https://t.co/la0t4ecfIz
Yesterday's birthday lunch reminded me my family is wonderfully complicated. My wife's ex-husband is also my best friend. That tangle of relationships? It's exactly what draft three needs more of.
Family is Story https://t.co/MLDmaInYyw
Plot is scaffolding. Relationships are the story. This week I had to admit my book has been written around the feelings instead of into them. Time to rebuild.
Words Are Easy. Showing Is Hard. https://t.co/St4P9FFzhp
Finished the editing pass, only to realize the last two chapters need rewriting. Plus a structural epiphany that changes everything. The joys of a first book.
The Last Two Chapters and a Structural Epiphany https://t.co/Snnh2E4Qx5
A perspective check this week. Health matters more than any manuscript. But we're story creatures, and we press on. Book update, world bibles, and why we write.
What Really Matters https://t.co/BG2WUPPMa4
Short update this week. I’m sick, but the editing rolls on. Eighty pages of hand edits to go. The structure still needs work, but it’ll be ready when it’s ready.
Sick, Editing, and Still Figuring It Out https://t.co/l2kfjNh0Qz
A simple question on The Self-Publishing Show stopped me in my tracks. What started you reading? Turns out, even UFO conspiracy books count. What book changed your path?
The Books That Made Me https://t.co/M07TGjGQVy
Building a Claude project saves dozens of frustrating interactions. Role, tone, boundaries, reference material, and keywords: five components transform generic AI into a genuine collaborator.
Building Your Own Claude Project: A Template and Checklist https://t.co/L8RojgdgqZ
Three Claude projects. Zero AI-written prose. I share my philosophy on using AI as a writing partner while keeping every creative decision firmly in my hands.
How AI Became My Writing Partner Without Replacing My Voice https://t.co/wP4v3qDhqg