Monday has at last come back as one of my favourite days of the week. The ceiling on Monday is what I managed to achieve today, where I cleared the weekend tasks incoming, set up my week ahead, and then got target done on the side, all before 2pm. In fact target would have been just before 1pm, but I stopped at 13:05 on 1,200 words, so it’s even been a productive writing day to boot. What’s not to like? The only thing that could be better right now is my budgeting for the month, as I’ve ended up leaving myself with a tight budget, though I don’t think that’s going to be a problem somehow. I have switched back to cafeteria food saying that, so I’m technically spending three times as much as I was at home on that.
So today’s the day. The office is no more busy than it was before, though I have seen a few people in limbo as far as masks go. Now it’s not mandatory people tend to carry them around if they’re not wearing them, more than a few saying they feel strange not wearing them. I’m keeping mine on if only because it’s not a major inconvenience and I kinda like wearing it in a strange way. Granted the ones I have are more comfortable but I’m sure there’s a bit of a parasitic nature to my affection for the damn things. Here’s hoping that goes away soon.
MAL is, moving, I think. I am trying not to overthink the pacing of the story, but in each chapter I do want to have excitement and an insight into day to day electioneering. The latter is based on my experience at the three or four by elections I’ve had some level of involvement in, and the regular ones I have too. Off the top of my head, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections in Eastbourne, 2011, 2015 and 2019 locals, 2013, 2017 and 2021 county – though that last one I was just leafleting, and both the 2010’s Oldham by elections, Eastleigh on phones and, I feel like I’m forgetting one but god knows. So yeah, I know a bit about what this stuff looks like.
That being said, while I can write the book as just a happy go lucky campaign, that’s not what it’s meant to be about. The darker stuff is the fun and games, and that’s meant to be what I’m dropping in now, unless that is, I make this a much longer book. There is a temptation there to say I just broke into two, and make this like 110,000 words. I’m, on the fence about that. There’s enough content, but whether it’s engaging enough to be on the upper end of traditional non-fantasy novel length is, hard to say. But hey I can always cut it down.
Well back to work. And man, I know I keep saying this, but it’s good to be back.
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