SEVEN DAYS until submission! Here begins my final-week sequence of blink-and-you-miss-them ghostwriter reports ... A 5:15am start rewarded me with 90 minutes of precious editing time before the day job kicked in. I edited only one chapter, due to the need for some delicate rewriting: weaving character relationships more fully into steadily mounting pre-battle tension; … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 20

After a solid day spent editing, and with a little over a week to go until my final submission deadline, it's unlikely this entry will make a lot of sense. But if I don't check in now, you probably won't hear from me again until it's all over. And that would be a shame. Today, … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 19

I'm eighty-eight pages into the second draft, which means it's time to put down my laptop for a moment and check in with you, oh loyal reader of these rambling and soon-to-be-concluded ghostwriter diaries. Why pause for breath on this particular page? Read on and you'll find out. This might be the second draft, but … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 18

If you've ever climbed a mountain, or even a moderately challenging hill, you'll know all about false summits. A false summit is the tantalising peak that appears over the next ridge when you're still only halfway up the slope. You strike out towards it with renewed gusto, convinced your ultimate goal is in sight, and … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 17

Huzzah! I'm a very happy ghost! The first draft of the novel is now complete, nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. Having blasted through the final action-packed chapters, I now find myself with no more story left to tell. However, if you think I'm ready to kick back with a stiff drink, think again. My … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 16

Regular readers of these ghostwriter diaries may recall how, a few weeks ago, a minor crisis involving a broken washing machine resulted in my most productive day to date. Well, thanks to yet another domestic disaster, I've surpassed my record. All right, it was hardly a disaster, just a carbon monoxide alarm triggering an unlikely … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 15

Well, that's the second big milestone reached. At around 6:30am today, I wrote the final words of Chapter 25, completing Act II of the fantasy novel I'm ghostwriting. My deadline to submit this middle chunk of the book is Monday morning, so I have the weekend to review it. I don't have time to do … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 14

Years ago, Gloria Estefan advised me that the rhythm was gonna get me. I think she may have been broadcasting the same message to several million other people at the same time, but I can't be sure. Well, you know what? Just as Gloria promised, the rhythm has indeed got me. In the early days … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 13