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Writing on the Road
How Do You Do It? Asks Ethan
© 2020 James LaFond
DEC/4/20
“James, I notice that when you have left a travel notice that your posting becomes more sporadic, nothing for days, then 7 articles in one day. As a writer myself, dependent on a study space and quietude for contemplation and composition, I wonder how this works for you.”
-Ethan Allen

Ethan, what I post has no bearing on my writing output at that time. Secondly, what is posted on this site is only a portion.
This is how the backlog currently breaks down:
-The patreon site has 19 more weekly posts written and scheduled through March. I wrote those in 1 week in October while posting content I had written in early August.
-The ghost site has another 12 weekly posts written and scheduled that I wrote 7-9 months ago.
-The blogspot has 18 more posts written and scheduled that I wrote a year ago.
-For this site, the posts I have written since August yet to be scheduled, reposing in their lonely folders, are listed below, keeping in mind that each of these yet to be published books that these posts are a part of, have 25% to 75% of the content withheld from online posting and reserved only for the book:
-Wytchfinder: 2, written in August
-Unbowed: 5 written in August
A Science-Haunted Word: 4, written in August and September
-Randy Bracken Goes to Hell: 4 written in September and October
-Flood: 12, written in November
-By Gaslight: 10 written in November
-Plantation America: 9 written in October and November
-46 posts are ready to be proofed and posted. By letting them sit for weeks and months my Special Ed. level of proofing is more effective.
I usually strain my eye and wrist finishing a book project in my last week in a location as I like deadline pressure. I have noted, through studying my output that taking off a day or two after finishing a book sometimes helps build momentum for starting or finishing another project.
My last day at a location, I devote to socializing and packing.
My travel time sees only reading from books, unless on a long train trip.
My first day at a location is reserved for visiting with my benefactor.
Sometimes there is a lot of work to do, like helping butcher an elk and grade the drainage around the camper I’m living in.
These things are all good for humbling the arrogant writer. I am the most prolific author alive, have had more books banned than all but a handful, am a more entertaining writer than just about all of my competitors, and traffic in rare information. I might be retarded in many ways, but I am near the top of this writing game. So, being compelled to do many things that I suck at, like smoking this turkey, running a chainsaw, butchering an animal, and trying to figure out how to get that ATV in the barn to start after only having been shown the process six times, I can approach my craft with more perspective.
Part of the article dump, after I have landed somewhere, is that my email box will be full of prompts, some which have been neglected, so I try and clear this, and my comments section, by writing answers by way of posts. I also have to attend to the business of thanking patrons and book buyers and planning projects with my dear editor.
Another aspect of the changing location is social. In Portland, my Host worked nights, so I tried to write at night and socialize during his awake time.
Up here, in the mountains, these men work early morning. So, it took a few days to adjust my sleep clock and get on a new writing schedule.
What I have tried to do is not post on Saturday and Sunday and put out 10-14 posts per week in five days. This enables me to do activities and work with my hosts. When such activities are not pressing, I take a weekend to finish writing a book.
I approach writing as work and motivate myself in strange ways, like not permitting myself to eat each writing day until 3 chapters are written.
I hope this helps, Ethan, and wish you well with your writing.

Explore Plantation America at Patreon:
Ghost site with Randy Sterling Bracken
November 2020 Word Counts
author's notebook
Why Black Fiction?
eBook
'in these goings down'
eBook
honor among men
eBook
plantation america
eBook
solo boxing
eBook
by the wine dark sea
eBook
on combat
eBook
under the god of things
eBook
the combat space
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