Published Author Or Bust!

For some people it’s a basement or attic away from the family. For others, it’s a coffee shop surrounded by people. For me, the best place to write is on the daily commute.

Recent car troubles (short version: split coolant hose, long version: same but with more comedic exaggeration) have forced me to get the train to work for the last couple of weeks. Now due to horrendous oversight in the construction of Britain’s railways, this means I have to catch a 45-minute train into London, then another 45-minute train out again on a different line. And vice versa to get home. Which means I’m travelling for three hours a day (minus delays and walking between trains and home) - perfect time to write.

Admittedly, I’ve only been using one of the two trains to write on. The first train is too busy for me to get a seat, but the second train is always empty, so I can sit down comfortably(ish), whip out my mini laptop and get cracking, racking up an hour and a half’s writing (and anywhere between 600 and 1500 words, depending on how well it flows each day).

So while I failed to even write a word of Chapter Three the other weekend, I did manage to write the entire chapter in four days’ worth of commuting last week. This week I’ve started and almost finished Chapter Four.

It’s fantastic, and I feel like I’m being really productive. There are no distractions, and because the journey only lasts 45 minutes, I have a strict deadline to write to (it’s not like I can put it off and make it up later). Plus the bonus is, I don’t have to worry about finding time to write more when I get home, meaning I get to enjoy all the other stuff that usually distracts me from writing.

My car will inevitably be fixed, and I’ll have to find another time and place to write (might try the coffee shop idea), but until then, I’m going to get as much written as I can.

James Uncategorized