novelist’s work day

The Nuclear Submarine U.S.S. Bodacious Resurfaces After Six Months of “Deep and Silent”

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About five months ago, I bought a countdown clock that sits directly below my computer monitor, and for 157 days it’s been ticking down. It’s been ticking down to my self-imposed deadline for the second draft of my behemoth epic novel (a series, actually). Last December, I set a deadline for myself: I would finish … Read more

The Seventh Year

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Chris Orcutt enters the seventh year of work on his epic novel.

Come What May, the Writing Life Rolls Along

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This morning I overheard my wife on a conference call with her coworkers at the college where she works. They were discussing how the college plans to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, coming up with various contingency plans. Upon hearing the phrase “contingency plans,” I thought about my life as a novelist and how this … Read more