Short-term routine

Writing while traveling, book anticipation

This past week I was in Boston for a work conference, and though I am ready for a return to routine after nearly two weeks away from home, I was able to improvise a short-term writing routine for myself while I was there:

• Rise early (but not as early as when I am home, so it felt like sleeping in)

• Exercise in the (very small, very busy) hotel gym

• Get to the Seaport La Colombe right when it opened at seven

• Drink coffee and write for an hour and a half before shifting into work mode

The writing wasn’t great — the words came slow and weren’t quite right — but I touched the world of the novel every day. I have learned that this strategy is less about the writing that happens on those days and more about preventing the opening of a chasm between artist and art that seems too wide to cross. It works.

Today I have notes from Anna on the pond novel. I think we’ve found a working title — more to come.

This week in reading

I am reading Trust by Hernan Diaz. I’m still in the first book within the book but enjoying it so far…

A new bookstore opened in our corner of Brooklyn and I’m very excited about it! We stopped by the grand opening on Saturday and it was packed. If you live here, check out Lofty Pigeon Books.

I have a stack of books waiting to be read when the pond novel manuscript is done, but they’re not the vibe I need to finish this project — top of the pile is the new Kate Zambreno — and my growing TBR is even more motivation to finish the first draft.