1. Write the exact book that you yourself would be thrilled to read.

2. It is not going to come easily, by itself, without thought or effort.

3. It is not going to come whole and perfect first time. Expecting first time perfection only reduces the chance that anything will come at all. Duh.

4. Using wordcount as your only proof of progress – let alone as justification or otherwise for your existence – is always, always a mistake.

5. Frustration is the worst kind of prevarication. Other kinds only waste time; frustration can also destroy you.

6. See 1.

This week on TBM: Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima .

Deep dive mode engaged. The list of things I need to write before I have a complete draft of my new book at last is now less than half a page long. I might feel better if the list didn’t essentially consist of the climax and what happens after, but that’s how these things go. ;p

Meanwhile on Trapped By Monsters I’ve just posted something I’ve been mulling for a while about an icon of British SF: Dare to Dream.