Talk about a marathon…
It’s 2:52am. I’ve been writing for… I don’t know how long… 5 hours, at least. I have a bit of a headache, and my arms and shoulders are sore from a heavy workout yesterday (not to mention sitting at my computer and writing for 5 freakin’ hours!).
I just checked my word count for today. Not counting any editing, I cranked out an astounding 6,223 words. What’s more, that doesn’t count the ~1,200 words I wrote this afternoon and then deleted tonight because I didn’t need the scene. No wonder my neck and shoulders are sore. That’s a freakin’ short story by itself!
The result of today’s writing marathon is that I’m more or less finished with Chapter 5. I didn’t get to a major scene that I wanted to include, but I think I need everything in the chapter. That is, it’s all important for later.
Anyway, it’s late. I want to take some Advil and go to bed. Unfortunately, it’ll take me a while to unwind. I haven’t been to bed before 2am all week, and it’s mostly because Wren grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Who was I to refuse?
God, I can’t keep doing this. I’m losing sleep, and my wife is going to kill me if I don’t start coming to bed before the wee hours of the morning. She gets up in 4 freakin’ hours, for God’s sake!
It’s now 2:59am, and I want to finish this post before 3:00.
Oops. Too late.
Goodnight.
- Nick
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23 Responses to “Talk about a marathon…”
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Take a break. You are trying to get back into the chapter a week thing again. Your wife will not appreciate that. It is easy to get tied up in your writing and forget about other “stuff”, but the other “stuff” is pretty important too. Thanks for all off your efforts Nick.
Bob
Nick I’d agree w/Bob’s sentiments. I’ll caution you to pace yourself and not worry about the rapid output. I have the feeling, however, that you’re motivating yourself on this. I think you’ve come to terms with the fact that there is no way to please everyone and have stopped trying (if you ever did). As long as you’re writing for you, great, it’s good to know that others can truly get wrapped up in what they do. (As much as we can get wrapped up in the result, apparently)
Thank you for your efforts.
Bill
BTW, I’m agape at the 6,000 word bit. Truly astonishing.
@Bob
Actually, I’m not “trying” to do anything. It’s the story (this part of it, at least). Other writers will tell you the same thing… when the story grabs you, sometimes it won’t let go.
- Nick
Okay, I’m nowhere *near* as experienced as Nick in this… but I can tell you, when a story gets hold of you, you can’t stop. You just can’t
Nick its funny you say that. I am an avid reader, I stumbled upon Summer Camp last summer and read the first three books in around 4 days. I understand what you are saying though. I am sure that if you had wuit writing you probably would have tossed and turned in bed for a couple hours visualizing.
@Bob (again),
You’re exactly right about tossing and turning in bed. I quit early Tuesday night, and couldn’t go to sleep for more than an hour (I’m usually a fall-asleep-quick kinda guy).
- Nick
I totally agree. It’s the same kind of thing with writing code. You get into a zone and on a roll and before you know it, you see the sun coming up outside your window. Some of my best work has come during the late night hours.
I’m really looking forward to reading about Wren. She was totally great in Book 3 also. A total hottie (but who in the story isn’t a hottie?)
– Dennis
I hope you start getting some sleep soon I love summer camp and am dying for the next chapter, but I hope it gives you a break soon. Good luck! I send patience and good vibes to your wife
Uh Nick,
Family comes first, especially the wife. The Summer Camp die hards have patience. The idiots do not.
Like a fine wine takes time to cultivate, so does a good story.
Remember family comes first!
Karen
@Karen
Well, I always put my family first. To be honest, even my friends and social life come before Summer Camp (work depends on the time of year whether it’s a higher priority than SC).
But my wife was asleep the entire time I was writing. Yes, I enjoy sleeping with her… but I’m asleep.
In any event, sometimes the story grabs me and it won’t let go. Fex: I went to bed Tuesday before I was ready to stop writing… I lay awake for more than an hour thinking about the story. Like I said, sometimes it won’t let go.
- Nick
Like Nick and several others have said, once you start writing, it tends to take over. There have been nights where I intended on just doing some editing on someone else’s story and was up until the wee hours of the morning because, after I was done editing, I was in the mood to write some of mine. It’s not always something that you have complete control over. There are times I even jot down notes about my story in one of my school note books when I am in class. LOL Trust me the muse can really get to you.
Wow! If I could do that I would not have missed my target in NaNoWritMo after NaNoWriMo! You are awesome. And you write some damn fine words too! (By the way, thanks for writing those words!)
I can appreciate staying up till 2:30 writing, because I stayed up just as late reading the first three books of Summer Camp, it’s that addicting.
Unlike other long stories I’ve read, this story has never lost any of it’s appeal (or it’s direction.) It’s been an emotional roller coaster ride for me.
I appreciated what everyone is saying once a story gets hold of you it sometimes will NOT let go. Bob said he stumpled on SC series and read Bk 1 - 3 and read them in 4 days. I think I found SC toward the end of Bk 1 and I pulled an “all nighter” to catch up. I think I found it around 11PM on Friday and read until the sun was coming up. It was not a planned “all nighter”, because I didn’t realized it was 5AM until I finished the last chapter that was posted. There is NO DOUBT in my mind if I found JUST found SC and had to read Bk 1 - 3, I would be calling in sick tomorrow, not because I was up all night reading, but because I was up all night reading and wanted to read more.
Nick,
I know where you’re at with the wife and the late nights. It’s even worse if your wife wakes up at the drop of a pin
That’s why my computer room has a futon in it. I catch less hell for never coming to bed than I do for coming to bed late and waking her up!
I find it helpful to remind my wife that I could be out drinking instead
Chapter 2 was great, can’t wait to see what you’ve done with Wren in chapters 3-5.
Charles
To build on something Karen said, the diehards don’t all have patience. The idiots are just the ones who haven’t figured out to keep their fuckwittedness inside of their head.
Me, I just ran across Ch.2 today and am already clamoring for Ch. 3. See, impatient without fuckwitting. It’s possible.
thank you Sir for the direction you are taking the story, I have been a avid reader of written stories/books since my Mom took me to the library with her in the 70’s. And you have talent, great talent, for creating such an captivating storyline. I have greatly enjoyed the Wren character, so much fun! I hope there is more fun to be had there. take care and relax.
Thanks again for such a wonderful read.
Bill
I would let something like http://nickscipio.com/summercamp/extras/scgirls/images/sc_wren4.jpg grab me anytime!
I loved chapter 2, looking forward to chapter three.
Amazing! Simply amazing I have been reading since Book 1. I have never really had the nerve to say it and I want to now you have an amazing talent for playing with the detail of a story the little things that make the story! Keep it up at a comfortable pace please I would love to read the end that is worked put together and done with that attention to detail.
Ya gotta take it easy mate. None of us want burnout or words for words sake. Family and Friends in Real Time matter. Turn the puter off once in a while. Go play.
Love all the story so far, but I’m not gonna bust your balls cos I want it all now.
Many Thanks so far.
despite all the burning out comments, I for one appreciate the work you put into the story. I hope you’re enjoying the writing just as much as I enjoy the reading. Not being a language person, I don’t often get caught in the writing or spend my free time writing, but I hope it’s rewarding :).
I loved the turn in character of Paul in the last chapter (2, book 4) btw. It was a new side and humanized him again, despite how shameful it makes him (to not even have any regrets about his desires). He just felt incredibly different to me, but I still loved hearing about him.
I may have sent you a comment once or twice, but I’ve been reading since the end of book 1 when you were still with ASSTR and I must say keep up the good work. I’ve modeled more than a few of my own decisions on Paul’s and my life still has no regrets. Thanks for the amazing story and I’ll continue to check daily for an update.
Cheers,
-Dan
What you are doing is INCREDIBLE. I’ve never read anything more interesting in my whole life! I can’t even come close to discribe how good it is(that could depend on the fact that I’m a Swede who doesn’t know english too good).
Anyway I totally agree with everyone else; don’t burn yourself out (that’s gotta be annoying to read again, but it’s true). I know what you mean about getting wrapped up in stuff though. I collect Warhammer (yes, I’m a geek, I know) and I sometimes sit up all night reading the rulebook just so I can beat my friends.
When I get up the next morning (or try to) I’m a wreck. It’s clearly not healthy for you. Anyway keep the good stuff comin’ in a healthy pace.
Many thanks
-The Swede
Nick, I know this is a late entry, but I read your point about throwing away “1200 words” and the joke of it all hit me like a ton of bricks:
“New! From Wallaby Websites, comes “Summer Camp - The Complete Series on DVD! Starring all your favorite characters, in all of those *wonderful* situations, for you to read again and again. And if you act now, we’ll throw in a BONUS DVD with all of the stuff that hit the cutting-room floor! Now, you can follow the story that never made it to the CRTs and LCDs of yesterday! See what happened when Wren got her labia pierced by the butch biker chick! See Paul try to wrestle his way (literally) out of a tight situation with the homebuilding crew during an after-hours drink-fest gone horribly wrong! All these and MUCH, MUCH MORE! Yours for the low, low price of only $4.99 (plus $195.01 S/H in the contiguous US) Act NOW - Operators are standing by!”
Heh.
Keep up the good work, take your time, don’t end up with an ulcer, enjoy taking the fuckwits to task (so easy to fight a war against an unarmed army…), and keep doing what you do so well - providing us ungrateful bahstahds with some of the finest adult writing in existence.
Thank you,
Jay