That was a fascinating read. I do have a few questions if you don't mind.
What kind of music are you listening when you work? Whenever I'm trying to write/read, I found out that classical, without lyrics, works best to get me focused. If you do, does the style change if you are writing fiction or non-fiction material?
You mentioned deadlines. How does this process work? I assume you submit an outline of your future book to the editor, the editor approves it, and you are given a deadline for each chapter as you go?
I feel like this could be an interesting topic for an AMA 😄
Yes, I listen to music almost constantly, and as you guessed, it varies. For my non-fiction, I listen to the same music as I do when coding. Depending on the mood, that may vary between classical, jazz, contemporary instrumental, rock, metal...it's quite diverse. One thing that's odd about me, though, is that lyrics usually don't distract me.
When I'm writing fiction, I maintain "soundtrack" playlists on Spotify for each book. The style and lyrical content varies from book to book. For "Noah Clue, P.I.", I was listening to a lot of jazz, swing, and acapella. By complete contrast, a different book consists of metal, hard rock, and contemporary cinematic orchestral. Different songs and styles get me in the mood for different books.
In terms of deadlines, that varies from book to book. In terms of "Dead Simple Python" with No Starch Press, I submitted an outline when I pitched the book, and set an arbitrary target date. Once I'd gotten a few chapters in, my editor and I had more concrete information to go off of, and so we worked out a submission schedule (a new chapter every two weeks). Thankfully, No Starch Press takes the stance that quality is more important than meeting deadlines, so we can adjust as necessary, as long as I keep them up to date on progress. (Some publishers flip that, valuing deadlines over quality.)
Considering the number of people writing here, it's safe to say that a lot of dev write a lot as a hobby. I'm sure we could all use some insights from people who write for a living. :) I sure would enjoy grabbing a few tips to be a better writer.
That was a fascinating read. I do have a few questions if you don't mind.
I feel like this could be an interesting topic for an AMA 😄
Thank you for sharing ❤️
Hey Damien,
Great questions!
Yes, I listen to music almost constantly, and as you guessed, it varies. For my non-fiction, I listen to the same music as I do when coding. Depending on the mood, that may vary between classical, jazz, contemporary instrumental, rock, metal...it's quite diverse. One thing that's odd about me, though, is that lyrics usually don't distract me.
When I'm writing fiction, I maintain "soundtrack" playlists on Spotify for each book. The style and lyrical content varies from book to book. For "Noah Clue, P.I.", I was listening to a lot of jazz, swing, and acapella. By complete contrast, a different book consists of metal, hard rock, and contemporary cinematic orchestral. Different songs and styles get me in the mood for different books.
In terms of deadlines, that varies from book to book. In terms of "Dead Simple Python" with No Starch Press, I submitted an outline when I pitched the book, and set an arbitrary target date. Once I'd gotten a few chapters in, my editor and I had more concrete information to go off of, and so we worked out a submission schedule (a new chapter every two weeks). Thankfully, No Starch Press takes the stance that quality is more important than meeting deadlines, so we can adjust as necessary, as long as I keep them up to date on progress. (Some publishers flip that, valuing deadlines over quality.)
I agree, this might be an awesome AMA! Hmm...
Considering the number of people writing here, it's safe to say that a lot of dev write a lot as a hobby. I'm sure we could all use some insights from people who write for a living. :) I sure would enjoy grabbing a few tips to be a better writer.
I agree. It's in my mental queue for some week (or probably weekend) when I can devote the time I should! Thanks for the suggestion.