Sorry for not keeping up with you and Max!

I self-published the Ruport Book, as you know, along with Mike Milner. That had its pros and cons. But now, I’m working on a book for O’Reilly, so I’m cutting my teeth on a ‘real contract’ too.

No advice has worked for me, other than this simple fact:
A book is written by stringing words together into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into pages, pages into chapters.

Sit down and write a sentence. Decide to keep writing until you burn out or run out of time. Do this as frequently as possible, and your book will be written.

I stand still and freeze when I think about what effort it’ll take to write a whole book, and I fly when I’m just trying to nail a section or paragraph.

Also… pick the right examples and the book will go much easier. I sit around for days on end thinking about that, and then once the example fits, I can see a whole chapter come flying together in my head, that I just need to put out on paper.

Bad examples are poison, and have the opposite effect. I’m sure this advice is barely useful, but I guess I felt the need to throw in my two cents.

Also, always remember that your family and your well being are more important than your book. Words on paper may outlast you, but they’re not alive.

What about a full court ADD press where you get tangential and write an easier book first? Sorry, it is all I know!

I am happy to resume ass prod duties if you want me to do so in a more organized fashion.

I’m single, no kids, and writing a novel. I feel the same way you do. I think its part of writing. Here’s the advice I got on Saturday.

1. How long of s writing session is “worth it” to you? For me it’s an hour. My coach cut that down to 30 min.

2. Take a piece of paper and draw seven circles on it.

3. Put it somewhere you can see it daily.

4. Fill in a circle every day you spend the allotted time writing.

5. Review at end of week. More days on than off? Can you up it by a day?

Might help.

Other suggestions (swear I’m not saying its easy or trying to fix it)
Can you stay at work an hour later and write there? Take a laptop in and sit in the lunch room or the nearest cafe after work? Just extend the 20 to 25 and then go home.

Good luck, you aren’t whining. This is writing a book.

I think Yegge would tell us there’s no real shortcut to grasping CS, anyway. Right? I mean, I have to write a compiler, right? I’m sure I have to read the Gang of Four book, also.

I apologize for the disjointedness of this comment. Ultimately, I think, if it is a dream of yours to have written a tech book, than it certainly may be noble and desirable to chase it. Don’t do it for any of ‘us’, or for anyone else, really. Do whatever you do for you and your ‘loved ones’.