Writing the book (part two)

It's been some time since my last blog entry - twelve days to be exact - and while I'd love to say that this was because I was busy writing the book, that would unfortunately be a slight exaggeration. As usual, progress is steady but slow, with only one new chapter completed over the past two weeks. To make up for it, here's the followup to the story about how I started working on the book, as well as an important related announcement.

In the first part of this epic tale, I recounted how the story that would become Demons and such started out as a comic book based on some role-playing characters I had created, as well as how I had finally decided to take a leave of absence from work in order to work on the book full-time.

I had made my decision in the fall of 2004, following the completion of the second Scooby-Doo game I had designed at Artificial Mind & Movement. I had approached Denis, my Game Executive, in order to discuss this. He was very receptive, and soon I had received his approval for the unpaid leave of absence. The details, mainly 'when' and 'for how long', would be worked out after the Christmas break.

Fate, however, had decided otherwise. At the Christmas party two friends and colleagues, Jean and Oz, had asked me how I would love to design a game or two for Nintendo's new portable console, the DS. I was intrigued by this little machine, with its dual display, touch screen interface and wireless capabilities. As it happened, the newly-formed DS team was in a bit of a bind, having no designers on board yet. Thinking about it over the holidays, I finally decided to postpone my sabbatical leave for a few months and help out the DS team.

In retrospect, there might have been something else to this decision. I had put the book project on the back burner for so long, I think I might have been a little scared to actually start it - not to mention the financial hit of going six months without a salary. Whatever the reasons, I ended up doing two DS games for A2M (almost simultaneously, too, which I do not recommend to anyone): a port of Scooby-Doo! Unmasked and the first-ever Kim Possible game in 3D.

Once these projects were done, I once again started to plan my break from work. I was becoming obsessed with the book, and felt that I really needed to get a start on it. However, as the poet said, 'the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.' Another A2M project (a PS2/Gamecube adaptation of the movie Monster House) was stuck in limbo after the lead designer had quit to go to UbiSoft. Denis asked me if I would mind postponing my leave of absence one more time to lead the project to completion. Again, I accepted.

As Monster House got underway, however, it soon became clear that I could no longer wait to start the book. The story and the characters wouldn't leave me alone, and even started creeping up on me at work. I though about quitting, but at the last moment I told myself I would at least try to start working on it during my free time. It might take longer than I had first planned, but at least it would keep going forward. I was reminded of a Dino Buzzati quote (though I have forgotten the actual words) in which he urges a young writer to write every day, even if it's only a line or two.

And so I began to do what I had thought impossible, to write an epic novel while working full-time as a game designer. At first I worked at home, mostly on week-ends and at night, but I soon realized that I needed these rest periods to unwind from work and spend some times with my friends. As it turned out, my house was also not a very good place to write for me. So I took some of the money I had put aside for my sabbatical leave and bought a laptop computer (my first in over twelve years). I then started to write during lunch hours, going to the wireless-enabled café across the street so I could access an online dictionary and wikipedia - my two most important writing aides.

I have been doing this ever since, writing for about 45 minutes every day of the week (except those times when I have lunch with Ghislain). The amazing thing about this is that, so far, it has been working very well. I found out I was at my mental peak during that time of the day, and that I could easily phase out the activity around me, reducing it to a strangely comforting background buzz. I've also adjusted to writing on a laptop keyboard, as opposed to the larger ones found on desktop, and now actually prefer it.

The greater part of the book (over 90%, I'd say) has thus been written in cafés, libraries and occasionally the Eaton Center food court, though the latter is a bit too noisy for me, even with headphones on. I know this isn't for everyone, but if you're trying to work on a personal project while working full-time, I suggest you give it a try. Sure, you might feel a bit antisocial for not going out to lunch with co-workers, but you might find that your project actually gets somewhere, instead of just taking up valuable real estate in your mind.

And now, for the aforementioned announcement: after putting it off for more than two years, I will finally take that sabbatical leave. The four-month break will happen after the current project, which should be done by July (well, my contribution to it, at least). I'll hopefully be able to finish the first draft of the book, and perhaps complete a first rewrite by year's end. I still need confirmation from my boss' boss, but so far it seems as if it's not going to be a problem. I'll post further developments on this blog as they come.

Until then, keep on writing, every day, even if it's a sentence or two!