As much as I enjoy writing fiction, the non-fiction pays some of the bills. (The day job pays the rest.)
Non-fiction calls. I have another 2nd edition rewrite starting soon. Deadlines are approaching. Work to be done. Hands to be rubbed together in glee. #amwriting (Non-fiction is published under a different name, so don’t waste any time searching for F. L. Stevens books on programming.)
I need to do a technology refresh on my writing computer. My non-fiction is about programming in Python, so I need to get the latest-and-greatest Python 3.7 environment set up.
The upgrades usually takes about 20 minutes, often less. It’s not a high-stress thing. It’s just a checklist item. Which is why I like to write about Python — the barrier to entry is low.
Then I need to start a proper code repository for the examples. My process has matured (a lot) over the eight books, and I’ve arrived at a technique with a solid set of automated tests for the programming examples. I need to be absolutely sure they work no matter how many times I obsess over details and make tiny changes to clarify things.
This will take a day or so to migrate the old book’s examples to my latest automated test harness.
Non-fiction means I have to set The Forge aside for a few months. I think I may resume trying to sell the Shoemaker’s Row story. And I’ll continue collecting rewrite notes for The Sword and The Crystal. Plus, I’m starting to develop a sense of where The Crown, The Orb, and the Scepter will take the Mage and the Red Knight. Much work to be done there, and some of the larger arc may lead to rewrites in the other two books. But that has to wait until next summer.
Or.
Quit my day job so I can do both.