Less Booze, more words

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Grey Malkin

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Well, that's my plan: less booze, more words.

I've decided to embark on a scientific experiment and give up alcohol for a whole month to see if my writing, or the amount that I write, improves. At the end of the month, if there is a marked difference in health or work output, I might even kick the booze for good.

I've got a blog, keeping track of my efforts at: http://colinmulhern1.blogspot.com/

I'm on day 3 at the moment.

Grey
 

skelly

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Good luck to you with that. Maybe you'll inspire me to do the same. I'm pulling for you, and I've bookmarked your blog.

:)
 

Grey Malkin

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I still don't know how those subscribe feed things work on a blog, or how to get other people's blog's to show up automatically if I have subscribed to them - at the moment I have to go back to the actual website.
 

skelly

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I don't know either, other than that you have to have some sort of feed reader thing. I had a Yahoo360 page that I could cut and paste feeds into, but mostly I just bookmark or "favorites" anything that looks interesting and check back whenever it occurs to me to do so. Somebody will probably stop by here and set us both straight on it.
 

FergieC

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I gave up completely for a whole week in February :)

It does help. Waking up stone cold sober, with not even a hint of hangover is the best way to start a writing day, and I can't write at all after more than a pint - just fall asleep or get lazy.

Trouble is, that first pint can be quite helpful to get you into it after a day at work, but then it kind of gives you the taste and there's the danger of ending up texting someone and going for a few more instead of carrying on...it's a tough life, really.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Booze

I have one drink per year, a Jameson and coffee, on St. Patrick's Day. There was a time when I drank a fair amount. Then I discovered there are no benefits to drinking, and many disadvantages.

No one writes well because of booze. At best, they write well despite the booze.
 

FergieC

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Then I discovered there are no benefits to drinking

Oh, I dunno. It's good for getting rid of time you've got spare...erm, actually, that's not a good thing at all, is it?

No, I agree. There is no benefit for writing at all. It is a social benefit though, and I wouldn't like to give up totally.
 
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RumpleTumbler

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My thyroid quit working and I gained like 50lbs. This caused me to have high blood pressure. Don't eat so much salt the doctors said. I quit salt for a month. No change at all. Don't smoke the doctors said. I quit smoking the first week of January. No change at all. I've cut down on my alcohol consumption and guess what? That's right! I'm getting bored with drinking I think. You can only abuse something for so long. Anyway, I hope it helps you. It will be interesting to see.
 

Grey Malkin

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Hey thanks all, but I've got to post a quick message to Moondance - just as I read that post the front doorbell rang. Postman, with a parcel. Your book!

How weird is that. I didn't even order it. (okay, that lat bit was a fib).

Big "sorry" to Iain Banks if you're reading this, but The Crow Road will have to wait until I've read Jo's book.

:)

Grey (Colin M - whatever) :tongue
 

Grey Malkin

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Update: I've taken that blog down. I've got a manuscript in submission at the moment, so a blog about trying to go a month without booze can look like a blog about a problem with booze. I'm keeping with the experiment though.
 

Mr. Jinx

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Hey, blog or no blog, good luck with the experiment.

I have had almost nothing (except for one or two light beers) since last July or so. I wansnt anti alchohol or anything, I decided to get back to a healthy body weight and when I started to be careful with calories I was stunned at how many callories a few beers or drinks would come to. With no exercise other than occasional yardwork I went from 230 lbs last July to 186 lbs (as of this morning).

Just feeling better every day has helped my writing. Again, good luck with the experiment!
 

Maprilynne

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Well, I don't drink, never have (been to a lot of drunken parties. I tell you what, watching other people get drunk has got to be more fun than getting drunk yourself.) But I put booze in my book! Does that count?:)

Maprilynne
 

Grey Malkin

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I wansnt anti alchohol or anything, I decided to get back to a healthy body weight

That's kind of what I'm aiming for.
 

Grey Malkin

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Colin, your blog seems to have disappeared this morning! What's happened?!

I took it down - there's a note on this thread (about four or five posts back) explaining why.

Halfway through your book, BTW. :)
 

Jamesaritchie

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Month

Update: I've taken that blog down. I've got a manuscript in submission at the moment, so a blog about trying to go a month without booze can look like a blog about a problem with booze. I'm keeping with the experiment though.

If you can't easily go a month without booze, you almost certainly do have a serious problem with it. Not being able to do exactly this without any trouble at all is one of the leading signs of a problem drinker.
 

RumpleTumbler

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If you can't easily go a month without booze, you almost certainly do have a serious problem with it. Not being able to do exactly this without any trouble at all is one of the leading signs of a problem drinker.

A month without booze? Surely you jest!
 

moondance

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D'oh! And I tell other people off for not reading threads properly before posting!

Hope you are liking my book ;) 'enjoying' never seems like quite the right word...!
 

Grey Malkin

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Hope you are liking my book ;) 'enjoying' never seems like quite the right word...!

It's certainly uncomforatble in places, but to invoke emotion in the reader is what we should be aiming for, and certainly what you have achieved with what I've read so far (I'm almost finished). It's very, very good. Totally character driven and very real. The strongest aspect for me is what is not said. One of the most rewarding parts of reading is being able to see what is happening, to put the pieces of the puzzle together, rather than being told. For anyone wanting a masterclass in how to write good teen anxiety/issue stuff, they would do well to read this.
 
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