#7: So today I wrote 10,000 words, what now?

Footpaths • Friday 27 June 2025

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So, I wrote 10,000 words today. Mostly here:

But also here:

I have escaped to the very trad seaside town of Saltburn-on-Sea in North Yorkshire for a three-day writing retreat. It was the United Kingdom’s oldest water-powered funicular. I haven’t been on it yet – maybe tomorrow?

I did manage a 10-mile hike along the cliffs to a nearby beach. This was novel walking where my feet did all the thinking and told my fingers all about it when they were reunited with the keyboard. This is the keyboard:

I’ve borrowed this splendidly retro Alphasmart typewriter. This is the main reason why I have written so much today. No computer, no phone, no distraction. And with just four lines of text to look at, no terrifying blank space to fill.

Has anyone used one of these?

So yes, a great start to this writing weekend, my first real opportunity to do some uninterrupted writing since becoming a parent five years ago. Let’s hope tomorrow is just as successful.

Good night, all.

My bedside books

Not much time for reading this weekend, although I listened to some more The Magic Mountain coming over on the train last night. I’ve also been flicking through Richard Skinner’s Writing a Novel today; a concise, limpid primer.