@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL I've been trying to hide an ancient book from myself all morning... I need it to be in a place that is both surprising but obvious at the same time... where would you hide a priceless medieval bible? #thepapercrown #milkmanwriter

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Good morning all! Are there any other professionals who get up as early as teachers? Milkmen? Postmen? Is milkman a profession? #thepapercrown written under the cover of darkness...

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL One of the most exciting things about writing a novel is finding out what happens at the end... Even though I'm the author of #thepapercrown I'm not exactly sure how everything will turn out for everyone... but I'll find out in the next few days!

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Been sick for the past week but I'm writing again. No one said writing a novel in 12 weeks was easy, the key is to keep moving forward no matter how hard the storm blows #thepapercrown

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL I'm with in touching distance of finishing #thepapercrown but have come down with a rotten cold. Been in bed all day sniffling, coughing and snorting. Up now so I'm going to plough on with the book!

@MrVinalesMFL @gianfrancocont9 In #thepapercrown a schoolboy unwittingly uncovers evidence of a centuries old conspiracy that threats to bring down the most powerful institutions in the country. It's taken 12 weeks and 120 sessions to write but the end is on the horizon!

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Writing is a form of therapy; it makes you think deeply about who you are and what you feel. It also lets you act out the best and worst versions of yourself.

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Had a mental block at just the wrong time...loose ends in #thepapercrown just didn't seem to meet. But I have a great solution to any kind of mental blockage...cooking! An hour later, I have the solution...and a delicious meal!

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL One of the hardest but most satisfying parts of getting to the end of the first draft of #thepapercrown is tying up all the loose ends. No one likes an unanswered question at the end of a book, do they?

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Week 12 of #thepapercrown and my protagonists are surrounded at an isolated abandoned hermitage with the sun about to set...all I need to do now is work out how they get away!

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL It's a public holiday here in Malaysia so I moved my 5am writing session to 8:30am...what a luxury! I'm still 'driving in the fog' as Neil Gaiman describes first drafts but, as I get closer to the end of #thepapercrown, the fog is starting to lift!

@MrVinalesMFL @gianfrancocont9 Been a productive week averaging 1000 words a day for #thepapercrown. First draft will be done in the next 10-14 days if I keep this up. Then I think I'll sleep for a week...

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL My body is getting used to the early mornings. Maybe I'll keep it up after finishing the draft of #thepapercrown... Or maybe I'll become a milkman. Very tiring but the peace and quiet in my office while everyone sleeps more than compensates...

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL I'm closing in on 50,000 words in #thepapercrown. I still haven't managed to join all the dots and have several big unanswered questions. By this point in the story, I'm thinking about it all the time-I just hope I can find the answers I need!

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Hard to concentrate on the book this morning with Tottenham / Chelsea updates pinging on my phone. Need to avoid football / writing clashes in the future! #thepapercrown

@MrVinalesMFL @gianfrancocont9 Before I start work on #thepapercrown in the morning, I journal for 10 minutes. What do I need to do today? What's working well? What's the most important task for today? It really helps to focus my brain.

@gianfrancocont9 @MrVinalesMFL Just realised that I only have 2.5 weeks left to finish my first draft of #thepapercrown (using the Extreme Novelist process). The end feels a long way off but I'm going to push hard to get there by 20th November!