Ready to write ... 22 days to kick the caffeine habit

Working quickly has to stop meaning driving hard. It's not fun when you kill yourself over it, and all these things - writing, drawing, theatre and whatnot - are too wonderful to drown in coffee, booze, and the thrill of masochistic overwork. Sacrificing yourself for art is not noble. It's not punk rock, it is destructive to the spirit.

Getting ready to write 50,000 words in a month means I've just got time to sort out my caffeine addiction before next month is spent compulsively boiling up another thick little brew from the espresso maker. I'm on it. I don't want to make it sound easy. In fact, if I accomplish it, writing a novel should be the easy part!

"Your novel is not a self-improvement project. [It] is a spastic, jubilant hoe-down set to your favourite music" 

Chris Baty, No Plot, No Problem  (thanks Julia Crouch for the book recommendation)