# Morning Ritual at Sea – Memory Card #23 👋🏻 I am back on the mainland. Ocean air and no Internet were indeed good for writing. We don't have that final script, but I have made serious headway. The draft in Obsidian is sitting with 4,600-ish words; cut out my notes to self and we are closer to 3,500~. I kept my routine out at sea. I woke up early. The ship was almost a ghost ship at those hours, the only people moving about being the crew and myself. I tucked myself away at a table on the lido deck with a cup of the most mediocre coffee; just strong enough to ward off headaches and wake me up. Mediocre flavor aside, these cruise ships are quite the feat of engineering, capitalism, and excess. It's a miracle that I was able to get a hot cup of coffee in the middle of the ocean. Once again, no internet really forced me to *write*. I am so thankful for my rich, offline notes. I wish they were richer at times, but having extensive quotes and notes organized and accessible let me get the shape of the piece without having to disengage from Obsidian. When I didn't have exactly what I needed, I left myself a note to go back and kept on writing. Besides the sunrise rituals, I read. I ripped through Stuart Turton's *[The Devil and the Dark Water](https://amazon.com/Devil-Dark-Water-Stuart-Turton/dp/1728234298/?crid=374601ZQE7UZ8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.w6NHC946jSHL_RcGSTQLQ9U1rZRXIcNdWgeVA3WXRTjk_fB1vlBBF6BReyUB49uZRAldXG7NW-h_wOSt9RjAhuDox-UdGUTo4o2L4mkl93RmLwUdxdKU_l6HxuFpnvQRYtS702PoQKoTbikfCMb4Yu2gT7_24QAFZhQfoZyxg4hm0C7qiSDjb0iL-NT7FP8rELk1Rc9oGh7paZj6uUEyryDY4xqcNRmmTgS72tEYLKk.nwnvyNFE5MiBUwvGnC6sBHLz7M5eScDBRVOp3e_XK3I&dib_tag=se&sprefix=the+devil+and+the+,aps,162)*, which is a murder mystery set onboard a 17th century East India Trading Company ship. I know. Stuart has quickly become a favorite author of mine. I am so glad I asked the lady next to me on a flight last year about the book she was ripping through—*The 7 ¹⁄₂ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle*. I am already into his third book. Being able to read 30-35 chapters a day was a dream come true. More reading vacations please. This was time I needed to recoup from my last trip. This was my vacation from my vacation. Now I just need one from the cruise... Getting this video done in two weeks feels unlikely, but I am still gunning for it. If the remaining tasks were a broad list, it'd look a little like this. - Finish first draft - Proofread, get feedback, incorporate - Record VO - Slice and dice video in Final Cut Pro - Publish That list doesn't seem *too* long, but it's all the tiny tasks that lie between those bullets. We shall see. For now, I need to go get ready for Christmas festivities. Lots of family gatherings and dinners between now and New Year's Eve. I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Until next time... ![[241224_Cruise Writing.jpg]] > [!email]+ Memory Card Newsletter > This letter is one block from the newsletter **[Memory Card](https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency)** by [Max Roberts](https://www.maxfrequency.net/about). Thoughts? Send *me* an email at [email protected]. > > Max is the writer and producer behind [Max Frequency](https://www.maxfrequency.net), a place where he cultivates and curates curiosity—both for himself and for others—by delighting in the details and growing greatness from small beginnings. > > He's written a [[Chasing the Stick - The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era|rich history and dive on the making of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II]], celebrated the [[MFP23 - “A Passion for Smash” – Celebrating 15 Years of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with Peter Spezia|15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the voice behind its hype]], and examined how [Zelda "stole" Fortnite's best mechanic](https://youtu.be/kc2l_9Fdpek). > > **Memory Card** is a real-ish time, raw, drip feed newsletter of his creative process for telling these stories. It’s *how* The Thing™ gets made. You can sign up below. (Look down) > > It's all powered by [Max Frequency](https://www.maxfrequency.net) and [patrons](https://www.patreon.com/maxfrequency). > > Wanna see The Thing™? [Check it out on YouTube](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxCxW3Sbhy5ZzVOkvmfo4Rme41g6KzJOk). Read it on [The Blog](https://www.maxfrequency.net). > <iframe scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important;height:220px;border:1px #ccc solid !important" src="https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency?as_embed=true"></iframe>