Doug Farren's Blog, page 20
June 15, 2014
Editing
Editing
I am a very big fan of Scrivener. Ever since discovering it, I use it to write my novels. Unfortunately, it is not so useful when I get into the editing phase. When I'm editing, I like to be able to work with the entire document. You can do that in Scrivener using a mode called 'scrivenings' but there is one major drawback to that mode - you lose the program's ability of having it remember where you were at when you close down the document. It faithfully remembers you were in scrivenings mode but you are presented with the top of the document each time. Although I could edit in normal mode, I like to work with the entire document in full screen.
For editing, I prefer to use LibreOffice. This program is fast, clean, and free. When the first draft is complete, I output the novel to Word format and then open it in LibreOffice. I save it in LibreOffice's native ODT format. I use this format because LibreOffice Writer will remember where I'm at each time I close the document. Now, I can work on editing on my netbook, close it down, and then restart on my home system seamlessly. There is a trick to getting this feature to work though. You must fill out the user details in the options menu. The thinking here is that LibreOffice will only put the user back at the same place if that same user is the one who originally closed it.
LibreOffice can also generate PDF files and can save in many other formats. When I am ready to publish, I save the document in Word 97 format and then I go look at it in Word to make sure the formatting is still good. Then, I can upload this to Amazon as well as Smashwords. The ability to generate a PDF is useful when I'm ready to create the printed version. I use Createspace for this and they want the manuscript already formatted and ready for printing in PDF form.
I did seriously consider buying a copy of Microsoft Office - or, actually, renting it. Up until recently, we were using Office 2007 at work. We have now 'upgraded' to Office 365. I am not a fan of the new interface. What was wrong with the old way of doing things? The new interface takes up far too much room and is in my opinion clunky to use. There are some nice added features but I use Office 2003 at home and I've never needed anything more. Paying for a program I really don't need especially when I can get a free version in the form of LibreOffice simply makes no sense.
Peacekeeper Excerpt
If you would like to read a short excerpt from Peacekeeper 2 you can do so by visiting my website at http://dougfarren.com/. Scroll down until you see Peacekeeper 2. The link is there. Feel free to pass this along to your friends. If you're reading this blog and you're not on my mailing list, I would to have you join. If you would like to subscribe to my mailing list, please give this link a try: http://eepurl.com/VYmMD. If that doesn't work, you can always send me a direct email at: author@dougfarren.com.
Copyright Papers
I received my copyright papers the other day! I submitted copyrights for all of my books on December 22nd of last year. That's a turn around of about 6 months. Considering the huge number of submissions they receive I consider this to be a pretty good response. I strongly suggest filing for a copyright. It's easy to do and relatively inexpensive. To file, go to http://www.copyright.gov/.
That's it for this post - back to editing!
I am a very big fan of Scrivener. Ever since discovering it, I use it to write my novels. Unfortunately, it is not so useful when I get into the editing phase. When I'm editing, I like to be able to work with the entire document. You can do that in Scrivener using a mode called 'scrivenings' but there is one major drawback to that mode - you lose the program's ability of having it remember where you were at when you close down the document. It faithfully remembers you were in scrivenings mode but you are presented with the top of the document each time. Although I could edit in normal mode, I like to work with the entire document in full screen.
For editing, I prefer to use LibreOffice. This program is fast, clean, and free. When the first draft is complete, I output the novel to Word format and then open it in LibreOffice. I save it in LibreOffice's native ODT format. I use this format because LibreOffice Writer will remember where I'm at each time I close the document. Now, I can work on editing on my netbook, close it down, and then restart on my home system seamlessly. There is a trick to getting this feature to work though. You must fill out the user details in the options menu. The thinking here is that LibreOffice will only put the user back at the same place if that same user is the one who originally closed it.
LibreOffice can also generate PDF files and can save in many other formats. When I am ready to publish, I save the document in Word 97 format and then I go look at it in Word to make sure the formatting is still good. Then, I can upload this to Amazon as well as Smashwords. The ability to generate a PDF is useful when I'm ready to create the printed version. I use Createspace for this and they want the manuscript already formatted and ready for printing in PDF form.
I did seriously consider buying a copy of Microsoft Office - or, actually, renting it. Up until recently, we were using Office 2007 at work. We have now 'upgraded' to Office 365. I am not a fan of the new interface. What was wrong with the old way of doing things? The new interface takes up far too much room and is in my opinion clunky to use. There are some nice added features but I use Office 2003 at home and I've never needed anything more. Paying for a program I really don't need especially when I can get a free version in the form of LibreOffice simply makes no sense.
Peacekeeper Excerpt
If you would like to read a short excerpt from Peacekeeper 2 you can do so by visiting my website at http://dougfarren.com/. Scroll down until you see Peacekeeper 2. The link is there. Feel free to pass this along to your friends. If you're reading this blog and you're not on my mailing list, I would to have you join. If you would like to subscribe to my mailing list, please give this link a try: http://eepurl.com/VYmMD. If that doesn't work, you can always send me a direct email at: author@dougfarren.com.
Copyright Papers
I received my copyright papers the other day! I submitted copyrights for all of my books on December 22nd of last year. That's a turn around of about 6 months. Considering the huge number of submissions they receive I consider this to be a pretty good response. I strongly suggest filing for a copyright. It's easy to do and relatively inexpensive. To file, go to http://www.copyright.gov/.
That's it for this post - back to editing!
June 8, 2014
More Science
Peacekeeper Update
Editing is continuing although not as fast as I would have hoped. I added 1,126 words yesterday bringing the total count to 73,260. With all the numbers I post you might get the impression that I somehow find them important. Truth be told – I'm not too much into numbers when it comes to writing. I do know that it is a good indicator as to how much writing a person is actually doing (except when editing like I'm doing now) and I also know that many writers keep a daily word count. I don't keep a record of them but I will post them in this blog in case you're interested.
I was hoping to include an interview with the two main characters in Peacekeeper 2 in this week's blog but life stepped in the way. I did my editing and my wife has gone over it for grammatical errors but I have not had the chance to put those changes into the text. I will put it out next week. My apologies.
Getting the Science Right – Again Yesterday evening, I was rolling along with my editing and came to a screeching halt. My main character had recently engaged his stardrive and was heading away from Earth. He directed his ship to put in a call to Earth and the two proceeded to talk as if they were in the same room together. Even FTL communication signals take time to traverse a distance. I realized that if the math says the delay is too great that I would have to rewrite the entire conversation. It was late so I left it for a problem this morning. Getting the science right, even a little detail as a communications delay, is important.
I follow most of the people I've met or will meet at Launch Pad. Caren Gussoff (Twitter:spitkitten, website:spitkitten.com) wrote the following tweet yesterday: " Trying to calculate the axial tilt of a fictional planet, while sick, broke my brain". I found it to be quite inspirational that someone was going to that much trouble to get the science right. Way to go Caren!
Copyright Update I received an email from the U.S. Copyright Office the other day. Apparently, if you change the spelling of some words and fix grammatical errors and then release the book as a second, third, or fourth release you can't copyright the material back to the original publication date unless you submit the first version. I quickly replied and they should be processing my copyright. I did explain to them what the changes were so maybe they will still use the original publication date.
Programming – My Other Life I am one of the lucky people who actually enjoys their line of work. Even when I was a technician I enjoyed doing the job. Now, I'm a planner but I haven't done very much of that recently. I've been doing lots of database programming. Other than writing, programming is my passion. It's actually a toss-up between which one I like most. The problem with that is I have a difficult time trying to split my available time so I can do the things I want to do. There are times when I really wish for someone to come up with a solution to the human body needing sleep. Just think of all the writing, programming, and reading I could get done!
Time is flying by even now and I need to get back to editing. Until next week…
I was hoping to include an interview with the two main characters in Peacekeeper 2 in this week's blog but life stepped in the way. I did my editing and my wife has gone over it for grammatical errors but I have not had the chance to put those changes into the text. I will put it out next week. My apologies.
Getting the Science Right – Again Yesterday evening, I was rolling along with my editing and came to a screeching halt. My main character had recently engaged his stardrive and was heading away from Earth. He directed his ship to put in a call to Earth and the two proceeded to talk as if they were in the same room together. Even FTL communication signals take time to traverse a distance. I realized that if the math says the delay is too great that I would have to rewrite the entire conversation. It was late so I left it for a problem this morning. Getting the science right, even a little detail as a communications delay, is important.
I follow most of the people I've met or will meet at Launch Pad. Caren Gussoff (Twitter:spitkitten, website:spitkitten.com) wrote the following tweet yesterday: " Trying to calculate the axial tilt of a fictional planet, while sick, broke my brain". I found it to be quite inspirational that someone was going to that much trouble to get the science right. Way to go Caren!
Copyright Update I received an email from the U.S. Copyright Office the other day. Apparently, if you change the spelling of some words and fix grammatical errors and then release the book as a second, third, or fourth release you can't copyright the material back to the original publication date unless you submit the first version. I quickly replied and they should be processing my copyright. I did explain to them what the changes were so maybe they will still use the original publication date.
Programming – My Other Life I am one of the lucky people who actually enjoys their line of work. Even when I was a technician I enjoyed doing the job. Now, I'm a planner but I haven't done very much of that recently. I've been doing lots of database programming. Other than writing, programming is my passion. It's actually a toss-up between which one I like most. The problem with that is I have a difficult time trying to split my available time so I can do the things I want to do. There are times when I really wish for someone to come up with a solution to the human body needing sleep. Just think of all the writing, programming, and reading I could get done!
Time is flying by even now and I need to get back to editing. Until next week…
June 1, 2014
Getting the Science Right
Peacekeeper Update
The first draft is complete! Total word count is 71,785. I will, of course, be making at least 2 editing passes before turning it over to a couple of beta readers for their feedback. After I get the comments back from the beta readers I will make any appropriate changes and then turn it over to my wife for her grammatical check. There's still quite a bit of work to be done.
Getting the Science Right I'm a big fan of trying to get the science right. Yes I live in a universe where stardrives, shields, and colossal energy weapons are possible, but I can at least try to make the science believable. If I'm writing about something that is currently known then I absolutely must be able to get it right. If I don't, someone out there is going to find it and call me out on it. To help me out, I've created an Excel spreadsheet allowing me to compute travel time between star systems, distances between any two stars, kinetic energy when two objects collide at high speed, etc. It has come in handy.
The other day, while finishing the last chapter of Peacekeeper, I mentioned that Jupiter and Saturn were on opposite ends of the solar system. A few paragraphs later I went back and asked myself if this would be true at the time of the story. I have given my readers a very good timeline in Translight and if someone carefully follows the narrative of the remaining books you can easily identify a year when things take place. I did a preliminary search on the internet and came up blank. So, I did what anyone else would do – I yelled for help. I fired off an email to the Launch Pad alumni.
While waiting for a reply, I looked around the internet again and came up with a clunky but workable solution. I found an interesting little solar system simulator at http://www.faustweb.net/solaris/. I allowed the simulation to run until it hit my target date and I was very surprised that my guess was almost perfect! So now, how do I find the distance between the two planets? Jamie Todd Rubin to the rescue. He sent me a link to WolframAlpha.com and I found heaven. Here is the exact link he used: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=distance+saturn+to+earth+on+july+17%2c+2142. I suggest you give it a try. I have it bookmarked.
Blog Updates Up until recently, I've been relying on people's memory and Facebook notifications to get the word out that I've posted a new blog entry. I try to post every Sunday but people forget and Facebook is no longer sending notifications of my posts. Fact is, people these days are so overwhelmed with social media that few have the time to read all the posts and updates. I sent out a quick email from my mailing list asking if people would mind if I fired off a reminder and a link to the post once a week. The response was overwhelming. I was planning on using my own email account but maintaining it and using it to send out these emails would have taken up quite a bit of time. I turned to MailChimp. This blog is being announced via MailChimp for the first time.
If you do not want to receive these weekly updates, please let me know. I will put you on a less frequent list. If you are not on my mailing list and you want to be included, please send me an email at author @ dougfarren.com. I will put you on the weekly or the less frequent list as you request.
Just a reminder: 85% of all book sales are by word of mouth. If you enjoy my work or any indie author's work for that matter, please – tell your friends! Get the word out. Send them to my website or just tell them to look me up. Help support us independent authors.
Getting the Science Right I'm a big fan of trying to get the science right. Yes I live in a universe where stardrives, shields, and colossal energy weapons are possible, but I can at least try to make the science believable. If I'm writing about something that is currently known then I absolutely must be able to get it right. If I don't, someone out there is going to find it and call me out on it. To help me out, I've created an Excel spreadsheet allowing me to compute travel time between star systems, distances between any two stars, kinetic energy when two objects collide at high speed, etc. It has come in handy.
The other day, while finishing the last chapter of Peacekeeper, I mentioned that Jupiter and Saturn were on opposite ends of the solar system. A few paragraphs later I went back and asked myself if this would be true at the time of the story. I have given my readers a very good timeline in Translight and if someone carefully follows the narrative of the remaining books you can easily identify a year when things take place. I did a preliminary search on the internet and came up blank. So, I did what anyone else would do – I yelled for help. I fired off an email to the Launch Pad alumni.
While waiting for a reply, I looked around the internet again and came up with a clunky but workable solution. I found an interesting little solar system simulator at http://www.faustweb.net/solaris/. I allowed the simulation to run until it hit my target date and I was very surprised that my guess was almost perfect! So now, how do I find the distance between the two planets? Jamie Todd Rubin to the rescue. He sent me a link to WolframAlpha.com and I found heaven. Here is the exact link he used: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=distance+saturn+to+earth+on+july+17%2c+2142. I suggest you give it a try. I have it bookmarked.
Blog Updates Up until recently, I've been relying on people's memory and Facebook notifications to get the word out that I've posted a new blog entry. I try to post every Sunday but people forget and Facebook is no longer sending notifications of my posts. Fact is, people these days are so overwhelmed with social media that few have the time to read all the posts and updates. I sent out a quick email from my mailing list asking if people would mind if I fired off a reminder and a link to the post once a week. The response was overwhelming. I was planning on using my own email account but maintaining it and using it to send out these emails would have taken up quite a bit of time. I turned to MailChimp. This blog is being announced via MailChimp for the first time.
If you do not want to receive these weekly updates, please let me know. I will put you on a less frequent list. If you are not on my mailing list and you want to be included, please send me an email at author @ dougfarren.com. I will put you on the weekly or the less frequent list as you request.
Just a reminder: 85% of all book sales are by word of mouth. If you enjoy my work or any indie author's work for that matter, please – tell your friends! Get the word out. Send them to my website or just tell them to look me up. Help support us independent authors.
May 25, 2014
Update and Mailing List
Peacekeeper 2 Update
The manuscript currently stands at 64,868 words. Yesterday at B&N I wrote the final battle scene. I have the concluding chapters to write and a little surprise at the end which I will also be posting to my web page once it's done - an interview with the two main characters.
I hope to finish the first draft of Peacekeeper this week while I'm on vacation. I will take a very short break to read Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice and then I will begin my first editing pass. I plan on making quite a few changes to what has already been written. Once that second pass is done I'll have to set the book aside for awhile to let things congeal and then the second pass begins. If all goes well, that should be done by the time I get back from Launch Pad in Laramie, WY. I will print it out and give it to my wife for her magic.
My wife is my grammatical proofreader. She is not a fan of science fiction but she does know how to catch poor grammar. A few items have slipped by and that might have been due to how I enter her changes. In making the changes I might have introduced a few errors myself. She's proofed the last 3 or 4 books I've written.
I will keep everyone informed as to my progress.
Mailing List
I sent out an email to everyone on my mailing list asking if they wanted to be informed via email when I post a blog. I did this because most people are so overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in their social media feeds that reading all of it is a nearly impossible task. That's one reason I don't follow many people on Twitter. I rarely look at my Facebook page and I look at Google+ even less. I work long hours and spending even 30 minutes on social network sites cuts down my time with my wife as well as my writing time.
I was informed that I forgot to put a subject in the subject line which might explain the low number of replies. Sorry about that. I'm going to resend the email with a link to this blog post attached to make sure everyone gets a chance to comment. The main question is - do you want a weekly email reminding you of my weekly blog post?
If you are not on my mailing list and you would like to be on it please send me a request at author@dougfarren.com.
Work Related
I've been doing a lot of Microsoft Access programming recently. I did that sort of work for 6 years until our company decided that my group no longer had a purpose. I ended up moving back to the Instrument and Control shop in 2004. But things have now gone full circle again. If you recall, I recently took a position as a planner at the plant. Shortly after that, I was asked to become part of a special project to reduce the number of maintenance items we are performing. I was specifically brought on board because of my programming talents. I got the database the group is using up and running and then found other things to do.
I'd forgotten how much I love programming. It's mostly just VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) but when used properly it's a powerful tool. I would prefer to program in C# or VB.net but that platform is not something others at the plant would know how to use. I build database applications that can be maintained for years by people who do not have tons of programming experience. The problem we have at the plant is there are a large number of Access databases built by people who have little knowledge of how to build a database that is easy to maintain and extensible. It takes more up-front work, but it pays for itself in the long run.
The manuscript currently stands at 64,868 words. Yesterday at B&N I wrote the final battle scene. I have the concluding chapters to write and a little surprise at the end which I will also be posting to my web page once it's done - an interview with the two main characters.
I hope to finish the first draft of Peacekeeper this week while I'm on vacation. I will take a very short break to read Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice and then I will begin my first editing pass. I plan on making quite a few changes to what has already been written. Once that second pass is done I'll have to set the book aside for awhile to let things congeal and then the second pass begins. If all goes well, that should be done by the time I get back from Launch Pad in Laramie, WY. I will print it out and give it to my wife for her magic.
My wife is my grammatical proofreader. She is not a fan of science fiction but she does know how to catch poor grammar. A few items have slipped by and that might have been due to how I enter her changes. In making the changes I might have introduced a few errors myself. She's proofed the last 3 or 4 books I've written.
I will keep everyone informed as to my progress.
Mailing List
I sent out an email to everyone on my mailing list asking if they wanted to be informed via email when I post a blog. I did this because most people are so overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in their social media feeds that reading all of it is a nearly impossible task. That's one reason I don't follow many people on Twitter. I rarely look at my Facebook page and I look at Google+ even less. I work long hours and spending even 30 minutes on social network sites cuts down my time with my wife as well as my writing time.
I was informed that I forgot to put a subject in the subject line which might explain the low number of replies. Sorry about that. I'm going to resend the email with a link to this blog post attached to make sure everyone gets a chance to comment. The main question is - do you want a weekly email reminding you of my weekly blog post?
If you are not on my mailing list and you would like to be on it please send me a request at author@dougfarren.com.
Work Related
I've been doing a lot of Microsoft Access programming recently. I did that sort of work for 6 years until our company decided that my group no longer had a purpose. I ended up moving back to the Instrument and Control shop in 2004. But things have now gone full circle again. If you recall, I recently took a position as a planner at the plant. Shortly after that, I was asked to become part of a special project to reduce the number of maintenance items we are performing. I was specifically brought on board because of my programming talents. I got the database the group is using up and running and then found other things to do.
I'd forgotten how much I love programming. It's mostly just VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) but when used properly it's a powerful tool. I would prefer to program in C# or VB.net but that platform is not something others at the plant would know how to use. I build database applications that can be maintained for years by people who do not have tons of programming experience. The problem we have at the plant is there are a large number of Access databases built by people who have little knowledge of how to build a database that is easy to maintain and extensible. It takes more up-front work, but it pays for itself in the long run.
May 18, 2014
Writer's Retreat
Peacekeeper Update
63,526 words -- final battle is in progress -- the ending is in sight -- much editing to do once the first draft is complete. I don't know if I will meet my self-imposed and ambitious goal of getting the first draft done by the end of the month but I'm sure going to give it a try. Stay tuned...
Writer's Retreat
After working 12-hour days all week I've spent the weekend at a writer's retreat. This was held in Geneva-On-The-Lake which is a ten-minute drive from my house. I elected to commute instead of getting a room. I've met another great group of writers, learned some things, and wrote a bunch of words. Today is the last day and I'm going to make this post short so I can get back to the group.
One of the best speakers was a man named Don Brun. He knows many famous authors and is a very well-connected down to earth type of person. What encouraged me the most was his opening statements. He said he's heard the other speakers talk about the technicalities of writing and the techniques to be used. He said (and this is not a direct quote); "I don't know any of that stuff. I don't really know what I'm doing but I do know that what I've been doing is working. I've written 13 books and I've been paid for them all. So I'm just going to stand up here and tell you my story." And that's the way it went. I think I would have said the same thing had I been standing in front of the group (although my book count is not quite that high).
The point here is that you don't need an award, you don't need a degree, you don't even need a terrible amount of education in order to become a successful writer. What you do need is an ear for words and the ability to tell a story. As Don points out, a writer is nothing more than a storyteller able to put the story into written form. Your success as a writer should not be judged on how many awards you've been nominated for because out of the tens of thousands of writers who are out there very very few even get nominated. Your success as a writer should be based on how your story is received. I get letters from fans and people asking me when my next book is coming out -- that's enough for me.
Don't get me wrong -- being nominated for an award is a great honor and it does help book sales. But not being nominated does not mean you are a terrible writer destined to be forgotten. My heart-felt congratulations goes out to this years winners and nominees of the annual SFWA Nebula awards. I will be meeting one of them later this year at Launch Pad. I am looking forward to meeting her as well as all the other talented writers.
Now - I must head back to the writer's retreat where I hope to crank out some more words.
63,526 words -- final battle is in progress -- the ending is in sight -- much editing to do once the first draft is complete. I don't know if I will meet my self-imposed and ambitious goal of getting the first draft done by the end of the month but I'm sure going to give it a try. Stay tuned...
Writer's Retreat
After working 12-hour days all week I've spent the weekend at a writer's retreat. This was held in Geneva-On-The-Lake which is a ten-minute drive from my house. I elected to commute instead of getting a room. I've met another great group of writers, learned some things, and wrote a bunch of words. Today is the last day and I'm going to make this post short so I can get back to the group.
One of the best speakers was a man named Don Brun. He knows many famous authors and is a very well-connected down to earth type of person. What encouraged me the most was his opening statements. He said he's heard the other speakers talk about the technicalities of writing and the techniques to be used. He said (and this is not a direct quote); "I don't know any of that stuff. I don't really know what I'm doing but I do know that what I've been doing is working. I've written 13 books and I've been paid for them all. So I'm just going to stand up here and tell you my story." And that's the way it went. I think I would have said the same thing had I been standing in front of the group (although my book count is not quite that high).
The point here is that you don't need an award, you don't need a degree, you don't even need a terrible amount of education in order to become a successful writer. What you do need is an ear for words and the ability to tell a story. As Don points out, a writer is nothing more than a storyteller able to put the story into written form. Your success as a writer should not be judged on how many awards you've been nominated for because out of the tens of thousands of writers who are out there very very few even get nominated. Your success as a writer should be based on how your story is received. I get letters from fans and people asking me when my next book is coming out -- that's enough for me.
Don't get me wrong -- being nominated for an award is a great honor and it does help book sales. But not being nominated does not mean you are a terrible writer destined to be forgotten. My heart-felt congratulations goes out to this years winners and nominees of the annual SFWA Nebula awards. I will be meeting one of them later this year at Launch Pad. I am looking forward to meeting her as well as all the other talented writers.
Now - I must head back to the writer's retreat where I hope to crank out some more words.
May 11, 2014
Never Stop Learning
Peacekeeper Update
I managed to get quite a bit of writing done last week and the word count now stands at 57,854. All of the story snags have been resolved and the only thing standing in my way now is time to get the book finished. This is, of course, only the first draft. I will set the book aside for a short time to take a break and then begin work on the first editing pass. I have lots of editing to do.
Education
We had our monthly writer's group meeting yesterday. I walked away from it wondering how I've managed to sell any books at all. We have a fairly new member of the group who writes Gothic fiction. When he first appeared in the group we had quite a number of critical feedback for him. He's been with us now for several months and yesterday he blew us away with how much he has improved. This guy is going to go far! He has an entire set of worlds as well as a large series of books planned out. He has a very descriptive writing style that immediately puts you into his world and refuses to let you step back out. He's obviously been learning how to write.
I also read something at the meeting and received some very useful feedback. Comparing what I wrote and what the other guy read was like a slap on the side of the head. His writing digs deeply into the meat of a scene, explaining things in a way that puts the reader there with the characters. My style is a little more distant, putting the reader near the scene but leaving enough to the imagination for each person to be able to conjure up their own scene in their head. Which style is better? His I believe -- and I'm going to try to make Peacekeeper a better book by learning how to be more descriptive.
If a reader has to think about creating a scene then he or she is having to devote a part of their brain to do so. If a writer's words are so descriptive and done so in a skillful manner, the reader is immersed in the world of the writer without even realizing it. Time passes as the reader is swept off into a distant land, the world around her fading away into nothing. I am hoping to learn how to write like that and the only way for that to happen is to keep on learning.
Writers must be able to accept feedback and they must realize that like any other occupation writing is a never-ending process of learning. If someone has a comment about what you've written, listen to them! They are telling you something you need to know. Don't become defensive. Think about the feedback and try to learn something from it. A writer should never stop learning.
In today's hectic world, finding time to learn can be difficult. A friend of mine (Jamie Todd Rubin) is a very good writer who also holds down a job. He 'reads' using audio books. I think I'm going to look into this because I spend about an hour a day in my car. That's enough time to listen to a lot of books every year. Instead of listening to NPR news or music, I think I'm going to check into listening to audio books.
Upcoming Events
Next weekend I will be attending a writer's retreat. This one's a bit unique in that I will be returning home each day. It's being held at a local B&B where most of the writers who are attending will be renting rooms. Since I live so close I'll just drive there every day. I hope to get quite a bit of writing done as well as socializing.
July is fast approaching and I will be leaving for Launch Pad. I won't be doing daily blogs this time as it would only be a repeat of what happened last year. I will keep everyone up-to-date on interesting activities though. I am looking forward to meeting another group of fine writers.
Dream Job
I have officially turned down the chance to change positions at the power plant and to work in what could have been my dream job. I love to program and I'm very good with Microsoft Access. When a planning position opened up a few months ago I applied for it. During the supervisory / managerial review process of the applicants my supervisor brought up the fact that I have quite a bit of experience writing database programs. A manager in the room heard this and wanted to hire me as a DBA (DataBase Administrator) -- a position that had been empty for some time. I got the planner job and then he approached me about the DBA job.
On the surface, it sounded like my dream job. I would be working with databases and mostly MS Access. It would involve a lot of programming as well. But, after digging deeper there were other duties and issues which I won't get into here. In the end, I turned down the job. The manager was very disappointed. But, I don't like to burn bridges so I asked this manager to have his group put together a top 3 wish list of things a future DBA would be expected to work on. I've already solved the first issue and I'm working on the next two. Everyone seems happy and I'm having fun as well.
I managed to get quite a bit of writing done last week and the word count now stands at 57,854. All of the story snags have been resolved and the only thing standing in my way now is time to get the book finished. This is, of course, only the first draft. I will set the book aside for a short time to take a break and then begin work on the first editing pass. I have lots of editing to do.
Education
We had our monthly writer's group meeting yesterday. I walked away from it wondering how I've managed to sell any books at all. We have a fairly new member of the group who writes Gothic fiction. When he first appeared in the group we had quite a number of critical feedback for him. He's been with us now for several months and yesterday he blew us away with how much he has improved. This guy is going to go far! He has an entire set of worlds as well as a large series of books planned out. He has a very descriptive writing style that immediately puts you into his world and refuses to let you step back out. He's obviously been learning how to write.
I also read something at the meeting and received some very useful feedback. Comparing what I wrote and what the other guy read was like a slap on the side of the head. His writing digs deeply into the meat of a scene, explaining things in a way that puts the reader there with the characters. My style is a little more distant, putting the reader near the scene but leaving enough to the imagination for each person to be able to conjure up their own scene in their head. Which style is better? His I believe -- and I'm going to try to make Peacekeeper a better book by learning how to be more descriptive.
If a reader has to think about creating a scene then he or she is having to devote a part of their brain to do so. If a writer's words are so descriptive and done so in a skillful manner, the reader is immersed in the world of the writer without even realizing it. Time passes as the reader is swept off into a distant land, the world around her fading away into nothing. I am hoping to learn how to write like that and the only way for that to happen is to keep on learning.
Writers must be able to accept feedback and they must realize that like any other occupation writing is a never-ending process of learning. If someone has a comment about what you've written, listen to them! They are telling you something you need to know. Don't become defensive. Think about the feedback and try to learn something from it. A writer should never stop learning.
In today's hectic world, finding time to learn can be difficult. A friend of mine (Jamie Todd Rubin) is a very good writer who also holds down a job. He 'reads' using audio books. I think I'm going to look into this because I spend about an hour a day in my car. That's enough time to listen to a lot of books every year. Instead of listening to NPR news or music, I think I'm going to check into listening to audio books.
Upcoming Events
Next weekend I will be attending a writer's retreat. This one's a bit unique in that I will be returning home each day. It's being held at a local B&B where most of the writers who are attending will be renting rooms. Since I live so close I'll just drive there every day. I hope to get quite a bit of writing done as well as socializing.
July is fast approaching and I will be leaving for Launch Pad. I won't be doing daily blogs this time as it would only be a repeat of what happened last year. I will keep everyone up-to-date on interesting activities though. I am looking forward to meeting another group of fine writers.
Dream Job
I have officially turned down the chance to change positions at the power plant and to work in what could have been my dream job. I love to program and I'm very good with Microsoft Access. When a planning position opened up a few months ago I applied for it. During the supervisory / managerial review process of the applicants my supervisor brought up the fact that I have quite a bit of experience writing database programs. A manager in the room heard this and wanted to hire me as a DBA (DataBase Administrator) -- a position that had been empty for some time. I got the planner job and then he approached me about the DBA job.
On the surface, it sounded like my dream job. I would be working with databases and mostly MS Access. It would involve a lot of programming as well. But, after digging deeper there were other duties and issues which I won't get into here. In the end, I turned down the job. The manager was very disappointed. But, I don't like to burn bridges so I asked this manager to have his group put together a top 3 wish list of things a future DBA would be expected to work on. I've already solved the first issue and I'm working on the next two. Everyone seems happy and I'm having fun as well.
May 4, 2014
Timelines
It's Sunday and I almost forgot I needed to put out a blog post.
Peacekeeper Update
I've managed to find a way to get some writing done while at work. I have been involved in a special project now for about 2 weeks. I was selected for this project because of my database programming abilities. As such, when I'm not actively doing that work, I'm free to do whatever suits my fancy. Of course, I spend most of the time working on my other assigned work but when I need a break or I'm eating lunch, I'm writing. I've managed to get quite a bit of work done this last week. Peacekeeper 2 now stands at 52,529 words. I'm hoping to have the first draft finished by the end of this month.
Timelines
Yesterday, I was forced to put the writing on hold so I could build a timeline of activities that take place throughout the book. Normally, I'm quite good at holding all this information in my head but I was beginning to have doubts if things actually fit together in a logical sequence. I used an Excel spreadsheet to build a Gantt chart of major events. Surprisingly, everything seems to work out. What was surprising was that the story takes place over a 90 day period. Much shorter than I had imagined. Things might easily get stretched out some more as I work on the second draft but now at least I have a workable timeline to refer to.
The point I would like to make is simple - make a timeline as you write. If you look at my past blog posts you might run across some advice I gave concerning this and--yes--I did not follow my own advice. I do write down some basic notes about things as the novel progresses but I am not as detailed about it as I should be. I failed to keep a timeline from the start and I failed to record essential details I would need later on. Live and learn. Perhaps I'll remember this when I start my next project.
Pivotal Events
This topic is a bit off from my normal writing stuff but I've been thinking about this for a long time. I'm sure everyone out there can relate as well. There are certain events in our lives that are pivotal and it is those events that seem to change the course we take through life. I used to believe that these events happen for a reason -- now I'm not so sure. They happen because they happened. Our brain tries to make sense of these things and it comes to the conclusion that the events that change our lives happen for a reason. It's the way we all think. For some unknown reason, we can't accept the fact that our lives are very much affected by random events.
For example: Back in 2012, sales of Translight took off for no particular reason. That giant spike in sales is what got me accepted into the Launch Pad Workshop. It was there that I met a wonderful group of people and my life has not been the same since. If that spike in sales had not occurred, I would not have gone to Launch Pad and I would not know the people I know now. I would not have been published in an anthology and I most likely would never have gone to DragonCon.
Another example: I went to a local writer's conference and had some negative feedback for the administrator of the event. I sent her an email detailing my concerns. She replied, explained why things were the way they were, and told me about an annual writer's retreat that is held only a few miles from here. I'm going at the end of this month. Had I kept my opinion to myself or had I not gone to the conference I would never have known about the retreat. I hope to meet some local writers and perhaps forge some friendships.
Peacekeeper Update
I've managed to find a way to get some writing done while at work. I have been involved in a special project now for about 2 weeks. I was selected for this project because of my database programming abilities. As such, when I'm not actively doing that work, I'm free to do whatever suits my fancy. Of course, I spend most of the time working on my other assigned work but when I need a break or I'm eating lunch, I'm writing. I've managed to get quite a bit of work done this last week. Peacekeeper 2 now stands at 52,529 words. I'm hoping to have the first draft finished by the end of this month.
Timelines
Yesterday, I was forced to put the writing on hold so I could build a timeline of activities that take place throughout the book. Normally, I'm quite good at holding all this information in my head but I was beginning to have doubts if things actually fit together in a logical sequence. I used an Excel spreadsheet to build a Gantt chart of major events. Surprisingly, everything seems to work out. What was surprising was that the story takes place over a 90 day period. Much shorter than I had imagined. Things might easily get stretched out some more as I work on the second draft but now at least I have a workable timeline to refer to.
The point I would like to make is simple - make a timeline as you write. If you look at my past blog posts you might run across some advice I gave concerning this and--yes--I did not follow my own advice. I do write down some basic notes about things as the novel progresses but I am not as detailed about it as I should be. I failed to keep a timeline from the start and I failed to record essential details I would need later on. Live and learn. Perhaps I'll remember this when I start my next project.
Pivotal Events
This topic is a bit off from my normal writing stuff but I've been thinking about this for a long time. I'm sure everyone out there can relate as well. There are certain events in our lives that are pivotal and it is those events that seem to change the course we take through life. I used to believe that these events happen for a reason -- now I'm not so sure. They happen because they happened. Our brain tries to make sense of these things and it comes to the conclusion that the events that change our lives happen for a reason. It's the way we all think. For some unknown reason, we can't accept the fact that our lives are very much affected by random events.
For example: Back in 2012, sales of Translight took off for no particular reason. That giant spike in sales is what got me accepted into the Launch Pad Workshop. It was there that I met a wonderful group of people and my life has not been the same since. If that spike in sales had not occurred, I would not have gone to Launch Pad and I would not know the people I know now. I would not have been published in an anthology and I most likely would never have gone to DragonCon.
Another example: I went to a local writer's conference and had some negative feedback for the administrator of the event. I sent her an email detailing my concerns. She replied, explained why things were the way they were, and told me about an annual writer's retreat that is held only a few miles from here. I'm going at the end of this month. Had I kept my opinion to myself or had I not gone to the conference I would never have known about the retreat. I hope to meet some local writers and perhaps forge some friendships.
April 27, 2014
Scrivener for Linux!
PeacekeeperMy current work in progress stands at 48,239 words and is moving along as best as possible. My job has been getting in the way of late but I think I’ve found a way to squeeze in at least a little bit of writing every day while working on this special project I’ve been assigned to. I’m hoping to have the first draft of this novel done by the end of May or June. If that pans out, I will be doing my editing while in Laramie. My wife can then do her proofing magic and I should have this book out by late August. I will keep you posted.
TranscendenceI went to see Transcendence yesterday. The basis for the movie is not new but the plot provided an interesting twist at the end that made you think about the entire movie all over again. That's the sign of a good movie – one that makes you think. But, as with so many other movies these days, there were gapping holes in the science. It's a good thing the movie didn’t come out later this year because the writers going to Launch Pad would probably have seen it. I would then have to listen to a group of scifi authors rip the movie to shreds for days afterward. I considered pointing out all the technical flaws but that would pretty much spoil the movie for anyone reading this. This was a very different role for Johnny Depp which I believe he filled perfectly.
The Invisible GorillaI’ve been reading a fascinating book named ‘The Invisible Gorilla’. Many people have heard about the experiment that is the basis for this book’s title. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m about half-way through the book and I’m already beginning to question how the human race has managed to do the things that it currently does. Our brain can do some amazing things but it is also an accomplished liar. It’s become an expert in deceiving us into believing that we actually know what we are talking about. I highly recommend this book.
Scrivener for Linux? (!)I am a big fan of Scrivener. It gives me everything I need to write a novel and (provided I use it properly) gives me the tools to keep things organized so I don’t forget the little and important details as I move along. I am also a big fan of Linux (Ubuntu actually) and I would like to run it on my little laptop instead of Windows. Scrivener has been the one program that has stopped me from installing Ubuntu. Now, there is a beta version of Scrivener for Linux! You can find the article hereif you’re interested. I probably will not install Ubuntu any time soon though.
UbuntuMy dad has been running Ubuntu for a couple of months and reports that it is a viable alternative to Windows. There are still some manufacturers who don’t support the OS (why is beyond me) but for the most part everything works perfectly. The biggest non-supporter is Logitech. If I had it my way, I would be running Ubuntu on all of my machines. So what’s stopping me? Lack of a version of Scrivener was one major reason and it looks like that reason is about to vanish. My entire entertainment system is driven by Media Centerand at the moment there’s no Linux alternative that is supported by the cable companies. I use X-Box 360s as media extenders and I’m pretty sure they won’t work with a Linux clone. I am running Windows 7 on all my PCs and if I ever need to buy another PC I’ll have to have another OS other than Windows because the new version sucks dry eggs. For now though, I’m sticking with Windows 7. Some day I hope to be running Ubuntu again, but that day is not now.
Enough of this – time to get back to writing!
TranscendenceI went to see Transcendence yesterday. The basis for the movie is not new but the plot provided an interesting twist at the end that made you think about the entire movie all over again. That's the sign of a good movie – one that makes you think. But, as with so many other movies these days, there were gapping holes in the science. It's a good thing the movie didn’t come out later this year because the writers going to Launch Pad would probably have seen it. I would then have to listen to a group of scifi authors rip the movie to shreds for days afterward. I considered pointing out all the technical flaws but that would pretty much spoil the movie for anyone reading this. This was a very different role for Johnny Depp which I believe he filled perfectly.
The Invisible GorillaI’ve been reading a fascinating book named ‘The Invisible Gorilla’. Many people have heard about the experiment that is the basis for this book’s title. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m about half-way through the book and I’m already beginning to question how the human race has managed to do the things that it currently does. Our brain can do some amazing things but it is also an accomplished liar. It’s become an expert in deceiving us into believing that we actually know what we are talking about. I highly recommend this book.Scrivener for Linux? (!)I am a big fan of Scrivener. It gives me everything I need to write a novel and (provided I use it properly) gives me the tools to keep things organized so I don’t forget the little and important details as I move along. I am also a big fan of Linux (Ubuntu actually) and I would like to run it on my little laptop instead of Windows. Scrivener has been the one program that has stopped me from installing Ubuntu. Now, there is a beta version of Scrivener for Linux! You can find the article hereif you’re interested. I probably will not install Ubuntu any time soon though.
UbuntuMy dad has been running Ubuntu for a couple of months and reports that it is a viable alternative to Windows. There are still some manufacturers who don’t support the OS (why is beyond me) but for the most part everything works perfectly. The biggest non-supporter is Logitech. If I had it my way, I would be running Ubuntu on all of my machines. So what’s stopping me? Lack of a version of Scrivener was one major reason and it looks like that reason is about to vanish. My entire entertainment system is driven by Media Centerand at the moment there’s no Linux alternative that is supported by the cable companies. I use X-Box 360s as media extenders and I’m pretty sure they won’t work with a Linux clone. I am running Windows 7 on all my PCs and if I ever need to buy another PC I’ll have to have another OS other than Windows because the new version sucks dry eggs. For now though, I’m sticking with Windows 7. Some day I hope to be running Ubuntu again, but that day is not now.
Enough of this – time to get back to writing!
April 20, 2014
Timekeeping Issues
For those who celebrate - Happy Easter!
Peacekeeper Update: 45,732 words. I've solved one of my major problems (keeping my main character involved in the action) and I think I'm on my way to a solution for another issue that cropped up. I've passed the projected half-way point and things are moving along nicely.
My new position: Even though I've been working 12-hour days, I've still managed to squeeze in some writing time. I have been assigned to a special project at the nuke plant -- a preventative maintenance (PM) reduction team. We have been tasked with going through over 24,000 PMs to see if we can't extend the frequency or eliminate them all together. I was put on the team because of my background in Microsoft Access. I've been doing a lot of Access programming and we are starting to see some results. I love programming!
Time: We use expressions of time throughout the day without thinking twice about what it really means. It comes to us naturally. Most people can fairly accurately judge how long a minute is without using a clock. We all know how long a day, a week, a month, and a year are. But what if you lived on another planet? Can you see the problem?
Ancient humans created our current timekeeping system based on the rotation period of our planet around its axis and around its star. We group days in convenient bundles called weeks and months. This arrangement has worked for us for so long that we never stop to think about what it really means. If you were suddenly transported to another planet with a day lasting—say—24 hours, 37 minutes, and 24 seconds and a year lasting 686.98 days, your fancy Rolex watch would be useless for keeping time. (In case you're wondering, I put you on Mars.)
If you meet a beautiful (or hansom) Martian and you agree to meet for dinner in an hour – who will be late? Because of how we measure time, a second or a minute or an hour for us will not be the same as a Martian's equivalent. Would they even have an equivalent? Would an alien civilization divide their days into convenient groupings? Perhaps they don't have weeks or months. As a minimum, I assume they would have a definition for a year, a day, and at least one or two smaller units of time but the actual duration of these specific units would not be the same.
The problem is compounded when you expand your imagination to include a star-spanning civilization. Even if we simplify things and make the claim that we are the only intelligent species in the universe, how will we keep time on other worlds? How would we keep things synchronized? If a viable faster than light drive is ever developed and a suitable communications system is created to keep us linked all these issues will have to be resolved.
It's hard enough dealing with multiple units of measurement on this planet (metric vs American) and at least one multi-million dollar spacecraft was destroyed because of this error (http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/01/news/mn-17288). A star-spanning civilization must figure out a way to deal with this issue. A single standard time-keeping system would have to be used everywhere. Need a new hyperdrive generator for your ship? You'd better hope that it speaks the same language of time as your ship's computer or you might find yourself forever lost in space.
If you're an author of science fiction you might want to stop and seriously consider this issue. Most authors and all the movies coming out of Hollywoodpretend this problem doesn't exist. People say, "I'll see you at the ship in an hour" and everyone knows exactly how long that is. People say, "It took us three weeks to get to our destination", and everyone assumes that a week is 7 days of 24 Earth-hours each. The only time this problem is mentioned is if the author describes an alien planet and then the days and years are put into Earth-time and then the subject is dropped. I'm just as guilty.
As an author, I think it's perfectly fine to gloss over this problem. Introducing new units of time and trying to describe the details of how time is kept would muddy the story. But as a writer of science fiction, I can't stop thinking of just how difficult the simple matter of keeping time is going to be in the distant future.
Peacekeeper Update: 45,732 words. I've solved one of my major problems (keeping my main character involved in the action) and I think I'm on my way to a solution for another issue that cropped up. I've passed the projected half-way point and things are moving along nicely.
My new position: Even though I've been working 12-hour days, I've still managed to squeeze in some writing time. I have been assigned to a special project at the nuke plant -- a preventative maintenance (PM) reduction team. We have been tasked with going through over 24,000 PMs to see if we can't extend the frequency or eliminate them all together. I was put on the team because of my background in Microsoft Access. I've been doing a lot of Access programming and we are starting to see some results. I love programming!
Time: We use expressions of time throughout the day without thinking twice about what it really means. It comes to us naturally. Most people can fairly accurately judge how long a minute is without using a clock. We all know how long a day, a week, a month, and a year are. But what if you lived on another planet? Can you see the problem?
Ancient humans created our current timekeeping system based on the rotation period of our planet around its axis and around its star. We group days in convenient bundles called weeks and months. This arrangement has worked for us for so long that we never stop to think about what it really means. If you were suddenly transported to another planet with a day lasting—say—24 hours, 37 minutes, and 24 seconds and a year lasting 686.98 days, your fancy Rolex watch would be useless for keeping time. (In case you're wondering, I put you on Mars.)
If you meet a beautiful (or hansom) Martian and you agree to meet for dinner in an hour – who will be late? Because of how we measure time, a second or a minute or an hour for us will not be the same as a Martian's equivalent. Would they even have an equivalent? Would an alien civilization divide their days into convenient groupings? Perhaps they don't have weeks or months. As a minimum, I assume they would have a definition for a year, a day, and at least one or two smaller units of time but the actual duration of these specific units would not be the same.
The problem is compounded when you expand your imagination to include a star-spanning civilization. Even if we simplify things and make the claim that we are the only intelligent species in the universe, how will we keep time on other worlds? How would we keep things synchronized? If a viable faster than light drive is ever developed and a suitable communications system is created to keep us linked all these issues will have to be resolved.
It's hard enough dealing with multiple units of measurement on this planet (metric vs American) and at least one multi-million dollar spacecraft was destroyed because of this error (http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/01/news/mn-17288). A star-spanning civilization must figure out a way to deal with this issue. A single standard time-keeping system would have to be used everywhere. Need a new hyperdrive generator for your ship? You'd better hope that it speaks the same language of time as your ship's computer or you might find yourself forever lost in space.
If you're an author of science fiction you might want to stop and seriously consider this issue. Most authors and all the movies coming out of Hollywoodpretend this problem doesn't exist. People say, "I'll see you at the ship in an hour" and everyone knows exactly how long that is. People say, "It took us three weeks to get to our destination", and everyone assumes that a week is 7 days of 24 Earth-hours each. The only time this problem is mentioned is if the author describes an alien planet and then the days and years are put into Earth-time and then the subject is dropped. I'm just as guilty.
As an author, I think it's perfectly fine to gloss over this problem. Introducing new units of time and trying to describe the details of how time is kept would muddy the story. But as a writer of science fiction, I can't stop thinking of just how difficult the simple matter of keeping time is going to be in the distant future.
April 13, 2014
Screwed up words
Peacekeeper update: 43,341 words. Even though the book has run into two possible snags, progress is being made. My new position at the power plant will have an impact on my progress. I am now working 12 hours a day, 5 days a week for the foreseeable future. I enjoy my new job so working the extra hours is no bother but it has and will continue to take a large bite out of my writing time. I'm looking into some alternatives to see if I can't get back some time.
Today is my wife's birthday and today will be devoted to spending time with her. That will put writing on the back burner as soon as she wakes up. To get some writing done today, I'm going to cheat a bit on this post.
Screwed up words: One of the most tedious tasks I do in the final days of editing is to perform a search for the words I seem to consistently screw up. The spell check will flag things that are not spelled correctly but it will not flag a word that is used wrongly. At yesterday's writer's group meeting, I had a fellow writer point out one such word that I've just added to my list (who's should have been whose). My list has grown over the years and now also contains several entries for improving my grammar. So here's my cheat part - I'm going to dump the list on you and get back to writing. Here it is:
Screwed up words
Except Accept Its It’s Loose Lose Aid Aide (military aide) Gorilla (animal) Guerilla (warfare) Border (boundary) Boarder (roommate) Oar (for boats) Ore (rocks) Councilor (member of a council) Counselor (one who coucels) Rouge (reddish color) Rogue (solitary) Forward (direction of motion) Foreword (Introduction) Roll (bun, roll down hill) Role (specific job) Sighting Citing Forth Fourth Colleges Colleagues Their They're Your You're Lay Lie A lot Use "a lot" instead Alright "All right" is more correct anyways Use anyway instead "could care less" Use "could not care less" "could of" Use "could have" instead "heart-wrenching" Use "heart-rending" instead Nauseous Usually replaced with nauseated. People do not feel nauseous, they feel nauseated. Quicker Not a word – use quick or quickly Reoccurrence Not a word – use recurrence. Suppose to Replace with "supposed to" Waste Waist Peel Peal Dessert desert Governor (head of state) Governer (controlling) who’s Whose
Publication Checklist
· Watch out for putting apostrophe s (‘s) after alien names. (Tholtaran’s instead of Tholtarans)· Always keep human lower case – never Human.· Search for a limit use of words ending in 'ly'.· Search for a limit use of words ending in 'ize' and 'ization'.· Make sure 'fewer' and 'less than' are used correctly. Fewer with things that can be counted.· Imply means to suggest – Infer means to deduce.· Make sure 'affect' and 'effect' are used correctly.· 'Unique' should not be preceded by very, more, rather or so.· 'Type up' = type. 'Print out' = print.· 'Anxious' = worried. 'Eager' is not worried.· 'Center on' = 'Center around'· 'Vast difference' should be just 'difference'.· Look for 'make' in front of words and eliminate if possible.· Limit the use of 'however'.· Eliminate 'if and when' – use one or the other.· 'Different than' = 'different from'.· Delete 'in addition' and 'moreover'.· 'Whether or not' = 'whether'.· Ellipses ( … ) are for gaps, dashes are for interruptions.· Ellipses should have spaces on either side.· Em-dashes (– or —) should not have spaces on either side.
· Check usage of "if I was" vs "if I were". Use 'were' to express a wish or something that could not be true. Use 'was' if the something could be true. See http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/subjunctive-verbs-was-i-were.aspxfor details.
Today is my wife's birthday and today will be devoted to spending time with her. That will put writing on the back burner as soon as she wakes up. To get some writing done today, I'm going to cheat a bit on this post.
Screwed up words: One of the most tedious tasks I do in the final days of editing is to perform a search for the words I seem to consistently screw up. The spell check will flag things that are not spelled correctly but it will not flag a word that is used wrongly. At yesterday's writer's group meeting, I had a fellow writer point out one such word that I've just added to my list (who's should have been whose). My list has grown over the years and now also contains several entries for improving my grammar. So here's my cheat part - I'm going to dump the list on you and get back to writing. Here it is:
Screwed up words
Except Accept Its It’s Loose Lose Aid Aide (military aide) Gorilla (animal) Guerilla (warfare) Border (boundary) Boarder (roommate) Oar (for boats) Ore (rocks) Councilor (member of a council) Counselor (one who coucels) Rouge (reddish color) Rogue (solitary) Forward (direction of motion) Foreword (Introduction) Roll (bun, roll down hill) Role (specific job) Sighting Citing Forth Fourth Colleges Colleagues Their They're Your You're Lay Lie A lot Use "a lot" instead Alright "All right" is more correct anyways Use anyway instead "could care less" Use "could not care less" "could of" Use "could have" instead "heart-wrenching" Use "heart-rending" instead Nauseous Usually replaced with nauseated. People do not feel nauseous, they feel nauseated. Quicker Not a word – use quick or quickly Reoccurrence Not a word – use recurrence. Suppose to Replace with "supposed to" Waste Waist Peel Peal Dessert desert Governor (head of state) Governer (controlling) who’s Whose
Publication Checklist
· Watch out for putting apostrophe s (‘s) after alien names. (Tholtaran’s instead of Tholtarans)· Always keep human lower case – never Human.· Search for a limit use of words ending in 'ly'.· Search for a limit use of words ending in 'ize' and 'ization'.· Make sure 'fewer' and 'less than' are used correctly. Fewer with things that can be counted.· Imply means to suggest – Infer means to deduce.· Make sure 'affect' and 'effect' are used correctly.· 'Unique' should not be preceded by very, more, rather or so.· 'Type up' = type. 'Print out' = print.· 'Anxious' = worried. 'Eager' is not worried.· 'Center on' = 'Center around'· 'Vast difference' should be just 'difference'.· Look for 'make' in front of words and eliminate if possible.· Limit the use of 'however'.· Eliminate 'if and when' – use one or the other.· 'Different than' = 'different from'.· Delete 'in addition' and 'moreover'.· 'Whether or not' = 'whether'.· Ellipses ( … ) are for gaps, dashes are for interruptions.· Ellipses should have spaces on either side.· Em-dashes (– or —) should not have spaces on either side.
· Check usage of "if I was" vs "if I were". Use 'were' to express a wish or something that could not be true. Use 'was' if the something could be true. See http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/subjunctive-verbs-was-i-were.aspxfor details.
