Doug Farren's Blog, page 26
May 25, 2013
05-25-2013: Editing
I have read in a number of books on writing that it's usually a good idea to set aside a draft for 6 weeks before going back and editing it. I always thought such advice didn't make much sense. I'm beginning to wonder if I was wrong. I finished all but the last few chapters of Peacekeeper back in mid-March and then was forced to set it aside during the recent refueling outage at the power plant where I work. During that forced hiatus I thought of many things that needed enhanced and changed. When the editing started, the changes began to flow. I will most likely follow this practice from now on even though it's very hard to do.
I am now back to normal work hours and editing of Peacekeeper is well under way. I added quite a bit of new material to chapter nine - so much so that I was forced to split it into two separate chapters to keep it from becoming too large. I like to keep my chapters at around 2,500 words. The new material significantly enhances the main character's interactions with a member of an alien species. It also brings out a problem that the main character must deal with regarding his family. This makes for a much better story as the reader is able to connect with the main character on a more intimate level. It also accomplishes one of the goals of this book - delving into greater detail into the culture of an alien society. So far I am quite pleased with the results.
I will be working 12-hour nights starting Monday night. Usually, things are rather slow on a holiday night and I should be able to get some additional editing done. I'm also working on a computer program at work - something I haven't done in several years. It's an Access database program that will read a text version of something we call the Plant Data Book. Once I have the code tested and the sections of the Plant Data Book I want, loaded into a database, I can make things significantly easier on the technicians next outage. I think engineering and planning might also want a copy of this database once it's done. I love programming and this sort of programming was once my forte when I was in CMIT (Computer Maintenance & Information Technology). Unfortunately, those days are gone.
I did play hooky from editing today. I spent the entire day doing yard work. It needed done and I had the time. I will be doing editing tonight after my wife goes to bed. I'll be staying up in preparation for 12-hour nights. If all goes well, I hope to have Peacekeeper ready for my wife's proofing in about 2 months.
In other news (quickly) I will be going to Launch Pad again this year. I've cancelled the trip to Convergence in Minnesota. I am reading "17 And Gone" by Nova Ren Suma whom I met at Launch Pad last year. It's a YA novel and most definitely not something I would normally read. But, I know the author and sometimes it's good to read something different. And, finally, book sales are slow but steady. I continue to get very good reviews. I don't understand why sales have not picked up. I certainly don't understand why sales went nuts last year sending my Galactic Alliance series almost into the top 100 books on Amazon. If anyone understands why things like that happen, please enlighten me.
I am now back to normal work hours and editing of Peacekeeper is well under way. I added quite a bit of new material to chapter nine - so much so that I was forced to split it into two separate chapters to keep it from becoming too large. I like to keep my chapters at around 2,500 words. The new material significantly enhances the main character's interactions with a member of an alien species. It also brings out a problem that the main character must deal with regarding his family. This makes for a much better story as the reader is able to connect with the main character on a more intimate level. It also accomplishes one of the goals of this book - delving into greater detail into the culture of an alien society. So far I am quite pleased with the results.
I will be working 12-hour nights starting Monday night. Usually, things are rather slow on a holiday night and I should be able to get some additional editing done. I'm also working on a computer program at work - something I haven't done in several years. It's an Access database program that will read a text version of something we call the Plant Data Book. Once I have the code tested and the sections of the Plant Data Book I want, loaded into a database, I can make things significantly easier on the technicians next outage. I think engineering and planning might also want a copy of this database once it's done. I love programming and this sort of programming was once my forte when I was in CMIT (Computer Maintenance & Information Technology). Unfortunately, those days are gone.
I did play hooky from editing today. I spent the entire day doing yard work. It needed done and I had the time. I will be doing editing tonight after my wife goes to bed. I'll be staying up in preparation for 12-hour nights. If all goes well, I hope to have Peacekeeper ready for my wife's proofing in about 2 months.
In other news (quickly) I will be going to Launch Pad again this year. I've cancelled the trip to Convergence in Minnesota. I am reading "17 And Gone" by Nova Ren Suma whom I met at Launch Pad last year. It's a YA novel and most definitely not something I would normally read. But, I know the author and sometimes it's good to read something different. And, finally, book sales are slow but steady. I continue to get very good reviews. I don't understand why sales have not picked up. I certainly don't understand why sales went nuts last year sending my Galactic Alliance series almost into the top 100 books on Amazon. If anyone understands why things like that happen, please enlighten me.
May 13, 2013
05-13-2013: The editing has begun!
Just thought I would let everyone know - I've started editing Peacekeeper. I've moved chapter 1 and it is now a re-written chapter 2. The new chapter 1 introduces the main character and sets the story rolling better. I had to do the re-write to make the actions of the 'bad guys' consistent. I guess it really does help to set a manuscript aside for 6 weeks.
It's late and I'm going to keep this entry very short - until next time...
It's late and I'm going to keep this entry very short - until next time...
May 7, 2013
05-07-2013: The numbers just didn't add up
My forced absence from Peacekeeper may have resulted in some benefits. Even though I'm not writing or editing I've been constantly going over the entire story line in my head nearly every day. A few days ago, I woke up to find that my subconscious had uncovered a rather major flaw that will require some significant rewriting of the last half of the book. To me, the numbers have to be believable and if anyone bothered to think about it they would have found the error. It must be corrected.
I don't want to give away too many of the details but here is the gist of what happened: A group of humans have left Earth to form a colony of their own. Starting population was set at around 45,000. Zoom ahead 50 years where Peacekeeper takes place and this small population has somehow managed to build a fleet of warships. Now here's where the numbers don't add up. If you take the number of supposed warships and multiply it by the assumed crew-size of each ship and add the number of people required for support you quickly discover that the population must have been rising at an incredible rate. Everything about this from the starting population to the size of the fleet to the conditions on their new planet has to be revised. I've got it worked out and doing the editing shouldn't be too hard.
I will also be altering some of the books events to bring everything into focus. So when can I start editing? Soon! The nuclear plant I work at has experienced a minor setback that will take about 4 days to correct. If all goes well, I will be back to a normal work schedule starting May 13. I won't be able to start editing though until May 17 when I have my first of three days off in a row. If you're an author with a full-time day-job you might be wondering why I don't steal a few minutes here and there at work to work on the book. Several reasons: I barely have enough time to eat my lunch and many times while eating I'm reviewing my next job; What little free time I do have usually happens in the morning and since I eat breakfast these days at the plant I can't eat and type at the same time - so I read; I use Scrivener and running it from a portable hard drive would violate my company's cyber-security rules.
What about editing on my one day off? Sorry, that day belongs to my wife. I could try editing in the morning but that would mean 6 days between editing sessions. Won't do it because the continuity of thought would not be there and it would show in the manuscript. I tried that when writing and you could almost see when each day's writing session began. A break of a few days is okay after 3 or 4 days of writing each day but not one day on, six days off. Peacekeeper will be my priority once I can start editing again and I will stick to it until it's complete and ready for publication.
Thanks for waiting.
I don't want to give away too many of the details but here is the gist of what happened: A group of humans have left Earth to form a colony of their own. Starting population was set at around 45,000. Zoom ahead 50 years where Peacekeeper takes place and this small population has somehow managed to build a fleet of warships. Now here's where the numbers don't add up. If you take the number of supposed warships and multiply it by the assumed crew-size of each ship and add the number of people required for support you quickly discover that the population must have been rising at an incredible rate. Everything about this from the starting population to the size of the fleet to the conditions on their new planet has to be revised. I've got it worked out and doing the editing shouldn't be too hard.
I will also be altering some of the books events to bring everything into focus. So when can I start editing? Soon! The nuclear plant I work at has experienced a minor setback that will take about 4 days to correct. If all goes well, I will be back to a normal work schedule starting May 13. I won't be able to start editing though until May 17 when I have my first of three days off in a row. If you're an author with a full-time day-job you might be wondering why I don't steal a few minutes here and there at work to work on the book. Several reasons: I barely have enough time to eat my lunch and many times while eating I'm reviewing my next job; What little free time I do have usually happens in the morning and since I eat breakfast these days at the plant I can't eat and type at the same time - so I read; I use Scrivener and running it from a portable hard drive would violate my company's cyber-security rules.
What about editing on my one day off? Sorry, that day belongs to my wife. I could try editing in the morning but that would mean 6 days between editing sessions. Won't do it because the continuity of thought would not be there and it would show in the manuscript. I tried that when writing and you could almost see when each day's writing session began. A break of a few days is okay after 3 or 4 days of writing each day but not one day on, six days off. Peacekeeper will be my priority once I can start editing again and I will stick to it until it's complete and ready for publication.
Thanks for waiting.
April 23, 2013
4-23-2013: A lot of thinking but no writing
I've been doing a lot of thinking about Peacekeeper, unfortunately, that's all I've been able to do. There is a light starting to form at the end of this long dark tunnel though. I work at a nuclear power plant that has been shutdown for refueling. That means I work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. The plant has historically run way over on their outages but this one actually looks like it might come in fairly close to the original schedule. The reactor is nearly refueled and the rest of the plant that had been taken apart is being put back together. Final testing is being done on many systems and they are predicting plant startup this Saturday. While most of the plant rolls back to their normal schedule, my section will remain on 12's for another week after startup begins. I'm an instrumentation technician and we have to be around to assist the operators as they bring the plant up to full power. I should start having some days off in another couple weeks. I certainly hope so because the itch to write and edit is becoming nearly impossible to resist.
I have had time to think about the story though. One of my characters (Sorbith) who also appears in Chroniech is described as being a Saulquin. Do to an intentional oversight on my part, I've never described what a Saulquin looks like other than saying they are humanoid in appearance. That's because I've never sat down to come up with a description of the race. That is now my next mental priority. I should have a full description of what he looks like and what his culture is like by the time I start writing again. I did manage to up my own knowledge on Rouldian culture. This is the type of information I hope to use in Peacekeeper as well as in future GA books. Getting to know an alien culture is something several people have asked me about. What I don't put into the novels will appear in the GATRM (Galactic Alliance Technical Reference Manual) which is a living document available on my website. I will mention updates here in my blog.
I did try writing and editing the last few weeks while working these long hours - didn't work. That's why I'm writing this blog entry now instead of writing even though I desperately want to lock myself in the room and write all day. I could do that, but then I might not be married much longer.
On a completely unrelated note - Spring has finally established a beachhead and appears to be winning the battle against Winter. A few days ago it hit 85, but Winter rallied its forces and attacked causing the temperature to plunge back down to 27 thirty-six hours later. But Spring called in the reserves and has been steadily gaining ground. Winter is retreating, but it's still putting up a fight.
Have patience - work on Peacekeeper will resume as soon as possible. I will keep you posted.
I have had time to think about the story though. One of my characters (Sorbith) who also appears in Chroniech is described as being a Saulquin. Do to an intentional oversight on my part, I've never described what a Saulquin looks like other than saying they are humanoid in appearance. That's because I've never sat down to come up with a description of the race. That is now my next mental priority. I should have a full description of what he looks like and what his culture is like by the time I start writing again. I did manage to up my own knowledge on Rouldian culture. This is the type of information I hope to use in Peacekeeper as well as in future GA books. Getting to know an alien culture is something several people have asked me about. What I don't put into the novels will appear in the GATRM (Galactic Alliance Technical Reference Manual) which is a living document available on my website. I will mention updates here in my blog.
I did try writing and editing the last few weeks while working these long hours - didn't work. That's why I'm writing this blog entry now instead of writing even though I desperately want to lock myself in the room and write all day. I could do that, but then I might not be married much longer.
On a completely unrelated note - Spring has finally established a beachhead and appears to be winning the battle against Winter. A few days ago it hit 85, but Winter rallied its forces and attacked causing the temperature to plunge back down to 27 thirty-six hours later. But Spring called in the reserves and has been steadily gaining ground. Winter is retreating, but it's still putting up a fight.
Have patience - work on Peacekeeper will resume as soon as possible. I will keep you posted.
April 11, 2013
04-11-2013: Quick update
Just a quick update. I'm still working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Writing and editing are on hold because there is simply no time. Thinking, however, can and is being done. I've been doing a ton of thinking about many aspects of Peacekeeper. I have a better understanding of the main character's background and how it should be presented; I have a whole new understanding of Rouldian culture which I will be putting into the book; and I have uncovered a few inconsistencies that will be fixed. So, even though I'm not actually putting words into the computer, I've managed to improve the book.
There have been some important developments in my travel plans as well. I will be returning to Laramie Wyoming this year to attend Launchpad once again. In order to fit that trip into my busy schedule I've scaled back my trip to Minnesota and I will not be attending Convergence as originally planned. I am still going to Dragon*con though.
I will also be putting up a short story I wrote some time ago on Amazon for $0.99. One of my award-winning author friends who gets published in magazines on a regular basis called it the most horrifying scifi he'd read in years. I will try to get it up and available very soon. I don't have a cover for it yet and with my time being as limited as it is I'm not sure I will have a proper cover anytime soon. I will, however, give it my best shot at making it available as soon as possible. If you happen to be on my still short notification list, be prepared to receive a free copy!
My time here has run out. Time to show my face so my wife can remember what I look like before getting to bed. Back to work again tomorrow.
(P.S. You can thank my dad for reminding me that even though I have limited time I should write at least a little bit in my blog every so often to remind you that I'm still alive.)
There have been some important developments in my travel plans as well. I will be returning to Laramie Wyoming this year to attend Launchpad once again. In order to fit that trip into my busy schedule I've scaled back my trip to Minnesota and I will not be attending Convergence as originally planned. I am still going to Dragon*con though.
I will also be putting up a short story I wrote some time ago on Amazon for $0.99. One of my award-winning author friends who gets published in magazines on a regular basis called it the most horrifying scifi he'd read in years. I will try to get it up and available very soon. I don't have a cover for it yet and with my time being as limited as it is I'm not sure I will have a proper cover anytime soon. I will, however, give it my best shot at making it available as soon as possible. If you happen to be on my still short notification list, be prepared to receive a free copy!
My time here has run out. Time to show my face so my wife can remember what I look like before getting to bed. Back to work again tomorrow.
(P.S. You can thank my dad for reminding me that even though I have limited time I should write at least a little bit in my blog every so often to remind you that I'm still alive.)
March 16, 2013
03-16-2013: Millennicon
Good morning from Cincinnati where I am attending MillenniCon. Day one of the con was fun and educational. The first panel I attended was "So this is your first SciFi convention". Since this is my first it only made sense that I attend. It was well conducted and informative. Next up were the opening ceremonies followed by a get together in the con suite with cake and snakes and a chance to meet the guest of honor (GOH) Erik Flint. During the opening the Miami Valley Fandom for Literacy (MVFL) presented a Cleveland instructor with an award. I learned that he had worked with Geoffry Landis - one of the people I met at Launchpad last year. I also learned that the guest artist, Sarah Clemens, has published several short stories and is a friend of Ellen Datlow, another person I met at Launchpad. Small world.
I made several runs through the small dealer's room and purchased a shoulder dragon. At first, I hesitated to spend the money but the dragon kept looking at me. Eventually, I caved and bought it. Ameentch now sits quietly on my shoulder. To round out the day I attended a panel on "Writing by committee" hosted by Erik Flint, Mike Resnick, Tim Waggoner, and David Burkhead.
I've been carrying my laptop around with me so I can continue to edit and revise Peacekeeper. The novel is coming along nicely. I plan to continue to edit it during the outage even though I have only one day off a week. I should have a few hours in the morning. I have discovered a few major goofs which were easily corrected. Hopefully, by the end of the outage I will be done with the second pass as well as having a finished ending (which I currently do not). This will allow me to do the quick run-through to verify story continuity. Then it's my wife's turn so she can do her proofing magic.
Today, I plan on attending the following panels: GOH reading, Short story snafus, Reading by Mike Resnick, Devil's in the details, and Is the e-reader the death of the library? I have not made any plans to attend any room parties but that could change. I will be heading back home early tomorrow morning and then the long hours and long work-weeks begin.
I made several runs through the small dealer's room and purchased a shoulder dragon. At first, I hesitated to spend the money but the dragon kept looking at me. Eventually, I caved and bought it. Ameentch now sits quietly on my shoulder. To round out the day I attended a panel on "Writing by committee" hosted by Erik Flint, Mike Resnick, Tim Waggoner, and David Burkhead.
I've been carrying my laptop around with me so I can continue to edit and revise Peacekeeper. The novel is coming along nicely. I plan to continue to edit it during the outage even though I have only one day off a week. I should have a few hours in the morning. I have discovered a few major goofs which were easily corrected. Hopefully, by the end of the outage I will be done with the second pass as well as having a finished ending (which I currently do not). This will allow me to do the quick run-through to verify story continuity. Then it's my wife's turn so she can do her proofing magic.
Today, I plan on attending the following panels: GOH reading, Short story snafus, Reading by Mike Resnick, Devil's in the details, and Is the e-reader the death of the library? I have not made any plans to attend any room parties but that could change. I will be heading back home early tomorrow morning and then the long hours and long work-weeks begin.
March 2, 2013
03-02-2013: Scrivener correction
This may be my last post for awhile as I will start working 12 hour days on Monday. I will be at Millenicon in a week but between driving and attending the convention I doubt I will have time to blog. I will only have one day off each week during the refueling outage which will leave little time to do much more than play catch-up.
I do have a correction to make concerning Scrivener. I mentioned that one of the small issued I had with it was that it removed the formatting of my scene break asterisks. I've discovered that I was not using the Compile options correctly. I've since gone back through the entire project and created sub-documents for each scene break. The program automatically inserts the correctly formatted line of asterisks between each scene as desired. Plus, this approach also makes it easier to outline the novel. Scrivener is a very powerful program for writers and I highly recommend it. The manual could use updating and enhanced with screen-shots showing and explaining how some of the more hidden features are used. Scrivener combined with Dropbox is an unbeatable combination for writers on the go.
Peacekeeper stands at 82,474 words. I'm still working on the final couple of chapters. Lately, I've sat and stared at the blasted screen for many minutes, writing a sentence, then deleting it, then doing it over and over again. Why has is suddenly become so hard to finish? Perhaps it's because the final chapters bring together everything that's been going on up until now and I know that some of it needs to be seriously edited. Perhaps, I will write a skeleton ending and then fill it all in during the first rewrite.
In other news, I've made a few minor changes to "Glitches" which will be published as part of a Launchpad anthology. I fixed a few technical errors and made a couple of minor enhancements as suggested by Jody Nye.
I do have a correction to make concerning Scrivener. I mentioned that one of the small issued I had with it was that it removed the formatting of my scene break asterisks. I've discovered that I was not using the Compile options correctly. I've since gone back through the entire project and created sub-documents for each scene break. The program automatically inserts the correctly formatted line of asterisks between each scene as desired. Plus, this approach also makes it easier to outline the novel. Scrivener is a very powerful program for writers and I highly recommend it. The manual could use updating and enhanced with screen-shots showing and explaining how some of the more hidden features are used. Scrivener combined with Dropbox is an unbeatable combination for writers on the go.
Peacekeeper stands at 82,474 words. I'm still working on the final couple of chapters. Lately, I've sat and stared at the blasted screen for many minutes, writing a sentence, then deleting it, then doing it over and over again. Why has is suddenly become so hard to finish? Perhaps it's because the final chapters bring together everything that's been going on up until now and I know that some of it needs to be seriously edited. Perhaps, I will write a skeleton ending and then fill it all in during the first rewrite.
In other news, I've made a few minor changes to "Glitches" which will be published as part of a Launchpad anthology. I fixed a few technical errors and made a couple of minor enhancements as suggested by Jody Nye.
February 24, 2013
02-24-2013: Peacekeeper update
I'm working on the final battle scene in Peacekeeper. Added about 700 words this weekend. I've been transitioning to night shift so my normal morning writing sessions over the weekend just didn't happen. I still think I will be able to have the first draft of Peacekeeper complete by the time I start working 12-hour days but in order to do so I will have to get my butt in gear.
I was thinking about my up-coming schedule where I'll be working 12-hour days, 6 days a week and I came to an interesting conclusion: I might be able to actually get some writing done. I will be working days which means on my one day off (Tuesday) I will be maintaining my day-shift schedule. This means I will be getting up early (my wife is a bit of a night owl) and I will have a few hours to write. This means I might be able to finish the second draft of Peacekeeper by the time the outage is over.
I thought I would update you on Scrivener. I've been using it long enough now to offer a conclusive recommendation to use this product if you are a serious writer. If you have a Mac you will find the version of Scrivener for that platform to be full of cool features. The Windows version (the one I've been using) is behind the Mac in features but is still a handy program. The cost is very reasonable as well. Here are my pros and cons--bear in mind these are for the Windows version:
Pros:
Returns to the last location you were at when you reopen the project even if you reopen it on another computer.Compiles the document into many formats.Can automatically generate chapter headings and number them.Built-in name generator is handy.Split-screen dual editors are a very handy way to keep track of notes, characters, things to do, etc.Can be used to outline the entire novel either as you work (if your a SOP writer like me) or before you get moving.Works very well with Drop-Box.Cons:
Windows version lacks many of the nicer features found in the Mac version. These are mostly associated with the output formatting options.Document generation options are limited but can be overcome by making editing changes in the final output. For example: I have a few places where there is a break in the action or a scene shift and I use a blank line followed by five centered asterisks and then another blank line. Scrivener can easily handle this as a sub-document but cannot automatically generate the centered set of asterisks. I have to resort to putting it in manually but during the outputting process (called Compile) the center formatting of the asterisks is stripped.Every once in a long while a huge section of text seems to vanish as I type. This is easily reversed with CTRL+Z but it represents a strange bug in the program.
All in all I really like Scrivener and I highly recommend it.
I was thinking about my up-coming schedule where I'll be working 12-hour days, 6 days a week and I came to an interesting conclusion: I might be able to actually get some writing done. I will be working days which means on my one day off (Tuesday) I will be maintaining my day-shift schedule. This means I will be getting up early (my wife is a bit of a night owl) and I will have a few hours to write. This means I might be able to finish the second draft of Peacekeeper by the time the outage is over.
I thought I would update you on Scrivener. I've been using it long enough now to offer a conclusive recommendation to use this product if you are a serious writer. If you have a Mac you will find the version of Scrivener for that platform to be full of cool features. The Windows version (the one I've been using) is behind the Mac in features but is still a handy program. The cost is very reasonable as well. Here are my pros and cons--bear in mind these are for the Windows version:
Pros:
Returns to the last location you were at when you reopen the project even if you reopen it on another computer.Compiles the document into many formats.Can automatically generate chapter headings and number them.Built-in name generator is handy.Split-screen dual editors are a very handy way to keep track of notes, characters, things to do, etc.Can be used to outline the entire novel either as you work (if your a SOP writer like me) or before you get moving.Works very well with Drop-Box.Cons:
Windows version lacks many of the nicer features found in the Mac version. These are mostly associated with the output formatting options.Document generation options are limited but can be overcome by making editing changes in the final output. For example: I have a few places where there is a break in the action or a scene shift and I use a blank line followed by five centered asterisks and then another blank line. Scrivener can easily handle this as a sub-document but cannot automatically generate the centered set of asterisks. I have to resort to putting it in manually but during the outputting process (called Compile) the center formatting of the asterisks is stripped.Every once in a long while a huge section of text seems to vanish as I type. This is easily reversed with CTRL+Z but it represents a strange bug in the program.
All in all I really like Scrivener and I highly recommend it.
February 18, 2013
02-18-2013: Peacekeeper update
Peacekeeper now at 80,515 words. Closing in on the end. I did do what I said I wouldn't--I went back and revised the story to make the timeline fit. I'm very glad I did it too! If I had kept writing, the story line would have been very hard to fix. I also didn't know what to write since the timeline was all messed up. I created a spreadsheet and laid the major events down. I had to add quite a bit of new material to bring the timeline into alignment with what I was trying to accomplish. It actually made the book much better. There is a lesson to be learned here - take the time to write a lot of notes about your book as you go along and make a timeline of major events.
I've said in the past that I'm not the kind of author who creates an outline and then writes the story. Can't do it. The story unfolds as I write it. But, there's something to be said about having an outline. So here's another lesson to be learned - if you don't start with an outline, take the time to build one as the story is written.
One more lesson, one that I thought I had learned but fell back and didn't follow while I wrote Peacekeeper - Always, always, keep detailed descriptions of your characters, no matter how minor, in another file. I didn't do that with quite a few characters and now I'm regretting it. I did well with the major players but I didn't bother with the minor ones because, well, they're minor. Here's why you should keep those descriptions: Let's say you have a minor character, a waitress for example. She has a brief mention and says two sentences early in the book. You describe her as having red hair and a squeaky voice. Later in the book, you return to the restaurant and the waitress says, "I remember you, how have you been?" You decide at that moment to give her a slightly more prominent role and they have a short conversation. But, during the conversation you mention she runs her hand through her blonde hair and has a deep laugh. You miss this during the first draft because months may have passed. You miss it in the second revision because you have so many things in your head already that the discrepancy is overlooked. You catch it in the third revision because you're reading a lot faster and you remember what she looked like. Now you have to stop and make sure you fix all the references to her especially if she shows up again. What happens if you miss one? You look like a total dolt.
As a reminder - I will be at Millennicon in Cincinnati March 15 to March 17. I'm not going as an author though. If you happen to run into me, stop me and say hi. Immediately thereafter I will be working 12 hour days, 6 days a week for the next couple of months. I most likely will not update this blog during that time. I will also be at Dragon*Con from 8-29 until 9-2.
Back to writing...
I've said in the past that I'm not the kind of author who creates an outline and then writes the story. Can't do it. The story unfolds as I write it. But, there's something to be said about having an outline. So here's another lesson to be learned - if you don't start with an outline, take the time to build one as the story is written.
One more lesson, one that I thought I had learned but fell back and didn't follow while I wrote Peacekeeper - Always, always, keep detailed descriptions of your characters, no matter how minor, in another file. I didn't do that with quite a few characters and now I'm regretting it. I did well with the major players but I didn't bother with the minor ones because, well, they're minor. Here's why you should keep those descriptions: Let's say you have a minor character, a waitress for example. She has a brief mention and says two sentences early in the book. You describe her as having red hair and a squeaky voice. Later in the book, you return to the restaurant and the waitress says, "I remember you, how have you been?" You decide at that moment to give her a slightly more prominent role and they have a short conversation. But, during the conversation you mention she runs her hand through her blonde hair and has a deep laugh. You miss this during the first draft because months may have passed. You miss it in the second revision because you have so many things in your head already that the discrepancy is overlooked. You catch it in the third revision because you're reading a lot faster and you remember what she looked like. Now you have to stop and make sure you fix all the references to her especially if she shows up again. What happens if you miss one? You look like a total dolt.
As a reminder - I will be at Millennicon in Cincinnati March 15 to March 17. I'm not going as an author though. If you happen to run into me, stop me and say hi. Immediately thereafter I will be working 12 hour days, 6 days a week for the next couple of months. I most likely will not update this blog during that time. I will also be at Dragon*Con from 8-29 until 9-2.
Back to writing...
February 9, 2013
02-09-13: Peacekeeper update
Peacekeeper is now at 76,000 plus words and I am now working on the final few chapters. Unfortunately, there's a LOT of editing left to do. The problem with trying to write a long novel on weekends only is that the details of the story tend to fade a bit in between times spent on the computer. As things are starting to come together, I've taken to adding to my todo list instead of going back and actually doing the editing. This way, I can actually finish the book and then go back and edit it.
Many of the problems involve character development and a few have to do with the timeline. I recently discovered that a fairly major character suddenly vanished toward the end of the story. Now, I'm a fan of the cult scifi classic "Plan 9 From Outer Space" where Bella Lugosi dies before finishing the movie so the director just drops his character, but that sort of thing won't fly in my books. I think the first editing pass is going to be a lot of work.
One of the other things involves the main character and how I would like the reader to get to know him very well. As I approach the end of the first draft I realize that I have not accomplished my goal. More things to add to the list of corrections.
In other news, I have to admit that I've recently learned a huge lesson about writing. I've read a number of books about writing and the knowledge of how to write a good story is there. I just have to learn how to apply it. Example: I submitted a short story that will be published as part of an anthology. Jody Nye and Mike Brotherton are editing it. Jody is a fantastic editor and she gave me some good tips on how to turn my otherwise good short story into a great story. Everything she said was something I'd read about and thought I had learned. Reading and applying that knowledge are two very different entities. In writing, the only way to apply your knowledge is to write and have someone point out where you didn't apply that knowledge. She has been very patient and the end result is a very good story.
Writers need to learn from each other. The more experienced ones should help those who are starting on that path find the right road. If you are new to writing, find yourself a good writers group with some experienced members and join. Bring what you are working on to the meeting and LISTEN to the advice. If you can't take criticism then you shouldn't be a writer. Anyone who has ever learned how to ski knows you can't learn unless you fall down a few times. Learn from the fall, get back up, and try again. Eventually, you will be writing great stories.
Many of the problems involve character development and a few have to do with the timeline. I recently discovered that a fairly major character suddenly vanished toward the end of the story. Now, I'm a fan of the cult scifi classic "Plan 9 From Outer Space" where Bella Lugosi dies before finishing the movie so the director just drops his character, but that sort of thing won't fly in my books. I think the first editing pass is going to be a lot of work.
One of the other things involves the main character and how I would like the reader to get to know him very well. As I approach the end of the first draft I realize that I have not accomplished my goal. More things to add to the list of corrections.
In other news, I have to admit that I've recently learned a huge lesson about writing. I've read a number of books about writing and the knowledge of how to write a good story is there. I just have to learn how to apply it. Example: I submitted a short story that will be published as part of an anthology. Jody Nye and Mike Brotherton are editing it. Jody is a fantastic editor and she gave me some good tips on how to turn my otherwise good short story into a great story. Everything she said was something I'd read about and thought I had learned. Reading and applying that knowledge are two very different entities. In writing, the only way to apply your knowledge is to write and have someone point out where you didn't apply that knowledge. She has been very patient and the end result is a very good story.
Writers need to learn from each other. The more experienced ones should help those who are starting on that path find the right road. If you are new to writing, find yourself a good writers group with some experienced members and join. Bring what you are working on to the meeting and LISTEN to the advice. If you can't take criticism then you shouldn't be a writer. Anyone who has ever learned how to ski knows you can't learn unless you fall down a few times. Learn from the fall, get back up, and try again. Eventually, you will be writing great stories.
