Breakfast at Epiphanies

Scott asked in a comment thread about what my editing epiphany was this past summer. So I thought I would make this more of a new post.

I polish my prose. I mean polish like you polish a copper plate for printing. It's hard work with different grit levels being used to scrub out minor imperfections in the copper surface before you take a gouge to it. This isn't polishing silverware or buffing the car, this is like sanding wood down to thickness, instead of using a planer. I want those words to sing. I'll reorder, cut, add, shuffle, and do a lot more, but mostly to the language.

Part of my epiphany was I needed to polish the story. I needed to look at the pacing, how many words I used for each part of the story, the larger rhythms of the words (as a part of the polishing I would look at the sentence rhythms). I would check and see if parts of the story could be told in different places, not just a paragraph or two different, but thousands of words different. So I moved those skills of polishing words to the larger model of the overall story.

Another part of the epiphany was editing the story out of order. For "War Stories" I edited each section separately, reading from the last paragraph to the first, editing only the sentences and paragraphs to make them as strong as they could be. That was another first, I looked at paragraphs and made them as individually strong as I could make them. Did each one say what I wanted that one to say. Before, I would look at these issues in context of the flow of the story. This is more of a looking at each lug nut on the wheel to make sure it's properly aligned to the threads and fitted on the bolts, that each met the tear weight criteria etc, instead of just making sure that they're all tight and keep the wheel on the hub. If you think of fractals, one way of describing fractals is that each rock that sits on a mountain mirrors the mountain in miniature. Before this epiphany I was just looking at the mountain and making the rocks pretty. After the epiphany I making each rock as good as the mountain.

Bear in mind, I'm not going to that level with my posts here or elsewhere. Then again, nobody is paying me for these posts.

It's a broken record day

My job duties include maintaining a machine (Mitsubishi Platesetter, SDP-Eco 1630 for those of you who must know) with a water reserve that needs to be refreshed everyday. The Platesetter is kept on 24-hours during the workweek. I drain and refill the reservoir when I come in and when I leave. Usually the water is tainted from chemicals, which is why I drain and then refill. You know you're working too much that when you drain and refill before you leave the reserve is down to about one-quarter its volume and when you get in the next morning its fifteen-sixteenths full. Do I complain about working too much?

More ideas keep flowing for the book, thank the muses. I think I'll need to outline to keep everything straight and organize all the pieces parts. Last night I kept turning the light on and off as I tried to get some sleep as ideas, okay, well, jokes keep coming. So I had to turn on the light, write them down, and then try to go back to sleep, only to get another part of the story or joke. From the outside it must have looked like a light show.

West End World

Working like a mad man. This weekend I was finally able to get some sleep. I've typed only a little. This time it's very rough to get started again.

Props

Opps, my bad. Forgot my netiquette. Those links on novel writing are from Tobias Buckell (cool guy, supposed to be finishing Raggamuffin so we can all read it, damn it), John Scalzi who is supposed to be finishing up the next novel in the Old Man War series and The Endicott Studio blog (if you're into fantasy and or mythology and fairy tales you have to read this blog and their newsletter, still waiting for the Summer Issue like an addict waiting for his next fix).

My apologies. But here's an entry just for all of you.

Thank a Union Worker.

Was gone over the Labor Day weekend. If you enjoyed your Monday off (if you had Monday off), go thank a Union Worker. Also, if you like having most of your weekends off work and if you’re lucky to only work a 40-hour week before overtime or at least having your boss think you’re a go getter, thank a Union Worker. Before unions came on the scene it was typical to work 80 hours a week, and maybe you would have Sunday off, maybe it was a half-day. Which leads me to my work schedule.

Man I’ve been getting the overtime. This week, and Friday isn’t over yet, I have over eight hours of OT. Remember we had Monday off. And Wednesday I had to leave work after only 1.5 hours OT because of a council meeting. I missed my writers’ group on Tuesday (sorry guys) because I worked a 13-hour day.

I’ve made the commitment to write Post-Rapture Industries (I’m sure that title will change). Spiders have been plaguing me again. On several other blogs I read regularly other writers are finishing new books, they've also had links to other bloggers talking about writing novels (here and here). I floated the full idea to more people and had a good response, even some more ideas to add jokes etc. The Universe is IMing me, time to get to work. Now I just need to carve out the time.

Overtime and Days Off

Back to my normal overtime schedule. And I never got a day off. I'm both happy and sad. Happy that I don't have to make do with 32-hour paychecks (I'm sure I would have had some overtime). Sad because I was really looking forward to having an extra day off.

And in last place...

Finished with “War Stories.” It’s done, stick a fork in it. I don’t think I could read it again anytime soon. So this week it will go out (I was a little premature with the In Submission link).

While I want to write a lot of things, I think the next thing will be editing some old stories I thought I had finished and starting a new one with the tentative title, “Learned Behavior.” It’s a first contact, space opera, submarine story. Yeah, yeah, it all works together, even with the monkeys.

I also want to work on the novel. I need to work on the novel. I must work on the novel.

Pardon me, I hath a culd...

I have a summer cold. Those most truly suck. I’ve been lazy with writing since I went on vacation. Every time I get a head of steam up somebody steals the tracks away. Been cleaning, fiddling with paperwork, and yard work. Have I explained that yard work for me can mean mowing and trimming or using chainsaws and equipment that has their work rating in tonnage? It’s been the second kind, being too damn wet to mow.

Last week at work was “absolutely no overtime.” So I only worked 6 hours of OT. For the foreseeable future I’m to have Wednesdays off. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Mostly through the polish for “War Stories.” It’s pretty much what I thought it would be; short red marks instead of making the manuscript look like I used it as bandages for gaping and sucking wounds. Yes, I like using a RED pen for markup. If you have to ask I can only say, “Because it’s damn easier to see.” Make marks on my manuscript with pencil and I don’t think you’re serious about what you want to say. Make marks in blue and especially black pen and I may miss them. Use green if you like, purple if you must, but I will supply red pens to anybody who wants to proof my manuscripts, just ask.

Ideas have been coming for new and in progress stories, thank the Muse. I wish I had more time. Some disjointed ideas (more Storybones to come, soon), some things that are stories, some that I have no idea if they’re stories or not, some I can’t work into stories (at least not yet).

War Stories is definitely a cold fish and it’s starting to stink up the place, time to get it off into the mail.

Storybone 08-21-06

Been a long time since we had one.

"Wake up and die right."

I have no idea what the hell this means or where it goes. YMMV.

A Whole Lotta Blah

I have the hard copy of “War Stories” to proof. Last night I just crapped out. Last week we were told at work that everybody was going to four-day work weeks (32 hours) until that roaringly good economic boom created by the Bush Tax Cuts actually, you know, got going. Monday morning I was told this week would just be no overtime (I’ve been working 11+ hours every week since January). Last night I got home on time, and just didn’t know what the heck to do. It had been so long since I was home before 7pm. So the afternoon and evening was wasted. Today will be better.

Done!

Just finished retyping “War Stories.” Finished at 6780 words. Was as high as 7150, was as low as 6720 at one point. I think what’s left is just a polish. I hope.

Still Alive...

So far behind, I’m still running to catch up. Went to Confluence, saw people I know, met people I didn’t, had a great time. Although, the parking sucked. Next year will be in a different hotel.

Finished the red-lining of “War Stories” at Confluence. I’m about a fourth of the way through retyping the story. The other day I had a lighting strike with the thought, “why would the Shoggoth Zombies (yup) act like that?” Sigh, so much to do. Now I need to figure out who of the cast of extras is wearing the red shirt. Also started a red-line edit of “Changelings.” I’m seeing some things that just weren’t working, superfluous words, etc.

Then, just for kicks, I took a vacation with my wife and sister-in-law. Had a fun time and spent way too much money.

Not caught up with work, not caught up with council duties, behind in writing and reading.

Did finish “Moonlight and Vines,” by Charles DeLint. Not his best work, but not a bad book (collection of shorts) by any stretch. Haven’t finished a book in a long time, so that felt good as well.

Now work says they’re going to a four-day work week. Everybody else is slow. I’m still working overtime. Not sure how that’s going to work, but it does mean more time to get caught up and write more. Must. Write. More.