The Joys of Editing

Greetings all,

Sorry for no updates. Feels like forever since my last one.  There is not much news right now, my DUI submissions were all returned, as expected rejected. This time it was NOT a surprise.

My writing in the book is rough. Between the run on sentences, The redundant statements that are redundant, the excessive use of THAT and AND and of course, my, love, of, Comma, when, working, on, a, sentence. It was expected. when I started to send I thought, a publisher will help me get this all fixed up.  it turns out I will help my self fix it up, if I end up going traditional (not likely but not impossible either) maybe they will on the next books.

Honestly I hate editing, although I can see why it needs to happen.

I have made it about 1/3 of the way thru the revision of the first book.  A couple of tricks I am using now (if  anyone cares)[actually I am using them even if NO one cares, after all they help me and that’s what matters]  I open the manuscript in scrivener, export it to word then order all the AND’s replaced with — all of the THAT’S are replaced with !!!! and the commas with a rousing ^. The result is the document turns all sorts of red, blue and green as I shatter every sentence. Ok that’s an exaggeration; I only get about 1 sentence out of 15 that get kicked.

I am still dreaming of publishing by December. The new technique I use is helping me find my problems MUCH faster while having me re-read the story to get the flow of the broken sentences.

I will be replacing my ‘chapter 1’ excerpt with a newly edited version, and if we are lucky I will be launching an author web page soon. Not that I am going to stop posting to my blog, but I am going to tie it to another platform so I can do new things.

Final note, I have completed a new ‘version’ of Rakasha.  It’s not a retelling but set in a different time and place.  The story is, to me at least interesting. Anyone wants a copy to review, say the word. I should have it back by the weekend and ready for any readers.

Just some random updates

Hello all, I am happy to announce that there are now 51 people on this planet following my blog AKA journal.

My Bet with Bobbi Kay ended; it’s hard to say who won. She got 251 before I did, the final tally was 262 to 207.  Her ‘barking slippers’ (aka little lap dogs on her cover) were prettier than my demon.  Of course now she owes me a 6 pack of Mike’s smash apple so I won as well!

Book 3 is underway, it have done more research for this one because the subject matter is trickier. I want the story, like all of them I write, to have a core reality that I can screw without anyone suddenly going nuts, or setting off the readers BS detectors.

To that end, one of the characters I gave a description to, plotted out all his credentials, set a tone for his words, noted his voice and in scrivener even put down. Unlike other characters that I like, I can’t decide a name for him.  My UBerfan said to call him Tyler, but that’s only a first name.

I have 5500 words typed so far, but 4500 are all research..

Still thanks to scrivener, I am better able to keep my information sorted, so we will see how this book goes.  I tend to get one ‘done’ every 4 months, (from blank sheet of paper to ‘do you speak English’ reaction from my editor.)  if scrivener can keep my random thoughts organized. Book 3 could be done by the time I am hoping to get book 1 out.

Until then everyone enjoy the holidays, and give a thought to what we are celebrating!

Every time you click ‘Like’, an Author writes a sentence

Friday fun and thoughts for everyone!

Miscreant Thoughts and Lesser Things

Greetings my fellow miscreants & a special hello to the followers of my writers blog (yes I’m being lazy and doing one entry for both).

Today’s blog post is of the utmost importance – it involves Facebook, Likes and Beer (never a good combination I know). I have discovered, from minutes of semi research that if I put the words “Facebook” and “Like” together in a sentence begging for you to please do so. Most of the time your eyes will glaze over and you will move to the next dancing kitten video.

I am tempted to say “Every time you click a like, and author writes a sentence” but somehow I suspect my readers & followers want a little more explanation than that.

In truth, Likes for upcoming and Indie authors are important. The reason is because it does a few things.  It is assumed (most of the time)…

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Another Lesson from the Writing Club

Greetings all,

Last night I went again to the Writing Critique group. It’s something I tend to enjoy, as I learn new things every time.  Of course some lessons are harder than others. [Important note, the problem was not the club, it was mine]

Yesterday I wanted to run some dialog by the group, the feedback was ok, they liked it well enough. The problem is that because the dialog was plucked from a book, and not built up to the same level, their mediocre reaction was a shock to me.

One area for instance, the exchange between Jamie (My protagonist) and Austin, (her protector)

Jamie handed Austin a key on a large loop.

“Is it the key to your heart?” Austin said playfully.

“It’s the key to my legs.” Jamie answered without thinking.

Austin smiled, “Even better.”

Cute enough, right?  For those that read the first (and second book) to the point when that line is said they find it much more humorous. They KNOW why Jamie is sleeping in a leg manacle (She is possessed by a demon that tends to mess her up when she sleeps).  There are at least 14 different stunts he has pulled to humiliate her, harm her or just annoy her. She has been verbally sparring with Austin ever since she locked him in her trunk.  There is a chemistry that has been built between them. If you read up to that point, the readers are relieved that she is doing this, the exchange is funny in that context. [Money says if you look at the comments, ML Newman will back up that the feelings and actions to this point made that line above much funnier and appropriate]

So the lesson from all of this?  Excerpts don’t always work for review and probably don’t work that well as teasers. At least not the ones that take a book to explain why they are funny.  The information I needed was there, and I was able to extract it.  So if you are showing excerpt and snippets, be ready for them to back fire, or at least not get the reaction you are expecting.

Movie Revew – (Star Trek – Into the Darkness)

Hello all, I was tempted to mention my new and psychotic idea for my rejected stories, but that will have to wait for another day.

For tonight, I would like to address the movie Star Trek – Into the darkness.  I have 2 reviews for the same movie, 3 if you consider the cautionary tale!

For those of you that have never watched star trek, are not trekies in the least, only tolerate the shows when it’s on and your too intoxicated to change the channel, this is a good film, you have to suspend your believe a bit, and remember that SciFi is not always accurate to the laws fo physics.  Enjoy the show and happy trekking.

For those of you that, like me are closet trekies, the ones that while you can’t quote the episode numbers or the season, know the plots of most of them, have watched all the Star trek shows, got misty when Spock died in the 2^nd one, or when Data was killed or…. (You get my point)  this movie is one 2 hour-long skull f@^k.  by about ½ way through I was thinking “they must not have ever watched an episode of star trek, that’s why they are so off target”  by the end, it was clear they watched everyone, 2 or 3 times, and made sure to cram as many “F@6K You Trekie” moments in it as they could. I am not sure if they are trying to drive off the trek fans, or trying to never have to make another trek movie, good thing is they should get either result.  The only other thing I can think of is they are trying to start a civil war between the soon to be fractured fan bases.

The only other note is to my fellow authors.  If you have seen the show “Misery” and thought to yourself “Fans don’t really get like that, not for books at least”.  You need to rewatch that show again.  Not that you have to plot things how your fans want, but its worth remembering that once they become fans, they have a say, if you kill a main character, or you do any number of other screwed up items – your next book signing could be your last!! Seriously there are some things that you just cant do and expect to have anyone ever read your work.  If you want a prime example of this, watch a dozen of the original star trek, and the first 5 movies.  Then go see star trek and pay attention!

Lesson Learned From An Infant

from a fellow author…

MLNewman

I have been playing this strange magician’s trick for the last few weeks. Most know it as the disappearing act but the reality is that I haven’t really gone anywhere. It’s strange but a cloud filled with silence decided to surround me and no words would come out. I have been trying to write a true blog post for the past 2-3 weeks but nothing would come out, nothing real and nothing worthy of being said.

Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with this same issue in my writing. I have been stuck for longer than I’d like to admit with my YA paranormal novel as well as my A paranormal novel. A great friend and fellow writer told me to take it slow, one chapter a week at least to get the ball rolling. I have been writing chapter four since Monday and today is the last day. Not only have…

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hangover part IVIVVV

why cant I just drunk dial my Ex’s like a normal person ?

Miscreant Thoughts and Lesser Things

Good morning fellow miscreants,

My experiment for going a week without writing is now ½ over, and I have decided this was a stupid thing to try.  Not only is my brain back filling with ideas, but when I’m not writing I have this need to do ‘something’ author related.

This morning I am looking at my computer (which is surrounded by empty beer bottles, as in ‘good thing I didn’t need to drive anywhere quantity’.)  I specifically looked the browser history and the sent emails. Looks like I decided to put my work out to 3 more ‘Traditional Publishers’ and sent to 1 reader.

The reader I am less nervous about, I strongly suspect the review from her will be “it is a good story but it needs editing” with a side of “the editing issues are why the traditional presses are rejecting it”

The Traditional publishers, they will…

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New News on the western front

well, maybe ‘no news’ is an over statement.

I may well have found my first ‘investor’.  he will only cover 25% but that’s 25% more than I had.  I have done a budget and know what it will take for me to indie publish.  I am not going to do the “Word says everything is spelled right” and “my 9-year-old is such a good artist, I can use that as a book cover” thing.  I only get one chance for a first impression, so its going to be done right, and if I can get help to do it, so much the better.

unfortunately the next few days are more ‘non writing days’ between job interviews and working with the film maker (who I have a deal with for my book trailer) so this means scouting locations, and doing a casting call.

sadly that’s the part I am going to hate the most.  one of two things are going to happen.  1) I will see several talented enthusiastic people, and have to reject all but the few I need.  or 2) I won’t see enough people to do the shoot the way I am hoping.   I would hope that after all of the rejections I have received I can find a way to tell the people who didn’t make the cut in a nice way.    there is also a chance I will meet “Jamie” the model that I will ask to help me do more of the marketing.

Fingers crossed everybody, if I can get an investor, I will have money to publish and a trailer. for marketing.  Worse case is that I end having a kick starter for a small enough amount that it should succeed.

And in a real world update (as opposed to the author/Publishing world update)  I have interviews everyday for the rest of this week, so I may end up employed, which would allow me to also ‘invest’ into my book.

 

Want to help students enjoy mathematics

[Paying it forward, this is a kickstarted by a friend of mine, and a very worth while idea. Mixing Math and fiction is an intresting approch]

Want to help students enjoy mathematics?

The story centers around high school senior Matthew “MatheMatt” Forsythe who discovers a strange computer and a secret door in his school. Determined to find out more, he and his friends devise a scheme to crack the code…and find much more than they were expecting. Matt and his friend, Kelsie, stumble upon: a strange teleportal, a mysterious stranger who claims that the world is coming to an end because numbers are missing or dying off, and a grueling mathematics ordeal. Matt and Kelsie try to rescue specific numbers like 8, 61 and 313. However, they quickly realize that they may have made a few mistakes along the way…

Help students enjoy more aspects of mathematics by backing my Kickstarter campaign. Please, please, please help me out! Go to the link below to learn more.

http://goo.gl/f4QUM

Thank you very much!

All the best,

Charles Fischer

Random Mother’s Day Update.

Greetings all.

My wife decided to go camping this weekend, leaving me alone and unsupervised!  The good news is that the kitchen will recover, the pans are ok, and she didn’t find any evidence of my diet killing activities. Over all a success.

I also put the final chapter to my second book and after a very good friend of mine started to read my first one, she pointed out a flaw, a huge flaw, a structural OMG flaw.  Ok maybe not that bad, it’s more the result of my method of writing the stream of conscious where I just put the words on the screen, and let them flow.  Of course the clean-up is twice as hard, so as I send my second book to an editor know (not a professional but a damn fine one) I am going to be editing the first book over, and will be replacing the “Chapter 1” excerpt on here (the one that no one has actually read yet)

Of course I also realize I am entering the endless loop, where there is always ‘one more thing’ that I feel I should change.

Sometime before the end of the week, I will be starting the third book.   I am planning on using Scrivner this time, to see how that experience goes. I have locked myself into NOT getting frustrated and just putting it back into word. I will let you all know how that is going.

Hope you all had a good mother’s day.