The Many Faces of Editing

Well, I'm at home with a hiking injury so I'm devoting today to editing. (What the heck else am I going to do?) I'm not talking the first phase, where I just hit the Spellcheck button. No, I'm way beyond that phase...oh, wait. Have I talked to you all about my loosely defined phases of editing?

Muawahahahahaha! Okay, here we go. Come join the crazy world that is AR.

Phase 1: Denial Editing. "I just finished this wonderful masterpiece. All it needs is a quick spell check and it's off to the races of submission wars." (After this phase I put it away for a couple weeks to fight off the early-submission urge.)

Phase 2: Awareness Editing. "I know this is perfect, but just let me check to make sure...Uh, that didn't come out quite how I'd hoped...that either. What the Wisconsin?" (After this phase I am usually ego deflated and put the manuscript away in shame for a couple weeks.)

Phase 3: Revelation Editing. "Let's pull this work of crap out and see what I can make of it...oh, those changes did make this better. If I just change these little things...it'll be perfect again." (After this phase, I'm heading towards the happy part of writing again.)

Phase 4: Final Touches. "It's finished...but why can't I tell the difference between you're and your or there and their when I'm in full writing mode?"

So, there are my 4 loosely defined phases of editing. Usually phase 2 and 3 are rinsed and repeated several times before reaching phase 4.

Good writing all!

A Quickie Writer's Moment

A block away from work, I started thinking about my new space epic. Puzzle pieces started falling from the sky for the next 3 blocks.

I stopped at an intersection and pressed the crossing button right as a certain subplot came clear to me. My antagonist's motives and their hidden ties to one of the main characters.

I know it's important she remain unaware, but should he also? How this will impact certain scenes later in the manuscript? How it will affect the dynamics of the other main characters? It means I have to add at least 4 more scenes...

I look up right as my walking symbol finishes: 4, 3, 2, 1, red hand.

Crap, I was so busy thinking about my story I stood through the whole crossing period.

Good writing all...and don't forget about the real world.

Science Updates

As a new post theme, I'm going to start doing periodic science and technology updates that interest me. The focus of these updates will be things I see arriving or down the pipe that will lead to some great science fiction concept basis. (Who am I kidding? They're just things I think are REALLY cool.)

Okay, here we go:

NASA unveils a new Space Suit...yay! This has been one of my dreams since the 1980s. It's taken longer than my sci-fi mind thought it would. But, no matter, it's here now. Taking a good look at the suit, it's very exciting. It modifies for different functions and environments and looks like some of the sci-fi prototypes in early 70s and late 80s science fiction stories.

Econeering...the way of the future. Watch out for this bioengineering science, and the key phrase, Econeering. If they are able to keep succeeding in this technology we're going to see the full potential of Terra forming at an accelerated rate. This technology is a little scary, depending on the ethical sustainment of the research and development.

Done wrong, this could turn into a more sinister sci-fi concept. Not only that, but with the parallel successes of genomic and nano technology I think we could see some blending of human, ecological, and IT on the future evolutionary timeline.

PZT: Flexible Energy Sheets...This is what I'm talking about! The new technology in this is amazing and something all sci-fi geeks should be uber excited about. PZT sheets can be placed anywhere that would stress and flex it and Wha-Bhammo! energy. This would be great in context to futuristic healthcare, space-living, long voyage transportation...the list goes on and on and on. (Phew...take a breath AR. The excitement's getting to ya.)

Well, those are three things that caught my imagination and stirred some great ideas.


Good writing all!