While I’m struggling with the proof process on FC:II (the errors are entirely my own; nothing to do with CreateSpace), another topic came to mind on which I have an opinion: Character Names.
I’ve seen some doozies—in print and in workshops—that left me shaking my head in wonder. Don’t these people read their own stuff? Don’t they see/can’t they hear how awful that name sounds? Below are some of the naming practices that drive me batty.
Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing | Tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, creative writing, editing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, self-publishing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 1 Comment »
Contrary to my plans, I didn’t do any re-edits this weekend. The monkey-boy day-job got in the way. Executive Management decided to push up a deadline, so, for the second weekend in a row, I had to work (no overtime, no compensation). I noticed that Executive Management was not online, working with us…but I digress.
But I got a “thank you” from my immediate lead. He tossed me a quarter. That’s right. $0.25. That was my thank-you for nineteen straight days of work.
Posted in Culture, Hi Tech | Tagged Corporate America, day-job, overtime, real-time rewards, thank-you | 2 Comments »
I’ve seen Lawrence of Arabia many, many times—it’s one of my all-time favorite films—but last night it was like the first time, all over again.
Last night, I went to the 50th anniversary celebration of the film’s 1962 release, put on by Fathom Events. This was a one-night-only, cross-country showing of the newly-restored version of the classic, and all I can say about it is…wow!
Seriously, this was like a whole new movie. Completely restored, digitally scanned from original color negatives, processed and projected in 4k, this was a stunning upgrade to the movie. The depth of color, the depth of focus, the details that were all just so amazingly clear, worked together to make an immersive experience. You could see grains of sand, camel chin-whiskers. You could hear the creak of rope and the jangle of harnesses. You could see clearly the foreground actors and the wadi rim, miles distant. It was beautiful.
Posted in Culture, Movies | Tagged David Lean, epics, Lawrence of Arabia, Movies, Peter O'Toole, T E Lawrence | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, the second proof for The Year the Cloud Fell (2nd Edition) arrived from CreateSpace, and it was easy to see that the revisions I made were warranted.
The smaller font size and the wider margins make all the difference in the “feel” of the text on the page. Bookman Old Style still has that open, hot-lead, typeset look in 11pt, and the extra white space to top and side actually make the smaller font look less cramped. It’s readable, it feels good in the hand, and it passes all my criteria for a quality product.
It’s ready.
Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Hi Tech, Writing | Tagged CreateSpace, creative writing, ebooks, Fallen Cloud Saga, Kindle, Lulu, novel writing, novels, self-publishing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 2 Comments »
Gerber Knives can teach Sun Tzu a new stratagem: The ox does not run from one mosquito, but will flee from a swarm.
A couple of weeks ago, I was informed by Amazon that an item I’d purchased was being recalled by the manufacturer. The item was a parang—essentially a heavy machete that I use to lop off branches in the back garden—made by Gerber Knives. The long blade of the parang, it seems, has a tendency to snap off at the hilt, creating a “risk of injury.”
Hehe…no kidding. Continue Reading »
Posted in Culture | Tagged fedex, gerber knives, gerber recall, parang recall, quality assurance, recalls | Leave a Comment »
Dang. I was hoping to report on my second proof copy of FC:I, but it hasn’t arrived yet. So, to keep up with my “write every weekday” goal, we’ll go somewhere else entirely.
Yoghurt.
Didn’t see that coming, didya?
Posted in Food, Recipes | Tagged greek yoghurt, homemade greek yoghurt, recipes, yoghurt | Leave a Comment »
I know I’m not alone. I am pretty sure most writers suffer from it. It presents itself with many symptoms, but the cause is the same. At some point, we lose confidence. Without warning, we are sure that we can’t write, that everything we write is crap, and everything we’ve ever written is crap.
For me, this condition crops up at regular, predictable intervals. I’ll be writing along, and suddenly it all seems so much dross. The outline sounds stupid, juvenile, uninteresting. The story is just so much blathering. I hate what I’ve written, I’m sure everyone will hate what I’ve written, and I can see no point in continuing.
I’ve hit it. I’ve hit the 30k wall. Continue Reading »
Posted in Writing | Tagged blogging, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, novel writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 1 Comment »
