Saturday, December 30, 2006
Copy editor perfection:
Stuart Tanner, my "final copy editor" and very old and dear friend, (my mother considered Stuart an "adopted" son, as with most of our close friends when we were growing up,) has been working on the final manuscript for most of the month of December. I took the month off after finishing it to complete a lengthy photo scanning/archiving project for my in-laws.
Stuart's father was one of the best English teachers in Palo Alto when we were growing up, (and considered a total bastard even by his sons.) Every Tanner has an innate talent with the English language, and I consider Stuart the perfect choice for the final edit before releasing my book.
Stuart is also a perfectionist. He's already recommended re-writing a few scenes over dinner and I have agreed. (I love any opportunity to hold a conversation with Stuart, and he loves any opportunity to have a good meal over said conversations.) This means the release of the book is likely slowed down by 3-6 months. I don't have a deadline so I'm cool with this. I know there's a harsh world out there just waiting to criticize works of art they are too lazy or stupid to do themselves.
So I want my first book to be the best it can be. The trilogy has been my major project for the past eight-plus years and I've learned a lot. Ken Ludden, author of "Second Pass," was a mentor and good friend for two years and he taught me much. Now Stuart is teaching me some of the finer points of writing and editing.
I'm also taking a creative writing class at the College of San Mateo (CSM) starting next month, (semester.) As an artist I don’t think we ever stop learning. The instant we get complacent or think we're the shit, our art starts to turn to shit. Ken once said that "art is unforgiving," and there's validity in that. We are probably our own harshest critics and we likely drive ourselves harder than anyone else would. I think that's okay as long as we stay positive and enjoy the process.
That's the key. The instant we stop loving what we do, we should stop doing in until the love of the process comes back. Art should never become a chore.
I've got a drum set that I don't play enough, and a set of bongo drums I really want to work with, but writing is my primary art form and that's where I put most of my creative energy. I love to play and do so whenever possible, but unless you have no other obligations in life it's very hard to pursue multiple art forms. I'm thinking of taking some music theory classes if I find I enjoy being back in school, (after 20 years!) and I'm thinking of taking up the piano – the natural extension for a percussionist who wants to expand. (Plus it would be nice to have an instrument I don't have to go to the garage to play.) Drums are a lot of fun but they are not melodic. The piano allows a percussionist to learn more about reading and composing music, and there is so much more you can do with keyboards. Synthesizers have become so technologically advanced and the price of electronic keyboards has come down so much nearly everyone can afford a decent one.
But I'm not taking up any new instrument until after I release the first book. I'd also like to travel to Ireland sometime in 2007 as much of the second book is set there. The web is a great resource but nothing beats seeing the place in person. I'll also take copies of the first book to sell as the name of the city (Ballinrobe) is part of the series title.
"Between the Hammer and the Anvil" is book one in "The Dragon Riders of Ballinrobe" trilogy. The Irish love shit that's named after them. (We're a proud people.) Ballinrobe is a pretty little town in Western Ireland known for it's natural scenic beauty and lake fishing. I'd like to spend maybe a week there and a week in Dublin. I would take more time but I think two weeks is as much as Erik can deal with. (We'd likely get our pet sitter to handle a couple of Max's walks, but there's a lot to do around here.)
It would also mean potentially not taking a class Summer semester, which I'm also okay with. With the book released I'll have plenty to do.
There's also two more books to write. Book one is about 650 pages, and I'm told it converts pretty close to 1:1 from MS Word to book copy. I've written about 450-500 pages of the manuscript for book two. In fact, I have to break away from my main story line to move some sub-plots forward in book two. I don't know how long book two will be, but I've kind of made a pledge to not go over 700 pages for any single part of the trilogy.
I don't know what happens at the end of book two. I don't yet know what happens in book three. I don't write that way. Ken mapped out all nine books of his SIL series before he started writing. I have the story running in my head, and when I go to write it just flows. I never have writer's block and I usually cannot type as fast as the story comes to me. Every writer has their own style. Some know the entire story from start to finish and some are like me, then there's every shade in between.
So if you've been waiting for the first book to be released, I thank you for your patience. It will definitely be out by June 2007, copies in hand, going to every book store and library that will allow me to do a reading/signing/author talk/appearance. I'm fortunate there are thousands of book stores and hundreds of libraries within a day's drive of my house.
2007 promises to be an interesting year.
Stuart Tanner, my "final copy editor" and very old and dear friend, (my mother considered Stuart an "adopted" son, as with most of our close friends when we were growing up,) has been working on the final manuscript for most of the month of December. I took the month off after finishing it to complete a lengthy photo scanning/archiving project for my in-laws.
Stuart's father was one of the best English teachers in Palo Alto when we were growing up, (and considered a total bastard even by his sons.) Every Tanner has an innate talent with the English language, and I consider Stuart the perfect choice for the final edit before releasing my book.
Stuart is also a perfectionist. He's already recommended re-writing a few scenes over dinner and I have agreed. (I love any opportunity to hold a conversation with Stuart, and he loves any opportunity to have a good meal over said conversations.) This means the release of the book is likely slowed down by 3-6 months. I don't have a deadline so I'm cool with this. I know there's a harsh world out there just waiting to criticize works of art they are too lazy or stupid to do themselves.
So I want my first book to be the best it can be. The trilogy has been my major project for the past eight-plus years and I've learned a lot. Ken Ludden, author of "Second Pass," was a mentor and good friend for two years and he taught me much. Now Stuart is teaching me some of the finer points of writing and editing.
I'm also taking a creative writing class at the College of San Mateo (CSM) starting next month, (semester.) As an artist I don’t think we ever stop learning. The instant we get complacent or think we're the shit, our art starts to turn to shit. Ken once said that "art is unforgiving," and there's validity in that. We are probably our own harshest critics and we likely drive ourselves harder than anyone else would. I think that's okay as long as we stay positive and enjoy the process.
That's the key. The instant we stop loving what we do, we should stop doing in until the love of the process comes back. Art should never become a chore.
I've got a drum set that I don't play enough, and a set of bongo drums I really want to work with, but writing is my primary art form and that's where I put most of my creative energy. I love to play and do so whenever possible, but unless you have no other obligations in life it's very hard to pursue multiple art forms. I'm thinking of taking some music theory classes if I find I enjoy being back in school, (after 20 years!) and I'm thinking of taking up the piano – the natural extension for a percussionist who wants to expand. (Plus it would be nice to have an instrument I don't have to go to the garage to play.) Drums are a lot of fun but they are not melodic. The piano allows a percussionist to learn more about reading and composing music, and there is so much more you can do with keyboards. Synthesizers have become so technologically advanced and the price of electronic keyboards has come down so much nearly everyone can afford a decent one.
But I'm not taking up any new instrument until after I release the first book. I'd also like to travel to Ireland sometime in 2007 as much of the second book is set there. The web is a great resource but nothing beats seeing the place in person. I'll also take copies of the first book to sell as the name of the city (Ballinrobe) is part of the series title.
"Between the Hammer and the Anvil" is book one in "The Dragon Riders of Ballinrobe" trilogy. The Irish love shit that's named after them. (We're a proud people.) Ballinrobe is a pretty little town in Western Ireland known for it's natural scenic beauty and lake fishing. I'd like to spend maybe a week there and a week in Dublin. I would take more time but I think two weeks is as much as Erik can deal with. (We'd likely get our pet sitter to handle a couple of Max's walks, but there's a lot to do around here.)
It would also mean potentially not taking a class Summer semester, which I'm also okay with. With the book released I'll have plenty to do.
There's also two more books to write. Book one is about 650 pages, and I'm told it converts pretty close to 1:1 from MS Word to book copy. I've written about 450-500 pages of the manuscript for book two. In fact, I have to break away from my main story line to move some sub-plots forward in book two. I don't know how long book two will be, but I've kind of made a pledge to not go over 700 pages for any single part of the trilogy.
I don't know what happens at the end of book two. I don't yet know what happens in book three. I don't write that way. Ken mapped out all nine books of his SIL series before he started writing. I have the story running in my head, and when I go to write it just flows. I never have writer's block and I usually cannot type as fast as the story comes to me. Every writer has their own style. Some know the entire story from start to finish and some are like me, then there's every shade in between.
So if you've been waiting for the first book to be released, I thank you for your patience. It will definitely be out by June 2007, copies in hand, going to every book store and library that will allow me to do a reading/signing/author talk/appearance. I'm fortunate there are thousands of book stores and hundreds of libraries within a day's drive of my house.
2007 promises to be an interesting year.
