Paksworld

One advantage the writer has–if she gets her copy ahead of time enough–is that she can see and weep over the remaining errors before being clobbered with them by a reader.     Because a writer reading her own work when it’s hot off the press reads like a nitpicker, not an enthusiast.    Little prayers puff out of her brain: “Oh, please don’t let anyone tell me about this the first week–or tell anyone else, either.”   And, if she’s lucky, there are moments of “Yes…that worked…good…uh-huh…and that…yeah, this whole chapter’s fine.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Since (if I’m reading comments with correct understanding) some of you have a copy in hand or may soon,  it’s time for a Spoiler Space.

No one who does not want spoilers should read under this title.  It’s only for those who a) have read the book and b) want to talk about it, or those who don’t mind spoilers before they read.    Safest is to just email one another, but this space is a semi-safe space as long as the spoiler-averse can keep from looking behind the curtain, even when it billows and they hear intriguing sounds.

Remember that if you click on the comments, you will open up all the comments full of spoilers.

As  King Mikeli’s younger brother has demonstrated in previous books, he’s an impetuous, energetic youngster with a gift for ending up in difficulties.   He’s also warmhearted, well-intentioned (in his own way) and brave.  He was supposed to be one of those minor characters who decorates the margin of the story,  illuminates the context of major characters.  However, Camwyn  did not stay marginal.   Quite the contrary.  Rather like Arvid, in that respect, he showed up at the oddest times, doing things that put him center stage.

It’s not that Camwyn wants to cause trouble for himself or others.  But a lightning rod person will always snag any electricity around, and he does.  Hence…a snippet.   By keeping it annoyingly short, I can just barely avoid spoilers, but may it bridge the gap over A-Kon, when I won’t be around to post anything. Read the rest of this entry »

So today, the nitpicking round it is ongoing, and it’s…always interesting.   Nitpicking has various uses.  One of them can be shortening a book that’s too long (too long defined by publishing economics.)   I think I’ve posted before about some of the shortening strategies.   But this book isn’t too long, so nitpicking is aimed at other goals.   Tyops of course, like that one right there.   Not just letter reversals and misspelled words, but words mistakenly typed in place of others.  “Heard” for “herd.”    “Policed” for “pleased.”  (Don’t ask how I did that one…I don’t know.   Brain burp.  It wasn’t in this book.)   Anything that sticks out as awkward, bothersome, annoying, confusing.   For instance:

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Crown of Renewal, by a nose, despite all the obstacles in its path as reported in breathless gasps by Crown’s disheveled jockey: Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a very trying race for Crown of Renewal‘s jockey, as we were blocked,  forced back, had mud kicked onto us, tried to find holes…had those holes abruptly filled by another horse’s big broad butt,   were bumped hard, found other holes, some of which led nowhere at all except to more bumping and fending off other jockeys’ whips.    In fact, all the other horses in the race were trouble:  Fickle Fate,  Interruption,  New Assignment,  HellVirus,  Bad Timing,  Pain in the Neck,  Complication, Accident, Family Crisis.  All ridden by jockeys with the intent of ruining Crown‘s race.  Read the rest of this entry »

The hierarchy of writing-research starts with personal experience.    If you have ever cooked a meal,  mucked out a stall,  driven a car, or fallen out of a tree, you have a wealth of sensory inputs as well as intellectual understanding of those experiences available to use in a story.   You know, in the most direct way, what it’s like.

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After multiple false starts, the braid is well on its way…and it gets easier as it goes along.    It would have been nice to be here a month ago…no, two months ago…but all the braids back then tangled into impenetrable knots.   And all because I kept starting at the wrong point.    If you mistake the beginning,  nothing else fits.

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Anyone who’s taken a journalism class, or written for a newspaper, is familiar with the “Five Ws” which–canonically–are supposed to be at the head of the story.   Also with “inverted triangle” structure.    Most of the time, novel structure is not the same, but keeping readers oriented to person, place, and time is–for most, not all–important.   Even more important–though hidden from readers–is keeping the writer oriented to the Five Ws (and more.)

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Editor has approved the title for Book V:  Crown of Renewal.    Scheduled to release late May 2014, though that’s always subject to change .   You will soon notice that title as a category (like, um, for this post.)

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