In today’s Journal
* One More Time to Blackwell Ops 10
* I Am Not a “Local Author”
* I’m Copyediting Again
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
One More Time to Blackwell Ops 10
Welp, after my first reader noticed my shift from third to first-person at the beginning of Chapter 4 of the novel, I revised Blackwell Ops 10.
Yep, conscious-critical mind stuff. But then, I’ve been a copyeditor for around three decades. Maybe four. I’ve lost count.
Mostly I changed Chapter 1 into a Prologue and left it in third person omniscient to introduce the POV character.
Then I renumbered the remaining chapters and changed the former Chapters 2 and 3 two into first-person POV.
(I did a lot of that with the wonderful Word Find & Replace tool. If you don’t know how to use it, see my pretty good and free course on Microsoft Word for Writershttps://harveystanbrough.com/microsoft-word-for-writers/.)
Finally I wrote a suitable transition that spanned the end of the new prologue and the beginning of the new Chapter 1 (previously Chapter 2). I have to admit, it reads much more smoothly.
Note: The reader is always right when s/he “notices” something and feels jerked out of the story by it.
Take note.
I Am Not a “Local Author”
The brief book signing went all right. Our host was not only gracious, but both she and her husband are also former Marines. I always enjoy meeting another sister or brother from the Corps.
Live and learn. As I sat there, I came to realize I am not a local author. I’m a serious professional fction writer who just happens to live locally.
I’m truly glad for the local authors who were there and that they got to chat with their friends. More power to them. And we did luck out and sell a few books.
But I admit I wearied of overhearing them wondering aloud whether “that Amazon thing” might be good for their books. Sigh.
If you are a local author, wanting to write a novel to finish your buket list or publish a history of your family in the area, that’s wonderful. I’m happy for you.
But if you are or aspire to be a professional fiction writer, always ask yourself Scott William Carter’s WIBBOW question: Would I Be Better Off Writing?
If the answer is yes, write instead.
If I ever go to one of those again, I’ll sign some books in advance, then take along my laptop and write while I’m there. Maybe even take a printer and sell “short stories while you wait” for $20 a pop.
Opening Up Copyediting Again
I’m probably crazy, but I’ve also decided to open my copyediting practice again. But only for readers of the Journal. I’ll copyedit any completed, spell-checked novel you want to send me for one cent per word. Or I’ll tell you why I won’t.
My lowest usual rate is one and one-half cents per word. With a 100,000-word novel, that’s the difference between $1000 and $1500. With a 50,000 word novel, it’s the difference between $500 and $750. Quite a difference. And you get explanations and advanced instruction on the side.
If I accept your novel for copyediting, I’ll even copyedit a couple of pages and send them back to you free so you can see the result before you decide to have me edit the whole novel (or not).
For details on what a copyedit includes, please visit https://harveystanbrough.com/copyediting/. Or go to HarveyStanbrough.com, click the Writer Resources tab, then click the first link on that page.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
The Sudden (Suspicious?) Death of U.S. President Warren G. Harding
Generative AI vs. Copyright Interesting in light of Dean’s post above
Using Generative AI? Consider These 7 Tips From a Legal Expert
Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Whiskey Priest
Writing Fiction That’s “Ripped From the Headlines” Mostly for the cute list at the end.
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 640
Writing of
Day 1…… XXXX words. To date…… XXXXX
Fiction for September…………………… 52650
Fiction for 2023………………………… 204959
Fiction since August 1………………… 110199
Nonfiction for September……………… 18650
Nonfiction for the year……………… 193120
Annual consumable words………… 398079
2023 Novels to Date……………………… 4
2023 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2023 Short Stories to Date……………… 4
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………… 75
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)… 232
Short story collections…………………… 31
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.