Blog Posts | Fugitive Prose

23

Sep

Nope

The delegate from the sofa votes no confidence.

This was the first chilly morning of the year, and the ground was -surprise- covered with cold dew. Cher went out, took one horrified step into the yard, looked over her shoulder with damp paw raised dramatically, and then promptly retired to the Fortress of Pillows for the day.

It’s going to be a long winter for somebody.

21

Sep

XKCD is Always Right

Dammit, I knew I was forgetting something yesterday:

XKCD teaches us so much.

20

Sep

H8

Home at last!

I flew back from Chicago today and nearly missed my plane, which kind of sucked. On one hand, it’s nice that everyone wanted to talk to me while I was in town. It makes me feel appreciated, which is always lovely. On the other hand, I would have preferred that this appreciation not take the form of a conga line between me and the exit as I rush out to catch my plane.

By the time I got to the airport, the plane was about to board, there was a crazy huge line at security, and for some reason known only to the IT department at American Airlines, seats couldn’t be assigned as normal, which meant another delay at the gate.

Being awesome, I defeated all of the the airport’s diabolical schemes to stop me, so all it could really do at that point was to tell me how it felt about me via sneaky gate assignment:

Think license plate.

On the plus side, I did get to ride the best escalator (bescalator!) in the world when I got back to DFW:

Wouldn't it have been easier to land the plane first?

Pro Tip: Do not yell ‘WHEEEEE!’ all the way down the escalator. Apparently airport security has no tolerance for FUN.

14

Sep

Proof at Last!

Huzzah! Got the proof copy of Bad Radio today. I have to say, it’s pretty cool having a version of the book that you can ~~hit people with~~ hold in your hand.

So far everything looks great. I’m especially impressed at how crisp the chapter graphics came out.

I’ll review tonight, and barring any crazy errors, it should be available this week. That’s nearly a month ahead of schedule, which ain’t too shabby.

12

Sep

Do It for Number Ten Ox

You’re as book-lovin’ a bunch as I’ve ever seen, so I’m sure that you’ve already come across Subterranean Press’s announcement today. If you’ve never read about Master Li and Number Ten Ox, and I don’t know that you need to admit such a thing in public, I just want to say how incredibly, agonizingly jealous I am of you.

Do yourself a favor and buy this collection right now before they’re all gone. I have multiple copies of the original books in my house, plus a signed collection that I gave to my wife as a present, and I’m still barely resisting the urge to get this one.

Forget about that time I told you bees were delicious, and that other time that I swore my cat had a sense of humor about her tail. I’ll admit it, those were mean, hilarious lies that I told for my own benefit.

This time, it’s all for you.

8

Sep

Back When Planking was Cool

You may have noticed that I’m a huge nerd. If not, please let this serve as official notice:

I’ve already mentioned that I’m a fan of elaborate boardgames. What I may not have said is that I also have a weakness for pirates.

I happen to be in the middle of reading Mike Kalmbach’s The Caldarian Conflict, which is chock-full of high-seas adventure, so my resistance is at an all-time low. In a sinister conspiracy against my wallet, one of my friends managed to call me during my moment of weakness and mentioned that he heard about Merchants & Marauders and that it was REALLY GOOD. And that we should play, RIGHT NOW.

So…I bought it. Sue me, I’m weak.

It arrived today, so hopefully on Saturday my dining room table will look like this:

All I can promise is that my posts next week will contain the words “YARRR” and “BOOTY” as few times as I can manage.

/booty!

7

Sep

First Look: Print Cover

I just received a proof of the art for the print version of Bad Radio, and I don’t mind saying that I think it’s the bees knees. I really like the layout and color choices for the back copy, and how Vinny integrated the chapter art. The whole thing just seems to flow without seeming fussy or too busy, which is harder to do than it sounds.

Looks like the print version will be out ahead of schedule, although I’m not 100% sure of the final release date.

Hopefully this bit of good news will reduce the amount of punching I’m getting for having the two versions not come out at the same time.

6

Sep

On Editing

The number one question that I’ve been asked by other writers looking to self-publish is:

Do I really need an editor?

Usually this comes up just after they mention how they read Strunk & White every night before bed, how careful they are, and how their spouse/partner/roommate/dog is an amazing proofreader. And all of that might be true. But the reality is, unless you’re a pro that’s been in the business for years, you’re going to suck compared to an actual editor.

I think my Reddit AMA answer summed it up best when I was asked if I hired an editor or did it myself:

First I did it.

Then my wife (who is a grammar nerd) did a line-edit.

Then I was professionally edited by Scott Nicholson.

Guess what? The manuscript needed the pro editing. I’m fortunate in that I write very clean prose, from a technical perspective. Also, my wife has a keen eye and knows her stuff. Unfortunately, none of that can compare to being edited by a guy who has been in the business as a professional for many years.

Some of what a professional editor will find is technical. You will be so close to your manuscript, and have gone over it so many times, that you will be blind to some of the technical errors. This happens most often in a sentence or scene that you are very involved with from a story perspective. Your focus tends to move to a different place and you just can’t see that dropped apostrophe or whatever.

The bigger value is in what is called ‘developmental editing’. This is the part where your editor points out that something isn’t working from a story/character/pacing perspective. Listen to your editor when they talk about this stuff. Unless you’re a best-selling pro, they know better than you do.

If you can’t afford an editor, and they can run from $1 to $2 per page (250 words), then look for a proofreader that may be less expensive. Failing that, join a well respected writing group, and have several people go over your manuscript.

It’s not ideal, but it’s better than trying to do it yourself.

2

Sep