Fine-Tuning

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Aww. Loke just Picarded all over my notebook. My widdle character is giving speeches on moral philosophy!

Actually, except for this one scene which is all climactic, I’m trying to trim down all the incidental Picarding in my stories. And the careful specificity. I have the same problem as my narrator—when I refuse to make gross generalizations, it’s that damn basic need for accuracy that’s driving me. I understand the importance of modifiable prototypical concepts to make for quicker recognition,* but my precision-driven brain resents them all the same.

Basically this means I have to take out quite a few “Of course, there are exceptions” caveats. Readers are smart and should be able to figure that out.

Anyway! I haven’t finished the rough draft—got an episode and a half to go—but I’ve got a whole outline of things to insert/delete/change in older episodes—fix Jack’s age,** tweak The Hive’s dialogue, add a few alien mannerisms to Shuliu, scare the hell out of a few people, wedge in some flashbacks to foreshadow our main character’s Dark Weird Secret, etc., etc.. The difficulty with writing a novel is that I’m learning as I go, which means I make a lot of mistakes that have to be fixed. I’m hoping that I will get better at doing it right the first time as I get the hang of this.

It’s kind of exciting, though. On the days when I’m not gripped with melodramatic Artistic Angst feeling that it’s all terrible and I suck and who am I kidding, I actually think it’s coming together nicely.

I can’t wait to write the sequel.


*Think “dog.” You probably have one particular sort of proto-dog associated with that general image. If I say “husky,” “German shepard,” or “Yorkie,” you modify that prototype.

**I also had to think up a more in-depth understanding of how to make his leg fall off, which led to the dreaded Long Runaway Backstory and a scream-inducing visit to the snakebite page of Wikipedia. It was exactly what I was looking for, but the photo—DEAR OPTIMUS CHRIST, THE PHOTO!

Comments

[chairman-wow.livejournal.com]

So, I just innocently looked up "snakebite" on wikipedia, and HOLY FUCK I DID NOT KNOW SNAKES COULD DO THAT. D:

[chairman-wow.livejournal.com]

PS: I am really looking forward to eventually reading this novel of yours, though.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I know, you're like, "Oh, this should be some good information on OH DEAR SWEET CTHULHU THAT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED."

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's probably the worst case of necrosis I've ever seen. Normally they cut off a leg a couple weeks before it gets that bad.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Pretty much what it says there, but still--WAUGH.

[kadharonon.livejournal.com]

**I also had to think up a more in-depth understanding of how to make his leg fall off, which led to the dreaded Long Runaway Backstory and a scream-inducing visit to the snakebite page of Wikipedia. It was exactly what I was looking for, but the photo—DEAR OPTIMUS CHRIST, THE PHOTO!

...oh DEAR GOD, I just had to go and look, and... and... *twitch*

[ravenofdreams.livejournal.com]

I thought to myself, I thought, "Self, what can possibly be so bad about the wikipedia entry on snakebite? Let us go look, shall we, self?"
....ohgodohgod that squicked me out. I have not been that squicked with my hands in dead bodies. And I was cooking dinner!

[nixve.livejournal.com]

I think it was Neil Gaiman who said it but I cannot find the quote right now. Someone asked him if writing so many comics/novels/etc. made it easier to write them and he replied something along the lines of how each novel was different and that made each novel difficult to write in all new ways. Once he got the hang of writing the first book, then the next one would be completely different.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Well, true, but I do understand it at least gets faster. At least I hope so.

[pandoras-closet.livejournal.com]

*curious*

*Goes to Wikipedia*

. . .

ew

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

... *squashes curiosity firmly*

I have a friend who says she can't wrap her head around modifiable prototypical concepts. She has to have specifics.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

I have the same difficulty with wanting to put in caveats in my explanations and having to keep them down. With the novel I'm ostensibly working on right now, my first draft of the preface explaining the setting was six pages, which is way too long for a preface of that type. I had to rewrite it from scratch five times before I got it down to a page and a half.

[dark-phoenix54.livejournal.com]

I love the use of "Picard" as a verb. Which I think means I've watched too much Star Trek in my life.

Also, note to self: Stay the fuck out of Ecuador.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

And isn't it great that everyone knows what I mean?

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

*looks at snakebite page*

AAAAAUUUUUUGH!

[igntethestars.livejournal.com]

I think I love you for using "Picarding". Oh Picard. How you will forever be my first fangirlish crush.

And I think I just lost the bottom of my stomach from that page. Holy shit.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I know, right? I love that everyone knows what I mean, too. (I think "What would Picard do?" is a good motto.)

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to buy a copy!!