Comments on: Necessary Distance http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance Where Words Meet Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:08:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Matt Forbeck http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11043 Matt Forbeck Thu, 22 May 2008 17:37:55 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11043 I can understand that urge, Sully and Brian, but perhaps I've spent too long in publishing--and as an editor--to enjoy the polishing of my own material. As an editor, I ran into many writers who would play with the text/game until someone forced them to give it up. This mostly happens in games, with which most designers are never done, even after the game is in print. There's always something to change. Eventually, though, you (or at least I) have to declare a project as ready as it can be at the moment--and then move on to the next thing. I can understand that urge, Sully and Brian, but perhaps I’ve spent too long in publishing–and as an editor–to enjoy the polishing of my own material. As an editor, I ran into many writers who would play with the text/game until someone forced them to give it up.

This mostly happens in games, with which most designers are never done, even after the game is in print. There’s always something to change. Eventually, though, you (or at least I) have to declare a project as ready as it can be at the moment–and then move on to the next thing.

]]> By: Thomas Sullivan http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11017 Thomas Sullivan Thu, 22 May 2008 04:39:01 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11017 Was going to let this thread of commentary pass, rather than break up the party, but Brian introduced the opposing reaction and that's much closer to mine. I love trying to make a thing perfect. It's a thrill and a source of satisfaction to me to layer in the touches and imagination in that direction. I can never give up on something that has that potential. Not that you ever get there. But the journey is just so much more interesting when you bring Oz in sight. -- Sully Was going to let this thread of commentary pass, rather than break up the party, but Brian introduced the opposing reaction and that’s much closer to mine. I love trying to make a thing perfect. It’s a thrill and a source of satisfaction to me to layer in the touches and imagination in that direction. I can never give up on something that has that potential. Not that you ever get there. But the journey is just so much more interesting when you bring Oz in sight.

– Sully

]]> By: Brian Hodge http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11010 Brian Hodge Wed, 21 May 2008 21:08:56 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11010 Maybe it's a masochistic streak, but I've come to really like the stages of the editorial process, however maddening individual moments of it may be. It's like a series of safety nets, just in case that perfect 10-point landing you think you've pulled off is actually a 7.6. Evidence of which you're almost sure to see, with or without the editor's help, given enough of that necessary distance. Maybe it’s a masochistic streak, but I’ve come to really like the stages of the editorial process, however maddening individual moments of it may be.
It’s like a series of safety nets, just in case that perfect 10-point landing you think you’ve pulled off is actually a 7.6. Evidence of which you’re almost sure to see, with or without the editor’s help, given enough of that necessary distance.

]]> By: Dave Wilson http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11004 Dave Wilson Wed, 21 May 2008 16:46:18 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-11004 It's like pulling teeth to go back over a manuscript I've finished AND edited recently, but you have to do it...otherwise you end up with either pissed off editors/publishers OR you have that line that everyone for the next ten years is going to ask you about that - had you done your work - would have come out...it is NOT a favorite part of the process for me, but I've come to terms with it. D It’s like pulling teeth to go back over a manuscript I’ve finished AND edited recently, but you have to do it…otherwise you end up with either pissed off editors/publishers OR you have that line that everyone for the next ten years is going to ask you about that - had you done your work - would have come out…it is NOT a favorite part of the process for me, but I’ve come to terms with it.

D

]]> By: Robert Jones http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-10998 Robert Jones Wed, 21 May 2008 12:31:34 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-10998 The sport of editing exposes a strange phenomenon. When one is writing, one can skip a word and, since the word is there in memory, it can go unnoticed during a subsequent reading, especially if the reading occurs shortly after something was written. The message that teachers tried to pound into our heads about letting writing sit for a few weeks before editing it is good advice. I would have heeded it but, usually writing assignments in the wee hours before they were due, I never seemed to have the time. Thank you for sharing your editing experiences in a fine essay. RCJ The sport of editing exposes a strange phenomenon. When one is writing, one can skip a word and, since the word is there in memory, it can go unnoticed during a subsequent reading, especially if the reading occurs shortly after something was written. The message that teachers tried to pound into our heads about letting writing sit for a few weeks before editing it is good advice. I would have heeded it but, usually writing assignments in the wee hours before they were due, I never seemed to have the time.
Thank you for sharing your editing experiences in a fine essay.
RCJ

]]> By: Alma Alexander http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-10990 Alma Alexander Wed, 21 May 2008 05:08:59 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-10990 For my YA books I got it back THREE TIMES. The first time after the editor read it and went through it with a fine tooth comb (and MAN was it a fine tooth comb) and produced an "Editorial letter" of the things she thought I needed to address in the manuscript before it worked cohesively as a better book. I take, oh, 80% of these on board - maybe only 75% - but it's still a bit of a slog to go through the thing and fix and tweak and rewrite. But it's necessary because only when these things are done to both my and the editor's satisfaction do I get an official MS acceptance and thus the acceptance part of my advance. Money = good. Yes sir. The MS then gets handed to the copy editors. This particular set-up has three - my own main editor (who goes through the MS again), an in-house copy editor and a freelance outside copy editor. THREE PEOPLE'S MARKS AND COMMENTS AND QUERIES are on this dog's-breakfast of a manuscript when it comes back to me - and I add person #4, me, and send it back to the publisher with yet another set of scribbled notes, yet more post-its to join the veritable algal bloom of the stuff that's oozing out of every side of the copy edit MS, and I have the greatest respect for the person who GETS this tossed at them and is expected to make sense of it all. Then I get sent the proofs, and at this point, yeah, stuff really shouldn't get changed any more - but I'll often find a missed word or sentence or even a paragraph or two once (which REALLY screwed the pooch because it necessitated repaginating all the way down the line...) but the last set of proofs I did were really clean, mostly I picked up the odd typo or a punctuation snafu, once or twice something missed that needed to be added back in but nothing to blow the typesetting arrangements out of the water this time. Only now am I done. I WROTE the book, I REWROTE it according to the editor's fiat, I CHECKED AND RECHECKED the copy edit, i CHECKED AND PROOFREAD the galleys. And now it's finally gone. Whew. Back to working on the next big thing, now. For my YA books I got it back THREE TIMES.

The first time after the editor read it and went through it with a fine tooth comb (and MAN was it a fine tooth comb) and produced an “Editorial letter” of the things she thought I needed to address in the manuscript before it worked cohesively as a better book. I take, oh, 80% of these on board - maybe only 75% - but it’s still a bit of a slog to go through the thing and fix and tweak and rewrite. But it’s necessary because only when these things are done to both my and the editor’s satisfaction do I get an official MS acceptance and thus the acceptance part of my advance. Money = good. Yes sir.

The MS then gets handed to the copy editors. This particular set-up has three - my own main editor (who goes through the MS again), an in-house copy editor and a freelance outside copy editor. THREE PEOPLE’S MARKS AND COMMENTS AND QUERIES are on this dog’s-breakfast of a manuscript when it comes back to me - and I add person #4, me, and send it back to the publisher with yet another set of scribbled notes, yet more post-its to join the veritable algal bloom of the stuff that’s oozing out of every side of the copy edit MS, and I have the greatest respect for the person who GETS this tossed at them and is expected to make sense of it all.

Then I get sent the proofs, and at this point, yeah, stuff really shouldn’t get changed any more - but I’ll often find a missed word or sentence or even a paragraph or two once (which REALLY screwed the pooch because it necessitated repaginating all the way down the line…) but the last set of proofs I did were really clean, mostly I picked up the odd typo or a punctuation snafu, once or twice something missed that needed to be added back in but nothing to blow the typesetting arrangements out of the water this time.

Only now am I done. I WROTE the book, I REWROTE it according to the editor’s fiat, I CHECKED AND RECHECKED the copy edit, i CHECKED AND PROOFREAD the galleys.

And now it’s finally gone.

Whew.

Back to working on the next big thing, now.

]]> By: Forbeck.com » Storytelling and Distance http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-10989 Forbeck.com » Storytelling and Distance Wed, 21 May 2008 05:01:27 +0000 http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/necessary-distance#comment-10989 [...] and Distance “Necessary Distance,” my latest essay for Storytellers Unplugged, is up and ready for your enjoyment. This month, I write [...] [...] and Distance “Necessary Distance,” my latest essay for Storytellers Unplugged, is up and ready for your enjoyment. This month, I write [...]

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