Tuesday, June 30, 2009

today is a good day

I finally finished my edits, on paper, yesterday. Today I plan on transferring some of those edits to the computer. I know this takes longer, but I feel that I am more thorough. I know I am an anomaly when it comes to this, but I don't care. I also seem to add a lot instead of cutting. Yes, there was some cutting, but I seemed to add as much or more back. I hope it made for a stronger story. I will know on the third read and more after my wife gives it a try.

In other news, I was excited to see that Duotrope has added a ton of new markets, most don't pay, but the markets are there. Also Apex magazine is back and accepting submissions. I just wish I had a story to send them. My mind is aflutter with new ideas and not a single one is short story length. Am I alone in this?

I hope to start making my posts a little more timely and not so sporadic as they have become. I appologize for this. Have a great Tuesday.

18 comments:

Mary Rajotte said...

I always do my edits on paper. For some reason I can 'see' the changes better when not reading the story on-screen.

And no worries about sporadic blogging. I'm with ya there, brother. :)

Barry Napier said...

Yeah, there's something more authentic about doing edits on paper.

Aaron Polson said...

I've vacillated between paper edits and on-screen. Now, I do a bit of both.

Alan W. Davidson said...

I guess that I'm a combination of the two. Out of my head to paper via pencil. I then type into the computer, editing as I go. I'll print it off and edit again on paper. Computer, thereafter...

Jamie Eyberg said...

Mary- I can't 'see' onscreen either.

Barry- I don't feel like I am doing anything if I just start changing something on the screen.

Aaron- There will come a day when I am better at it than I am now, but until then.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Alan- That sounds fairly close to what I do.

K.C. Shaw said...

Congrats on finishing your edits! I like doing them on paper too, although ink is so expensive that I don't usually.

Jamie Eyberg said...

K.C.- Laser printer, enough said.

Katey said...

I'm so, so with you on the idea length. Man. I try really hard to keep 'em short, since I'm full up on novels but, wow, so hard.

Cate Gardner said...

I am so happy about Apex reopening, especially as I've just had a dark sci-fi story rejected from elsewhere. :)

Jamie Eyberg said...

Katey- There is something about longer pieces that is really tempting right now. I don't know what it is. It sure isn't the reward. I doubt if anyone will ever read them. Mine anyway.

Cate- good luck with that sub.

Fox Lee said...

You're not alone. I have one short story idea, which I am hoarding like a squirrel with it's last nut. Everything else filtering in seem more like character sketches for a future novel.

brady said...

I also edit on paper, but I think it's because I'm a procrastinator. I get to build in an extra step("I'm doing edit entry! I'm accomplishing something!") that actually requires very little work.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Nat- that is a good analogy for the way i feel about shorts right now. Squirrel with a nut shortage.

Brady- I don't consider it an extra step, but when it is covered in red at least it looks like I did something. you can't tell that on a monitor.

Danielle Birch said...

I do my edits on paper as well. I feel like I'm getting deeper into the story when I'm reading it off paper rather than the screen.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Danielle- just making a mess of the paper feels good sometimes. I have some pages of this manny that are covered in red and some are almost clean. Almost.

Unknown said...

Random thoughts about your blog...
so you're actually going to let me read your book? Wow. I'm impressed.

You said nut shortage...tee hee. :)

As for making a mess of paper, do you get that from the kids, or they from you? You could save yourself a lot of time and let them at it. Mess in a jiffy! Is it just me or does Mess in a Jiffy sound like a nifty slogan?

Katey said...

Oh someone will read them! Just that it takes for.ever. Argh. :/