Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Update


Not much in the way of actual writing being done at the moment since I’m reading backwards through Jupiter War. I read one paragraph at a time working backwards through the book. This way I don’t get involved in the story and am more likely to pick up on mistakes (many of you reading this have of course read this before). Another thing this technique helps me pick up is repetitions and the boring bits – the latter are doubly emphasised because reading backwards through a typescript is boring enough in itself. I’ve been finding myself putting the words CUT THIS DOWN or THIN THIS OUT on a few occasions, in red ink, underlined.


I’m doing this with the printed typescript, marking in corrections as I go, then I’ll work through it again from the start as I make the corrections to the document on my computer. After that it’ll be time to send it in to Macmillan, followed either by a return to the Penny Royal thing or time spent writing up the synopses and blurbs for Jupiter War. I haven’t decided yet.


Today, however, even less work is being done, since we went to see Woman in Black. The John Carter movie we’ll save for next week – a film I’m a little dubious about having read this review from John C. Wright. What else? Oh yeah, I should be getting a phone call from the US publisher of the Owner series tomorrow night so I should be able to give you some more news on that anon. That’s all for now.  

9 comments:

KJ Mulder said...

You should definitely use that expression in the second photo on your next dust jacket. :P

vaudeviewgalor raandisisraisins said...

not ready for
a) the humorous expression completely contradicting the serious Orbus facade i see of you

b) no ichor sprayed on the walls with your signature in the corners.

John Carter: shut your eyes when the doggy is on the screen, open wide for the white ape scene. caveat emptor.

solving garbageworld: http://mashable.com/2012/03/07/plastic-eating-fungi/

Teknocrat said...

The master at work!

Huge fan, steadily eating my way through Orbus, which is the last of the Polity books I have yet to read (including the short stories).Duno what do next, but I recon the departed will be on the list!

Nice to get a little snippet of how you work, keep it up! Write it and I will buy it!

Neal Asher said...

KJ, maybe not - I have to be the gloomy and series SF writer Vaude sees. It's all about my sfnal cred.

Vaude, John Carter might be a pile of stinking dog poo, but my mind will be glazed with nostalgia.

Thank you Teknocrat, but don't say you'll 'buy it' until after you've read The Departure - there have been some who feel it doesn't quite fit their world-view.

vaudeviewgalor raandisisraisins said...

"my mind will be glazed with nostalgia."

it's a different kind of cliche Barsoom. no ramps or red cred. bring a 14 year old who has NOT read the books.

KJ Mulder said...

Neal I thought you might want to try your hand at get some sympathy buys. One look at that expression and people are bound to pity the poor old chap slaving away to produce books. :P

Neal Asher said...

Vaude, I'll just take my inner 14-year-old and suppress the aged cynic.

KJ, which photo are you referring to? The grumpy bastard or the loony?

KJ Mulder said...

The looney of course! Nobody would pity the grumpy bastard.

Neal Asher said...

I'm multi-talented. I could pose for a picture that's both grumpy and loony.