(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

Well back to discussing how I write, and we’re to the end – the publishing part. Simple, right? Not really.

Publishing could almost be multiple posts but I don’t want to bore people in the wrong way. So before I cover the parts, lets cut to the point here – publishing your book after the writing, after the editing, is something not everyone can do on your own. You’re going to need help somewhere unless you’ve got the right experience.

Even after plenty of practice, I don’t have all the skillsets.

The Cover

About half my covers are done by other people. This is because, beyond my basic business books, the style I’m capable of (Genially Boring Professional) doesn’t work. In fact, I’m probably going to do enhanced editions of some books I have done covers for at some point. Because yeah, I could do better, and I’m sure you can think of which ones.

So first, I ask if I can do a cover on my own, in my style.

Let’s say the answer is yes. This is almost inevitably the case for my smaller business books and ebooks. In this case, I’ve got some basic approaches to covers I’ve used over the years that are pretty successful. In fact I grab the latest cover and mostly repurpose it for my next book.

In some cases I’ll want art. I try to avoid public domain and any art where the ownership is at all a problem, out of ethics and a desire not to have issues. For new art I got to www.canstockphoto.com which has great deals.  I’ve seen other self-publishers use it, which both speaks to its stock, and warns you to make sure you search Amazon for any similar covers.

Once it’s done I take the cover and run it by some friends and writer’s groups and the like, see what people think, modify it, and done. Again this is often ebooks.

Now if the cover needs to be custom art . . .

In this case I tap the artists I know. Usually that means Richelle Rueda as of late, and she, like any, is a person I fan-sourced – meeting people via fandom connections. Meeting someone that way lets you see them in a more artistic, playful, personal element and you get a better feel for who they are and what they do.  And yes, consider that a reference for Richelle.

I always pay artists.  Exposure is bullshit payment in many cases, so hand them cash or trade in kind unless they offer.  Art takes a long time.

I actually have the skills to format the cover, do the back, etc.  You can probably develop those skills, but don’t be afraid to outsource that as well.  Like, say, to the artist you just paid . . .

Formatting The Book

Formatting the book for publishing is something I do on my own – because it saves time, because it’s a good skill to have.  I learned formatting the hard way – by doing it and having to waste money on failed prints and times on failed e-books.  After a few tries I’m not only better, but it’s one more thing I can do myself

Formatting for me has two paths.

First is general formatting. I go through and make sure that the titles are properly done, that the bullet points are in place, and that the page breaks are right. This is stuff that’s relevant to doing the book right no matter what the format. Its surprising how many mistakes can get made – once I had inconsistent titling capitalization on a 300 page book – and I didn’t find that until the printed drafts.  I often roll this formatting into read-throughts.

Now it gets interesting. When I’m very (very) sure the book is in good shape I split it into print and ebook (if there’s both)

First is a document formatted for print. This can be pretty challenging as I have to format it so pages break, pages face the proper sides, paragraphs split (or don’t split), and so on. It’s amazing how having to make a document physical affects how you perceive it. Also if you don’t get this right you spend a lot of time reprinting the damn book.

Secondly is a document formatted for e-publishing. I use Jutoh, which is good for all formats – but recently I’ve gone Kindle exclusive. Kindle kinda won the e-pub war and I surrendered, but I still use Jutoh because it’s a damn good tool.

Formatting an electronic document is way different because you face:

• Formatting that may change on device.
• Conversion issues (often bullet points) to e-book format.
• Flow issues.
• Getting your chosen tool to generate the damn Table of Contents.

I split the books, and then edit one at a time – but I keep them both available because, while formatting, I often find errors. I then correct it in both documents and often the original documents, because I’m anal retentive as hell.

It used to be worse when I did Kindle, ePub, and PDF as I’d have to keep one doc for physical, one doc that became Kindle and ePub, and one for PDF. It was bad enough I think I repressed it.

So the formatting phase becomes pretty extensive as I basically split the books, then format the physical (and add changes to the other doc), then format the electronic document – and sometimes feed changes back to the previous. It turns into a nasty little oroborous of problems at times.

Finally, I give the physical doc a good look through. Then it’s on to pre-publishing this stuff . . .

Prepublishing This Stuff

I go through CreateSpace for physical books now, and Create Space, much like Lulu, lets you set up a book and publish it – without making it available. You can send yourself a copy for approval. Which, I assure you, you’ll want.

While I wait on that to get delivered, I generate the electronic copy of the book. This is where it gets complex again. See people read ebooks on various devices, so I usually generate it then check it on:

• My computer.
• My tablet.
• My phone.
• Anyone randomly in the house.

You have to consider use cases for your ebook to make sure it works for your audience – and putting it on various devices often reveals problems. Bad formatting, poor flow, an extra space, all become apparent. It’s a good test to make the document readable (and you may find additional errors).

Then at some point the book arrives, and I go through that. With a pen. I mark every page with an error, folding the page down, and underlining what’s wrong. I usually go through the entire book – then fix it in the publishing document, and at ties the e-book document. Sometimes there’s even issues with the cover you have to fix.

Then it’s running both over again, ordering another copy of the print book, and regenerating the eBooks. I’ve had to do the print book over four times at some point (note, that is due to rushing formatting so half that was my own damn fault).

Once it’s good enough (meaning I can make a pass through both without seeing an error or at least one I care about by that time), it’s a go. I upload the eBooks and I give confirmation the physical book is OK.

I’m published.

By the way, by now the feeling isn’t so much triumph as relief.

Looking Back

Publishing is often my least favorite part of doing a book. OK it is my least favorite part. This is why I try to get good formatting done early (I use templates for my books), finish covers, and check carefully. Once you get into this publishing cycle of actually getting the book out it can feel like a hideous grind.

It is a hideous grind, who am I kidding.

At this point I’d take a break, but there’s usually marketing to be done. I’m not going to write on that for awhile as I kind of am not great at that. Perhaps when I get further i’ll talk about it

But there you go, how I write. I hope it helps.

. . . I kinda feel exhausted at this point.

• Steve

No review this weekend.  Enjoy the holiday.  Lost in Translation will return next week.

And here it is, the Fusion Food Generator!  It’s done, ready to go.  OK done enough to release anyway!  So enjoy such things as:

• Teriyaki Potato and Ginger Spinach Argula with Bearnaise sauce
• Sesame Pizza
• Couscous Beet on Chips
• Roe and Beet Leek on Biscuit
• Chili Quesadilla
• Barbecue Salsa and Sun-Dried Tomato Melon
• Spicy Sweet-and-sour Buffalo with Chili sauce
• Stuffed Olive Octopus with Sweet sauce
• Habanero Almond and Spinach Goat
• Saffron Egg and Artichoke Pumpkin on Pasta

As noted my focus on generators this year is probably going to be food (though I keep getting new ideas).  I’ve got plans for at least 2 more food generators, which may mean it warrants its own section eventually . . .

Let me know what you think!

– Steven

For the last survivor of a doomed world, Superman has a large family.  Many Golden and Silver Age superheroes had a “family” – characters who share in the main hero’s adventures as, if not an equal, as a sidekick.  Batman had the various Robins, the various Batgirls, Ace the Bat-hound, Batwoman, and, at times, Catwoman.  Captain Marvel, of Shazam! fame, had Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel, Jr., and Uncle Marvel.  Superman had Superboy*, Krypto, Beppo, and Supergirl. not to mention the various Kryptonian criminals in the Phantom Zone.  Supergirl, Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, was first introduced in 1959, though DC had floated the idea in 1958 with Jimmy Olsen wishing a “Super-Girl” into existence.  Kara has the same powers as her cousin, thanks to being under Earth’s yellow sun.  She arrived on Earth in a different manner, though.

In her first appearance, Kara wasn’t sent off from the dying world of Krypton on a rocket.  Instead, she lived in Argo City, which had survived the planet’s explosion only to have the ground it sat on turn into Kryptonite.  Kara was sent off to follow her cousin, but arrived in Midvale instead.  She took on the the secret identity of Linda Lee, an orphan at the Midvale Orphanage.

Being the comics, nothing stays simple.  Kara, as Linda, gets adopted, graduates high school and college, and moves to the West Coast to work as a TV camera operator.  A second Kara, from the alternate dimension of Earth-Two and becomes Power Girl.  However, after Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 1985 crossover event to try to clean up the DC Universe’s massive convolutions, not is Kara killed off, the universe is rebooted, removing both Supergirl and Power Girl from continuity.  A third Supergirl, Matrix, is a shape changer, appeared in 1988, and a fourth, Linda Danvers, is an Earth-born angel**.  Also, being the comics, no character stays dead for long.  Kara began reappearing through the late 80s and is reintroduced in 2004 by Jeph Loeb, first in Superman/Batman and then in a new Supergirl title.

Rewinding back to 1984, Alexander and Ilya Salkind still had the movie rights to not just Superman but related characters, including Supergirl.  Superman was in the top ten grossing movies of the 70s and is the movie that people associate with the character.  Superman III, with Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor, came out in 1983 to poor reviews.  Supergirl was a chance for the Salkinds to rebound.  There were several cuts, including a domestic cut for the US and a longer international cut for the rest   This review uses the 2006 DVD release, which was the international version of the movie.

Supergirl begins in Argo City, the home of the last survivors of Krypton, tucked away in an alternate dimension.  Kara, played by Helen Slater in her first role, watches Zaltar, played by Peter O’Toole, use the Omegahedron, a powerful power source that uses imagination for creation.  Such a powerful device needs to be used carefully, lest it falls into the wrong hands.  Zaltar hands the Omegahedron to Kara to let her explore her own imagination.  Kara’s creation, though, gets away from her and pierces the wall surrounding Argo City.  The power source is blown out through the hole; its loss means Argo City’s time is limited.  Zaltar, because he “borrowed” the device without permission, will be sent to the Phantom Zone.  Kara chases after the Omegahedron to make up for its escape.

On Earth, Selena, a vain, impatient sorceress out for world domination (Faye Dunaway) and Nigel, her mentor and long suffering lover (Peter Cook***) are having a picnic while discussing invisibility spells.  The Omegahedron falls into the potato salad and is picked up by Selena.  The sorceress senses the power within and claims the power source as her own.  She returns to her home, an abandoned amusement park she shares with Bianca (Brenda Vaccaro) and experiments with the Omegahedron.

Kara arrives not far behind.  Now under Earth’s yellow sun, she discovers her new powers, including flight.  She heads to the nearby town, Midvale, where she finds the girls of Midvale High.  Kara changes into a similar uniform and becomes the new student, Linda Lee.  She name drops Clark Kent when she arrives, and, when the headmaster, Mr. Danvers, is distracted, types up a letter from her cousin to make sure that she’s accepted.  Danvers shows her to her new room and her new roommate, Lucy Lane (Maureen Teefy), the younger sister of the Daily Planet’s star reporter, Lois Lane.  Lucy, while not thrilled about having a roommate, perks up when she discovers who Linda’s cousin is.  Linda also sees the school’s buff groundskeeper, Ethan (Hart Bochner), and is impressed.

Ethan also impresses Selena, who comes up with a plot to force the groundskeeper to love her as part of her plot to rule the world.  Selena drugs him with a love potion, which will make Ethan fall in love with the first person he sees when he regains consciousness.  Unfortunately for the sorceress, Nigel interrupts.  While he’s not allowed in, Nigel is enough of a distraction to let Ethan stumble to an escape.  The groundskeeper, walking drunkenly down Midvale’s main street, avoids being hit.  Selena uses the Omegahedron to locate him and enspells a backhoe to retrieve him.  Lucy and Linda, along with Lucy’s boyfriend from Metropolis, Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure, the only actor from Superman to appear in Supergirl), see Ethan in trouble.  As vehicles avoid both Ethan and the backhoe, chaos ensues, leading to spilled gasoline, downed electrical lines, and a tire fire.  Kara disappears to the bathroom and appears as Supergirl on top of the diner.  Supergirl saves the day, cutting the electrical lines with her heat-ray vision, blowing out the fire with her superbreath, and rescuing Ethan from the animated construction vehicle.  Ethan recovers, and, to Selena’s chagrin, sees Linda first.

Selena escalates against Linda and Supergirl, never realizing they are the same person.  The sorceress lures Supergirl into a trap by kidnapping Ethan.  Selena twists the knife; she kisses the groundskeeper before sending Kara into the Phantom Zone.  Kara, lost in the darkness of the Zone, loses her powers and, as she wanders, falls into an oily bog.  Zaltar, in self-imposed exile, rescues her and helps her return to Earth through a small rift.

On Earth, Selena has succeeded in taking over Midvale through her dark sorcery and has plans for the rest of the continent.  Lucy and Jimmy try to lead a resistance, but are arrested by Selena’s ensorcelled police.  However, Selena and Bianca are watching what is happening in the Phantom Zone and are amazed when Supergirl returns.  In the final battle, Selena summons a shadow demon to tear Supergirl apart.  Kara turns things around on the sorceress, who is pulled into a whirlwind and trapped inside a mirror.  With Midvale returned to normal, Kara retrieves the Omegahedron and leaves to return home.

Supergirl was not well received and failed to recoup its $35 million budget.  Dunaway and O’Toole each received a Razzie for the film.  Slater, though, was nominated for a Saturn for Best Actress.  The problems may stem from having an almost twenty minute difference in running time between domestic and international.  The longer version gives the movie time to set itself up, showing the rift between Selena and Nigel and showing Kara getting used to being on Earth.  The chemistry between Dunaway and Vaccaro as Selena and Bianca is worth seeing.  The main problem is that the movie went for camp at a time when camp wasn’t appreciated.  If the movie had been made in 1979 instead of 1984, Dunaway’s over-the-top performance wouldn’t have seen out of place, following in the footsteps of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor.

As an adaptation, Supergirl took the character and presented her on the big screen.  Her powers were influenced by Superman’s from his 1978 movie, though without the time travel.  In the comics, Supergirl helped people at a personal level, and this does come through in the movie.  The plot itself would fit earlier Superman comics, though not as much in the 80s.  Kara’s origins, while meddled with, still reflect her background in her comics debut.  The film does look like it came from a comic without being a cartoon.

Supergirl, while meant to be a stand-alone film, still leans heavily on Superman.  Other than the villains, each character has a connection to the Superman cast, with Jimmy Olsen being brought over.  However, as a character, Supergirl wouldn’t exist without Superman, so the links are expected.  There were plans for a Christopher Reeve cameo, but that fell through; the lack of Superman is explained in a radio broadcast early in the movie, one ignored by Selena she’s taking Nigel’s car to return home.

Overall, some changes were made, more to take advantage of the medium than anything else.  Despite the movie’s issues, it made an attempt to be faithful to the character, making this a successful adaptation despite the lack of theatrical success.

* Sort of.  Superboy was originally the young Superman in Smallville, but later the name got attached to a different character believed to be a clone.
** Soap operas don’t get this complex.
*** Cook portrays a Snape-like character long before Snape was created.

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

All right, so where are we in this extended discussion of how I write my books?  We just covered how I edit my wordspew and it’s time to talk editing.

After revising and revising and revising, my book is eventually “good enough” to be edited. By good enough I usually mean a mix of “this is good” and “oh god I’m sick of this, I’m gonna stop now.”  The latter is usually more prominent than I’d like, but anyway I’m at least at a stopping point.

When I refer to as editing, there’s sort of two kinds I lump under “Editing” because they’re really intertwined.

• Pre-Readers – People who read the book for content.
• Editors – The person or person that goes through the book and makes sure it’s got proper grammar, spelling, etc.  They also comment on content.

Before I go into how I do this, there are times I don’t do any editing beyond my own writing. At least in the past. Let’s take a look at that, if only for confessional purposes.

Let me repeat – this is when I don’t have others edit.  I still edit the hell out of my own work, even if poorly.

When You Don’t Use Other People To Edit

So first of all, I don’t think you should avoid having your work edited. If at all possible, someone should at least pre-read it. However there’s a few cases I can see someone not editing, which I’ve done or at least think I did:

• The work is small, say a 99 cent ebook.
• No one’s available to edit/pre-read and you want to get something out.
• You’ve edited it really, really well.
• The document seems tolerable.
• You’ve got the kind of document (and knowledge) where the editing is easy.  A small work that’s an organized guide that follows an easily checkable pattern, and one you’ve run spellcheck/grammar check on multiple times is a good instance.

I’ve done two published works this way (and hope to revise them with editors and pre-readers when I can). It can work.

But I don’t recommend it. But hey, I gave you an out, and you can always say “but Steve said.”

Now anyway, on with editing.

Pre-Reading

I didn’t always use pre-readers – originally I only did when a book had a lot of interviews and I used them as pre-readers. In time I found that pre-readers were invaluable for insights.

See, a pre-reader isn’t an editor in the traditional/specific sense and that’s good. A pre-reader is a reader. They are not there to edit a book for language and punctuation, even when they do because they can’t resist. They’re they’re for content and flow.

They’ll catch things an editor won’t because an editor, no matter how much they read, is still editing. You really do need both.  Plus it takes a little pressure off your editor –  “Can you edit my terrible abuses on language and tell me if this meticulous battle scene makes sense?”

Secondly, a good pre-reader thinking as a reader can give you feedback on your book to help it become a better book.  They can tell you how it can be more consistent, better organized, and so on.  In turn it won’t just be a better book – that will make the book a hell of a lot easier on an editor. A book that reads easy, even with flaws, allows an editor to go to town as opposed to being stopped by confusing twists or ill-explained concepts on top of Oxford comma arguments?

How do I handle pre-readers?

• I pretty much put out a call among people. I’ve started keeping a list of people to send things too now.
• I give them 1-3 months depending on the size of the work.
• I integrte feedback as it comes in more or less. For small works I may wait – for larger works i put in the feedback as soon as I get it.

Thats about it. Find, send, wait, integrate.

After the pre-reader feedback I usually do another pass through the book. then it’s off to the editor

The Editor

First of all when you get something edited to publish professionally, make sure they’re professional.

That may not mean they’re a professional editor. It means they have professional-quality skills relevant to what you’re doing. It could be from writing their own novels, it could be editing fanfic for ten years, it could be an experienced technical writer. Just get someone who can edit for what you’re doing.

I like to fansource, finding editors through fandom and geeky connections. They “get” me, I often get a break on price, they get their name on a book they like, I act as a reference, everyone wins.

I usually give an editor 1-3 months depending on the complexity of the work and their schedule. It also gives me a nice break, and sometimes while waiting I do extra formatting or setup for publishing.  Or write another book.

When I get the edited document back, I don’t use that document to make the final book – I read through it, page by page, integrating comments and changes into a new copy master document. That forces me to read and pay attention, and makes sure I don’t end up with a book laden with things I forgot to address, remove, or change.

This part usually takes at least a month. My goal, when it’s done, is to have it done.

The Final Read

So once that editing run is done, I do one more spellcheck and grammar check, and read through the book (yes, again). If I find any errors, I fix them – and run that check again.

At this point, having done so much editing, I use that previous trick of reading parts out of order just to keep myself fresh.

My approach is to read it through.  If anything changes in the small I fix it and re-read that chapter.  If there’s any large change, I re-read the book from the start, or at least skim.  I’m done when I do a pass through and didn’t change anything.

Then it’s one more spelling/grammar check.  Then it’s done

Onward To Publishing

So with the book edited – pre-read and edited properly – and with my final read-through’s its done. Ready to go.

It’s time to publish.

– Steve

First created in 1939, Batman has become a popular character throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries.  His origin story tells of a young orphan, Bruce Wayne, who fights crime using an object of fear to strike at the hearts of criminals in Gotham City.  Over time, Batman’s rogues’ gallery has grown, featuring criminals who are a reflection of the character, culminating in the Joker, the yin to Batman’s yang.  However, the Caped Crusader doesn’t fight for justice alone; at his side are his young assistants, Robin and Batgirl.

Batman appeared in a number of media since his first appearance, from cartoons to movie serials to television to feature film and even to tabletop games.  Each iteration has its own take on the character and on the franchise.  The 1966 Batman TV series starring Adam West took a camp look at the character while most* movies made after the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film take a more serious tone.

While the transition from comic to both television and film can be relatively straightforward, though difficult, the further away from a story-based medium one gets, the more difficult it can get to keep the tone.  Looney Labs took a further step, adapting the franchise to its card game, Fluxx.  Batman Fluxx isn’t the first time a game publisher adapted a work to a game, as the various specialty versions of Monopoly can attest to.  The goal, though, is to keep the feel of both games intact.

Fluxx is a deceptively simple game.  Each player  gets a hand of three cards, and the basic rules, draw a card then play a card, placed out on the table.  There are several different types of card; Actions, giving a player instructions on what to do; Keepers, elements that may be needed to win the game; Goals, showing what Keepers are needed to win; and Rules, which change the game away from the basic set.  Some published sets,** including Batman Fluxx, also have Creepers, which prevent a player from winning unless a Goal says otherwise, and Surprises, which allow a player to act outside his or her turn.

What makes Batman Fluxx related to Batman is how the Keepers, Creepers, and Goals related to the franchise.  The Keepers focus on characters, equipment, and locations from the comics.  There is both a Bruce Wayne Keeper and a Batman Keeper; if Bruce Wayne is out when Batman is played, the former gets discarded.  After all, no one ever sees Batman and Bruce Wayne out together.  The Creepers are the villains and include the classics like the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, and Catwoman among the ne’er-do-wells that can appear.  In a change from a regular game of Fluxx, where Creepers prevent the players who received them from winning, no one can win while the villains are about unless the Goal requires a Creeper.  As the rule pamphlet says, “[Y]ou are on Batman’s side and must first clean up crime in Gotham City”.  Even some of the new the rule cards reflect the game’s focus; the Arkham Asylum Rule forces all discarded Creepers to be placed under it instead.  If the Arkham Asylum Rule is discarded, the villains are dealt back out to the players, reflecting the revolving door the institute has in the comics.

The game pulls from several sources.  The artwork on the Keeper and Creeper cards is inspired by Batman: The Animated Series, which took some of its tone and direction from both the Tim Burton films and the comics being published at the time.  Some of the Goals reflect the darker version of the Dark Knight, including “I Am the Night”, requiring Batman and the Bat-Signal.  Others, though, come from the Adam West TV series and the older, pre-Dennis O’Neil comics; for example, “Stately Wayne Manor”, requiring Bruce Wayne and Wayne Manor.  Even the variant lyrics for “Jingle Bells” come up, with “The Joker Got Away!”, requiring the Joker and the Batmobile.

The proof, though, comes through playing the game.  Fluxx is a fast paced card game, with the stated time on the box being five to thirty minutes.  It’s possible to go through the deck several times, especially with rules like “Draw 5” in play.  The new cards do reinforce the feel of a Batman comic, though.  While there are villains out, no one can win as crime continues in Gotham City.  The Keepers Batman, Batgirl, and Robin allow a player to remove a Creeper from play, but the Commission Gordon card does not.  The Bank Keeper card provides a bonus to the player with it in front of him or her, a bonus that makes the card worth taking.  The Batcomputer provides bonuses to its owner.  The Batcave prevents Surprise cards from being played on its owner.  Players can start getting the feel of being Batman as the game progresses, at first stymied by villains before getting ahead of them.

Batman Fluxx combines two franchises well, keeping the flavour of both without either being overwhelmed by the other.  The game holds up to replays thanks to the randomness of the cards while not getting dull.

* The exception being the Joel Schumacher helmed 1997 film, Batman & Robin.
** Cthulhu Fluxx includes Ungoals, which, if the conditions are met and the signs are right, end the game as the world is unmade and everyone loses.

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

And let’s get back to How I Write with me, Steve.  Who Writes.  This.  And books.  But also this post.  Er.  Anyway, you get the idea.

So to recap I’ve covered how I write up to the point of actually writing.  It was basically:

• I get ideas (and keep track of them)
• I pick ideas to write (based on my plans)
• I outline a book (at times to the paragraph level)
• I write (by pretty much spewing writing into said outline until something booklike emerges)

By the time this is done I have a well-outlined book that is written by a mixture of gut, heart, imagination, and desperation.  The outline provided guidance so the book “works” – in that it reaches a goal – but the results are often less than stellar.

In short, my first draft is usually very first and much draft.  It’s often done with surprising speed, but it’s really not that great.  That means my next step is re-writing.

I hesitate to call this editing since my re-writing is not that subtle an exercise.  Sure, I often have content thats in better shape than it sounds when I call it “word vomit”  – but at best it’s not polished, and at worst parts of the content only worked in my head.  So it’s time to go through and re-write it because sometimes it changes massively.

Which isn’t as bad as it sounds.  Usually.

Re-writing: First Pass

So my first pass on rewriting the book is the most intense.  I go through the book, in order (so I can keep the big picture), and work on:

• Concepts.  Are the concepts in the book clearly presented and defined?  Sometimes I realize the concepts are not clear or coherent (and in a few cases are even wrong).  Sometimes I have to rethink them, detail them, more, explain then.  A recent experience of mine was the “Sex” section on worldbuilding in my Way With Worlds book, I had to really work to tie the core concept together.
• Clarity.  Sure, maybe my ideas were good but did I explain them in a way that made sense?  Sometimes I rewrite so things are clear.  it usually helps to put myself in the shoes of my audience to answer the question “does anyone know what the hell I’m talking about?”
• Spelling and Grammar.  I correct this early – as I go through this first pass I try to correct major spelling and grammar mistakes.  This ensures communication of concept, clarity of concepts, and of course keeps me from being derailed by my mistakes later.  I don’t always run a spellcheck/grammar check at this stage.

Sometimes you have to re-outline chapters or sections in the first pass – and my advice is when you can, do it.  I’ve saved “re-outlining” for later review cycles and it was incredibly painful because so much of the book had “solidified” that changing it was like adding onto a house.  If you have to make major changes, do it first thing or it will be harder later (and may reveal hidden mistakes).

A first pass can sometimes take as long as writing the book in the first place.  There’s no shame in this – really it’s just another part of “writing.”  You’re rarely going to get it right the first time.

So after the first pass, what do I do?

Nothing.

Take a Break

After your first pass, I take a break from the book.  Sometimes a few days, sometimes a week or more, but I try and step away.  I usually need it.

Why?  Because familiarity breeds not only contempt, but sloppiness.

I can get to know a work too well, and then I start seeing what’s in my head, not what’s on the page.

I can get tired and want to just “get through” the re-writing – so I rush it.  This always comes back to bite me.

I also need a break.

So I rest.  I do something else.  I blow up some enemies in Team Fortress 2.  Then I’m back at it with a new perspective.

Re-Writing: Second Pass

Usually after a first pass the book is in pretty good shape.  It may not be “book like” but it’s “sort of a book.”  That intensity in outlining, that instinctive writing, that careful review pays off so later passes are less painful.  If you think about it the book had a solid idea, a solid outline, a massive dump of information, and a later shaping of that information into something clear.

Its usually pretty good – but I always have to make that second pass.

On the second pass I’m focusing on concepts and communication  Did I really say what I want?  Is the order right?  Are things clearer?  Does the book do it’s job?  Is it really what I planned?

If I planned well and re-wrote well, the second pass isn’t so bad – it may even be easy to do – and it’s easy to spot problems.  By now the book is polished enough my mistakes are obvious.  Here I can correct them if I didn’t get them a first time.

In some cases, I may have to re-work a section.  When I’m on to the second pass, I do not do the re-working as a “vomit draft.” I take a much more craftsmanlike approach – taking my time, editing as I go, etc.  At this point since most of the book works, trying to ram ahead and dump a bunch of writing in can throw you off.

The only exception is if a section or chapter has to be completely rewritten – then I may re-outline it, dump it, and edit it separately.

Also at the end I usually run a spellcheck and grammar check, for my sake and for those who may soon see the draft . . .

Other Passes?

I may have to make other passes if the book doesn’t “feel” done or if I keep finding mistakes and thus assume I’ve missed even more.  I keep going through it until it’s done right – often three to five passes.

Looking at a book over and over again can make you miss problems, however – again one can end up reading the book in their head, not what’s on the page.  So here’s how I mix it up:

• I read chapters in backwards order – or even sections of chapters.
• I read chapters that are grouped together as whole units, but in different orders.
• I keep a list of “problem chapters” and review them in whatever order I want.
• I randomly skim to see what pops up.

I keep going until it’s done.  Speaking of, what is done?

Done – Or Done-ish

So at some point I’m done (usually about 3 passes in, sometimes 5).  I consider it “a book.”  That is done by the standard of:

• I can’t find any more problems to fix.
• It feels right.
• I’m sick of looking at the damn thing.

So what’s next?  Editing.  Where the book goes to someone else who then promptly tells me everything I screwed up.

• Steve

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

Sorry I vanished for awhile there folks – I just moved, and that of course is complicated.  Last move was a bit less hectic, so this one took more out of me – especially as I needed to buy some new furniture.  So let’s do a quick roundup.

• I’ll keep up my series on why I write.  We’re getting to my good stuff.
• The Fusion Food Generator will finish this month.
• The Sailor Moon book goes to prereaders soon (like the day I post this).
• Way With World’s is still at the editor, who got busy – as the editor is my roommate who also just moved.  I expect to keep it mostly on schedule, but am debating A) moving from late June ti sometime in July) and B) making the second book October since it’s either be August or September and September the Sailor Moon book drops.
• I want to do some minibooks again but am trying to get my schedule together.

How are you doing?

• Steve

Last week, Lost in Translation looked at Night of the Demon, an adaptation of the MR James short story, “Casting the Runes“.  The 95-minute movie wound up adding scenes and details to the story to fill the runtime.  While “Casting the Runes” may be too short for a theatrical release, that still leaves a television adaptation open.  Television schedules are set for 30-60 minute episodes, with TV movies running 90-120 minutes, ads included.  Can television’s shorter time slots work in favour of adapting the short story?

A quick recap of the short story:  Mr. Edward Dunning is cursed by Mr, Karswell after being given a piece of paper with runes enscribed on it.  Dunning works with the brother of one of Karswell’s previous victims to turn the tables on the cultist.  The movie adaptation, Night of the Demon moved the story from the Edwardian era to then-modern 1950s London, expanding on how the curse works and changing some of the characters.  Notably, Dunning became Dr. John Holden, an American parapsychologist who debunks the claims of cultists.

In 1979, the anthology TV series ITV Playhouse adapted the short story, keeping the name “Casting the Runes”.  There are some changes.  The adaptation brought the story into the then-current year.  Edward Dunning becomes Prudence Dunning, the host of a television series dedicated to debunking the claims of supernatural.  Pru, played by Jan Francis, comes to the notice of Karswell, the “Abbot” of Lufford and occultist, after mentioning him on her show.  Friends and co-workers make mention of Karswell, played by Iain Cuthbertson, trying to remember where they’ve heard the name before.  After some digging, Pru hears that he wrote History of Witchcraft and sent it to a publisher.  The staff gave the manuscript to John Harrington, whose death is shown at the beginning of the show.

The episode follows the story closely despite the changes above.  The message that appeared on the tram’s window in the short story appears on a television as Pru watches the last episode of an older TV show that featured John Harrington.  Pru meets Harrington’s brother, played by Edward Petherbridge, and realizes that she is cursed to die unless she can reverse it back on Karswell.  The tone of the episode plays up the suspense, using mood music to add to the eerie nature of the story.  Less is shown; the nature of the curse is left to the audience after seeing Harrington’s death.  Karswell’s demise is off-screen, unlike in Night of the Demon, but the news of what happened is far more chilling.

“Casting the Runes” is a short story.  The running time of a feature film forced the production staff to add to the story to get a movie long enough to be shown.  The adaptation by ITV Playhouse keeps to the orignal short story more, though adding elements such as Harrington’s death to show instead of tell the audience.  The shorter format of the TV episode works in favour of MR James’ work.