This one hits awfully close to home…
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Cartoon copyright of Asher Perlman -
I am so very excited to be able to reveal the cover for my forthcoming book, THE LAST LINE.
It will be available July 23rd, 2024, but you can pre-order it now.
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I finished the next big hurdle toward getting my book out next year, which involved working with my editor to complete revisions and turn it into the production team. This was a huge relief, not least of which because the final manuscript for production was running late. That’s not anyone’s fault, things happen and life gets in the way sometimes. But I didn’t realize how stressed I was about getting it turned in until the final document was fired off to the production team Monday morning. Suddenly I felt light as a feather.
The revision process was a scramble. My editor, Sara, and I found ourself up against a crunch this past weekend. (She is a great editor, by the way—every writer should be so lucky.) We were trading pieces of the manuscript back and forth via email at all hours as we worked the changes. I’m not sure I’d want to work this way all the time, but in this case, the stress of the deadline helped make the manuscript better.
No, really.
Having to turn revisions around so quickly didn’t give me the opportunity to sit back, ponder, and write long-winded passages. The corrections were succinct and to the point. And better than what I had written in the first place.
The takeaway for me was an eye-opening realization: I write too much. Not from a time standpoint, but from a words standpoint. Especially in my subsequent versions. I’m what Stephen King described as a “putter-inner.” And here’s the thing: I’ve always known I add too much text, and I always think I’m doing a good job cutting what’s unnecessary. But after this exercises I realized I am not cutting deep enough. Kill your darling, as the saying goes.
I gained a better perspective on what really needs to be in a sentence. And a lot of it boils down to trust. As I writer, you’ve got to trust the reader. I can write, “I don’t wanna!” she said vociferously, but I don’t need to. The word “wanna” and the exclamation point already tell the reader that the character is speaking vociferously. Or vehemently. Or pleadingly. Or whatever. All I have to do it write “she said” and trust the reader to take away what I intended.
(Note: I don’t think I have ever used “vociferously” in a sentence before. And I don’t plan to. This is just an example.)
I’ve never been good at this kind of trimming, and with this edit Sara really taught me how to cut and cut smartly. And for that, I will be eternally thankful.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying, the manuscript is to the production team and the next phase is copy editing. Onward and upward!
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Yes. This. No doubt.
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If you are a frequent visitor to my website you may have noticed it’s changing almost daily. And if you’re not a frequent visitor—and let’s be honest: no one is—then it’s all new to you.
I’m in the process of sprucing up the site. I’m doing it myself, minute by painful minute as I try and figure out why this block looks like this or that image looks like that. It’s trial and error, which has lead to some occasionally wonky and downright crappy design.
But, as I figure each piece out, I (usually) get it to do what I want and make it look of spiffy and polished. Some additional pieces to be added when they become available (such as a calendar of events). But for the moment, I’m pretty happy with it.
So take a tour of the site. And drop me any suggestions you have to making it better.
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It’s been quite a while since I’ve crafted blog post. Part of my reason for staying away was being too busy and having to make choices about what I would focus on and what I would let fall by the wayside. Part of it was that I have been heads down for the last two years writing, writing, writing. And part of it (and not a small part of it) was that I felt I had very little of interest to say anymore.
But, I am back now and you should hopefully see updates on a more regular basis here (and elsewhere, such as my Facebook page). I have all kinds of things to talk about, not least of which is my forthcoming book, THE LAST LINE, due to be published in 2024 by Crooked Lane Books. Much of what you’ll find on this blog is information about that, including updates, upcoming events, and even some behind the scenes stuff as the book really starts to come together.
So, stay tuned.
And off we go…!
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Me.
Every. Time.
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I haven’t posted in a while, but circumstances being what they are at the day job, I feel like I just have to get this First Law down on this virtual paper.
You see, I’ve been in IT a long time. Going on fifteen years. And right now, the company I work for is embarking on a major initiative to replatform one of our applications. I won’t say which, but it’s a big ‘un.
Which leads me to this First Law. I was thinking about what the reception would be when we finally roll it out, and expect it will be the same as EVERY OTHER SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION I’ve ever been a part of. More specifically, people will find a way to hate on it, even when they hate the version it’s replacing.
Therefore, I hereby declare this to be Scott’s First Law of Software Implementation:
The system you are replacing is the worst piece of crap God ever invented, until you replace it, and then it was the best thing since sliced bread and can I please-o-please have the old system back?
Do with this law what you will.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Just had to share my favorite photo ever of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Hope your day was as good as ours.
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I’m excited to say that I’m once again jumping into the daily word count fray this year and participating in NaNoWriMo!
I hadn’t planned to do NaNoWriMo this year. I mean, what a year it’s been. Surely there were other things I should be focusing on? Between all the writing I have done that I’ve let languish, the editing that it all so desperately needs, a kid in the throes of college applications, plus the continual management of all things COVID-related or impacted—well, like most people, my plate is full and I should have just let well enough alone.
But I was speaking to a friend of mine who is doing NaNoWriMo this year, feeling the need to jumpstart his writing, and those little nagging thoughts about starting something new and shiny and distracting started to creep in. I thought, “Well, I do have a sequel to write to something I’ve already finished and got simmering…maybe I’ll get that idea cranked up and give it a go.”
Which would have been great if that was the book I was writing. But it isn’t. I’m writing something totally different and new.
So much for focus.
Too be fair, it’s not completely new. It’s actually a re-imagining of a book I started years ago but just couldn’t seem to find the footing. So I took the basic concept and jumbled it around in my head for a bit, and have come out with a completely different story using much of the same elements, but in new ways.
And damned if I’m not excited about it!
Having done NaNoWriMo two times previous, and having “won” it both times by hitting the 50k word count, I’m aiming for something different. The word count is fine, I’m not actually worried about that. It can be a slog sometimes, and there are moments when I want to give up, but I’ve hit the target the other two times I’ve participated. No, what I want out of this time is to finish the book. Both my previous NaNoWriMo book got to around 60k words, and then the energy and drive petered out, and I put the books down.
Not this time. This time, I’m going to hit the November-mandated word count, and then finish the damn thing in December. Even if the book is crap, I’m going to plow through to the end of that first draft. I may never edit it after that, but I’m sick of having half-done books sitting on my laptop, laughing at me, daring me to tangle with them again.
So wish me luck! I’m off to slay the Word Count Dragon. And this year, I’ll finish the NaNoWriMo book I start. I promise.
Scott Lyerly 