Sunday, January 17, 2021

Thoughts on revision



18 comments:

  1. The advantages of a typewriter and word processing software. Each have a place. Will you be posting the final edition?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We’ll see. If I think it’s strong enough, I may run it by my agent and see if it might have commercial potential. Or I could self-publish it with Loose Dog Press.

      Delete
    2. Indeed, it has a great potential, so much that I'd love to translate it to Spanish! :D

      I also would like to self-publish my book with Loose Dog Press. :D

      Delete
    3. It seems word processing software in English-speaking countries has enough power to indicate what to cut off from a text. That's great. Word processing software in Spanish-speaking countries confuse grammar errors between each other! :P

      Delete
    4. Oh no, I wouldn't trust the software to tell me what to cut—that is my judgment. But the computer helps me look for useless phrases (for instance, "I saw X happen" instead of "X happened," or "I found myself doing X" instead of "I did X"). (I also hate the grammar-check function, and never use it!)

      Delete
  2. Found this post to be very interesting. Thanks for a peek at the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great insights as I begin to start on my own writing journey. We will have to set up a typing contest between the Selten Evertype and the Triton TII Portable. I am sure I know which will win!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know that feeling, as I slog through my November novel here for the fifth or sixth time. Why don't you scan your typescript to OCR? Maybe too late to suggest I know! Only after I printed and bound my own book was I able to catch all the typos, and not until several goings over at that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I ran OCR on the PDFs, but the results had too many errors to be useful.

      Delete
  5. Everytipe? Interesting...
    It sounds better than "Appointment with the Inferno". ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Appointment with the Inferno" may still be the title of Part 1. It's melodramatic, I know!

      Delete
  6. After typing notes with a typewriter I'm doing my first draft on a Hermes Ambassador. After that I plan to rewrite it into word. I'm somehow afraid of how much work it will be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It will be worthwhile work, and maybe enjoyable too.

      Delete
  7. Great insight, gotta fight the self-criticism everyday, ahahah!!

    On the nerd(ish) side of things, I love that double-red-line-margin of yours. Can you tell me something about it? What's it used for, can you still buy it? In Portugal we only have single-line margins.

    Cheers, thanks for keeping this blog alive and kicking.

    Bruno Pires (Portugal)

    PS: On a double-nerdish side, I leave an article I just published about a photography road-trip I did in 2019 in my country. Wrote it on a Skyriter I found for 30€ and it was an AMAZING feeling, writing without digital interference. And the story has something else about typewriters, but I won't spoil the fun, ahahah!! Here it is, hope you don't mind: https://emulsive.org/articles/photoset-story/getting-a-6x6-kick-on-portugals-route-66-with-a-rolleicord-yashica-and-hasselblad-500c

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The paper with the double red line is vintage stuff with a somewhat slick, erasable surface. You'd have to search on eBay.

      Thanks for the link — great report and photos. Yes, typewriters do one thing only, and that is so valuable.

      Delete
  8. Good OCR of typed text is usually faultless. I use this all the time https://www.onlineocr.net/
    Good luck with the novel.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with your critique. My main issue while reading was "chunkiness" and I think your own criticisms of yourself are all things which will help reduce chunkiness. You seem to be a very aware and objective self-editor, that's a great skill to have.

    ReplyDelete