Xmas Carol update

I know you've all given up on me because I'm editing Xmas Carol for (let's face it) much too long a time. But I'm reading the book now and I'm not changing one word. It sounds great. I'm on chapter five in my read-through. If it keeps up like this through the next seven chapters, I'm done.  

And you know what that means: get ready for some reading fun. Woot! 

You've got your ereaders ready, right?

Sony Reader

You'll need an ereader if you want to read Xmas Carol. I find the e-ink readers to be the best. It's just like reading a book: no back-lighting and you need a lamp if it's nighttime. Works for me.

But the iPad3 should be out in a couple of weeks. I admit it's tempting but I'm not sure what it would be like to read an entire book on one. Still, some people love reading on them. The rumors about the coming version sound great. Allegedly, it will have double the screen resolution of the iPad2. That would be amazing and it would provide the perfect escape when the power goes out. If it's charged and you've got a movie or two to watch, you're set. Who knows? They might be fun to read on, too. But I'll need to be convinced. It seems Apple is going to announce the new iPad in the first week of March.

My favorite reader is the Sony Reader. That's my model you see up there. I bought three of them a few years ago and they're dependable workhorses. Yes, it's true they're one-trick ponies but if reading is what you want to do, they've got you covered. (By the way, it tries to tie you in to their bookstore, using lousy software, no less. The solution is to ignore their software entirely and download Calibre. It will do everything you need. Just buy epub versions of books or download free epubs of older books, and then load them into your Reader with Calibre.)

Of course, you can always get a Kindle. The simpler versions with the e-ink technology are as good as my trusty Sony Reader. (I wouldn't get the Fire if my main purpose was to read. Again, e-ink is the way to go. And you won't get e-ink with an iPad.)

But whatever your choice, get the damn thing ready to go. It won't be long now (and dog knows you've had enough time to work on this). You know you want to read Xmas Carol the day it comes out. C'mon, admit it. So get that ereader ready!

Psssst . . .

I think Xmas Carol might be done. No matter what part I read, I'm happy. I'm going to stare at it really hard tomorrow. And then . . .

Not too bloggy lately

I'm working madly on Xmas Carol. It will be done very soon. In fact, I think that when I've completed this edit of the book, I may just do a spell-check, assemble the electronic versions and send it out to you guys. I'm close.

One great thing is that I rewrote one of the scenes, inserting a wild idea. It's a terrific addition to the book. See? If I had published an earlier version of the book, that idea wouldn't be in it. These last few editing passes really count. Trust me on this.

In any case, my work on Xmas Carol leaves little time for blogging. Expect a swarm of fresh posts once I get this book out. I'm loving the sound of it right now. The wait will be worth it. I promise.

Doh! I coulda hadda V-8!

Everyone's favorite American.

One of the most exciting things about writing fiction is when you come up with a dazzling idea for a scene. And if this happens late in the game, when the novel is pretty much finished, you may also find yourself saying, "Thank goodness I thought of this before I published the book!" What would it be like to have a great idea for your novel after you've published it? Talk about an "I coulda hadda V-8!" moment. That would be awful.

So I was very happy when, last night, I came up with a terrific idea for one of the scenes in Xmas Carol. The book would be a lesser thing without this notion. And lo and behold, since I haven't published the book yet I can write it into the manuscript today. Xmas Carol is saved! Praise jeebus!

Sometimes waiting is a profitable idea. I do not want to have a V-8 moment after publishing the book. That would be the ultimate nightmare. (Okay, maybe not the ultimate but it would definitely be unpleasant.)

PS for wordophiles. This is a literary version of l'esprit d'escalier (the "spirit of the staircase"). The French phrase refers to all the great things you think of as you're leaving (i.e., going down a flight of stairs) after a verbal encounter. Alas, we only think of the great riposte when it's too late. I hope to avoid this with Xmas Carol.

I finished Xmas Carol again

I just finished yet another edit of Xmas Carol. It might be perfect now but it's too early to say. Give me a day or two and I'll get back to you.

One weird thing about writing a novel is that if you write about a real thing, the circumstances of that real thing can change, leaving your book out in the cold. For instance, in Xmas Carol I mention the "new World Trade Center".

So I was horrified to see the news yesterday about that idiot Silverstein saying that his "tower" is only going to be seven stories instead of 80 or so. I thought, "Is that the tower in my story?!" After reading more about it, I don't think it is. There will still be a huge tower. Probably, maybe.

There'd better be, because it's in my book. You hear me, world?

Surely I'll publish Xmas Carol within weeks. Surely. Hang on.

Christmas v. holiday tree

Image/Wikipedia.

I can't believe people have strong opinions about whether the vegetation they put lights on is called a Christmas tree or a holiday tree. I won't delve into this vacuous topic. It merits only a shake of the head.

But if these people think there's a war against Christmas now, wait'll they get a load of Xmas Carol.

Speaking of which, I'm doing my last, careful edit/proofread of the manuscript. It will be done by the weekend. And this time when I say "done" I mean final, all-time done.

Best of all, Casey is working on the cover as we speak. Xmas Carol will soon have a face to show the world.

Editing like mad

What can I say? I'm editing Xmas Carol yet again. I just can't help myself. I'm cutting through it at a furious pace, though, so I don't think it will take much longer.

For this reason, blogging will continue to be lite. Don't give up on the blog. I'll pick up the pace as soon as the book is completed.

Maybe it's a dream

Our kids, long ago.

It's November 12th and I'm still not done with Xmas Carol. Probably the notion that I can get the book out by Xmas is just a dream. Still, I'm finding the deadline useful. It's making me work longer and harder each day, and will cause me to finish the book within a very short time.

Let's face it, hardly anyone's will gt a chance to read the book before this Xmas, whether I meet my self-imposed deadline or not. But even if I don't make it, once the book is complete I'll have a whole year to build momentum before the next Xmas season. Some season, some year, this book is going to be a cult hit. It might be ten years from now, but it's going to happen.

So I'm pleased. If I can get the book out very soon, I'm going to whip out my short-story book next, and sell it for 99 cents. Maybe people who don't want to fork over 2.99 for a book will try the cheaper one, like it, and buy Xmas Carol.

Hey, I can dream, right? See you later. I've got a big day of work ahead of me.

Things are looking up

Last time for this graphic?

This is your official Xmas Carol update. It looks like Casey of casey/artandcolour is going to do the cover for the book. For a while it seemed his schedule wouldn't permit it -- but we're on again. Woot!

In the meantime I'm doing the final read-through of the book. I'm not editing it. That's done. I'm just searching for typos now. It should only take another day or two to complete. Then when the cover arrives, I'll be ready to publish.

And you know what that means -- you'll finally have a chance to buy my book and decide for yourself if I can write. There's a good possibility it will be out by Xmas. Xmas Carol out by Xmas! Could anything be finer?

Stay tuned. And I sure hope this is the last time I'll have to use that awful graphic you see above. Soon there will be an official cover to grace these posts. I can't tell you how exciting this is. It's a dream come true.

Book extras

Another reader joined the pack last week. My longtime friend Dale read Xmas Carol and I'm happy to say he gave it an enthusiastic review. So far, that's what I'm hearing from readers. Xmas Carol is a hit. I can't tell you how this gladdens my heart.

But my readers do more than read: they get a say. Dale agreed with Annie that the longest scene in the book should be a lot shorter -- or axed entirely. Now, I think it's a fun scene but I can understand that people want the story to move along.

I think I'll reduce the long scene to a few short pages -- and move the longer version to this blog (or a special Xmas Carol blog; not sure which way I'll go with that). As a reader, I know that it's painful to finish a good book. So wouldn't it be great if there were additional scenes waiting for the reader online? I like the idea and I've got tons of cut scenes from all three of my books. Why not recycle them?

So here's the plan. Tomorrow I begin the final, final, final edit. I'm going to put my Barbara Stanwyck boots on for this one. I will axe whatever needs axing. And really, this is the last time I'll edit the book. I promise (I think).

The edit goes well

I've almost finished my latest edit of Xmas Carol. It sounds great, just the way I want it to. I can't even guess how many times I've edited the book now. I wonder if I'll soon be able to recite it by memory, the way the people in "Farenheit 451" could recite their assigned books. It's been a long haul.

This time through, I still found plot errors such as characters knowing things before they logically could. It flat-out amazes me that I didn't pick these things up in prior passes through the book. But I didn't, and that's a fact. It seems that when you clear away the chaff, you see things that had been hidden by all the weeds. In any case, I fixed the problems. I'm halfway through chapter 11 (of 12), so I'm almost there.

After that, one more time through the book will do it. On the next pass, I plan to cut every word that doesn't further the plot. What's left will be the final book. Xmas Carol is coming. Hang on.