Vanessa Said
The Comma
“I have to eat, Tucker,” he said as he hurried into the house and past the cat. “I’m ravenous.”
Whiskers drooping, Tucker grew still. His eyes widened. He lowered his tail.
The man glanced at his cat. “No, I didn’t say, “I have to eat Tucker.” Well, that’s what I said, but there was a comma in there. I was saying, “I have to eat, comma, Tucker.” There was a comma in there.”
He went to his cat and scratched the feline’s head. “You know about commas, right? Yes, you do. Good kitty.”
Tucker closed his eyes, reassured that he wasn’t going to be eaten. It was just an unheard comma.
A Little At A Time
I’ve mentioned before that in writing Incomplete States that I’ve written over one million words.
Thinking about that today as I’m almost finished with editing the fifth novel in the series, I decided to do more quantifying about it. I began writing the series in July, 2016, and completed it in July, 2018. I write almost every day, often even when on vacation and traveling. While it’s not exact, I guessed that I wrote about seven hundred twenty days since I began writing the series.
Dividing one million by seven hundred twenty, I estimate that I wrote less than fourteen hundred words a day.
That’s not a huge word count, but it shows what can happen by just keeping at it.
Laughing All the Way
I found myself laughing as I edited today, because I was dealing with the holes.
Still editing Book Five, An Undying Quest, of the Incomplete States series, I have half of the novel edited. The thing about the holes and the society that use them is that I hadn’t planned these holes. The holes in discussion are worm holes, but small, controlled to some degree, such as the way that we control water by channeling and funneling it, and managing levels and temperatures, etc., that are located in a cavern on another planet. The people use the holes to travel to other places, and sometimes to other times, and, if they’re brave enough, to visit the dead.
As noted, they were completely spontaneous when I was writing that section, and created a history and structure on the go. Reading, editing, and revising it today, this society’s depths, history, and complexities surprised me. There’s a sense in reading it that it’s historic fiction, and that you have some sense of what’s meant by the terms and relationships because that’s your history.
I quite enjoyed reading it. Will it work for others? Maybe, maybe not. I think it was James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon) who said something like, “Tell the story, and let the reader catch up, if they can.” That’s what I’m employing in this instance.
I must admit, one aspect of the holes was inspired by a scene from Field of Dreams (1989), when Terence Mann (James Early Jones) accepts the invitation from Shoeless Joe (Ray Liotta) to enter the corn. Love that scene.
Done writing and editing like crazy for another day. Off to join the real people, the real world, and the real sunshine.
Stopping
I’m in such an editing and writing zone, enjoying reading what I’ve written, surprised by the characters and settings. I wrote this? Are you sure? Because I don’t remember it. Yet the notes tell me that I wrote it last June. Ah, where is my mind?
Now I need to stop. Plans were made and time has flitted past with a hummingbird’s speed. I’ve been busy for hours, and sad about stopping. That’s how it sometimes goes, but I take satisfaction in that it was a good day of writing and editing like crazy.
Cheers
Michael Seidel, writer 