Quote:
Originally Posted by William Campbell
Mood change? (grin)
Seriously, so very true -- the number of details one must carry in the mind's filing cabinet while concocting a story can be overwhelming. Some blunders go undetected for the longest time. I have one such instance that is somewhat amusing, and this shouldn't be too much of a spoiler. Rather than the future, my space opera begins in the past, a long time ago, just not far away, it happens in this galaxy. However, I've portrayed things as being not so different from today, which becomes a fine line to walk. Early in the story, I had the character order French toast for breakfast. Oops. France didn't exist yet, and the blunder went undetected through many drafts. In the end, I settled on "Egg-fried toast," which becomes funny in itself, because now readers ask me, what the heck is that?
For these kind of things, in many cases a talented reader dedicated to finding story flaws can be as helpful as any pro editor, and sometimes even more helpful. In his book "On Writing" Stephen King talks about having an "ideal reader." I agree and follow this advice, adding to the help of pros. My IR is my daughter, who is an avid reader herself. She doesn't find flaws in grammar nearly as much as the blue changing to orange type goofs. She seems to be a magnet for that kind of error, they just scream at her. Every author needs one of these helpers as well, and they are typically a close friend or relative with high interest in what you are trying to accomplish.
Another super effective (and inexpensive) alternative to editing help is having the computer read the manuscript. In fact, even though I seek the services of others, I still use this step and find errors missed by everyone else including myself. We are all human after all, and the computer is not, however it may try.
I use Natural Reader on my PC. The voices are incredibly realistic, I'd say 95% of the time. Only a few weird inflections now and then. Having your own writing read back to you uncovers so many errors, and for me it seems to be a certain group of them. Loud for load, knell/kneel, through/though, all those kinds, and there are plenty. Then there's the case of a word missing altogether, and reading it on screen, on paper, projected on a wall, whatever, every time you read it your mind fills in the blank. Amazing, that mental marvel. But when the computer reads it, whoa, what the heck was that? Highly recommended means of checking your work, and the software is reasonably priced.
$3.99 for a good fictive dream - Dead Forever Awakening
Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8981
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034G6628 |
What a great idea, I wonder if there is a similar service for the Mac?