Reading Lois' book The Hallowed Hunt

[pegkerr]

I'm feeling quite cross with myself. I don't know whether I've become sloppy since I haven't been critiquing many manuscripts lately, but I'm looking over this manuscript and thinking, "I don't have much to suggest in the way of changes." Which actually, Lois will probably be very happy to hear, esp. since she has to get it to the editor by the end of the month--which is putting more pressure on me to hurry--but it makes me feel that I've lost my critical eye, which makes me, as I said, fretful.

Crap, not only do I have doubts about myself as a writer, now I have doubts about myself as an editor/beta reader/critic. Which is screamingly funny, when you think about it, because it's my tendency to be overly critical about my own writing that's making it so difficult to write.

I wonder if part of the problem is that I'm reading it on the screen, rather than on the printed page. I haven't had much experience critiquing book manuscripts this way, but it's certainly cheaper for Lois to e-mail the book rather than take the trouble to print it out and the money to copy it. (And no, I'm not going to e-mail it out to all of you. Sorry.) I'm used to scribbling my comments on paper, not switching and forth between the ms. on screen and my typed comments in a separate file. Having the page to scribble on makes me look at the words differently, somehow.

Yeah, maybe. And maybe it's just that my critical mind is, you know, mush.

Grawaghf.

Comments

[longstrider.livejournal.com]

So is this in the Chalion series or the Vorkosigan series? I suspect with that name it's Chalion.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

It's in the Chalion series, with all new characters.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, I tend to go a little slack-jawed and am much more accepting when I read onscreen, and I'm more alert/critical when I sit down with the paper pages. (I use this trick myself, for editing my own work.)

So you aren't alone. :) I bet that would be one whopping big printout, though.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Yep. 572 pages.

[fileg.livejournal.com]

when Chris beta's for me, we use the edit features in word - leaves the manuscript intact, adds your comments in footnotes that will also pop up in little text boxes if you hover your cursor over them.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I used that last time, when she sent me the first ten chapters as ten separate files. But this time she sent me the whole MS as one file, and I dunno, I just started my new comments as a separate file. Can't remember why I did.

[innerslytherin]

I have a lot of trouble proof-reading on the screen, in my own writing. In fact when I'm critiquing other people's writing, I often print it out, mark things on the paper, and then transfer them to the computer to email it back. Time-consuming and tedious sometimes, but usually rewarding.

And if you're worried about your critical eye, well, here is at least one amateur who is willing to share a manuscript bound to reawaken it. ^___^ (And I'm sure you could get many volunteers!)

[mareklamo.livejournal.com]

print it out, mark things on the paper, and then transfer them to the computer
I was going to suggest doing this too.

[sisterpandora.livejournal.com]

I wonder if part of the problem is that I'm reading it on the screen, rather than on the printed page.

I often find it difficult to edit things on the screen and therefore print them out. That way I can flip back and forth and I feel that being able to have it all visible before me gives me a better sense of the story as a whole. I'm not sure why that is exactly but there we are.

[darius.livejournal.com]

Even while editing computer programs I tend to prefer printing them out for a serious critique -- paper and pen and an easy chair are just better for me, still, even with the comments in the same file.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

From reading the copy editors' mailing list, I know that some people are more accurate and productive when they edit on screen, and some when they edit on paper. I don't think it's just a matter on getting used to the new method, because the two are very different experiences, and it makes sense that people would differ in their reactions. I took to on-screen editing the first time I tried it, and I am both faster and better at on-screen editing than hard-copy editing.

[cloudscudding.livejournal.com]

And no, I'm not going to e-mail it out to all of you. Sorry.

Well, phooey! Do you know what she's planning on working on next?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

No, I don't. I'll have to ask her.

[sraun]

FYI, I'm jealous!

Enjoy, critique well.

Let's see - past experience says a couple/three months until she starts on "the next thing"?