Morning, word people!

I'm hard at work in the word mines again. This pass of the copy edit on #HardKnocks should be finished by week's end, early next week at the latest. Then I have a short dev edit (paid for as a retirement gift, a unique situation for me, certainly) that I'll work on for 10 hours, which is the time they bought, and then it's on to the next thing.

That next thing is currently TBD. And that's fine.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins

"Pardon the mess. It's the maid's life off."

I need that on a sampler, please.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks

MONDAY! Back to work after a week away (not away-away, just not here). Time to see whether I can finish this project by the 15th, which is my internal goal. There's no hard deadline, but I'm expecting a short DE project on that date.

And so, kids . . . #AmEditing #HardKnocks #SCMarvaCollins

"He's got answers to everything. Unfortunately, he has no idea what questions they go with."

I know people like that, don't you?

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks

"We're only one minor failure away from catastrophe."

I feel that so hard, I can't even tell you.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks
#NoContextForYou
#BecauseNoSpoilers

There's a reason I do a read-through as the first editing pass of any project.

That way, I'm not bogging down in corrections or changes, although I make ones that I notice (or make notes to come back to them). I'm getting a feel for the story, which in this case has me saying "Fuuuuuuuuuu—" A LOT.

And that's a good thing, for sure. Tension out the wazoo, here. (I'm at Chapter 7, @nlowell.)

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks

I had a feeling the oddball thing mentioned in the first book of this series that wasn't brought up again was indeed Chekhov's gun.

Third book, and here it is. I LOVE THIS.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks

"That's the thing about people. You can group them and run statistics on them and separate them and recombine them, but most of the time all you can really say about them is 'huh.'"

The year is 2379, and people are still people.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks

Ooh, I love this:

"Orbitals are the cold edge of space for whose who have someplace warmer to be."

(Orbitals are space stations in geosynch orbit around planets.)

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#HardKnocks

Morning, word people!

Today's favorite phrasing: "He's got deck plating for a skull."

Yes, I'm back at work. Watered my hanging pots and hibiscus, put the last of the songbird mix into the feeder (sorry, kids, I need to get more later!), took stock of what else I need to restock. Washed my hair. Now, to finish this editing pass.

#AmEditing
#WorkingClass #SCMarvaCollins

Yeah . . . When the answer to "How did you get your residential visa?" is "We stopped terrorists from blowing up the station with a nuke," the conversation tends to stop.

I LOVE this series. LOVE it. (And the book about the nuke was a nail-biter.)

#AmEditing #SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass @nlowell

TIL the meaning of "to reef" w/r/t navigation, being reducing the area of a sail by rolling or folding a part of it.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

I also *love* this exchange about how when everyone needs a specific credential, that credential no longer matters.

Just because you have that piece of paper or plastic doesn't mean you're the best one for a given job. It means you've convinced someone you know enough to get that piece of paper or plastic.

(Rather like needing a degree to interview for a job. WHY? It proves nothing useful.)

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

This poor instructional designer, finding out that quite literally everything he knows about a particular area of space is wrong.

I'd feel sorry for him, but . . . nah, not really. He needs a come-to-Jesus moment eventually.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

"The problem is that it works."

"Why is that a problem?"

"Because it stops us from considering what might be better."

So applicable to so many situations outside of this story.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

Aha! One theme in this book is the Curse of Knowledge.

You know. What happens when you assume everyone knows what you know, and you have trouble remembering that they don't, and you struggle to teach those who don't because you're coming at it from your own perspective.

I thought of that while editing the first book, but this one just laid it out via one character's words. LOVE it.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

The term "undress khakis" never ceases to amuse tf out of me.

#AmEditing
#WorkingClass
#SCMarvaCollins

This poor instructional designer is so far out of his depth, I actually feel sorry for him.

More great characterization from @nlowell in the second book in the new series.

#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

Poor spouse is trying to work and I'm sitting opposite him at my desk, snorting and snickering at snappy dialogue from @nlowell.

#AmEditing
#SCMarvaCollins
#WorkingClass

::blinks a few times in near disbelief::

I do believe I've finished this project for @nlowell.

Ran my proofreading software, found minimal issues, fixed them all.

It helps when you've worked with someone for mumblety-mumble years. There's an ease to their projects. A knowing what to watch for and what not to worry about.

It's comfortable. I like it.

#AmEditing #SCMarvaCollins