Reading the page proofs

[rolanni]

So, I'm doodling along with the page proofs for Alliance of Equals, which has a nice, long turnaround time of three weeks from time of receipt.  For which I am truly grateful, because that gives us time to Pay Really Good Attention to the script and not have to Push On! despite one's brain hurting, and eyes crossing, because Deadline.

So far (I've just finished page 79, or seven chapters, or 22%), it's been pretty clean, but there have been some really strange copy editing decisions made, which has prompted me to keep the submission copy of Alliance open on the screen, so I can double-check stuff, and put it back the way it ought to be, when needed.

One of the strangest decisions was the treatment of master trader in a situation where Shan is trying to decide from which melant'i he ought to approach a knotty social problem.  Ought he to come the father? Or ought he speak as master trader?

The copy editor in the above case decided to put master trader in. . .quotes.  Mind you, they didn't likewise put father in quotes, which would have been just as wrong but at least consistent.  But. . .

Shan does not think of himself as "master trader."  Putting master trader in quotes in that particular instance Completely Negates melant'i, as we've built it and refined it over 19 novels and lots of short stories.  Shan thinks of himself as Shan.  Shan has various life roles assigned to him -- father, master trader, master pilot, brother, lifemate, thodelm -- and so on.  These roles, to a Liaden are real, they are, in a peculiar and important way, living.  Liadens are, according to their own culture, not one, but many, and this is codified (as distinct from, say, US culture, where we are many, but we pretend that we're not).

Having Shan think of the "master trader" in the instance above is so wrong, that I actually felt a little nauseous, seeing it there.

It's fixed now, but -- phew.  Close one.

Moving onward now to making some spaghetti sauce -- we have fresh tomatoes, we have chopped fresh garlic, we have -- wait for it -- mushrooms (mmmmm, mushrooms).  Man, this is going to be primo spaghetti sauce.

After lunch, it's back to The Gathering Edge.

How's your weekend going?

Comments

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

I've read the sample chapters and ALMOST bought the e-arc.

However, since I'm up to my belt line in other people's taxes until 4/18, I really don't have the time to read the books I have, let alone giving Shan and Co. the time they deserve.

REALLY REALLY REALLY good read so far.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

Dampish, chilly, busy-ish, plagued by a wee-small-hours attack to stomach difficulty last night, but not bad, really .... dishes and clothes washed and supplies gathered for the festivities tomorrow, aaand a fresh-in-from-Uncle-Hugo supply of previously-missedbooks by a Certain Pair of Authors to read, so looking good!

Hope all remains well at the Cat Factory!

[ellenru.livejournal.com]

Read the sample chapters on Thursday - it was a nice way to end the day at work. (Not that I was checking twice a day or anything). Finances and time mean that I'll be waiting for the already ordered hc. I've read some of the spoiler comments and your writing seems to, once again, being going in a different direction than I was expecting.

Yesterday was veg out on the couch day to regain some sanity after the last couple of weeks at work - I'm back to doing 1.7 jobs again - just in time for the busy season to start up. Today I went in for two hours - no one phoning, e-mailing or asking questions requiring lengthy explanations. Tomorrow I'll be in again and hoping to get to a certain point in the piles which will mean less work during the week.

In between I'm doing a bunch of cooking to load up the freezer again - it's so much easier to come home and know dinner will take 20-30 minutes and not an hour.

[thewol.livejournal.com]

"Retired" and having to make a limited amount of $$ go as far as they can. Debating whether to get the eArc because WANNA READ IT! and then spending more $$ to get the dead tree edition (which can be reread for free whenever I want to) when it drops in July. Everything is going up (rent, ISP, car insurance) except my income. Growl. On top of everything, I have two serious habits to support -- reading and knitting. Still, Things Could (Always) Be Worse. Pardon the wingeing. Here directly, I'll get up and get some cheese to have with my whine. . .

[mark leigh (from livejournal.com)]

The e=arc is forever when you buy it ever after it is yours to read or re-download or put on your kindle never any cost free as long as Baen is there.

[aitchellsee.livejournal.com]

Mine's just improved 1000%. Finally found my iPhone in the (never-used) cat basket on the other side of my bedroom floor. Last seen Friday night in my hand as I lay in bed re-reading _Crystal Soldier_. I assume it dropped from my nerveless hand as I fell asleep, and assumed it had fallen beside the bed or been knocked under it. Looked everywhere yesterday but couldn't spot it and the ringer had apparently been turned off so calling myself didn't help.

My evil furry housemates DID SOMETHING WITH IT.

It's my ONLY working computer right now, and only connection to the Internet. Now I can breathe again. =^..*=

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Played pickleball for the first time. At least I think it was pickleball. The bat said so. But I think pickleball involves a net, probably doesn't count "Hole in 1!" and doesn't involve a slot machine. But it was a good start :)

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Definitely no slot machines in pickleball.

Glad you had fun.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Hitting the ball with that paddle produces a surprisingly satisfying WHACK! :)

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Doesn't it, though?

[vythe.livejournal.com]

I wonder why I couldn't post a comment to the spoiler page? It says "Error 404" when I submit my text...

I'll take it as an omen and won't try to post it anywhere else.

Thank you for the book! And I am very much looking forward to the next one.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I'm sorry about the 404 error...everything looks fine from my side, so -- not sure what's going on for you.

[vythe.livejournal.com]

That's what surprised me. I use your link to the spoiler page ( http : // sharonleewriter . com/2016/03/spoiler-discussion-alliance-of-equals/ ), scroll down to the "leave a reply" section , fill in some reply and press "submit comment". The page makes a POST to ( http : // sharonleewriter . com/wp-comments-post.php ) and displays the wordpress' error 404 page. That is a regular website page, with all the headers and menus, but the page content is "page not found".

Please don't worry about it. I can see somebody else's comment added after I got the error - that means the system works and the problem is on my side.

[sarah moran goodwin (from livejournal.com)]

I just wanted to comment about your assertion that in US culture, we are many but pretend we are not. I am not sure whether you meant as individuals, or collectively. As individuals, I would have to agree. We are many things, but we have this belief that we should strive to be integrated, whole people, perfectly balanced and singular. As a group, however, I would argue that our motto, E pluribus unum, beautifully describes the ideal we strive toward as a country. We are many. We delight (ideally) in our differences. And, as Americans, we believe that we can come together when Necessity Exists, to work and act as one. I think that our melant'i includes America as one role we are each prepared to play.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Well...you may argue that, if it amuses you, though observation of current events would lead me to say that, while the vision of Americans coming together when the going gets tough, like Batman and Superman putting aside their differences to save the world, makes one feel All Warm Inside, and even was, in my lifetime, Sorta True -- it's no long true at all.

For Liadens, however, (we were talking about Liadens) melant'i is a personally active phenomenon. In US culture, as you say, individuals strive to be Whole, Integrated, and therefore Unbreakable. The fact that a lot of us fracture and break, anyway, may point to the need for a more useful model of how people actually work, but I don't think we'll be seeing that philosophical shift, anytime ever.

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

Dumb question.

Are the short stories you and Steve write for Baen available (other than in the Baen library free editions with other stories) ?

My mind is gone this time of year.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I think all except the last one, "Chimera," have been collected in the Constellations (I, II, III), published by Baen. And they're available as echapbooks, up through "Eleutherios"...which means "Out of True" hasn't been collected, yet. Waiting on another story, I guess, which would be "Chimera."

Just so you know -- no time in the schedule (The Schedule) for the making of eChapbooks in April.

[ohlibn.livejournal.com]

Hi Gerald Heaton,

The three Constellations are wonderful collections! Strongly recommend you acquire them if at all possible.

Best regards ~
LynneW

Trealla Fantrol on Surebleak?

[ohlibn.livejournal.com]

Another dumb question:

I was re-reading THE AGENT GAMBIT and KORVAL's GAME last weekend and couldn't find the answer when I looked in DRAGON IN EXILE (planning on a re-read of NECESSITY'S CHILD this weekend and then on to DRAGON IN EXILE, preparing for ALLIANCE OF EQUALS in July).

When the Clutch ship moved Jelaze Kazone to Surebleak, the consensus was that almost the entire valley could be removed within its confines. Did Trealla Fantrol go along, or was it left behind/sold to off-worlders? Because that's the home in which Val Con and his foster brother & sisters grew up, and it seems a shame if it could not be preserved to the clan as well.

RE: Trealla Fantrol on Surebleak?

[crustycurmudgeo.livejournal.com]

What happened is explained in Alliance of Equals .

RE: Trealla Fantrol on Surebleak?

[ohlibn.livejournal.com]

Thank you!