Authors Need Help: Brainstorming Session

[rolanni]

OK, I don’t have much experience coordinating a project this big. My general approach, when confronted with an Enormous Project is to break it down into bite-sized pieces, but! I’m not a project manager and have none of that Foo.

Below, is what I’ve got — comments and advice welcome. I’ll also be looking for volunteers, but that’ll come later.

I’m soliciting ideas on how to implement in order to achieve the goal without loss of life, and without anyone having to bear an enormous burden of work.

The Goal:  A list, for each novel, of all the Liaden-and-other-Weird-Words that appear in that novel, AND a list of Liaden-and-other-Weird-Names that appear in that novel.

What the lists would look like:

1. Title of Book, Edition
a. Word One, Page Number
b. Word Two, Page Number
Lather, rinse, repeat

2. Title of Book, Edition
a. Name One, Page Number
b. Name One, Page Number
Lather, rinse, repeat

I’m guessing that there ought to multiple eyes on each novel, in order to make sure that the maximum number of Weird Words (henceforth WW) are captured. Some of the WW will be English words (we use a smattering of obsolete English words, Just Because), some of the WW will be Terran slang, Delgadan words, and the ever-popular etcetera.

For the names — I’m guessing another buncha eyes for each book, so that the maximum number are captured.

Question: Planet and ship names — Different lists? Or folded into the Names List?

Also needed, someone or someplace to receive, and coordinate, the lists.

Ultimately, the lists will be used by Lee and Miller for Something Really Cool, and will play an important role in the Web Pronunciation Guide Project.

There is some time limitation on getting this together, but at the moment, the deadline is squishy.

So! What’s the best way to set this up?

EDITED TO ADD: Please nobody build anything yet. We're still in brainstorming mode. I appreciate everyone's input.


Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

Author Needs Help

[spudsmom.livejournal.com]

So I would assign two people to each book/work and then have them go through picking out everything and noting it with page numbers and definition then have one person go back and organize it in to separate lists preferably in a spread sheet then have someone else take all of the spreadsheets and create separate ones for each type of word name. Access would probably be the best thing to use for organizing the data but everybody probably doesn't have that on the other hand if everybody used excel and then you had the last person use Access to load the Excel Files that might work. I think the Definitions for Ship should include ownership like Juntava Ship and maybe who it was carrying and or where it fit in the story, too much?
Book Title
Page Number Word/Name Definition
Toni

Re: Author Needs Help

[jessica brown (from livejournal.com)]

If she wants fan help, I would just accept help from everyone, some people literally have nothing to do, and could spend hours a week working on this. Put out what form you would prefer the information in, and let us do it! Do you have a very large email capability, and a good virus protector? << those are important if you are accepting and opening things from random people.

Re: Author Needs Help

[spudsmom.livejournal.com]

You have a good point, the lists would get done faster and with many hands, more thoroughly, it will making putting it all together more challenging but with volunteers its probably the way to go. I more used to paid people who pretty much have to do the work.
Toni

Re: Author Needs Help

[sb-moof.livejournal.com]

GoogleDocs would be the best place for this if you want multiple people to contribute. I believe it's even keeps versions (for some definition of version) that can be reverted to if someone manages to make a total hash of it. I'd be happy to look into it further, a little later today if the many hands approach is deemed A Good Thing (TM).