The (Hopefully) Endless Cycle

TADTLC.jpg

A package arrived today that fairly sums up my creative life: Two finished copies of The Android’s Dream and the copy edit of The Last Colony. Android is done and presumably soon to be winging its way to all y’all in the stores; The Last Colony I need to look over and make sure I agree with all the copy edits and return to Tor in just a little over a week. Not pictured: The book after Last Colony, which is in process. Sometime around May of 2007 this picture will likely be repeated, with The Last Colony in the position of the completed book, the the book after that coming back for a copy edit. And thus for as long as I can manage — and not including the other books and writing projects and what not and so on and etc.

There are worse lives to have.

I’m out of here for the rest of the day — I have some work piled up I need to get to, and now I’m dropping a big ol’ copy edit on top of that. I declare an open thread: you kids have fun. See you tomorrow.

41 Comments on “The (Hopefully) Endless Cycle”

  1. Hey, I don’t know if all you folks heard the news, but someone has just taken John “off his favourites list”. Really. Seriously. I wouldn’t kid about something like this.

    Anyway, John *seems* to be taking it really well, but I’m just a wee bit worried it’s all bravado in the face of soul-crushing adversity. Look at the facts; he’s excused himself from the Whatever for the rest of the day and left us all with an “open thread”. It doesn’t look good.

    Hey John, I’ll put an extra copy of the Whatever on my favourites list. How’s that?

  2. Hey, I don’t know if all you folks heard the news, but someone has just taken John “off his favourites list”. Really. Seriously. I wouldn’t kid about something like this.

    Anyway, John *seems* to be taking it really well, but I’m just a wee bit worried it’s all bravado in the face of soul-crushing adversity. Look at the facts; he’s excused himself from the Whatever for the rest of the day and left us all with an “open thread”. It doesn’t look good.

    Hey John, I’ll put an extra copy of the Whatever on my favourites list. How’s that?

  3. Damn, made the comment about how we now get to rag John about novel writing instead of doing the blog thing and he goes and pays more attention to the novel writing. Sorry about that, my bad.

    So why doesn’t my internal nagging work on me that way?

  4. Notice how cleverly he’s hidden the actual text of TLC under a letter from TOR.

    Like he doesn’t trust us not to copy the image and pop it into Photoshop to enlarge the picture.

  5. Notice how cleverly he’s hidden the actual text of TLC under a letter from TOR.

    Like he doesn’t trust us not to copy the image and pop it into Photoshop to enlarge the picture.

  6. You would think in this day and age that you wouldn’t need Copy Edits of books. Why isn’t this done digitaly.

  7. Cross 777:

    “You would think in this day and age that you wouldn’t need Copy Edits of books. Why isn’t this done digitally.”

    Because doing copyedits on paper is easier to read, organize and correct; also, some of us despise “Track Changes” on Word.

  8. C’mon guys,

    Scalzi tells us to talk amongst ourselves and we’re discussing which is the evilest fruit?

    How fucking pathetic are we?

    Let’s talk about……[um]……[er]

    O.K. Breadfruit is Satan’s spawn.

  9. Also, I wanted to pass on this Japanese music video (probably NSFW) that has a) filled my head with its infectious rock and b) violated my childhood memories of watching Tranzor-Z before school:

  10. Also, I wanted to pass on this Japanese music video (probably NSFW) that has a) filled my head with its infectious rock and b) violated my childhood memories of watching Tranzor-Z before school:

  11. I thought it was determined last week that Mark Foley was the most evil fruit. [parumph-chhh] Hah! I slay me.

  12. I thought it was determined last week that Mark Foley was the most evil fruit. [parumph-chhh] Hah! I slay me.

  13. pomegranette’s………….. kept me amused for hours as a child not sure they’re evil though.
    boy george, now ther’s an evil fruit

  14. re: copy edits

    There’s something immensely gratifying about holding an (uncorrected) hard-copy galley after spending 6 months of your life staring at a computer screen.

    Especially when the publisher prints it out and ships it to you Fed Ex, then awaits your reply with wringing hands and puckered nether-meat.

    I believe nether-meat(tm) just might be a Mactavish original.

  15. re: copy edits

    There’s something immensely gratifying about holding an (uncorrected) hard-copy galley after spending 6 months of your life staring at a computer screen.

    Especially when the publisher prints it out and ships it to you Fed Ex, then awaits your reply with wringing hands and puckered nether-meat.

    I believe nether-meat(tm) just might be a Mactavish original.

  16. Speaking of evil fruits and clowns…

    John Wayne Gacy was both, so I retract my dingleberry entry and resubmit Gacy.

    You can mail my Red Lobster gift certificate ASAP.

    That is the prize, correct?

  17. OK, Scott, you win.

    Just cut out the lobster from the ad in tomorrow’s paper and take it with you. It’s redeemable at any Red Lobster nationwide for a dinner for 4 (alcoholic beverages not included).

    Don’t worry. I talked to Ricky, the bus boy. He said everythings cool.

  18. Right on, Nathan-

    Ricky’s still there? Me and homie used to spark spliffs behind the dumpster when I washed dishes up in that piece. Good dude, except for that Ford Pinto he used to drive. That thing smelled like ass and drove like a covered wagon.

    I’ll have to look him up, maybe snag a couple of Jamaican hog legs.

  19. Right on, Nathan-

    Ricky’s still there? Me and homie used to spark spliffs behind the dumpster when I washed dishes up in that piece. Good dude, except for that Ford Pinto he used to drive. That thing smelled like ass and drove like a covered wagon.

    I’ll have to look him up, maybe snag a couple of Jamaican hog legs.

  20. Right on, Nathan-

    Ricky’s still there? Me and homie used to spark spliffs behind the dumpster when I washed dishes up in that piece. Good dude, except for that Ford Pinto he used to drive. That thing smelled like ass and drove like a covered wagon.

    I’ll have to look him up, maybe snag a couple of Jamaican hog legs.

  21. Careful, guys. One wordplay on the words “fruit” and “gay” I think is acceptable among friends and wordsmiths. More than that starts sliding into unintentional (I trust) derogatory uses.

    I’m a fruit. I can be evil about it.

  22. Speaking of copyedits…

    […] completed book, the the book after that coming back for a copy edit. […]

    signed,
    The the Department of Redundancy Department

    [Yeah, it’s deliberate… I’m a geek. *g*]

  23. I’m just curious why you would use the phrase “all y’all”? Since “y’all” is a contraction of “you all”, you are saying “all you all”. You must have gotten that phrase from the American Association of Departments of Redundancy Departments of America.

    **with a nod to Shawn for his membership in one of the departments**

  24. I’m just curious why you would use the phrase “all y’all”? Since “y’all” is a contraction of “you all”, you are saying “all you all”. You must have gotten that phrase from the American Association of Departments of Redundancy Departments of America.

    **with a nod to Shawn for his membership in one of the departments**

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