Editing

I've just finished reading Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print, 2nd edition by Renni Browne & Dave King, and wow, is it ever an excellent book. If there are any aspiring writers reading this post, I highly recommend picking up a copy.

I borrowed it from my local library, but I have no doubt that I'll be picking up my own copy very soon. It's full of helpful tips, exercises, and new ways of looking at writing. As I it, I felt decent about most of my writing, as I avoid most of their "don't" lists. Then I got deeper into the book, and several chapters seemed to speak to me personally, pointing out the flaws that plague my writing.

But not only do they show examples of what's done wrong, and what's done right, Browne and King provide explanations, exercises, and tips on how to correct the problems. Perhaps the most useful inclusion is quotes from manuscripts before and after editing, with a discussion about what they fixed, and why.

Most "how to write" books I've read tell what not to do, and maybe provide an example or two. A few will go into a little detail about why to avoid certain pitfalls. None so far had the excellent, practical advice that Browne and King provide.

Happy Easter!

This is the first time Jenny and I made Easter dinner. Normally we go to my grandparent's house. But this year too many people were sick, so it was just the two of us. We made the following:

Cola Basted Ham
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Green Bean Casserole

Everything was delicious. The ham was good, although not as good as the Honey Baked Ham we normally have at Easter. Still, it was an acceptable substitution. The potatoes were creamy, cheesy, and awesome (we added some cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon). And the Green Bean Casserole is a standard at our holiday feasts.

Hope you and yours have a great Easter!

Airleaf Publishing stole from authors, Indiana declines to prosecute

This post at Writer Beware! Blogs is about Airleaf Publishing, a now defunct company run by Carl Lau, and the roughly 2 million dollars it has stolen from authors. Now comes word that the United States Attorney of Indiana, Timothy Morrison, has decided that their actions do not meet the criminal codes of Indiana.

This is ridiculous, as evidenced by the litany of crimes listed in the post. Bonnie Kaye, a writer's activist, is organizing a petition to deliver to Timothy Morrison urging him to prosecute. If you're interested, click here to see the Writer Beware! Blogs post to get Bonnie's email address and let her know you'd like to sign the petition.

First full day of baseball!

What a wonderful day it is. Baseball is back, and oh how I have missed it. I don't follow any other sports, so when baseball's offseason rolls around, I feel deprived.

But it's back, and the Mets won today! A nice 2-1 win in which Johan Santana pitched well, and the bullpen, the key point of failure the last two seasons, put up 3 1/3 shutout innings. Exactly what the Mets needed.

First revision of Jack O'Lantern complete

Today I finished my first pass of editing on Jack O'Lantern. It's amazing how much lousy writing I found when I read it. But at the same time, I found some real gems in there. Reading through and making the notes about what needed to be corrected was the easy part. Getting in there and actually doing the editing was difficult, and not fun. It got discouraging after awhile. Editing focuses on the bad writing, after all, and then fixing it. And so when I went through page after page, and saw the mistakes pile up, the poor sentences compound, and the just plain "what was I thinking?" moments keep coming, I got discouraged. I'd work on 20-30 pages at a time, and then just shove it aside when I hit a hard part. But the manuscript was always there, always nagging at me to get back to it.

Now I'm done with that first editing pass. And there's still so much more editing and revising to do. There's at least one whole chapter that I need to add, to flesh the story out a little. There are probably a lot of little details I could use to put in, things to make the story and world come alive. But hell, at this point, I'm happy. Another major step in the writing process complete.

All will soon be right with the world

The baseball season starts Monday! I cannot say just how much I hate the offseason. Yes, there are trade rumors and free agent signings to keep up with, not to mention Spring Training, but it's just not the same as regular season baseball. I bought Extra Innings from DirecTV, so I'll get to watch just about every Mets game there is this season.

Tomorrow the Mets play the Red Sox in their final exhibition game. It's only their second game at their new stadium, Citi Field. MLB Network will be broadcasting, and you can be sure I'll be watching. I can't wait to get a look at what their new digs looks like.

Ah, baseball. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Rock, Radio, and my favorite songs

As I state in my Blogger profile, my favorite genre of music is classic rock, with a spotlight on the 80's. I love the big hair bands, the hair metal, the anthem rock, the power ballads, the over-the-top songs and performances. It's what rock is all about to me. And more than anything else, I love the sound of the guitar that was popular then, especially the solos. The lead guitar was on equal footing as the lead singer in so much of 80's rock, and that's where it belongs. There's not a lot of current rock that I enjoy, and it's mostly because rock now focuses more on beats, rhythms, and repeatable riffs rather than meticulously intricate guitar playing. I also love long rock epics, and there's very little of that anymore. Almost everything now seems to fit neatly into the 3:30-4:30 minute range, to please radio producers, I imagine. And when a song is "too long," parts are cut out - usually the instrumental portions that are just as important to the feel of the song as the chorus and hook.

This is one reason that about the only radio station I listen to (when I'm not listening to my iPod) is 95.5 KLOS in the Greater Los Angeles area. They play tons of classic rock, they'll play 20-minute songs, they'll even play entire albums. It's great, and I discover more awesome songs all the time.

Without further ado, here's what I currently consider my favorite 20 songs.

20) Right Side of Wrong - Bon Jovi

This song has one recurring theme with most of my favorite songs: it tells a story. I love storytelling (as is evidenced by my writing and voracious reading), and doing it to great music is awesome. And I think Jon Bon Jovi has a great voice that's just perfect for it.

19) Shooting Star - Bad Company

Another story. Great vocals, great story, and some beautiful guitar solos. I especially like how the second solo builds, and builds, and builds to the climax.

18) More Than Words - Extreme

I saw Extreme in concert last year in Vegas at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Great show, and this song was incredible. It's very different from most on this list, as it's very stripped down and almost simplistic. The guitar is incredible, and the harmonies and falsettos are beautiful.

17) Turn the Page - Metallica

The Bob Seger version is okay, but Metallica took this song and made it shine. The grittiness that James Hetfield brings to the vocals makes it a more powerful story.

16) You're All I Need - Mötley Crüe

I love power ballads, and this one is a great one, even if the lyrics are twisted and disturbing. It shows a diversity to Mötley Crüe's music that is often overlooked.

15) Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones

I'm not a big Stones fan, as I can generally take 'em or leave 'em. Something about Paint it Black really appeals to me, however. I love the main guitar riff, and the lyrics are fun.

14) Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

What would a top 20 list of classic rock songs be without Free Bird? It's so iconic, so great, and the guitar solos so beautiful...how could I pass it up?

13) Paradise City - Guns N' Roses

As is typical for GnR, the guitar riffs and solos in this song are nearly beyond belief. Slash is easily my all time favorite guitarist, and he's in fine form in this song.

12) Juke Box Hero - Foreigner

Another story. This one makes it mostly on the power of Lou Gramm's voice. The slow beat of the intro pulsing in the background, he describes the scene and the scream of the guitar, and I can see what he's describing. Awesome.

11) Hotel California - The Eagles

Yep, another story. I love how, similar to Free Bird, the lyrics end relatively early in the song, and the rest is just pure instrumental. I want to write a book using this song as a base, but something tells me I'd never persuade The Eagles to let me do it.

10) The Unforgiven - Metallica

A lot of Metallica fans think that they went "commercial" with the black album. I disagree; I simply think they expanded their abilities and reached new heights. This song is, you guessed it, another story. The song contains everything that defines Metallica to me: great, soft intro leading into powerful vocals and heavy guitar, and a great solo.

9) Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson

The only pure instrumental song on this list, this one is all about the beauty of a well-played electric guitar. Great intro, catchy chorus, and awesome solos.

8) Dry County - Bon Jovi

An epic song with a compelling story, sung by Jon Bon Jovi's hauntingly mournful voice. And the band's best solo of all their work.

7) Don't Stop Believing - Journey

One of the greatest karaoke songs of all time, and I don't even like karaoke. But when this song comes on in the car, when I'm alone, I sing as if I was on stage.

6) Foreplay / Long Time - Boston

Boston's Peace of Mind and More Than a Feeling just missed this top 20. I love their very-distinctive sound, and Brad Delp was one of the greatest vocalists in rock history.

5) God Gave Rock and Roll to You II - KISS

I just love this song. Guitar that practically sings the lyrics, good solo, and a great premise.

4) Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Freddy Mercury just may have been the best vocalists ever. Simply incredible. And Queen just may be the best band ever. Only their innovative, groundbreaking style could bring about a song such as Bohemian Rhapsody. Who else can merge soft a cappellas, heavy guitar solos, rock and roll, bell chords, and fricking opera?

3) November Rain - Guns N' Roses

Probably the most beautiful guitar solos I've ever heard, and Axl Rose singing beautifully. What more needs to be said?

2) 18 and Life - Skid Row

Sebastian Bach's performance is so guttural, so passionate, that it feels real. He makes you believe Ricky really exists, that his trials and tribulations were actually happening.

1) Sweet Child o' Mine - Guns N' Roses

Sweet Child o' Mine features one of the most famous guitar riffs of all time, one of the first that aspiring guitarists try to learn and play as soon as they get their instrument. It's ironic that Slash had to be convinced by his band mates to include the riff in a song, as he thought it was too simplistic and used it as part of his warm-up routine. Axl Rose was at the top of his game when he sang this song. It's just a shame that Axl is so adamant about never working with the rest of GnR again as long as he lives. He may release new albums using the same band name, but everybody knows it's not really Guns N' Roses.