Biting the Bullet - June IWSG

There comes a time in every writer's life when he must simply bite the bullet. In this context, bite the bullet means submit, whether it be a manuscript, short story, article or anything else. If it's something that must be reviewed, judged or accepted, then it must be submitted.

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I recently realized that it has now been a full year since I completed the initial draft of The Bonding. It's gone through three intense revisions and some hefty edits. The last two edits have focused almost exclusively on word count reduction.

It's not that easy for me. Some people have trouble shedding pounds. I have trouble shedding words. I know my nemesis.

Wordiness is the bane of my writing.

So I trimmed the fat. I whacked and whittled, cut and chopped like a lumberjack on steroids. I now wonder if there's enough fat left to flavor the meat.

But this post is about biting the bullet of submitting, not my struggles with word count reduction. Or are they one in the same? Perhaps wrestling with word count has become my way of avoiding the bullet of submitting. I tell myself it's a valid excuse. But is it just an excuse?

No matter! This is the month that Jeff bites that bullet. I've given my knightly oath to dragon and spouse alike. (And I dare not provoke either!) This is the month that I begin to seek publication in deed and not just in word.

Wish me well?

The Stages of a Geek's Manuscript

Most of you know that I'm a software developer (computer programmer) by trade.  As such, I've discovered a number of similarities between developing software and developing a manuscript.

Proof of Concept
A software developer will generate a proof of concept to determine things such as whether the chosen technology is stable or if the design can support the intended solution.

I liken this aspect of development to the initial thought process of writing the novel. This is the phase where the programmer determines if a project is feasible, or even doable.  The writer goes through the same process, proving that the story is worth the effort and can be written to satisfactory depth, length, tension, etc.

The Wireframe Model:
This is a high-level, mocked-up interface of the application. It reflects the developers' interpretation of the project's requirements and provides the customers with an expectation of what the programmers intend to deliver.  I equate this with all the planning, plotting and outlining an author must do in the early stages of crafting a novel.

Alpha-builds:
This is the early design delivered to customers for initial approval. Much of the actual program hasn't yet been written and much of what has will be deleted. The customers saw representations in the wireframe, but with an alpha build, they can actually do things and get a feel for how the project is progressing and where it's heading.  The customers' feedback then governs the project's continued direction.  Critique anyone?

Beta-builds:
At this stage, the programmers have taken all the feedback the customers provided and integrated it into a fully fleshed system.  All the major functionality is there.  Things should work--as expected.  People reading a novel at this stage of development should be able to provide more finely tuned suggestions.  "I was bored in this chapter" or "the pacing was a little off in this section" is the type of feedback I'd expect here.

Quality Assurance:
Developers have a love-hate relationship with QA because their purpose is to verify that everything works, right down to the mouse pointer's behavior. They'll catch the the typographical errors in dialog boxes and point out that things aren't centered or aligned properly. I find this similar to line edits and proofreading.

Deployment:
We're ready to submit! At this stage, manuscripts are in the hands of agents, sitting in a slush pile or are being self-published.  The programmer has incorporated each stage's feedback and produced a polished system. The author has also taken feedback from each stage and produced a polished novel.

Then we programmers either begin developing the next software application or enhancing the one just deployed. (Upgrades!)  For writers, that's either the next great novel or a sequel to the one just deployed.

Did you have any idea you had so much in common with us nerdy, geeky types?

New Ground

I broke a lot of new ground in April.  I came out of the closet and called myself a writer!  Of course, I qualified it with amateur, but I publicly declared that I write and intend to do something with it.  It's a profession of faith, a commitment, new ground.

No longer shall I write in the closet.  I'll write out in the open and not be ashamed.  No longer will I be Jeff, the guy who writes.  From this moment forward, I shall stand with my back straight, look people in the eye and say, "Hello, my name is Jeff, and I'm a writer."

And I've taken the first step by submitting my "Cathryn's Bay" short story to the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future competition.  Big step for me.  Definitely new ground.  But I figured, hey, why not?  It's just sitting around gathering pixel dust.  And that's what writers do.  They submit their writing.  To competitions, magazines, agents, editors.  They write.  And writers write to be read.

I'm also working on a short story called "Barnabas" that I plan to submit for a magic stories anthology.  I've been working on it for the past couple weeks.  I've never submitted anything for publication before.  So this too is new ground. 

And I'm even considering writing another short story to submit to John Hartness' Big Bad Anthology.  I have a few ideas, but haven't fleshed out the plot for that one yet.  It's worth a look if you're interested.

Of course, I also broke new ground in April by completing my very first book, The Bonding.  A few fine folks have offered to alpha read it for me.  I'm giddy with anticipation.  It's kind of like sending your newborn off to see a pediatrician and waiting for the prognosis.

I completed my first full-novel critique for another writer this month and am in the midst of a second one.  I work hard at giving critiques and feedback.  I take it seriously because the people who wrote the books take it seriously.  Fair is fair.

And I made a commitment.  A scary commitment.  Don't ask me why.  I'm a guy.  I'm supposed to be afraid of commitment.  Several members of the Yahoo Fantasy Writing Group are doing their own little private May NaNoWriMo challenge.  You know the deal, right?  50,000 (new and original) words written toward a novel within a month.  I agreed to participate.  My internal editor works overtime.  I want to learn how to send him on vacation while I draft.  This should help.  Again, new ground.

Wish me luck.  New ground is often soft.  I don't want to get stuck or sink or become mired in this new ground.  I want to cultivate it, fertilize it, and watch things grow from it.

So, are you that person who writes?  Or are you a writer?