Friday, July 30, 2010

Look Out Beta Readers!

I’m in the process of making the final* pass through my WIP before it goes to my beta readers.

Specifically, I’m looking at:

  • Bolstering descriptions, of settings and people
  • Incorporating the five senses
  • Spelling/grammar/typos/awkward sentences
  • Overuse of pet words: that, just, maybe, Kyrgyzstan
  • Making sure the chapter numbers are in order
  • Characters who are always smiling, nodding, shrugging, or guffawing.

Last night, I awoke at three a.m. with some ideas about the book. I jumped up, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and hustled to the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake up my wife with the light. I jotted down my great ideas and went back to bed.

Here’s what I wrote:

Ref go droang xrtg pepperoni aft dincc. Bertttt Xoccwee & frooop. Ha ha ha ha!!! drrb,poipi 799

Any ideas what that means? And why do I have this urge to order pizza?

 

*Final? Yeah, right!


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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alan - I know exactly what you mean about fixing up a WIP before sending it on. I do that, too, although I must say I've yet to use Kyrgyzstan too many times. Antidisestablishmentarian, yeah, but not Kyrgyzstan. I always worry when I get those last-minute good ideas and try to record them without benefit of enough coffee. Things get ugly...

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kyrgyzstan pizza perhaps?

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

You wrote that with the light on? Alan, you need to rest a bit.

Dorte H said...

Go drown some pepperoni pizza after dinner. Well, at least that was the first bit.

Alan Orloff said...

Margot - Talk about last minute ideas. I got a bunch more today. Now, should I try to squeeze them in...

Alex - Sounds delish! And exotic!

Steve - I just flew in from Kyrgyzstan, and boy is my spellchecker tired.

Mary - I can always use a nap.

Dorte - I think I've found my translator!

Dorte H said...

Sure.

But you´d better check my hourly wage with my secretary before we go on ;D

Patricia Stoltey said...

That was so funny -- I've tried writing down dreams in the dark in the middle of the night and get similar gobbledygook. But you turned the light on in the bathroom, didn't you? Didn't you?