As I mentioned in my previous post1 I did manage to do one thing: I did some editing. To be specific I picked up an edit that sort of fell by the way side back in 2006, though edit may be too weak a description, in parts it’s more of a rewrite. In short Gordian Knot is back on my short term todo list, with its own category on the blog as a statement of intent.
So what is Gordian Knot? In essence it’s a space opera, with evil Aliens, good Aliens, evil Human, and good Humans. To be more precise Gordian Knot is the current working title of that space opera. It’s also my attempt to prove that thinking up faster than light drive systems while cycling to university classes at 08:45 can yield worthwhile literature, but that’s not the main aim.
It’s also, if I do say so myself, a decent read even in its raw first version. Which is one of the reasons I picked it for this edit/rewrite way back in 2006. The idea was, and still is, to get it polished up to the point where I’ll feel comfortable using it to go looking for agents and/or publishers.2
I already know I’ll have to go over it at least once more after this pass, if only to make the stuff I wrote in 2006 fit what I’m writing now (which is better, I hope). I’ve also done a typical science fiction writer thing and printed a calender for 2317. I’m working out the details of my timeline as I write the new version, so having something handy to tell me July 20th will be a Friday in 2317 is useful from time to time.
Actually this was all prompted by a conversation I had with my father yesterday. We were talking about the future and I mentioned (as I usually do) that writing would be my dream job. I got to thinking about that later and decided that if I really mean that – and I do – I should start taking a more professional approach to writing again.
That means setting targets to meet, and doing the things I don’t like; I tend to get distracted from editing because I like writing new material better. So I’m hoping that posting this, and adding the new Gordian Knot Category to the blog, will help keep me honest. Expect to see more progress reports on this in the near future.
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1 Moaning about being too inactive today here
2 The preferred route is getting a good agent who will then take care of getting the actual publisher.
It’s also, if I do say so myself, a decent read
How can one bribe you to set eyes on this draft? It sounds incredibly interesting.
It’s not a matter for bribes. It’s more something I have to figure out. I’m not saying no, but at the same time very few people ever get to read my first drafts. So while I’m not saying no at this point, I am saying “I’ll have to think about it.”
That’s completely fine, I am very hesitant to share my own writing so I know exactly how you feel. Just thought I’d let you know there is interest