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Yeah, I tried to start perspective changes with “so and so said” this time around. Hopefully it will be much clearer, but I still fear as the cast grows heads will start to spin.
The perspective changes ~ shows up a lot this time and there are fewer chapters.
Chapters are still problematic for me in that something that slowly started long ago with book one and you can see it increase towards the end, is that for this story I writing it as if I am watching a television show or a movie. I.e. people come on say what they need to say and we cut to a new scene.
The problem is many scenes are only a few pages long and if each were a chapter, you waste a lot of dead tree space because chapters should start only on odd pages and if you end on an even page, the back page should be blank. That adds to the page count, which adds to the cost of the dead tree edition.
I really wish I could offer a cheaper dead tree version, but the only way I can do that is to offer a bigger page size, e.g. like a table top RPG manual that’s 11×14 or something….which is pretty awkward to read while reclining or carry with you (of course you’d get the ebook for free)
Why shouldn’t you have said anything? Love the feedback!
That’s basically what I am going to do at various points, but I’m including another tracker called DOF +n
Where “DOF” means “Day of Fight” (which was in the morning) So the first few chapters are DOF, then DOF+1, DOF+2
And then I give the date in numeric format so[center][i]DOF +9
Evening (Oorstemoth) 16-06-440[/i][/center]I only start adding () locations once characters get into different timezones in Astlan. If it’s on a different plane, such as Etterdam or Ithgar I just say (Etterdam) or (Ithgar) since I haven’t posted any maps of those worlds and so nobody know where any place is on those planes.
The one thing about critical times and meeting dates is that everything in the worlds we are dealing with are rather inexact.
I do know that Barabus has a pocket watch, one presumes Heron does as well because as Generals/Admirals they need to be precise on times and actions. But very few others have good time keeping capability.
The Abyss is the worst of course with no sun or stars to even track. The courts divide the day into 6 periods.
But I found that kind of freeing. “Begining of the Fifth Period” or “Late second period”
That’s actually what I’ve been thinking about…all changes in side by side columns that maybe scroll or something (like OS X Finder folders)
It’s actually quite a bit of work, not so much for display, but for storing it all and linking it to the original content and apply/unapplying it.
My day job (depending on the day) is a systems architect so I can do the programming, assuming i have the time…and there’s the rub…I am great at managing other people’s scope creep in developing applications…I am miserable at managing my own. All my own software projects quickly spiral out of control as I try to add more and more neat features and never get it “finished” to a release point.
That has also sort of been the problem with my writing too…DoA may still get to six hundred and sixty six volumes…
That actually would be the plan with the beta reader app. I could never justify that much effort for myself.
I think it would be very useful. With luck, I’ll get it just functional enough for my own use…but I have to lie to myself that I’m going to offer it as a service. I.e. yes this will generate income, so yes I need to work on it.
I’ve got the tools to actually build not only the website, but real apps for ipad/iphone, android/Kindle Fire/OSX/PC as well. So beta readers could edit/comment as they read in their preferred format. It’s just time and money to eat on. I really need to hurry up, get my act together and just win the lottery already. Not sure why I haven’t got around to doing that yet.
And yes, I would really have to crank up the speed to get to 666 before I drop dead.
I would also have to merge my branched series into the main series. I can’t tell you the name of the first major branch series because the name won’t make sense until the last half of book ii. But I think people will see the spin off possibilities easily.
Well, I am hoping you like where this next book goes, because I am really opening up the multi-verse so to speak.
This is what will make scene changes interesting (read: I’m afraid hard to follow). Stuff is happening on more planes now (previously only 2); now quite a few more.
That’s one possibility. I’m not opposed to it. Everyone can create a topic so that will work.
In many ways this is a Beta Beta since I’ve never done this before myself.
You are in the group. So you don’t need to click any more.
Have you done logout and then logged back in?
You should go to Forums on the top, and then as you look down the list you should see categories and in the Category called “Beta Demons Only” there are two forums in that category “The Heavenly Host” and “Beta Demon FAQ”
Everyone can/should be able to see “Beta Demon FAQ” only people that have followed the link will be able to see “The Heavenly Host”
The thing is, the registration is part of the overall system, where as the forums are all part of an independent module. It is supposed to be pulling information on membership from the “system” but it might be having issues, or I might not have set it up right.
I will also try with a test account this afternoon.
I think it is a time issue. I had Wylan try. He got in, I could see him in the main site as being in the group. But at first he wasn’t in the Forum’s group.
The forum module has its own users/profiles which it synchronizes with the site. My guess is that this only happens every so often.
Before I release the beta, I will make sure that everyone that is in the site group is in the forum group and can see it.
I will go through now and make sure, but I think everyone that is good.
Is that the deviantart one?
[url=http://romanjones.deviantart.com/art/Ugly-Book-Covers-Demons-of-Astlan-455458270]http://romanjones.deviantart.com/art/Ugly-Book-Covers-Demons-of-Astlan-455458270[/url]
I found those cartoons by google last summer. I was like “cool” if it gets you to look at the book to try to figure out what’s up and then get sucked in.
In that sense, I do think the first cover was successful in that “what the hell is this?” attraction.
I wanted to do the 2nd edition and I figure let’s fix this cover…but what I am concerned about as well is, “yes it’s better” but does it stand out as much.
Particularly in a long row of little book images that all look about the same.
What I’m doing for the moment is that I had comments in the Word Document to help me keep track of when was when.
So this week I went back and where I felt appropriate basically put a version of the comment in as a different style at some section or chapter breaks.
This is rather inconsistent about when they appear our how frequently, but I tried to not over do it. In some cases you could tell from the discussion/event what time of day it is (they are eating breakfast, the sun is setting) So there, I just let people assume it’s the next closest time of day like that that you would have.
Then if they think they’ve gone too far ahead, they can will see when they get to it. This will be something worth beta demon advice. Too many, too few, add one here, get rid of this one etc.
Jerry
Super, I see you clicked the link. You are listed, you should be able to now see The Heavenly Host Forum above the FAQ forum.
I still haven’t sent out the final reminder call.
I am being delayed by Oorstemothian and another equally complicated dialogue (new group) near the ‘finale’
Very close…just certain people take a lot longer to write dialogue for than others.
