Well, obviously that isn't quite true.
BUT: I'm getting into the gold book, and the first design draft of Curious Minds has come back from the editor. This is a history for adult readers, the story of many of the naturalists and natural history painters who flourished in Australia's pre-colonial and colonial past. It is due to be published in October, 2012,
Now one of the givens of writing is a certain amount of drudgery. Editors get loads of it when writers get sloppy, but they are good about making writers get unsloppy.
A sensitive writer may whimper slightly at the load, but any sensible writer gets into it, because a stern editor, a demanding editor, is the writer's friend. One of the changes that I see for the future is a sad decline in writing standards as people bundle e-books onto the market without care, caution, editing or design. All of those are part of writing a book.
I have only ever had one editor I didn't like, and he was an idiot with no science training who tried to correct my text so that it matched his stupidity. Luckily, I have had no idiots in the past 30 years.
So, I am whimpering a bit, but getting into the work, and not blogging for a few days. Then I will try to drag together the threads of gold and get back into that. Luckily, I leave myself notes in blue italics across the ms of things that need doing.
Catch you in a week or so.
The writing diary of a well-mellowed science writer who cares about the public understanding of science and knows the ropes. This blog bounces between my curiosity, the daily realities of professional writing, the joy of pursuing nature, and my recycling of ideas that won't be in some book or other as far as I can see, but still needed sharing. I welcome comments and suggestions! Spam will be blocked and reported. For my books, see http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/writing/index.htm
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