‘Rag & Muffin’ Is Finished (for Real this Time)

Rag & Muffin is finished. It’s done. It’s out of my hands and off to the publisher. It’s been through the editor, through the proofreader, and then back through me. That’s it.

I edited this one to death and then continued editing after it was dead. By the end there, I might have been doing more harm than good, so that meant it was time to get rid of it.

I have no word on a release date, but at least the book is now on someone else’s desk instead of mine. Now that that’s gone, I can work in earnest on Son of Hel. I’m still in the research phase of that one.

Rag & Muffin
Phase:Editing
Due:5 years ago
100%

I Did My Black Friday Shopping

The Kill List

My final stage of editing is to go through what I call my “kill list,” a collection of my worst writing habits and the quirks that I try to edit out of the final draft.

A few people have previously asked to see my kill list, and I demurred because it is a collection of personal mistakes. However, I’ve reconsidered; for what it’s worth, I present the list here at it presently stands.

These are the most common errors in my own writing, at least that I’m aware of. Removing these from Rag & Muffin will be my final act upon the manuscript before it leaves my possession for good.

  • Overuse of LEAPT
  • Overuse of JUMPED
  • Comma before BUT eliminated in independent clauses except in cases of extreme constrast
  • BECAUSE and CUZ: No comma before except for clarity
  • THAT vs WHICH: Former restrictive, latter not
  • SINCE: Comma after main clause if it introduces reason rather than temporal information (non-restrictive)
  • AS: Usually no comma after main clause unless explaining a situation
  • Excess instances of AND and BUT at beginning of sentences
  • Excessive use of APPARENTLY
  • LAY, LAYING, and LAID (make sure used correctly)
  • No comma before AS IF
  • EACH OTHER vs. ONE ANOTHER (two characters vs. more than two)
  • VERY, A LITTLE, A BIT (overuse)
  • Double check that LY words before adjectives are adverbs
  • SUCH AS: comma on nonrestrictive, no comma on restrictive
  • Comma before TOO only when a pause is wanted or there is an abrupt shift
  • Eliminate EVEN THOUGH
  • Use ALTHOUGH at beginning of sentences and THOUGH otherwise

A Review of Grammarly Software

The process of editing my next novel, Rag & Muffin, is—mercifully—nearing its completion. To facilitate this process, I decided to shell out for a subscription to Grammarly Premium. I have just finished running the novel through it.

You’ve likely heard of Grammarly; due to heavy advertising, it’s a product that’s made itself widely known, deservedly or not, as a top choice among automated grammar checkers. Its reputation for accuracy may be undeserved and appears to have been artificially boosted by fake review blogs. Its most basic functions are free and can be added to popular browsers as a plug-in. However, a premium account, which runs at an outrageous price ($29.95 per month or $139.95 per year), is necessary to unlock is allegedly more advanced features.

Since Rag & Muffin is precious to me, I decided to shell out the money for a single month, download the Microsoft Word plugin, and see what I think of it.

Continue reading “A Review of Grammarly Software”

In Other News …

The magical girl and I are trying to cut corners as we prepare for impending nuptial, so we’re making the invites ourselves.

She says my proposed the “save the date” card is too plain, though.

The Last Stage of ‘Rag & Muffin’

Rag & Muffin has been accepted for publication. I just got it back from the proofreader, who wanted only minor alterations, mostly  typos consisting of extra spaces that sneaked in somehow.

Before sending it back, I’ve decided to try a Grammarly Premium account and run the book through it. So far, I’m moderately impressed, though not wowed, by its suggestions. I think it will result in one more additional layer of polish by the time I’m finished.

Probably not worth the subscription price, though. Not yet, anyway.

Anyhow, running through this is going to be time-consuming and monotonous, but once I’m finished, the book is done on my end. I’ll send it in with a draft for a back-cover blurb, and then it is out of my hands.

Also: Last word I got is that Dead to Rites is really, truly on the final stage on the publisher’s end. Stay tuned.

‘Rag & Muffin’ Submitted for Publication

… And good riddance.

I’m going to try to produce a review for tomorrow, but for now, I’m drained. I have finally got through the last edits on Rag & Muffin, my first (or third?) novel.

This has been a long time coming—and I mean a ridiculously, embarrassingly long time. To give you an idea, I first conceived of this dark, subversive, deconstructive magical girl story before Puella Magi Madoka Magica existed.

Yes, really. I could have spearheaded the dark, violent magical girl trend—except I suck.

Yeah. It’s been that long. I was too sluggish to take advantage of this idea, so my muse romanced somebody else instead.

That’s not necessarily so bad, though: I had a lot of skill to develop before I was able to get this story into a polished form. I also had to get my personal stuff together because this book was for reasons I can’t state in detail an emotionally and spiritually taxing project. I had genuine “agony and ecstasy” while working on this. It is (at least in my opinion) a deeply ugly and deeply beautiful story, and I sometimes felt as if I had to rip my soul apart piece by piece to complete it.

My editor said she had a rough time going through my draft. I think (hope?) that’s a good thing, that it has the impact it’s supposed to: I ripped my heart out and stomped on it to write this, and my goal is to rip your heart out and stomp on it also.

I wanted to sprain your stomach muscles with laughter when I wrote Jake and the Dynamo, and I want to tear your heart out with Rag & Muffin. My goal as an author is to rupture organs.

Some compare writing a book to giving a birth, but creating Rag & Muffin has been more like gestating a xenomorph chestburster. It’s wicked and nasty, and I personally also think it’s beautiful. It’s a story of the highest ideals and darkest lusts mixed up and shaken together. It has guns and Kung fu and furries and gothic lolitas dumped into the setting of Talbot Mundi’s pulp fiction with a heavy dose of dungeon punk thrown in for good measure. It’s about sex and death and God, which might be the only important things in life.

It’s about growing up. It’s about getting religion. It’s about losing religion. It’s about kicking ass and taking names. It started as a simplistic and puerile revenge story, but then it grew—and grew.

It’s not about revenge anymore. It’s about saving your soul. It’s about you—you, you son of a bitch.

Not doing anything else until I’m done with this …

Still at it …

Brief Update

Had a family emergency this weekend, so I don’t have a lot to say in regards to updates or other material at the moment.

I’m back to finishing up Rag & Muffin. It is (still) in the final editing phase.

I can say, however, that I got some information on Dead to Rites. I’m crossing my fingers that the book will be ready to release in a few weeks.