I like a little tip-toe through the tulips of my archives now and then. Sometimes I think "what was I thinking?!?!?" Other times, like today, make me think I know what I'm talking about.
So I actually started doing this a few days ago. My first book is a garbage rom-com novel I wrote quickly during NaNoWriMo 2007 and barely edited. Last weekend, I decided to update it and was horrified to see how many errors were in it!
Then I thought about how good my friends are because they never mentioned any of that, and then I got mad because like WHY DIDN'T THEY MENTION ANY OF THAT? It's like I've been running around for well over a decade with spinach in my teeth.
After reading your post and thinking about it this afternoon, I feel proud overall because I didn't know jack or shit about anything, but I wrote it anyway. Later in 2012, I taught myself Create Space, made a cover in the cover creator, and slapped it up there.
I always refused to take it down because I could point it out to my clients and say, "Look, that book is just as terrible as the Virgin River series, and yet there it sits." If I can let that artifact sit there, then you can get a book out into the world, too. So I'll correct the over 2K missing commas and quotation marks (sheesh) and reissue it as a 2nd edition because why not?
OMG, I think I broke out in hives at that many missing commas and quotation marks out of sheer editorial reflex. Cold sweats!
That’s cool, though. You did the thing. I’ve had an idea for a fantasy novel for years, even have a bit of it drafted and most of the main pieces plotted out (easy enough, given it’s based on an adventure I ran as DM in high school), but I’ve never sat down to push through and finish. Think I’ll start up on that again, even if just an hour a week or a few minutes each day.
Love the idea of keeping it online as a “hey, your thing can’t be ANY shittier than mine was” though. That’s awesome.
Having endless arguments over “who’s culture” or something? Sorry, feeling cranky! But, yeah, what passes for corporate “leadership” in this country is pathetic. The fetish over “measurables” over all else is a false god too many mediocre managers who think they’re good to great worship because the technology is almost always the easy part. The hard part is business decisions, workflow, etc.
This was my favoritest Bryant article of all time.
BTW, I'm still waiting on my flying car too. Although at this point I'd settle for a self-driving one that doesn't try to kill me. B+ is generous - most people can't even predict what they're having for lunch. Well done, Bryant
LOL. Glad you liked it. I just skimmed it because I was pulling it off of my LI articles to just have the SUM curated newsletter there and was like, “hey, self, this could be a fun quick post today given you can’t focus on the one you should write that’s on the schedule.” Me and I concurred, and there ya go.
Was shocked that I was actually right on most of these.
Love hearing that. I’ve said since the beginning of my time on social, if you ever met me out and about, you wouldn’t be like “Who IS this guy, can’t be the same person.” All me online, just a bit of a filter that gets slowly unmuzzled as I get to know someone in person.
So I actually started doing this a few days ago. My first book is a garbage rom-com novel I wrote quickly during NaNoWriMo 2007 and barely edited. Last weekend, I decided to update it and was horrified to see how many errors were in it!
Then I thought about how good my friends are because they never mentioned any of that, and then I got mad because like WHY DIDN'T THEY MENTION ANY OF THAT? It's like I've been running around for well over a decade with spinach in my teeth.
After reading your post and thinking about it this afternoon, I feel proud overall because I didn't know jack or shit about anything, but I wrote it anyway. Later in 2012, I taught myself Create Space, made a cover in the cover creator, and slapped it up there.
I always refused to take it down because I could point it out to my clients and say, "Look, that book is just as terrible as the Virgin River series, and yet there it sits." If I can let that artifact sit there, then you can get a book out into the world, too. So I'll correct the over 2K missing commas and quotation marks (sheesh) and reissue it as a 2nd edition because why not?
OMG, I think I broke out in hives at that many missing commas and quotation marks out of sheer editorial reflex. Cold sweats!
That’s cool, though. You did the thing. I’ve had an idea for a fantasy novel for years, even have a bit of it drafted and most of the main pieces plotted out (easy enough, given it’s based on an adventure I ran as DM in high school), but I’ve never sat down to push through and finish. Think I’ll start up on that again, even if just an hour a week or a few minutes each day.
Love the idea of keeping it online as a “hey, your thing can’t be ANY shittier than mine was” though. That’s awesome.
LOL, I was horrified. YES, finish it!! The world can't have enough fantasy books - we need that delightful escape.
Ok, i'll get my pdfs up and d
For sale, get a good sales outreach cadence going, and will then spend more time on it and try to finish by end of year.
If the same amount of money being put into AI had been put into revolutionizing culture and management - where would be now?
Having endless arguments over “who’s culture” or something? Sorry, feeling cranky! But, yeah, what passes for corporate “leadership” in this country is pathetic. The fetish over “measurables” over all else is a false god too many mediocre managers who think they’re good to great worship because the technology is almost always the easy part. The hard part is business decisions, workflow, etc.
All in all though, that would’ve been nice!
This was my favoritest Bryant article of all time.
BTW, I'm still waiting on my flying car too. Although at this point I'd settle for a self-driving one that doesn't try to kill me. B+ is generous - most people can't even predict what they're having for lunch. Well done, Bryant
LOL. Glad you liked it. I just skimmed it because I was pulling it off of my LI articles to just have the SUM curated newsletter there and was like, “hey, self, this could be a fun quick post today given you can’t focus on the one you should write that’s on the schedule.” Me and I concurred, and there ya go.
Was shocked that I was actually right on most of these.
It was a fun read. So much of that "Bryant" personality came through.
Love hearing that. I’ve said since the beginning of my time on social, if you ever met me out and about, you wouldn’t be like “Who IS this guy, can’t be the same person.” All me online, just a bit of a filter that gets slowly unmuzzled as I get to know someone in person.
I generally cuss more in person too.
Oh yeah.
I am a fucking sailor …
I tend to be filtered online but now I know lol
Well, avast there, me hearty and fuck all landlubbers. Or something like that.
I'm actually putting the finishing touches on my article for next week, and this conversation has convinced me to include FUCK in the article title.