The Re-Write of THE BALANCE

The re-write of THE BALANCE is going along. Since I’m making significant changes, its more rough again, but I’m getting help from an editor as I go for some chapters and as a reader. Hopefully that will reduce the number of rev’s necessary for it to reach what I consider to be a decent copy. Ben Allen is helping and did a brief copy edit pass on the posted chapters this week—which I updated.

Ben was the proof editor (after copy editing and book design at Belle Étoile) on THE BOY WHO RAN and is advising me in his own time, since he has a full time job as an editor at the publisher Little, Brown. He helped me to improve some of the wording and, of course, certainly  knows the Chicago style guide by heart.

I’ve asked for his help as a reader, evaluating the updated plot, pace, and story telling. David Yoo read the last version (actually Rev 17 and I am working on Rev 22). I need critical reviews to constantly get better. There is but one way to become a better writer and that’s to write, but it’s important to get honest feedback and then to write some more. I’m gradually building up a network of talented professionals with whom to work in much the same way I did as a physicist / Principle Investigator—a fancy word meaning chief scientist) / program manager when researching and developing Electro-Optic systems.

It’s about 1:30am here near Camerino Italy (in Marche), usually I work till 3 or so, but since I just finished a rewrite draft of Chapter 16, I think I’ll stop for the night / morning. Drove up from Rome today to spend a few days in the province of Macherata.