Argh! Nightwatch is eating my life!

[Robert_Moriyama]

... Can't give you a title yet. I don't like the one I have and haven't picked another yet. 8 days to go, and I feel like "Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat! / ROAR! / I gotta get a new hat!"
:D
Dan

<br><br>So you didn't like the titles with 'Orion' in them? (Sigh)<br><br>Robert M.

[kailhofer]

I'd have finished quicker, but when I asked for comments, I actually got some!

Hmm... My ears are burning, like someone was speaking ill of me...<br><br>Of course, Dan didn't wait until he was done to ask for input, so perhaps it won't take so long to buff out the dings--and maybe he's not as stubborn, either. ;)<br><br>Myself, I average 5,000 a month, so it's still quite a feat, for both of you.<br><br>Nate

[Robert_Moriyama]

There is an Orion Affair v2.0 at:
http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/nightwa ... inter.html
Now, if there are no further tweaks that this one needs, I'll be getting on with the next one. "Fly By Wire" has now reached 13,362 words. It is slow getting back into it, but that's normal. Hopefully, I'll be back at it full-tilt in no time.
Dan

<br><br>176k words? We're already in 'book' length, then. Jeff, start pestering Stone Garden Press ...<br><br>Robert M.

[Robert_Moriyama]

Okay - I have to ask - are we going to bring out the Nightwatch series as a book? Please say yes!!!!

Kate

<br><br>Kate,<br><br>As the participant with (I think) the most experience in the getting-paid-for-writing business, you may have to advise Jeff and the rest of us on the mechanics of it -- contract language, sharing of royalties (assuming there are any!), credits (presumably Jeff would be the nominal Editor as well as one of the contributors) ... or put us in touch with someone who could help with that sort of thing. At the moment, Jeff and Dan are just trying to get through their stories for this 'season'. (Speaking of which, how is yours coming?)<br><br>Robert M.

[Robert_Moriyama]

Just as a note to anyone thinking of submitting to a webzine, even if it isn't the webzine's policy, never ever submit the first part of a story without having the rest of the story completed.

Just-in-time delivery isn't fun at all. :)

--Jeff Williams

<br>Good thing the Serials editor is willing to make an exception for you, eh? I've heard he can be a real stickler about the unfinished-multi-parter thing.<br><br>Robert M.

[kailhofer]

Just-in-time delivery isn't fun at all. :)

You have only yourself to blame, and I'm sure you know that. Especially since you set the schedule. :) <br><br>Until it's done you'll just have to forgo trivialities--like sleep and going to work. You have to have priorities, after all. ;)<br><br>Nate

[kailhofer]

Yeah, Jeff.<br><br>Why are you making Dan work this *&%ing hard? :)<br><br>Nate

[kailhofer]

8743 words of dialog without a sylable of set dressing!"

<br>And, it appears, without a taking a breath or<br><br><br>a beat pause. :)<br><br>Nate

[kailhofer]

I think the average reader would be surprised by how much correspondence takes place to bring a "season" of Nightwatch to the readership. I'm largely "in the know" and I was surprised.<br><br>(And the majority are NOT Dan wigged out on too much beer and too much writing. ;))<br><br>There's the 90 messages here on this board, but when I opened my Nightwatch email directory, I found 206 messages since Last August when I signed on. I'm sure there were a lot more exchanged before that, and I can't even begin to guess how many Jeff has received.<br><br>What are they all about? They cover continuity issues, questions about character history, sample drafts and brainstorming discussions of possible plot ideas.<br><br>I've never been involved in anything like it. It's a cross between being a freelancer and being a staff writer. I had to pitch my own story idea to Jeff, but what actually was in it was very up to me. Occasionally, required events are handed to you to put in to foreshadow other writers' stories, so those are kind of like "assignments". Plus, you have to be careful not to contradict the continuity of what someone else is writing, so you have to keep in touch with your partners in crime as well.<br><br>All the stories fit together, so they're kind of like chapters in a book, except they all have different authors. There are hidden plot events in the background that may not come out or be noticed until later this year or even for years to come. (I'm on a need to know basis, so don't ask me what they are.)<br><br>Jeff & Robert invented something we're all trying to continue to make special. It's neat. It's frustrating. It's rewarding. All at the same time.<br><br>I'm sure that most of you out there had no idea that there was that much planning & forethought in each and every one of these stories--but there is, and I hope it comes through.<br><br>Nate<br><br>PS. In the next couple of months when Jeff opens up his doors for story ideas, give it a try!

[kailhofer]

Wow, those are some old songs for a future (though no one's quite sure when) story line. Of course, I recall a 2008 Mini Cooper imploding in Robert's latest effort and it was consider a fairly old car. So someone in Fly likes golden oldies indeed.


-- david j.

<br>Hey, Robert!<br><br>I was wrong. Someone else did read it!! :)<br><br>Nate

[Robert_Moriyama]

...In fact, just so everyone knows, "Rogue Harvest" from last year topped out at just over 10,000 words, so that disproves the "godawful long length" requirement right there. :)

--Jeff

<br><br>"Godawful long"? Speak for yerself, there, Willams. I prefer to think of mine as "godwonderful". (Of course, the original meaning of "awful" was "awe-inspiring", so it's all the same ...)<br><br>Robert M.

[kailhofer]

For those who obsess over small details, here is a list of music that could be said to be the soundtrack for "Fly By Wire."...
Dan

<br>To me, whether I'm working on my own Nightwatch story or reading someone's draft, I always put on the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks movie, The Road to Perdition, by composer Thomas Newman.<br><br>No other music seems right to me, and the "Road to Chicago" track just naturally plays as Simon's own theme music in my head. I think it's the blend of soulful strings with the moving piano.<br><br>You'll all have to wait for December to see why... ;)<br><br>Nate

[kailhofer]

No problem for me. I haven't written anything below 5K words in quite a while.
-- david j.

<br>Grab hold, Jeff!<br><br>You've got a live one on the line! Set that hook fast!<br><br>Nate

[kailhofer]

I'm afraid that Jeff isn't much of a fisherman.
No.
He uses traps.

<br>Shoot. I wasn't even trapped.<br><br>I was dumb enough to jump into the boat on my own! :)<br><br>Nate

[kailhofer]

What have I gotten myself into? I sent Jeff a pitch yesterday -- a rambling idea that hit me in a dream -- and am awaiting his reply. Should it be accepted, I may be tearing out my hair with the best of them here at Aphelion. Hope I can meet the standard.
-- david j.

<br>Just get used to the words, "Let me think about it. Back to grading!" and you'll do fine. :)<br><br>Nate<br><br>

[Robert_Moriyama]

Dave, you've got nothing to worry about.
Jeff is a dream to work for. Once you get past that whole whips and chains and bread and water thing...
Dan

<br><br>Fortunately, when he's grading, Jeff gets a bit confused: he beats you with the bread and water and feeds you whips and chains. The whips and chains can be hard to swallow, but they do provide lots of protein (in the form of leather) and iron.<br><br>Robert M.