Two books, one summer, and onto other things

First, don't let the title scare you. I'm going to keep going here.

But my "paying job" has begun. I use the paying term losely. While I make more than minumum wage, I shouldn't complain as I am employed, but I honestly don't make enough at a shade under 40 hours a week to be successful and financially careful.

But here to announce book #2 of this summer: The Bard In Stick Figures. It has 130 illustrations, of which 110 are original illustrations. By the third story, I had a really good method for getting the characters into the scene and into position.

It includes both interpretation and direct quotes.

I might be able to re-release that book I wrote last summer in a second edition, but not before December.

I've started the first new books, prepping for release next summer.

This life of publishing is awesome.

Onto NaNoWriMo.

How many times? And for what integrity?

The thing that frustrates me the most about non-fiction is the amount of detail that needs to happen. With fiction, of course, as an author, "Well that was explored, but not important to ultimate outcome." But with non-fiction, if a little hair is out of place, it's questionable.

I've spent the last week fixing errors after error that were minor. And the things that should have been minor that exploded into reformatting.

What have I learned?

1) Apparently with my multi-platform set up, I can only handle 240 pages total. Anything beyond that, and the document dies.

2) My thoughts for the History set up is going to change a little because of this lesson. In addition, History will be approached with different purpose.

3) Early complaints about the new book included, "It looks like busy work" And unfortunately, yes, busy work does have a purpose in Education. And busy work can lead to some other things. I will defend later. I apologize for being vague, I'm really tired of trying to stand on this leg of defense of busy work.

4) I _really_ hope that this is the last update. I'm glad I've been vigilant in fixing the errors, it'll look better long term. But otherwise, I'm at the desperate "please let it be done" of the design and finishing.

Writing, Theater, Professionalism, and Who Really Did All The Work...

I'm still riding high: my students did fantastically today. We still have another show to get through.

But this got me thinking. My students wrote their original script and one of the comments: they wrote in TV fashion because the scenes were short and sweet. But that is actually not an affect of having not enough theater. My students who pursued this project are well versed in theater. But the short scenes lent itself to a lot of different information.

One of the things that are struggled with is professionalism, and teaching it to the students. And classes like Theater are direct links to professionalism. All skills I have to demonstrate make them stronger people in professional life: ability to problem solve in real situations, demonstrating the difference between leading and following, knowing when to lead and let someone else take the lead, and simply: the accountability to someone else.

Another random musing: everyone congratulates the director and the actors separately. The way I've always been taught: the director gives the boxes that the characters need to fit into and everything else is with the actor. The director is responsible for the final product over all, but the details, even when the director is working through the details and making the show complete, the director isn't the one who takes the final bow. The director is the one who comforts, who frames, who makes the impossible plausible. 

So what does this really mean to me as a writer: it's another experience. And I know one day, I hope to be in the thoughts of my students when they receive an award for the amazing things they've done.

And in the name of progress

I think the solid base that is a good outline sometimes can be stifling. However, with an outline, one can send out calls for help from co-authors.

In addition, when I'm bored, I can go switch to another part of the project and start outlining.

So for Volume 2, so far I have started pictures, and gotten a handle on chapters that I hadn't started. I also have started Resources and References for the entire project so that's quite useful.

Volumes 3 and 4 both have outlines. More importantly, Volumes 3 and 4 also have my trademark unique chapter names. I've looked at them for Volume 2 but I haven't really had any luck being creative.

It's coming along. I suppose the panic that has been setting in is related to the fact that I will be going back to work in two weeks. Of course the progress would be better if I didn't keep taking naps.

Project Alpha

I'm not sure if it is good that my to do list for Project Alpha fits on 3 standard sticky notes.