tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post731528273933377874..comments2023-04-18T00:44:59.351+10:00Comments on A dead man fell from the sky...: In praise of Helen, Goddess of PunctuationGary Corbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-87686808164268503782009-11-19T08:55:29.909+11:002009-11-19T08:55:29.909+11:00I think we're all pretty safe on that one, Sar...I think we're all pretty safe on that one, Sarah. Just yesterday Helen was asking when she could do another round on the second book, after I've finished some major edits.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-19238152819260772802009-11-19T05:28:30.226+11:002009-11-19T05:28:30.226+11:00Amen, Helen! Keep the semicolons in there!Amen, Helen! Keep the semicolons in there!Just Another Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07589166715361819941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-27608434315421432172009-11-17T14:56:00.077+11:002009-11-17T14:56:00.077+11:00You got the well right. It exists to this day, an...You got the well right. It exists to this day, and I drank from it as Nico does. <br /><br />I wish I could claim the closet was true, but sadly the one which happened (to me) is what Nico's doing immediately before Araxes says, "Gah!"<br /><br />This is a bit unfair on everyone else...sorry for the teasers.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-12757308113735090592009-11-17T13:53:22.804+11:002009-11-17T13:53:22.804+11:00I know, I know! The other two biographical scenes...I know, I know! The other two biographical scenes in Magnesia are when they drink from the well and when Nico and Diotima are hiding in the closet...right???<br /><br />hahahaJoannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09664402491780777165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-46785262983290452512009-11-16T22:46:32.567+11:002009-11-16T22:46:32.567+11:00Gary: What's wrong with life in Baku as a youn...Gary: What's wrong with life in Baku as a young woman? What was it I wonder that I wrote that made you think my mother would disapprove? :)))<br /><br />Bill: Schoolgirl fantasy, your blog post about breasts....I can understand your wife's concerns! LOLscaryazerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08209595384194222929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-11635271709611269592009-11-16T19:44:40.618+11:002009-11-16T19:44:40.618+11:00Hi Sophie! Your gorgeous grammar shines through ...Hi Sophie! Your gorgeous grammar shines through in your writing. Never a word out of place!<br /><br />I'm afraid commas are a bit random in my world. To compensate I work fairly hard to make everything sound right and flow easily. <br /><br />Your husband sounds the perfect person to have around when you need to supply some realistic detail in a scene.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-85809476238357318512009-11-16T19:21:11.835+11:002009-11-16T19:21:11.835+11:00Oh, I love that Helen is a grammar stickler! That&...Oh, I love that Helen is a grammar stickler! That's me in spades. For years (truly, almost a decade) I was that person who quibbled over commas and phraseology in the critique group. <br /><br />But alas I don't have Helen's admirable memory. My husband does. He remembers every phone number we ever had as well and can have happy conversations with people about every neighborhood we ever lived in, the local haunts and personalities and quirks. I'm far more fickle: once gone, I abandon all the details....Sophie Littlefieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16578153078188007343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-15781237497355074582009-11-16T17:38:35.820+11:002009-11-16T17:38:35.820+11:00Janet, when I got home I told Helen your comment t...Janet, when I got home I told Helen your comment that she would have made a good contracts manager.<br /><br />Come to think of it, Janet & Helen would make a fairly terrifying team.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-13864303389690761142009-11-16T17:32:52.992+11:002009-11-16T17:32:52.992+11:00Bill, you've put me in mind of something else....Bill, you've put me in mind of something else...negotiating with my wife over the fate of characters. It's worth its own post. Thanks!Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-83720256251311159892009-11-16T17:11:56.597+11:002009-11-16T17:11:56.597+11:00Hi Jo,
Yep, I agree about the scene. Luckily for...Hi Jo,<br /><br />Yep, I agree about the scene. Luckily for us, I'm not sentimental. <br /><br />There are actually 3 biographical events in Magnesia Sanction. I think you've got enough information to spot the other two.<br /><br />Thanks for the PR at Crimebake! Hope I don't disappoint. I'd love to turn up to these things but it's tricky. <br /><br />As for Ephialtes being shipshape, that had a very great deal to do with <i>you too</i>, and very grateful I am.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-18498736288254491912009-11-16T17:03:45.662+11:002009-11-16T17:03:45.662+11:00Hi Jonathan, I believe the usual joke is that a mi...Hi Jonathan, I believe the usual joke is that a milli-Helen is the standard unit of beauty required to launch one ship. And yes, I'm very lucky since I have a full Helen.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-76899940626948460892009-11-16T15:40:01.072+11:002009-11-16T15:40:01.072+11:00Ah, yes, I've heard of Helen.
The ace that st...Ah, yes, I've heard of Helen.<br /><br />The ace that staunched a thousand slips.<br /><br />Seriously, Gary, you've got a treasure in Helen.Jonathan E. Quisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13334719433572303381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-72864171997590637602009-11-16T13:17:16.352+11:002009-11-16T13:17:16.352+11:00I love Helen.I love Helen.Janet Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-28571822398848033872009-11-16T13:02:36.538+11:002009-11-16T13:02:36.538+11:00Aha! So THAT'S why that scene is there! Well...Aha! So THAT'S why that scene is there! Well, Helen's fantastic memory and outstanding copyediting skills aside, you know my feelings on this...<br />But I do feel like we (your editorial boon companions) owe Helen something for all of her hard work on these stories. After all, if it weren't for her, Ephialtes wouldn't have been in shipshape for submission. I will have to think of the perfect gift for her--and you better bring her next for your next visit!<br /><br />As a sidenote, I gushed about you to every writer who would listen at Crimebake this weekend. You have some new fans awaiting pub date!Joannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09664402491780777165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-73965700145515244802009-11-16T10:30:55.408+11:002009-11-16T10:30:55.408+11:00Strange to read of writers' partners who take ...Strange to read of writers' partners who take little interest in their writing but I know it's more frequent than one would suspect. My wife is a great critic and always constructive. In my second book there's a rape scene. She read it and made suggestions for amendments which would never have occurred to me. Mind you, when she read a scene in the first book where the detective sits in his car at a traffic light watching schoolgirls cross in front of him, she did say to me 'So, you fancy schoolgirls, then, do you?'Bill Kirtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07675643113010061969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-2777769606101334402009-11-16T09:36:54.564+11:002009-11-16T09:36:54.564+11:00Ha, you did a blog post about this! That's gre...Ha, you did a blog post about this! That's great, because I was telling Luke (while he was being forced to read my WIP) about Helen, but I couldn't remember just everything you said. <br /><br />Spouses make awesome critique partners--we just have to realize and (gulp) accept that they may not always be 'into' the story. <br /><br />Great blog post, GaryCarrie Clevengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05093923008179106837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-79351339525638422092009-11-16T09:27:08.421+11:002009-11-16T09:27:08.421+11:00Hi Scary,
I have to ask...having read some of the...Hi Scary,<br /><br />I have to ask...having read some of the posts on your blog about life as a young woman in Baku...what does your mother have to say when she reads them?Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-1015934043177290822009-11-16T09:09:19.034+11:002009-11-16T09:09:19.034+11:00My husband gets annoyed when I ask him how to spel...My husband gets annoyed when I ask him how to spell a word, or whether it needs an "a" or "the" in front of it- a typical mistake of a non-native speaker. As for reading my stuff...None of my family do, except for my mother.scaryazerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08209595384194222929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-56279508058494655722009-11-16T08:43:46.479+11:002009-11-16T08:43:46.479+11:00Mimzy, I can set you up with a couple of young guy...Mimzy, I can set you up with a couple of young guys I know with a future in writing. Their names are Patrick and Dan. But I'm pretty sure their oven cleaning skills are minimal.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-77074003045423023962009-11-16T07:50:37.087+11:002009-11-16T07:50:37.087+11:00Amalia & Merry, it seems I should also be prai...Amalia & Merry, it seems I should also be praising Helen for something I took for granted: she reads every word I write, sometimes over my shoulder, but usually holds out until there's a coherent story. She doesn't like to read scene by scene but prefers to see the whole thing in one go.<br /><br />I've been under-appreciating; thanks for letting me know.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-41947028653312174112009-11-16T06:47:20.683+11:002009-11-16T06:47:20.683+11:00Hmm, I'm hearing that I need to limit the boyf...Hmm, I'm hearing that I need to limit the boyfriend search to those that have a mind like a steal trap and posses l33t oven cleaning skills. Excellent. I hate cleaning the oven.Mimzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171454664231209553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-53202232338404492632009-11-16T06:28:21.701+11:002009-11-16T06:28:21.701+11:00Your Helen sounds awesome, Gary! Though, if someo...Your Helen sounds awesome, Gary! Though, if someone had done that to me, I'd have gone and borrowed a friend's shoes and spent the day out just to spite them :-)<br /><br />You're very lucky with all the writing support from your wife, too. My husband doesn't read anything I write, and usually thinks I'm wasting time when I'm on the computer, even when I'm working on paying articles. (I kind of get the thinking that the fiction isn't real work as I'm not getting paid for it yet - though it's still pretty annoying that he thinks it's any less important than what he does.) sigh. Yep, you're very lucky. You should go buy her a nice dinner or something.Merry Monteleonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09435956005780500310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-66618412061274567932009-11-16T03:58:48.488+11:002009-11-16T03:58:48.488+11:00I'm jealous-- I have to twist my husband's...I'm jealous-- I have to twist my husband's arm to get him to read my stuff, never mind checking my punctuation. <br /><br />Good luck with the editing!Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-87528151693924743682009-11-15T19:33:43.049+11:002009-11-15T19:33:43.049+11:00I am indeed a very lucky guy! I should have added...I am indeed a very lucky guy! I should have added Helen's unique ability to do no study, swear she'd failed every exam, and then garner credits and distinctions.<br /><br />___<br /><br />The edits I'm doing are for book 2 which has working title The Magnesia Sanction. I can promise you that title will change.<br /><br />Am I done with edits, after a mere week? Oh no! To paraphrase John Paul Jones, I have not yet begun to edit. I could easily keep going for another month or two.<br /><br />(Janet just fainted...someone please catch her...)<br /><br />Seriously, this is major revision #8, and it's a big one. I'm rather hoping it's also the last, but you know, I say that every time.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-41825638251884388502009-11-15T17:42:59.036+11:002009-11-15T17:42:59.036+11:00I like Helen already! You can always tell when I&...I like Helen already! You can always tell when I'm procrastinating- my house gets amazingly clean. <br /><br />Sounds like you're a lucky guy! <br /><br />So does this mean you're done with this round of edits? This isn't for the first book is it?Stephanie Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17437077559099315853noreply@blogger.com