The Process and the Learning

The more I revise-retool the manuscript, the more I'm appreciating my reader-helpers, specifically my amazing-brilliant-so-much-smarter-than-I wife.  As a lawyer, she sees things that I don't, language-wise.  Every point of weakness or linguistic ambiguity that she points out is like a wonderful little flash of light that helps me learn more and more each time. 
Ah, I'm going to be learning things about how to be an author for the next 70 years, I sure of it!

Proof-reading...amazing what you find.

I've made a new, current physical working copy of the manuscript. Intersting. I'm finding many loose ends that I had thought dealt with hiding here and there.  So, after tightening all the time references, I've started another round of proof-reading/editting. The physical copy seems to be easier to see, for me. (Heck, the first sketches I wrote were drafted with a fountain pen. I guess I'm just a visual thinker. Surprise? Nope.)


Hope I can get this set of corrections finished in a timely fashon. Ya never know...a literary agent might nibble. Heh.

Cultural links

Had this interesting thought the other day:
Ruby = Spartans
Sapphires = Samurai

Both warrior cultures, very different focus and spin. 
Leads me to find other cultural links between my Realms and the real world.

Garnet = pre-Revolution Russia, right before the change
Diamond = Finns (stoicism)
Peridot = Canada (+USA?  Possibly...)
Amethyst = Beijing?  Hong Kong? (a la Blade Runner)
Topaz = California?  (That's a whole culture right there...)
Aquamarine = Carribbean. (with enough PotC , of course, Yo ho!)
Emerald = The steamy jungles of the Amazonian Basin?
Pearl = Australian Outback (the aboriginal peoples there refer to the "DreamTime" culturally.  Research cue!)
Opal = The irish / scottish celtic cultures...with a serious dose of gypsy nomadicism!
Turquoise = Switzerland?  (Neutral, Make great timepieces)

Always interesting, this exploration of the possible links that can be called upon.  Now to keep the brain focused enough to make use of that in the tales...