One of the big features in Whispers In the Dark is electronic voice phenomena. This is when voices or other sounds are recorded which were not audible to the people present. Sometimes the words or phrases seem random and other times they seem to respond to the people at the site. It's a common investigative tool for paranormal investigators.
EVPs are not without controversy. Humans are very good at picking up patterns, to the point that we will see patterns even when they're not really there. For example, ever seen a face in an electrical socket?
Intellectually, we know it's not a face. But any image with two objects above and one below will resolve into a face for most people. We do the same thing with random noises, which is thought to be the origins for mermaids singing at sea: the random noise of the waves resolved into song for bored sailors. Good paranormal investigators recognize this difficulty and try to take it into account when deciding if something is an EVP or simply random background static.
The idea of being able to communicate after death is probably one of the most intriguing mysteries to the human mind and one we've probably been searching for since the cave days. Today, most investigators use handheld digital recorders to capture EVPs, although they are vulnerable to radio interference. It's the easiest option for an amateur ghost hunter to try but one of the most difficult ones to verify.
Weekly word count: 0
Editing countdown: 19 of 23 (3 this week)
I'm so close to getting Metamorphosis done for editing. By next week's post I want to be able to say that I've done it and can now move on to writing new stories. I've gotten a couple of questions, asking how long it takes me to edit a chapter. If I don't have a lot of new material to write, it takes me around 3 hours to go through a chapter. I do multiple passes.
The first pass is to go through and look for any inconsistencies. As I write my first draft, I often make a number of major plot changes as things occur to me. However, I've learned to simply make notes and press forward rather than going back and rewriting everything to match. If I go back, I get caught in a loop. I make notes as to what changes I've done and what chapter I've made them in and then I can adjust the different scenes during revision. This is also where I make a note of any scenes or dialogue which I feel isn't working well. I don't actually do the changes yet though.
The second pass is for description and reactions. I make sure every setting and character has adequate description (sometimes I get so caught up in the action that I forget in my first draft). Then I use different types of reactions (physical, intellectual and emotional) to deepen the point of view of my characters.
The third pass is to rewrite any scenes which aren't working or which need to be tweaked to match previous events.
The fourth pass is to trim out words which I tend to overuse (I have a list) and passive voice indicators like "was" "had" and "has". There are times when the passive voice is appropriate but the word count will be lower and the pacing will be quicker if it's minimal.
The fifth pass is to search for Canadianisms and adjust the formatting.
The sixth pass is a final read through for final tweaks and then I add the finished chapter to the master file.
I have to say that I find editing to be the second biggest challenge of writing. (The first is promotion.) But there is something inherently satisfying about seeing the polished work, even though I know my editors are going to rip it apart, since that's what I pay them to do. It's good to know that I'm delivering something which I'm proud of.
I will admit to being a bit of a reno-show junkie. I love watching non-functional or ugly stuff get ripped down to the framework and then something beautiful and wonderful built up in the same place. It's one of the reasons why I made my hero a contractor for Whispers In the Dark.
I see the same process when I'm editing. I know it's a mixed-subject for writers. Some writers love editing and are intimidated by the blank page. Some of them hate the editing, preferring to move on to shiny new stories. I probably lean more toward the latter than the former, but there is an elegance in finding the right finishing touches.
When editing, the key plot points are like the framework and drywall. It's possible to move walls and support beams, but it takes a lot of work. Adding in more description and adjusting dialogue is like doing a fresh coat of paint and adding the right light fixtures and window treatments. It can completely change the sense and feel of a particular scene.
Then it's time for staging, the last finishing touches of furniture and accessories. The tiny bits which make the different between good, great and brilliant.
Maybe I'm stretching the analogy a little far, but I believe almost any story can be made great just like almost any house can be made into something beautiful. It's all a question of the amount of work the writer is willing to put in.
Last week, I was feeling down and overwhelmed about my work. Now I'm ready to pick up my hammer and paintbrush and get started all over again.
Weekly word count: 1800
Editing countdown: 16 chapters out of 23 done (3 this week)
As much as I'm enjoying working on the sequel for Whispers In the Dark, which I am now calling Dreams and Visions, I'm running into a time crunch. Despite my best intentions, I'm finding I'm too brain-dead after supper and after the kids go to bed to actually edit with any semblance of intelligence. Which means I need to fit it into the day.
I'm telling myself it will still work out okay. Once the kids go back to school, I'll have a few hours each day (okay, most days) for writing. If I've got my edits done, I can concentrate on writing Dreams and begin the detailed plot outlines for the sequel to Metamorphosis. I've already got a lot of ideas for things I want to interweave, so now it's time to figure out how it all fits together.
I'm finding myself curious to see how my developmental edit goes this time. (A developmental edit looks at overall plot and character development.) Last time, the challenges were mostly descriptive. I see things so clearly in my head that I sometimes forget to actually write down what's happening. I've made a real effort to overcome that in this draft, so I'm hoping there will be less to do.
I'm always humbled with the amount there is to learn with writing craft. The different subtleties and techniques to create different impressions. I enjoy the learning and the chance to find the perfect way to express the vision I have in my head.
Everyone has a default explanation for what happens to them, based on what we believe is possible. Those who are into conspiracy theories will be more willing to believe something is the result of systematic lies and deception. Those who believe authorities can be trusted will believe any irregular results are from errors instead of deliberate concealment. Pessimists expect things to go badly and prepare accordingly. Optimists expect them to go well and anticipate success.
My friends and I used to play a little game when we watched X-files. Would the monster of the week prove to be supernatural or rational? I invariably guessed it was supernatural. The man could walk through walls or the girl has a psychic connection to the killer. Of course, sometimes, the man was a clever illusionist with a trapdoor and the girl was actually dating the killer and participating in the murders. I got a fair amount of teasing for my willingness to believe in the weird and fantastic.
I like believing there is more out there than we currently understand. I still believe we will scientifically understand what is behind the myths one day, just as we now understand the mysterious process of how diseases pass from person to person and genetic traits can skip generations.
Someday we'll know what people are seeing when they report interacting with ghosts or seeing a scene repeated out of the past. Someday we'll know what inspired the Sasquatch and the Loch Ness monster. Someday we'll understand extrasensory perception.
For now, I'll enjoy the wonderful breadth of possibilities open to my imagination.
