I'm an engineer, and I use math every day. I might not use the most advanced calculus I studied, or my education in partial differential equations, but my understanding of the background math involved in most of the stuff I do really helps. Because of my math training, I can picture in my head how systems will work, how things will respond. I don't have to solve equations - I can picture what's happening. That comes from a reasonably decent training in math.
You're right - math is hugely important. I guess I'm just biased because I was never any good at it or had any interest in it, and every field I've ever wanted to go in placed very little emphasis on math besides the general education level, so it's easier for me to say 'bah, I don't need this!' I respect the hell outta mathematicians. Lord knows I can't do that shit.
I got published again, but don't think anybody's reading it. Going a bit nuts waiting for replies from subs.
It's okay J. I healed myself, sent some NY sub a cold post from England - a weirdo one, might go either way, or none at all, again.
I'm happy that I don't live in western New York right now since they've been pummeled with many feet of snow.
Ah, saturday! Was laying in my bed at 11 am, the sun shining in through the windows. My mind thinking about... trains. Perfect!
Feeling really happy today. I finally finished my final edit of my novel, which I started writing in 1996 ...finished the first draft in 2001, and have been editing ever since. I still have formatting to do, to get it ready for Kindle (urgh, not looking forward to that job much) but I've finally reached the point where the story reads the way I want it to. I want to say thanks to the forum members who beta-read for me, and also to the people who offered such good advice on the bits I posted in the Workshop—the bits that I was really struggling with. I have learned SO much being here.
@jannert That's great, congrats! You're ahead of us (T and I) 'cause we still have at least one more run we gotta do.
@jannert: Congrats! I'm glad you've found your work to pay off, and I hope the kindle aspect goes well.
Haven't a hope of traditional publishing ...it's way too long and old-fashioned. I'd get dumped the minute I quote my word count. No point in wasting time. I just want people I know to be able to read it, if they want to. I'm not looking for a career. Besides, I want to finish my other one before I die! I'm 65 years old. This one took me 18 years. Do the math....
Stop that! Stop downplaying your talent. At least give regular publishing a try. Even if you self publish after a couple query letter rejections, send them out anyway. Just set a deadline, if you don't get a full reading by X amount of time, you'll go ahead and skip over the gatekeepers and self publish.
At least approach the scene, the market - get Western people reading 2000 words at 'Ranch' magazine. 'Dear Editor Bob I attach 2000 words...' ... 'Hello J, it would be our pleasure to...' ...otherwise, readers won't find out about it...
Thanks for the heads-up, @GingerCoffee! But if you run across a publishing house that takes a first-time novel from an unknown author that's just over 200,000 words long that is NOT fantasy ...please let me know. I'll gladly apply. I have actually researched this extensively, and there isn't a hope. It's not that I don't think my story is good ...if I didn't think it was polished and worthwhile I wouldn't put it out there at all. But I haven't got the extended lifetime or the patience or the connections to be pursuing traditional publishers who don't want to know because of the length of my novel. The fat has already been cut; it was originally 312,000 words long. It's an intricate historically-based story with a lot of immersion. I make no apologies. It's the way I write. (For comparison, Gone With The Wind is 245,000 words long. That's around 1/5 longer than mine. It wouldn't have a hope of getting published in today's market either.) Agents all ask for word count in the initial query. And they all want 100,000-120,000 word max. If I lie, I'll get caught out. If I don't lie I'll get thrown out. This isn't me being negative. This is me being realistic. Life is short. I plan to get on with it. Thank goodness for self-publishing!
I watch CSPAN's Book TV and they have quite the variety of non-fiction authors (Book TV is non-fiction only), publisher panels, and bookstore owners that run the gamut but have one thing in common, a great appreciation for literature, and for many of them, profits are only a means to write and keep smaller publishing houses open. http://www.booktv.org/ I believe you that you've done the research and I understand your reasoning. But I still think there are publishers out there besides the big publishing houses that still appreciate good work that isn't fantasy. Oh well, fortunately we have the self-publishing option.
I'll publish it @jannert when you're dead - get a few of your old buddies together, like a syndicate. I got that old picture of you on your donkey for the back page.
That's a mule not a donkey. It's fuzzy so if not a mule, it's a horse, but definitely not a donkey. The ears are too long for a horse but a tad short for a mule. Donkeys have a different shape and fur and the longest ears of the three.
This one is of me the day before. Of course, @GingerCoffee as you know, the encounter with the Lakota, the Northern Cheyenne and the Arapaho was merely a matter of days away.
If you're not sure whether it's a horse or a donkey or a mule, you can always just generalize. "Here's a picture of @jannert on her quadruped." Or, "Here's a picture of @jannert on her mammal."