Captain’s log #2: Harshmode, stardate 26-08-06
Holding steady through the turbulence
Quote (or passage)
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (LoTR, Tolkien)
My favorite film (and book) series of all time is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and I seek quotes from it when I need inspiration. This quote is probably my favorite. Frodo wishes he hadn’t drawn the burden of being the one to carry the ring, knowing he had little time remaining and a lofty goal. Gandalf explains that the one carrying the burden doesn’t always get to choose when or what their challenge will be, but they must decide how they want to live knowing their circumstance. That notion can apply to our own lives. Yes, there’s a challenge, and the fight will be perilous, likely resulting in demise. Time is short. How we respond in the time that lies ahead will define us. Some might give up, others might pick up dangerous vices, some may resort to self-delusion, and some will fight to the final breath.
What I’m listening to
Don’t Stop Believin’, Journey
One of my favorite classic songs. I love this song. It’s a rock anthem concerning our search for meaning. While you chase your dreams in life, you must keep hope alive and believe in yourself. The road might be tough and lonely, but you must keep going.
Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin, Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is one of my favorite singers. He has a soulful, crisp voice and pitch-perfect delivery that touches you. This thoughtful song explores the philosophy of life and love. The message is simple yet beautiful: while pain and hardships exist, life still provides the capacity to hope and love. As long as that flicker exists within us, we should grasp the joys today because they may not be here tomorrow. Even if you feel dead inside, you have another chance at life. It’s a powerful song that turns sadness into strength.
Indian songs are placed in movies to express a character’s internal emotions within the story’s context. The character here is going through a rough patch, but he finds meaning when he reunites with his family after years of being a criminal. He questions if he should give up or truly live. He chooses to live in the moment and cherish whatever joys that life offers in the time he has.
What I’m writing
Since my last update, I edited chapters 19-21. In these chapters, the main character, Kain, has a dispute with his mafia captain, and a mafia war triggers against a rival syndicate. Since Kain is the rookie, he gets moved to protection duty for the Don’s troublesome teenage son. While I’m still editing chapter 21, things go wrong as the kid finds himself in trouble, and Kain comes to his rescue.
Before I discuss my line-editing process next time, I want to break down what editing a novel involves. What many consider editing is typically ‘proofreading’, the most basic. There are four types of editing that must be done before a book is ready:
1) Developmental editing – plot, characters, story, structure. Most time consuming and expensive (if you seek a professional development editor). It took me over 100 hours to do this for my 120k word novel.
2) Line-editing – flow, pacing, consistency, clarity. This is close in time and cost to developmental editing (if you seek a professional line-editor). This is actually taking me more time to do than developmental editing. When I’m done line-editing, I’ll easily cross another 150 hours on top of the 100 from developmental editing.
3) Copy-editing – styling, language errors, passive/active language, repetition, adverbs, cliches, etc
4) Proofreading – headings, fonts, page number consistency, spacing, italics, indentation consistency, spelling, punctuation, grammar. Least time consuming and the cheapest (if you seek a professional proofreader)
Yes, writing a novel is hard and takes hundreds of hours to draft and edit. Established writers typically hire professional editors to speed things up. But the costs can be insane. Professional developmental-editing and line-editing can each cost $4,000 to $7,000 each for a 100k word novel. Copy-editing can be $2,000 to $4,000. Proofreading can be found for $750+. (estimate numbers). Beginning writers can’t afford these numbers and are forced to self-edit. Most writers make no money, even if they publish a successful book. If you seek money from writing, you will fail. If you seek fame from writing, you will fail. You write because you enjoy it and are will put your life and mind into it. I only realize now that it’s one of the hardest professions possible.
What inspired me
Every atom in your body was once in another life form. No atom is truly new but merely recycled from a dead life. Carbon atoms in your DNA may have belonged to a dolphin millions of years ago. The oxygen you inhale might have been breathed by a dinosaur 70 million years ago, exhaled by Socrates in ancient Greece, or released from a prehistoric tree 200 million years ago. Even the hydrogen in the water you drank may have once passed through an orangutan’s bloodstream or erupted from a volcano two billion years ago. If we go further back, these atoms lead us to the fusion of a long-dead star or the explosive burst of a supernova billions of years ago (something Neil deGrasse Tyson has expressed so well).
It is mind-boggling, yet deeply inspiring to realize how interconnected all things are. With every breath, thought, and every gaze, you are using atoms that have existed since the dawn of time. Each atom in your body is being constantly recycled, so even the atoms that make you are in flux. People spend their entire lives searching for something external while forgetting what is in front of them. We are not masters of the universe, nor is the universe our master. We are one and the same.
I always link this clip that I must have watched a hundred times since the late 2000s:
What I’m reading
I have been reading Vernor Vinge’s A Fire Upon the Deep. Written as a trilogy, Vinge planned to write five more books, but death came knocking in 2024. The premise is quite interesting for a space opera and leaves you wanting to know what’s next. Humans unearth an ancient superintelligence on a dead world. This entity travels across the galaxy, destroying worlds and growing more powerful. Humans find a countermeasure capable of stopping the entity, but the ship carrying it vanishes. Other beings from various races must race against time to find the lost ship before the awakened super-entity consumes the galaxy.
What film I’m watching
For Film Night Saturday, I streamed “District 9” (2009) for my writing group two Saturdays ago. I watched this back in 2010 and had forgotten much about it. The documentary-styled direction by Peter Jackson, writing, and acting are marvelous. This past Saturday, we watched Disney’s “Emperor’s New Groove” (2000). I watched this back in 2001 in school and recall nothing. It’s a hilarious, quick-watch animation with brilliant voice acting. I found the writing predictable, but it’s worth rewatching regardless of age.
I haven’t been to the theater since 2019 for “Spiderman: Far From Home” and made my return this past Sunday after seven years. Ironically, for the latest spiderman installment, “Spiderman: Brand New Day“. The film started okay before it grabbed hold of me. The second half was quite a ride! A fellow writer asked for my thoughts, and I told him it was probably the best Tom Holland Spiderman movie. It’s certainly veeery close to “Spiderman: No Way Home”. I started writing a film review on Spiderman, but I won’t be able to finish that today. Await my review sometime next week. Spiderman fans, go watch it in theaters!
Server Update
A few months ago, I moved my music streaming from Spotify and local storage to a self-hosted Linux mini PC. I’m now using MStream (an open-source self-hosting music platform) to host my collection over the internet. I use a combination of tools to keep things secure:
-FRP proxies the connection to not expose my home network
-Caddy handles HTTPS encryption
-Free Oracle Cloud VPS: Create an encrypted tunnel to my home network. My music relays through there, keeping my home IP hidden.
Data Pipeline: MStream Server (mini PC) -> Encrypted Tunnel (FRP/Caddy) -> Oracle Cloud -> MStream App (phone)
Some of these require their own breakdowns, so I won’t get detailed here into things like FRP/Caddy/Oracle VPS. I could simplify the route to go MStream server (mini PC) to MStream app (phone), but that would require opening ports on my home router (huge security risk), not be able to use HTTPS (no HTTPS = no encryption), and force me to use a messy IP address (lack of convenience).
With my server set this way, I can access my music from anywhere securely without worrying about the questionable American politics of Spotify (look it up). By choosing open-source, I’d rather support individuals who spend their spare time creating software than profit-hungry corporations. As for encryption, I don’t trust internet service providers known to sell information and provide open access for governmental agencies to snoop.
Looking Ahead
I want to finish editing chapters 21, 22, and 23 to reach the halfway point of line-editing. I also need to get a quick review written for Robert McGee’s book on dialogue, which I finished reading two weeks ago. Look for a Spiderman review sometime next week!
That’s it for this biweekly. Feel free to post any questions concerning anything posted here or if you want me to focus on something specific next time. I’ll catch you next time. Carpe diem!
