Deadlines can make you dig deep.
by Andy Scheer
I recently pulled a late-nighter.
I was on deadline for a book editing project. My normally reliable computer had decided it was time for my word-processing software to begin freezing—requiring a system restart each time.
Because of other commitments, I’d scheduled myself to nibble away at the manuscript each day over a month.
So by the time I finished editing the back-matter and began my final polishing pass, it had been some time since I’d seen much of it.
As I’d gone along, I’d highlighted for the author some places where I’d offered expanded examples.
But I wasn’t prepared for the surprise of some of my insertions. They weren’t off-topic. Just the opposite. As the author/writing teacher examined different fiction genres’ special demands for dialogue, setting, research, and the like, I’d been able to pull examples out of my hat.
I’d just been applying the principle of FOKSIC
(Fingers On Keyboard, Seat In Chair).
I hadn’t realized I was doing it. I’d just been applying the principle of FOKSIC (Fingers On Keyboard, Seat In Chair). But there on the screen in front of me I found an insertion about the use of symbolism in Frank Herbert’s Dune—a book I’ve not read in thirty years. I’m grateful I had that in me, along with all the other memorable books I’ve read.
Amazing what you can accomplish a little at a time—especially with a looming deadline.
