AMLoR: 'out of character' thread

[Editor]

Dan, "zo duidelijk" as the Dutch say, the story was not ready to run by you in time for this weekend's issue. We are aiming for the next slot, though we may have an unavoidable holiday-related delay in posting anything. Basically it's hard to work too hard this time of year. Alcohol dehydrogenase levels not yet up to full capacity! And everyone busy being basically frivolous and lazy.

[Mad Dan Eccles]

/me giggles.

No wucking furries. I'm pretty 'relaxed' myself. Been for a swim in Cloudy Bay, introduced the outlaws to Martinis (gin *and/or* vodka - 3:1, stirred, not shaken, odd number of olives) and we've been comparing Marlborough sauv blancs. The kids are in bed, Mrs Eccles and my sis-in-law are making pavlova, Led Zeppelin is on the stereo and we're about to go and have a spa and watch Pirates of the Carribean 2.

I reckon my physician in the Royal Albert in Sydney would be having a conniption fit if he knew what I'd been up to, but my consultant in Canberra approves .

Happy Christmas you lot, whatever it means to you.

MDE.

[Octavia]

Happy Christmas to you too, MDE. We hate you! (swimming in summery climes while we shiver in dull foggy sleety Blighty-wise, I mean, not character-wise). The Beeb is doing a Cliff Richard retrospective, so I've fled the lounge in terror...

[The Prof]

I'm looking forward to Part 2! So many interesting things to come to light...
Happy New Year all!

DrMrs Prof has put me on a post-Christmas diet! Hope it won't affect my writing skills.

[Octavia]

Happy New Year Prof. We are all looking forward to more of Slater's backstory...

[Editor]

Conundrum in the LabLit editorial office. The Part I, which is ready to go up in the next issue pending a lookever from MDE, is 11,000 words long - too long for your typical LabLit article (we don't tend to stray beyond 3000 if we can help it).

Should we put it up in one whack or separate it into sub-parts? There are two other serials on at the moment and I don't want readers to get serial fatigue - on the other hand, apparently web readers don't have patience with things longer than a few thousand words.

Thoughts???

[tideliar]

I say delay, perchance till after Tantalus. Break it into a three parter maybe? MDE could help with the editing for that (I vote). 11000 is waaaaay tooooo loooooong to read on-line for most people, and I know, personally, I tend to view lablit.com as a magazine...I dip and and out frequently rather than sitting and plowing through loads in one sitting. It's also frustrating trying to find your place on an e-page if you have to wander away.

[Mad Dan Eccles]

mmm I agree with m'learned pisshead. Wait till after Tantalus. Then I'll have to chance to read that.

[Editor]

Tantalus, a full-length novel, is with us for quite some time - months longer.

The LabLit webmaster had another idea - a single post for part one, but divided into three or four chunks - when you reach the bottom of the page pf part A, there will be a navigation 'continue reading' button to click into part B, and so on. So each chunk is readable and you can go on to the next in a fresh replacement window.

But it is sort of nice to serialize AMLOR once the entire thing is finished, so we won't have to wait a long time in between and forget what has already transpired...

[Mad Dan Eccles]

It will be a beautiful spring day in Cambridge, and we'll restart around 13 January, if that's agreeable?

Oops. how are we fixed for Monday?

[tideliar]

finger on the cultural pulse there, crew!

Do you mean for us to start Part II? I'm good...

[Beatrice]

erm...yes, is this my cue?

Nothing til the weekend, folks, I'm in the midst of a 3 day timecourse from hell. Grabbing sleep only whilst I can!

But soon!! (ish)

[challenge]

Pm me Beatrice when you feel you are not swamped in it all... I have some ideas and will try to make some time - after Mon 22nd though... ok?! Then we can work on that 'plan' that MDE sent me prior Christmas and see where we end up?

[Beatrice]

challenge, everyone -

sorry for being so ineffectual. I've been having a pretty rough time recently. I would really like to start the story, so I will try to PM challenge soon. Apologies to all for the delay...

Bea

[Mad Dan Eccles]

Hello B, sorry to hear about your rough time.

Been a bit crap myself recently, don't feel pressured. WoMD is greatly over-rated.