Writing A Three Part Novel - Well, Maybe Four

This past week or so, I have been working on book edits and suggestions.  It is very important, but it is like slogging through mud and just as fast.

Each year, the Associate Grand Matron and Associate Grand Patron have written whole books, really, really, one for the butcher, one for the baker, one for the candlestick maker - no sorry, mind going away, okay found it - one for their Grand Officers, one for their Deputies, and one for their subordinate officers, to use during their year.  The theory is that they work together on the first two books and then each write the one for their group, either Matrons or Patrons.  I am not sure how much theory and reality have fused here, but it is just vaguely possible that she writes more than he does, but it is just a scurrilous rumor.

The usual course of this was for the Grand Line officers to give these books to their Grand Officers and Deputies and to sell these books to their subordinates.  That used to mean making gobs of paper copies and then hauling huge boxes of books to workshops to distribute and sell and then using the extras for firewood on long, cold nights.  After all the Line officers paid for these out of their pocket and if they don't sell them all, the least the extras can do is be worth their weight in wood, yes?

It was always a big hassle and a really tough job.  Recently, we went to a CD format, because it only costs a buck and a half to bulk copy CDs and they are lighter weight.  You don't get your money back out of the extras though, since you should not throw CDs into a fireplace.  We are still offering paper copies to those who pre-order them, but few people want them and when they do, since they are pre-ordered, there are no extras so that saves A LOT.

Anyway, a lot of the stuff in these books, especially the Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron books, repeats itself from year to year, so it seemed a bit silly that we all had to redo the books, primarily to change the illustrations and to tack in the few items that change, like songs, projects, flag tributes and so on.  It became apparent that if you created a packet with all the changed pages, you could create a common book that could be used year after year.  That way, if you went through again, you wouldn't have to buy another one, just that year's packet, and the Grand Line officers would not be reinventing the wheel all the time.

But to make sure that it will work for several years, we are trying to go through them together as an upcoming Grand Line and work out books that make sense, are readable and understandable and are comfortable for people coming from different areas.  That's where it gets a bit tricky.

You see, traditions are so different in so many places that you have to try to explain how we do this if we do this, but this is how we do this if we do that, but this is how we do that if we do this, and so on and so on.  And of course, everything has to correspond with our Ritual and our Constitution and our Instruction Book because if there are any inconsistencies, someone is going to find them and then all H E double hockey sticks will break loose.  So the reading is pretty slow going and the books are pretty large.  But when this is all done, it will be amazing!!!  Someday, when my Grand Marshal is in my current spot, she will love me forever!

Next weekend has no events so I am going to see about finishing my training flights for my instrument rating check ride and hope to get my instrument rating in the next couple of weeks.