Aldo Salt · Author · added about 7 years ago
Revision Note #1: Strengthening Character Voice.

Diesel is the protagonist of "Cold Iron Crossing", but many other characters play an important role in this story-- the Demon possessed Hat, the Orobas family, Felix Mercer, Sarah Gold, Macintosh Crate and other less savory customers.

Each character should have their own unique voice and style of language to better express their personalities and help readers better determine who is talking at any given moment.

I’ll be going through the chapters and revising dialogue to give each character a distinct--and more importantly, consistent--voice from the start to finish of this novel. I’ll need a template to consult while I make these changes...

...so here is a list of how each main character would try to order an ice cream cone!

Diesel: "One scoop of vanilla, ma’am. Say, have you seen this Ogre? I’ve been tracking him across Cryptatown, but the trail’s gone ice cold."

 

Fausta: "Make us a scoop of vanilla. Keep your hands above the counter...above the counter, miss. You never saw us."

 

Fortuna: "Mom, No! ...sorry about that, miss. May we have two scoops of vanilla! Wait, no, three! One for my dog!"

 

Felix Mercer: "One scoop of Vanilla, please...it feels like yesterday I was buying ice cream for my boy."

 

The Demon in the Hat: "Make me an ice cream cone, mortal scum, or feel my wrath!"

Macintosh Book: "So, um...one scoop of vanilla with chocolate syrup? ...look at this, Theo! She made a smiley face with the chocolate! How am I supposed to eat this now?"

Sarah: I’d like one vanilla, chum. Hmmm...good setup you have here. Real passion for your craft. Ever thought about organizing your fellow ice cream makers into a autonomous collective?

Mandrake Kayne: "Get that ice cream out of my face, or I’ll give you a headache that’ll last until the end of your life."

Morgaeous-Drakeworm: "Take more care where you sell ice-cream in the future, good sir. You’ll receive no warning the next time you cross into my territory. Also, I’ll have a gelato."





Aldo Salt · Author · edited about 7 years ago · 1 like

Huzzah! The first draft of Cold Iron Crossing is finally complete, toping out at 30 chapters and two intervals. Dieselnoi Worawoot and his motley companions have survived another weekend in Cryptatown!

Now, of course, the harsh, cruel work of editing starts. I’ll be posting regular entries about my revision process on the main page for Cold Iron Crossing; each entry will talk about the edits I’ve made to certain chapters and the thought process behind my attempt to refine the flaws in my story.

If you like these peaks behind the hood, send a response or like! The Demon in the Hat demands it!

[Edit: Whoops. Looks like I already sent a near-identical message like this out already! Rest assured, new content’s coming soon!]

Aldo Salt · Author · added over 7 years ago
Today, on June 3rd, I finally finished my draft for my latest Novella...no, my latest novel!

Of course Cold Iron Crossing, though complete, is still a draft. I’ll have to re-read, workshop, respond to feedback and turn a critical eye to what I’ve written in order to whip this novel into an optimal shape. 

To wit, I’ll be posting notes about my editing process on this page from time to time, creating a log for my progress and hopefully entertaining folks who like to peak beneath the hood of writing.

Expect new updates soon!

–Aldo Salt