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Dec-21-2007 01:15

I'm trying to write a mystery to come out for Christmas. It's an easy for New York, for new players to feast on. I'll need an editor for it to get it out for Christmas, and maybe I could reserve Annika? :-) Anni, if you could do it, I'd appreciate it. Any one else would be fine, but he's the only one I know of. :-)

I am trying hard to get it finished before Christmas Eve. This way I'll have a chance of getting it edited. :-)

Thanks everyone! :-)

Dec-21-2007 17:00

Speaking on behalf of my partner, I know it's hard to believe, but the editors do have other lives outside of Sleuth, complete with families and jobs and friends (whoa!). They spend an average of several days minimum to as much as six or seven WEEKS on a single Scripted Mystery, cleaning up errors and inserting programming commands. They're not just a one shot, wham-bam, thank you, Ma'am sort of a deal. They often involve multiple rewrites on the behalf of the author, and consultations with other Editors and/or writers.

I hope you do get your mystery done, Kevin. But please do not expect it to be immediately posted as soon as you submit it. It's not fair to anyone, including, in the end, you.

Dec-21-2007 17:09

As an editor of multiple mysteries, it is definitely possible for the editing of a FM of great quality to be done in a single day... However, it takes more than quite a bit of time, and an FM that needs more than simple work will not be able to be done in a day.

The editing process should be allowed at least a week, seeing as one of us has to pick it up, play it, make grammar/spelling changes, make plot changes to make things work better, make changes to anything else that may need fixing, and then play it again. Then we may even pass this on for another editor to do as well.

For the future, I'd allow at least a week for just editing, and then at least another week for admin approval. But two weeks is not the actual case usually. It can take weeks just for an FM to be picked up.

I believe I can safely say that all of us work, attend school, have families, kids, or spouses, and have to play Sleuth as well, or a combination of all of those. The brutal truth is that editing your FM just isn't our number one priority in life.

Dec-21-2007 23:33

Major typo there, sorry. I meant so it can be edited for Christmas Eve. And, I'm sorry. I sort of underestimated it. I'm working on them, but I've never had one edited. :-) I know you all have lives. So do I, that's why I haven't finished any. :-)

I didn't mean to insult anyone, or ignore their personal lives. I'm sorry.

Thanks for the info though! I'm glad to know! :-)

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Don't mean to sound self-centered or anything. I'm just ignorant. :-) I am hoping to get one done very soon.

Oh yes. I forgot you needed Admin approval. Sorry about that, too.

And, to Stooby, I didn't write it before hand cause I didn't think about it. But, if I start now, maybe I'll have a special out for Valentine's Day. :-)

Thank you all! :-)

Dec-22-2007 01:15

And another out for Christmas 2008. It's a great idea and I had a Christmas one in mind but ran out of time to write it. Maybe we can both write one next year, a double festive treat!

Dec-22-2007 06:09

Several weeks, try months Breit. Months and months and months. Ok that's just me procrastinating, and over-complicating the process. Oh I mean, I like to pace myself and be creative. :s

S'all good Kevin. We look forward to your SM whenever it's written.

Oh please note, the more you harass me the quicker your SM gets done. I work much better under constant stress :)

Dec-22-2007 09:39

It's true. Bug the crap outta SS, and things will get done in a timely fashion.

Dec-22-2007 13:44

I'll remember that. It might be fun, so, SS, please take it! I'm gonna finish it as quick s I can! WoW! Bugging someone! What incentive to finish writing! :-)

I promise, SS, I'll send you harrassing messages everyday. :-) And I'll follow you around on the forums asking "When is it done? When is it done?"!

Providing I don't get banned. :-)