Updates, Writing Tools: ORBIS

Updates:

Hi all!

I hope you're having a wonderful fall season. I've been thoroughly occupied this year, and I thought I'd let you guys in on the process of my new adventure in traditional publishing. I spent January through early April writing book four. As soon as I was done with that, I began the revision process with my

two wonderful editors over at Alloy Entertainment. There are at least 2 cover-to-cover rounds of edits per book, and we've gone over all four books in consecutive order, cleaning, streamlining and adding unique material along the way. I recently finished the first round of edits for book four (I'm sure my neighbors heard the squeals of excitement and the gibbering wails of nostalgia that night), and now I'm onto the second round of edits, beginning with Haven all over again. Yeehaw!

The experience of the editing process in traditional publishing tends to have mixed reviews by its authors and can seem like a frightening hurdle for indie authors considering a traditional alternative. To be honest, I've heard some authors say that editing is akin to having teeth pulled at the dentist. And, to be fair, I've found others (like Marina Adair, friend and romance author extraordinaire) to completely enjoy the process. My take on it? It's a puzzle... like redesigning a spiderweb while retaining its original shape. It's nothing that cannot be conquered with hard work, focus, and a brimming mug of coffee (Note: Caffeine is not for everyone. Please consult your metabolism before consumption.) Also, the end result is so beautiful, it deserves its own mirror. ;) I have a massive appreciation for my editors (past and present), and feel lucky to have worked with such awesome people. Yes, awesome is the technical term.

I kind of want to try all of the methods of travel, just for fun.

Writing Tools: ORBIS

After reading this, if you happen to be a fantasy or historical fiction writer, you're probably going to shout, "Odin's beard! At long last, I have found you!" Well, maybe you won't, but I did when I discovered this ingenious online tool called ORBIS.

What does it do? Made by some people over at Stanford University that I'd really like to hug,

ORBIS calculates the the time and distance it takes to get from one place to another, by foot, carriage, horse, military march or boat. There are a lot of variables in using this tool, too many to list, but things like roads, seasons, terrain, speed, river, coastal and open ocean travel--even cost--all come into play and can be toggled. ORBIS is based off of Roman era technology and set in our very own world. It can be adapted for original-world fantasy, medieval, western, historical, or heck, even on-foot science fiction, to give you at the very least, an accurate range of time versus distance and method of travel. If you happen to be writing a Roman historical fantasy, well, then you've struck the gold-mine on this one! Check it out here, and I hope it helps you in your written worlds!

That's about all for now, guys! More to come soon, and as always, thanks for reading!

All yours,

~A.R. Ivanovich