Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Moaning Chair


I have to admit, I’ve had a fair bit of trepidation while awaiting the final edits on  UNCHARTED. I even anticipated yanking out the Moaning Chair. ‘Don’t know what that is,’ you say? Sure you do. Especially if you’ve ever been engaged in a high-liability profession. In a way, writing is high liability. Oh yeah, there’s a lot at stake when it comes to ego and insecurities. I’d come this far, so I knew my publisher liked the story well enough to back it—just the same…how much hacking and slashing would there be? (You'd think I would know how to use a comma by now.) I knew I’d have to make sacrifices. (Could I have made my sentences any longer?) I knew they would sting. I knew I’d cringe, feeling around behind me for the Chair that I could flop into.

So, here’s my Moaning Chair.

The first coiner of the term, to the best of my knowledge and research, was Howard I. Chapelle, in his book Boatbuilding (1941). While I have come across many colorful variations describing the Moaning Chair, Chapelle states, “In every amateur boatbuilder’s shop there should be a ‘moaning chair’; this should be a comfortable seat from which the boat can be easily seen and in which the builder can sit, smoke, chew, drink, or swear as the moment demands.”

Happily, the edits have been relatively painless—no swearing or even moaning necessary. After years of revising UNCHARTED, it felt much the same as any other round of edits. Overall, it adds a nice luster to the polish. Rhemalda’s editor, Diane Dalton has been professional and fun to work with. Even now, before my final round of edits, I can confidently say it’s been and will continue to be a very positive experience. Does that mean I don’t need my Moaning Chair?

Well, the Chair is not just for griping— it’s for contemplation, as well. Chapelle adds, “Here he should rest often and think about his next job. The plans should be at hand and here he can lay out his work. By so doing he will often be able to see mistakes before they are serious and avoid the curse of all amateur boatbuilders: starting a job before figuring out what has to be done to get it right.”

Time to work on my other novels!

20 comments:

  1. Thanks for visiting my blog today. I do appreciate it, dear lady, and figured I'd return the favor. I LOVE the idea of a "moaning chair" and yours looks just about perfect.

    Congrats on the publishing deal with Rhemalda. Here's wishing you all the best with it. And please count me in as your newest follower.

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    1. Thanks, Susan, and thanks for stopping by! Our mutual friend, Robynne-Anne speaks highly of you, and so it's nice to have you following.

      And yes, the moaning chair has many daily applications, especially when writing and querying. Lots of moaning with the latter. ;)

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  2. I love the idea of a moaning chair. I need one right about now. Can I borrow yours? It looks lovely :-) Sounds as if you lucked out with a great editor!

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    1. Of course you can borrow mine, Anne--doesn't look like I'll need mine for a little bit--but any comfy chair will do. ;)
      And make sure it's within reach of dark chocolate!

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  3. Does a moaning bar stool count? :)

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  4. Wow, I need one of those! I'm happy your edits have gone well! Guess who's next?

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    1. Yeah, better than I expected! Diane has been really easy to work with.

      ...hmmmm...I wonder who could be next...;)

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  5. I am glad to hear the edits were moderately painless and you did not feel the need to sit and smoke, drink, chew, or swear. Your moaning chair looks very comfortable, which must make it tempting to at least sit and drink, edits or no. :)

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    1. Indeed, I must confess, a fair amount of pinot noir and dark chocolate have been consumed while sitting in this chair!

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  6. I LOVE that chair. I'll be needing one soon, as soon as I finish my latest short story and my crit partner has a go with the ms.

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    1. Ha! The chair is a must, even if your crit partner goes easy on you, but we both know she won't! :)

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  7. Replies
    1. Yes, Glenn, I'll keep the chair. Why, it's practically where I live!

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  8. A moaning chair...what a great concept! Tweeting about this. (Couldn't find your tweet handle so used @Rhemalda)

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  9. Indeed! There are so many times when a Moaning Chair comes in handy--it's not just for boat-builders! (and thanks for the Tweet!)

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    1. Oh, and I think my tweet handle is just plain old @jbchicoine.

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  10. I think I need a chair like that...so I can sit back and look at things objectively. feeling a little moan-y right now!

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    1. Lately, it seems that most days I spend a fair amount of time in my moaning chair... I need to turn it into a writing chair. Why does achieving objectivity have to be so HARD?

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  11. No, no, no...

    Thotful Spot.

    http://canoez.blogspot.com/2009/05/tech-tip-tuesday_12.html

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    1. Ha! Winnie the Pooh did have it right! Think it through first...I actually am getting better at that after several years of 'pantsing' my way through writing a novel! :)

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