Just a quick update on my progress with “Backstreets.” I had some quality, uninterrupted time to read and edit the stories in “Backstreets.” I also found some advice blogs about how to set the order of the stories in an anthology like I am writing.
The takeaway is to first put your favorite story first, and title story, if there is one, doesn’t need to be the first in the book. Also, think of the book as a tent and the stories at tent-poles. Put the longer and/or stronger stories spaced throughout the book to hold up the tent.
I also rated my stories from 1 as sad, or negative, to 5 as lighter and positive. I am dispersing the sad stories through the book and not group them together.
Patience dear readers. I am making progress. I currently have 52 versions and revisions totaling 33161 words and 132 pages.
Dave Oney was born mid last century in Middlebury, Vermont. He received his BS in Chemistry and worked as a polymer chemist in Massachusetts and New Jersey. He became a microscopist (someone who studies little bitty things using a microscope) and photomicrographer (someone who photographs little bitty things) before settling into a 35-year career in technical sales of scientific imaging equipment (the science of digitally recording itty bitty things, sending the image to a computer for analysis.) He designed and created a number of products contributing to this field. He is (was) proficient in several computer languages and is currently working on mastering English.
After making a few more paradigm shift career changes Dave and his wife, Fran, retired and moved closer to their children and granddaughters and now live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.
"What If..." by Dave Oney 