I just started Dragon Age Inquisition (Level 5, this is nothing like WoW leveling) and OMG I don't even care about the missions (and why can a bear completely take me out???), but I live for making Cullen blush. And Blackwall blushing when I make suggestive comments. I still need to romance Solas and I've watched enough DA music edits on Youtube to know it's coming.
There are a handful of gaming experiences I wish I could “relive for the first time” and the Trespasser DLC with a Solas romance is one of them. 😭 (the ME2 suicide mission is another)
HAVE FUN. If you’re on PC, you gotta mod that game too! Make everyone 100X hotter 😂
Mass Effect is also on my list to get to (my youngest walks in while my Shakarian videos are playing and is all Mom is watching her alien romance videos again!) and luckily they are all available on the Xbox game pass sub we have.
But I might have to check them out on PC. Mods you say???
I’ve been losing my mind ever since that gameplay omg. The art style will take me some time to get used to (I prefer more realism), and I generally prefer more open worlds (still hoping there’ll be lots to explore?) but it looks absolutely stunning and I’m so, so very excited.
Also the fact that the official dragon age account said we’ll be able to remake our Inquisitor at the beginning alongside our new protagonist?! Had me screeching. Gives me hope for that Lavellan/Solas reunion I’ve been dreaming of for years now. 😭
No joke, I started a new DAI play through between writing that comment and now, and yeah I see what you mean. And the armor in DAI is very… interesting for sure (I say that with love. I adore DAI so much.) I think I’m mostly referring to the faces, I guess? They look maybe more smooth/less detailed in some regards, yet very detailed in others? I am struggling to pinpoint what I mean! But also the change is not…bad? I just inherently don’t like change. Ha.
You know I’ve never much written fan fic before, but by god, this game makes me want to so bad!
Timelines for edits has been a question I've wondered about forever, so that you for sharing! A sort of adjacent question I've wondered is how different is your book from when you send it to your editor, to the time it's going in for copyedits. I always believe my "final" version is it, yet I hear many adding or removing 35-40k words which makes me wonder if I'm spending too much time trying to get my book to the end vs realizing it's likely to change once it finds an editor. I'm in the submission stage and revising the next project, and I'd like to spend less time "fine tuning" this one to get it out there, but also worried I'm going to send out crap to editors (not that my agent would let that happen haha). How do you know when your book is ready to be sent in, aside from when the time is up...
I am like you, AJ. I wish I weren't because it would probably be faster. But...I cannot give ANYONE--even my earliest readers--something I haven't edited and re-edited...and re-edited some more. It's just how some of us operate as humans, and it's okay! Does it mean that I will inevitably make more changes in developmental edits? Yes. BUT, on the other hand, I rarely have to make BIG changes. Usually what I turn in *is* really solid.
And even the one time I *did* have to do a lot of rewriting with my editor to get a book where it needed to be, I don't regret all the self-editing I did before that.
Ah that's helpful to know the extra hours self-editing isn't all in vain (of course, that may vary depending on the book and editor). I don't think I could turn off the endless tinkering haha.
I am so freakin stoked for DA!! I know it'll be different, but every new DA has evolved from the one(s) that came before and I've loved them all, so I'm not worried. Totally with you that what I'm here for is the storytelling (and romancing lol).
I've been editing kids books for 25 years now and often get a variation of the questions you tackle here--both about deadlines and the variety of edits to expect. Brava for your super clear, thorough, informative, and frankly comforting overview. I'll be sending all the writers I work with to your substack for more!
AAAAHHHH DRAGON AGE!!!! I’ve loved everything I’ve seen about it so far, I CAN’T WAIT!!!! I’m about to start a full run of all three games to get ready. 😍😂
"One thing I’ve discovered over my many years doing this is that often what the editor says is broken isn’t what’s actually broken. Oh, they’re sensing a genuine issue in the text, but they won’t always pinpoint what that issue is." <-- THIS. Similarly, sometimes the edit letter comes with a solution (or several) and it's okay if every single one feels wrong. It's our job, as the author, to find a solution that DOES work and gets to the root of the issue/what's not working.
I just started Dragon Age Inquisition (Level 5, this is nothing like WoW leveling) and OMG I don't even care about the missions (and why can a bear completely take me out???), but I live for making Cullen blush. And Blackwall blushing when I make suggestive comments. I still need to romance Solas and I've watched enough DA music edits on Youtube to know it's coming.
There are a handful of gaming experiences I wish I could “relive for the first time” and the Trespasser DLC with a Solas romance is one of them. 😭 (the ME2 suicide mission is another)
HAVE FUN. If you’re on PC, you gotta mod that game too! Make everyone 100X hotter 😂
Mass Effect is also on my list to get to (my youngest walks in while my Shakarian videos are playing and is all Mom is watching her alien romance videos again!) and luckily they are all available on the Xbox game pass sub we have.
But I might have to check them out on PC. Mods you say???
I mean, modding is great fun! You can give Solas hair or remove Blackwall's--he's a hottie under that beard! https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonageinquisition/mods/687
And Mass Effect is...phew. Fantastic.
Thanks for the link!
Although I can't quite picture Solas with hair...
I’ve been losing my mind ever since that gameplay omg. The art style will take me some time to get used to (I prefer more realism), and I generally prefer more open worlds (still hoping there’ll be lots to explore?) but it looks absolutely stunning and I’m so, so very excited.
Also the fact that the official dragon age account said we’ll be able to remake our Inquisitor at the beginning alongside our new protagonist?! Had me screeching. Gives me hope for that Lavellan/Solas reunion I’ve been dreaming of for years now. 😭
I mean, DAI was pretty stylized? A lot of that armor gets wild, and then you look at Orlesians and Tevinter gear...
But yeah, GIVE ME THE SOLAVELLAN CONCLUSION I DESERVE.
If they won't, then that's what I write books for. Lol. Right all the story wrongs I feel have been cast upon me over the decades.
No joke, I started a new DAI play through between writing that comment and now, and yeah I see what you mean. And the armor in DAI is very… interesting for sure (I say that with love. I adore DAI so much.) I think I’m mostly referring to the faces, I guess? They look maybe more smooth/less detailed in some regards, yet very detailed in others? I am struggling to pinpoint what I mean! But also the change is not…bad? I just inherently don’t like change. Ha.
You know I’ve never much written fan fic before, but by god, this game makes me want to so bad!
I need to finish a few of my DAI playthroughs now that the next one is finally announced! It's so awesome, I can't wait.
Timelines for edits has been a question I've wondered about forever, so that you for sharing! A sort of adjacent question I've wondered is how different is your book from when you send it to your editor, to the time it's going in for copyedits. I always believe my "final" version is it, yet I hear many adding or removing 35-40k words which makes me wonder if I'm spending too much time trying to get my book to the end vs realizing it's likely to change once it finds an editor. I'm in the submission stage and revising the next project, and I'd like to spend less time "fine tuning" this one to get it out there, but also worried I'm going to send out crap to editors (not that my agent would let that happen haha). How do you know when your book is ready to be sent in, aside from when the time is up...
I am like you, AJ. I wish I weren't because it would probably be faster. But...I cannot give ANYONE--even my earliest readers--something I haven't edited and re-edited...and re-edited some more. It's just how some of us operate as humans, and it's okay! Does it mean that I will inevitably make more changes in developmental edits? Yes. BUT, on the other hand, I rarely have to make BIG changes. Usually what I turn in *is* really solid.
And even the one time I *did* have to do a lot of rewriting with my editor to get a book where it needed to be, I don't regret all the self-editing I did before that.
Ah that's helpful to know the extra hours self-editing isn't all in vain (of course, that may vary depending on the book and editor). I don't think I could turn off the endless tinkering haha.
I am so freakin stoked for DA!! I know it'll be different, but every new DA has evolved from the one(s) that came before and I've loved them all, so I'm not worried. Totally with you that what I'm here for is the storytelling (and romancing lol).
Agreed! Each one is so different and distinct. I am here for it!
I've been editing kids books for 25 years now and often get a variation of the questions you tackle here--both about deadlines and the variety of edits to expect. Brava for your super clear, thorough, informative, and frankly comforting overview. I'll be sending all the writers I work with to your substack for more!
Thank you so much, Summer!!
AAAAHHHH DRAGON AGE!!!! I’ve loved everything I’ve seen about it so far, I CAN’T WAIT!!!! I’m about to start a full run of all three games to get ready. 😍😂
"One thing I’ve discovered over my many years doing this is that often what the editor says is broken isn’t what’s actually broken. Oh, they’re sensing a genuine issue in the text, but they won’t always pinpoint what that issue is." <-- THIS. Similarly, sometimes the edit letter comes with a solution (or several) and it's okay if every single one feels wrong. It's our job, as the author, to find a solution that DOES work and gets to the root of the issue/what's not working.
Oh this is so interesting and informative! Thank you so much!
Love this! Thanks for sharing your insight