Sailors on the Sea

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Ah, When Things Go Wrong

I just love it. Wrote an update query and did a mass update of thousands of records only to learn afterward that I had written the query wrong. Failed to take something into consideration. The result? The database is filled with conflicting information and I am probably going to have to redo the past two days' work. Oh, well. I've done it before.

That's the problem with shortcuts. Sometimes they go wrong. And often (when one is overconfident and refuses to take the time to make a backup) there is no way to get back to the original problem. That is not quite true in this case. I am able to go all the way back to the start and begin again. Pity. I wasn't that far from finishing this phase.

The good news, of course, is that this is the easy part. I'm now beginning again for the third time. Hopefully, my enthusiasm won't dwindle beyond recovery.

It's not a big problem. When something is important to me I will start over as many times as it takes. This is important to me. I rewrote Swords of Fire: Book I so many times I no longer know the count. The task does not daunt me.

Do you have stories like that? Stories that so need to be told - by you - that you dutifully return to the beginning to start anew when things go wrong? That's the thing about telling a story. Even simple stories have things go wrong. And Swords of Fire is hardly simple.

2 comments:

fairyhedgehog said...

You have so much patience.

I've got stories that I haven't finished because they went wrong. I'm not sure if I lack the stamina to redo them or if it's the lack of ability to see how to put them right.

Bevie said...

My Archive boxes are filled with unfinished stories. Swords of Fire needs to be told, though. It's different somehow. For no other story have I invested into the backstory like this one. It's too real, I guess.

Contributors

A Tentative Schedule

Monday - Progress Report
Where am I with regard to the Current Book

Tuesday - Thoughts About Writing
I was going to be profound, but let's be real

Wednesday - What Am I Learning
What can I take from what I am doing

Thursday - Work Sent Out For Review
Respondes to my submissions

Friday - Other Works of Fantasy
Some of my other fantasy writing

Saturday - The Impact of Music
How music has influenced what I write

Sunday - Venting
My 'morbid' time. A safe compromise, I think