Category Archives: updates

Crossing Things off Lists

by AJ Gulyas Posted on February 16, 2013

Nothing is more satisfying that completing a project (or, at the very least, a significant phase of a project).  Most of the things I’ve been working on have really long gestation periods, so it’s nice to see some forward momentum.

978-0-7864-7116-4Extraterrestrials and the American Zeitgeist is moving through the publisher’s pipeline.  I spent a shameful afternoon responding to copy edit queries and wondering why I never see mistakes the first (or second, or third, or fourth…) time.  That bit’s done now and it’s moving on to the final phases leading to publication.

978-0-7864-6549-1

Similarly, Doctor Who in Time and Space, to which I contributed a chapter, is due to be released soon. This was pretty fun to do, even if it involved me having to watch (and think deeply about) the 1996 Fox Doctor Who television movie.

OPERATION LEMURIA, which I can’t talk about because I’m deeply superstitious, is completed and in other people’s hands; I’m just waiting for feedback at this point.

RANDOM ANACONDA, a revision of course outcomes for MCC’s “History of the Holocaust” course, is done and the paperwork is moving through the bureaucracy.  The only remaining work is explaining the changes at a bunch of meetings.

In amongst all of this stuff, I’m implementing some changes in my online classes.  It’s been a busy Winter so far, but I’m hoping that the work I’m putting in this semester will, down the road, save me some time.

Now, to get some grading done.

Posted in Teaching, updates, Work | Leave a comment

And Away It Goes

by AJ Gulyas Posted on July 24, 2012

At 90,003 words (not including notes or bibliography), the not-yet-formally-titled Space Brother book is off to the publisher. A month, I point out, ahead of schedule, as I needed to clear the decks for the upcoming fall semester and some other projects. It may be the first time I’ve submitted anything before the deadline.

So now, I’ve got some time while the thing makes its way through the publisher’s system and they find all the things I need to fix. Watch this space for updates.

During the next six weeks or so, the blog here will be more focused on History and Teaching rather than “the Strange” as that part of my annual work cycle is gearing up and I desperately try to make my classes more interesting and useful for all involved. It’s not a moratorium on flying saucers, but it’s close…

…At least for now.

Posted in updates, Work | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Hack and Slash

by AJ Gulyas Posted on July 12, 2012
271 Marked-up Pages

I’m about 2/3 of the way through the first major, full on edit of the Saucer Book Project and I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far.  More words stayed than I thought would and I’ve been able to add a few thousand here and there, making connections more explicit and strengthening the argument.

And, of course, adding in the section about Billy Meier, the Swiss Contactee whose story spans decades.  Whole lot of information to sort through there, but I think I have an approach that’s narrow enough that it doesn’t become the Billy Meier chapter (it’s in with the 1970s stuff).  One of the biggest issues with the Meier material is that the original translations of the 1970s notes are pretty heavily edited (editor Wendelle Stevens removed inflamatory statements about religion and politics.  I mean, what’s the point?  Oh, and I think I met Stevens once, back in ’96 at a UFO slideshow in a hotel conference room.  Not sure though…)  Still, I think it works for my over all approach and, besides, a book about Contactees without Billy Meier doesn’t really work…

Posted in updates, Work | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

And that’s the First, Complete Draft Done

by AJ Gulyas Posted on July 7, 2012

[progpress title="Flying Saucers, Space Brothers, and Interplanetary Femme Fatales" goal="79586" current="79586"]

First Draft
That’s quite a stack of paper…

It came in a bit under 80,000 words, but that’s fine.  I still have some filling out to do, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s chapter and the conclusion is pretty under-developed. I strongly suspect that the final word total will be closer to 90,000 than 80,000 but I am happy to have some leeway for shaping the thing.  I know there are places that are kind of flabby that could use some tightening up.  I had a real fear that I’d get to, say, 45k and have absolutely nothing left to say.  This will not, apparently, be a problem.  Saying it well, however, is going to be the real challenge…

So now, I begin editing, with two more significant chunks of writing left.  Then polishing, finalizing, and shipping the blasted thing off so I don’t have to think about it for a while!

Posted in Anomalous, updates, Work | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Aetherius! George King, Writing, and Progress Report

by AJ Gulyas Posted on June 5, 2012

 

[progpress title="Space Brothers on Patrol" goal="85000" current="60175"]

I hit 60K words last week.  Hoping for as much production this week (shortened due to a trip out of town).  I’m still on pace to finish when I want/need to–sooner, if I can find a healthy way to do without sleep.

Today’s work will involve the Aetherius Society and Rev. George King–the Contactee who looked least like a Contactee.  British, dignified, master of Yoga (rather than master of the Royal Order of Tibet, which wasn’t even a thing, really), King founded the Aetherius Society, the first actual, registered non-profit flying saucer religion.  It’s still going strong and there’s a branch down the road in Royal Oak that I feel I should visit.

So, today’s goal is a couple thousand words.  Hit 3400 in one day last week–kind of a fluke, as I seemed to be in some manner of trance.  Perhaps, from the aether, Rev. King will send me some sort of yogic motivation.  that would be much appreciated, as I’m just about out of coffee.

 

Posted in updates, Work | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pushing Ahead

by AJ Gulyas Posted on May 22, 2012

[progpress title="Space Brothers on Patrol" goal="85000" current="51106"]

End of the semester = more time for writing.  I’m teaching online-only over Spring and Summer sessions so I am getting some traction.  My goal is to have all the words down by the end of June, enabling me to hack most them away and replace them with better ones during July and August, giving me plenty of time before the August 31 delivery deadline.

(One thing I need to remember to do is place the photos and write captions.  That’s going to be a new experience.)

I am slowly but surely overcoming my compulsion (borne of procrastination) to edit as I write.  I’ve never really been a multiple revision sort of writer (or any sort of writer–I still feel very new at this sort of thing, despite having written professionally.  This is just so many more words!), so it’s a luxury to still have 3+ months to finish up.

Speaking of finishing up, it’s time to hit “publish” and get into the office.  I need to finish up thinking about Contactee romance today, if I can stand it.

Posted in Monthly, updates, Work | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

40k Words

by AJ Gulyas Posted on March 18, 2012

[progpress title="Space Brothers on Patrol" goal="85000" current="40686"]

The actual title isn’t Space Brothers on Patrol, but I do need to think about shortening the working title.  It would be nice it it fit on the spine.

I (barely) met my Spring Break goal of getting past 40,000 words.  Things sped up when I finally accepted that I had already scheduled extensive revision time into my schedule, so I should concentrated on getting the words down.  I can make them prettier later.  This is probably one of those things actual writers know and do naturally.  Still feeling my way around here…

The research continues along-side the writing.  I’m heading down to the Gray Baker Collection at the end of the month and am continuing to track down weird saucer books and  begging nice people for photo permissions.

Back to classes tomorrow, heading full speed toward the end of the semester.

Posted in Anomalous, updates, Work | Tagged | Leave a comment

Slow Grind

by AJ Gulyas Posted on February 24, 2012

[progpress title="Mostly Untitled Saucer Book" goal="85000" current="32202"]

The word count moves slowly, mostly because I’ve been in research mode over the past few weeks, tracking down old newsletters and out of print books as well as negotiating photo permissions with various entities.

The upshot is my writing time has been swallowed up by reading endless channeled/New Age books.  It’s been painful.

Posted in Anomalous, History, updates, Work | Leave a comment

Public shame as motivator

by AJ Gulyas Posted on January 28, 2012

When I mentioned on the Facebook that I was under contract to write a book about saucer contacts, I was not intending to brag.  Instead, I was trying to create a situation and environment in which people who knew me personally would be in a position to ask questions like, “How’s that book going, Aaron?  Given up yet?  Planning to admit you’re a failure?”  Thus, here is the first of a series of periodic word count updates, leading up to the impending manuscript deadline of August 31.

[progpress title="Saucer Book" goal="85000" current="28258"]

This week’s work was undermined by a nasty stomach bug, but I’ve gotten the Preface into a decent shape and have been working the interlibrary loan people like my personal serfs.  Next up: some editing of early chapters and setting up some research trips.

 

Posted in Anomalous, updates, Work | 1 Comment