Invisible wrote:
> ...well, I end up drafting and re-drafting in an endless cycle which 
> never produces a document of more than a few dozen pages. :-(

You're jumping in and writing code before you've written a spec.

The way you solve this problem is you write an outline.  Next time you're 
trying to do this, write an outline and show it to us first, before writing 
*any* text. Three days later, write the text by following the outline.

Trust me on this.

> Writing a page or two isn't too hard. (Parsec, anyone?) Writing 
> something that's 30 pages long is another matter.

It's the same process. You build an outline that breaks it down to one to 
three paragraphs for each entry. Essentially, it's a really, really detailed 
table of contents.

*Then* write the document.

>> Show it to someone else each time, and ask where it was confusing.
> I don't know anybody who is this patient.

I'm happy to do it for a while, *if* you are actually interested in learning 
and will try it the way I ask you to. If you're going to post wall-of-text 
and when I say "where's the outline" you tell me you didn't do one, then I'm 
not going to be patient, because you're not going to solve the problem 
you're describing if you do that.

>>> I haven't had the pleasure of working with a professional editor yet.
>> That's what a good high school is for. ;-)
> Now I'm going to have to look up what the UK-equivalent term is...

The last few grades before college, the final mandatory schooling levels...

>>> Yeah. Logically, there must be books and courses and things somewhere
>>> which explain how to do this properly.
>>
>> I would think you learn by sitting with other professional sound
>> engineers. I wouldn't think "sound engineer" is something you could read
>> about.
> 
> You're probably right about that.
> 
> Even if this isn't the case, it's unlikely that the necessary material 
> can be accessed for free. It's more likely you'd have to pay money for 
> that.

Altho I imagine with the internets' ability to deliver sound in a way 
textbooks can't, you *might* be able to learn this online.


-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
  "How did he die?"   "He got shot in the hand."
     "That was fatal?"
          "He was holding a live grenade at the time."

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