This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #520, on the subject of Versers Employed.

With permission of Valdron Inc I have previously completed publishing my first ten Multiverser novels,

1. Verse Three, Chapter One:  The First Multiverser Novel,
2. Old Verses New,
3. For Better or Verse,
4. Spy Verses,
5. Garden of Versers,
6. Versers Versus Versers,
7. Re Verse All,
8. In Verse Proportion,
9. Con Verse Lea, and
10. In Version, in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley,

in serialized form on the web (those links will take you to the table of contents for each book).  Along with each book there was also a series of web log posts looking at the writing process, the decisions and choices that delivered the final product; those posts are indexed with the chapters in the tables of contents pages.  Now as I am posting the eleventh, Con Version,  again written in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley, I am again offering a set of “behind the writings” insights.  This “behind the writings” look may contain spoilers because it sometimes talks about my expectations for the futures of the characters and stories–although it sometimes raises ideas that were never pursued, as being written partially concurrently with the story it sometimes discusses where I thought it was headed.  You might want to read the referenced chapters before reading this look at them.  Links below (the section headings) will take you to the specific individual chapters being discussed, and there are (or will soon be) links on those pages to bring you back hopefully to the same point here.

This is the sixteenth post for this novel, covering chapters 181 through 192.  Previous mark Joseph “young” behind-the-writings web log posts for this book include:

1. #498:  Characters Restart covering chapters 1 through 12;
2. #501:  Characters Orienting, covering chapters 13 through 24;
3. #502:  Verser Setbacks, chapters 25 through 36;
4. #503:  Versers Progress, chapters 37 through 48;
5. #505:  Versers Advance, chapters 49 through 60;
6. #506:  Characters Involved, chapters 61 through 72;
7. #509:  Character Challenges, chapters 73 through 84;
8. #510:  Versers Debate, chapters 85 through 96;
9. #511:  Characters Change, chapters 87 through 108;
10. #512:  Versers Work, chapters 109 through 120;
11. #515:  Verser Troubles, 121 through 132;
12. #516:  Versers Stymied, 133 through 144;
13. #517:  Versers Moving, 145 through 156;
14. #518:  Versers Plan, 157 through 168; and
15. #519:  Versers Congregate, 169 through 180.

There is also a section of the site, Multiverser Novel Support Pages, in which I have begun to place materials related to the novels beginning with character papers for the major characters, giving them at different stages as they move through the books.  This is also the longest book to date, and has quite a few long chapters in it, so there will be quite a few of these background articles.

History of the series, including the reason it started, the origins of character names and details, and many of the ideas, are in earlier posts, and won’t be repeated here.

Chapter 181, Takano 139

This definitely mashed Eric’s and my materials together in a way that makes it difficult after the fact to be certain who contributed what.  Dealing with choir practice egos was me, fixing the robot was Eric.

Chapter 182, Cooper 58

Eric s original version of Derek’s interview was in essence that he showed them the computer and he was hired.  I was unhappy with that, partly because I didn t find it credible, and partly because I thought it both necessary and credible for Vashti to be hired as well.  I expanded everything to do that, but retained the scene where he shows them his laptop.

Chapter 183, Brown 350

This was my work.  The Truth, Justice, and the American Way joke was one I had put forward weeks earlier, and Eric liked it, so it found its way in here.

Chapter 184, Takano 140

I wrote this, largely to do the bit where the enamored boy realizes that the girl he likes is a superhero.

Chapter 185, Cooper 59

This was my work, mostly to make it seem as if both Derek and Vashti were useful as employees.

Chapter 186, Takano 141

Eric agreed that having Tommy teach Robinette to read minds had potential for something in the future, but we were not sure what.

In the original, Tommy said that she didn t have Robinette’s number; as I was putting together her character sheet for the support site, I realized that in an earlier chapter she had put that phone number in her cell phone.  I could have left it as something she forgot, but I thought some astute reader would catch it, so I deleted that line and left the discussion about why she doesn t have a phone.

Chapter 187, Brown 351

I was both trying to get a feeling for what Michael Gabriel might be able to do and convey the possibilities to the reader here.

Chapter 188, Cooper 60

The party had been Eric’s idea, and we had agreed on the project in Yellowstone.  I was trying to build up Tommy learning about Cutter through mind reading without an abrupt discovery, so this was part of that.

Chapter 189, Takano 142

This was mostly to move several threads forward, including the psionic lessons and the Cutter mindreading.  The reference to the pair doing the job was critical to the upcoming plot.

Chapter 190, Brown 352

I needed again to make Michael Gabriel’s skill use credible, so I had Derek practice TK and think about other skills.  Eric added the cryogenesis skill botch because he felt a botch was necessary by this point, and he wanted to show that psionic skills could be dangerous.

Chapter 191, Takano 143

I was pushing toward getting Derek set up to be Michael Gabriel, and so he needed to get to the bank and get money and plan to go shopping.

Chapter 192, Brown 353

The shopping trip was my way of getting what I needed to make Michael Gabriel work.  The Woolworth’s idea was because Tommy had been in a 1950s world before and so had shopped at one.

This has been the sixteenth behind-the-writings look at Con Version.  If there is interest and continued support from readers we will endeavor to continue with more behind-the-writings posts and another novel.