Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Dinner will be late.
1,777 2017-07-20 23:24:27
- E. Free
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
amy s wrote:
E Free, I'm getting to ya, but my energy today is gone gone. Will try to get to a story about DRAGONS AND MORE DRAGONS tomorrow
A
No worries. I'll be MIA for the next week, so no rush. I appreciate it, Amy. Your reviews always manage to improve my writing as a whole. 
1,778 2017-07-21 04:45:25
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Apropos Alda, there's a book called =Switching Time= about a woman with severe MPD. Even her alters had alters. AldaM reminds me of the idea of an alter.
1,779 2017-08-02 21:35:58
- Erndog
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
It would be helpful to hear why you think making Alda a more central character than Taz. Once I know this, I can give you another great steaming load of opinions.
Regarding Ch. 9 and your comment about Alda becoming the MC instead of Taz. Because the Chap. is all about Taz, I assume you mean to give Alda a bigger part in the series and reduce Taz's role altogether. This would take some work on your part, and I'm not sure the effort would improve anything.
Taz and Alda's characters do not compete for the relationship with Jay. Certainly they both know her, but from far different POVs. Taz and Alda are irreverent folks, and that makes them a good pair, or team. Taz being a non-believer, whilst Alda is a believer, and seems to accept her spiritual gifts grudgingly as more of a burden however, she complies out of a sense of duty to Jay as well as Behira.
I think both provide a good balance, and they appeal to Jay in their own special way. Being a member of the Wolves is special to Jay, and also provides a good anchor to previous books. I think diminishing Taz's role would be a mistake. That's not to say you can't amp up Alda's character or role. Because of Alda's sardonic view on almost everything she provides humor, however, too much 'may' make readers tire of her and Alda ends up being more glib than funny. I think you have a good balance with the triad of Jay, Taz, and Alda.
1,780 2017-08-15 02:01:17
- Norm d'Plume
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
How are you feeling, Amy?
1,781 2017-08-18 20:42:01
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Feeling good and going to Chicago this weekend.Hey NJC, guess what? I got a visual and I'm going to write you the ending. Flames! Big magic'n
1,782 2017-08-18 23:02:04
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Thanks. I'm going south in the hope of catching the eclipse totality. Leaving Sunday AM, returning Tuesday PM.
1,783 2017-08-20 02:34:30
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Got your advice, Ernie. Trust me, I'm thinking if it.
1,784 2017-09-20 07:17:30
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
New chapter is up. I'm writing you the ending, NJC. Chapter 40 of Mantle of Magic.
Enjoy
1,785 2017-09-20 08:37:08
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
You're a dear!
1,786 2017-09-21 11:50:25
- Kdot
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
I see you got a drive-by from TW. If it helps any, she didn't understand it was a chapter that has to tie a lot of books / threads together. I think some digression in plot, theme, and (gulp) POV is reasonable. Only other way is to have a character much more charismatic than the others who can carry the scene by themselves.
PS: I still don't see Melody
1,787 2017-09-25 15:56:24
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Your point about melody is valid. I haven't been writing her, and I'm starting to wonder if she is going to go by the wayside as excess that isn't necessary. Haven't seen TW's review yet, but character advice from someone whose main character commits infanticide and has no redeeming social qualities will be taken with a grain of salt.
1,788 2017-09-25 17:04:17
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
She is a skilled writer. It's not her characters' character that is in question.
1,789 2017-09-25 21:31:44
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
I eat lots of salt, so I take her critique on a case by case basis
1,790 2017-09-25 22:53:17
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Read my comments. Nine and sixty ways.
1,791 2017-09-26 10:46:45
- Kdot
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
quite the drubbing
1,792 2017-09-26 12:48:31
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Hardly, though the final comment is an eight-lb. striking metaphor.
1,793 2017-09-30 21:35:07
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
He called her a talented louse. Love the phrase. Just love it.
And I can take it. Not half as bad as my surgeons on a bad day.
1,794 2017-10-01 02:33:21
- Kdot
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
I feel your pain about Melody. I have this weird character who's kind of a main but kind of a side. I could delete her and the ending would remain unchanged. I'm usually pretty ruthless with that kind of flotsam. But this character is like *puppy dog eyes* Please don't delete me (or feed me to the slaughter machine (or cut my arms off)).
1,795 2017-10-01 15:35:27
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
It means you have a heart. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone.
1,796 2017-10-18 03:49:34
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
I posted two revised chapters of Dictates. Slow but sure.
Got good news at the doc office today. My latest scan shows no increase in the tumor. Chemo is still working. The doc pulled a study for me that showed actual data of people with my kind of cancer and how long the chemo usually works. Great news is that I should have at least another year until the cancer progresses. A full year-free and clear. I made it through the twelve rounds of chemo and now they are adjusting my doses to help with symptoms.
I'm a happy camper today. Christmas, Fourth of July, Birthdays, they all became possible. Hell, I might go to the Pennsic War for the entire two weeks.
Later, folks.
1,797 2017-10-18 05:05:31
- Norm d'Plume
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Awesome about the chapters. I'll get to those later this week.
Nuts about your long-term prognosis. Does your health plan give you access to the best hospitals/docs/treatments? Hopefully, you have more than Jersey City Medical Center. Oy!
Glad your feeling good. :-)
Dirk
1,798 2017-10-18 07:33:04
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Good news. I'll hope for more.
Your chapters, later. But did Jaylene get left behind? There's no mention of her.
1,799 2017-10-18 18:31:08
- amy s
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
Jaylene couldn't find Alda and went below two days after finding the clues w Alda
1,800 2017-10-18 19:07:12
- njc
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Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread
There's a lot I'm not comfoetable with in the last three chapters and I want to think for a while before I put it in words. Some of it is continuity. Some of it is letting Alda dominate the story for several chapters. Some of it is falling outside the foreshadow.
So I'm going to mull it for a day or two. You'll see me doing other things. Don't worry; I haven't forgotten you.
