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And I was pointing out that the point system already does everything you claim isn't there if you use it properly. However, if you wish to attribute such a quote to Vern, then you should accept that:

merely adds to your glorious reputation for nonsense. Exactly who do you think relies on "virtual friends"? If you say nearly everyone who receives a review, then you are probably correct as most accept those who care to spend the time and effort to review as virtual friends. Are you so paranoid you think every review someone gets is just a pat on the back from a friend? But hey, if you wish me to take one of your suggested responses, I'll take "I don't care" if your suggestion is implemented or not, but I have serious doubts it will be because of the reasons I've presented here which you simply ignore as blah, blah, blah. I bid you farewell for now. Good luck with any future endeavors. Take care. Vern

Edited to clarify your attitude with your words.

I'm not criticizing it at all; I recognize that no system is perfect, yours included. We could all probably come up with some new idea for a points system (many suggestions have been made over the years on this and the old site) but to accommodate all the variations would be costly and cumbersome to say the least and still someone would come up with another novel idea.

Your assumption that the point system would be irrelevant if people wanted to provide decent reviews doesn't hold up. Since folks must accrue points in order to post, that requires people to review and thus the incentive to give a good review to attract them in kind. Otherwise, with no points required, most authors would simply publish their work with little or no reviewing for others.  No, a strict reciprocal relationship is not required in this situation to gain reviews or points, but it certainly helps the cause. I personally - and I've stated this many times over the years - do not practice a strict reciprocal relationship. I have received reviews for an entire novel with little or no reciprocation and have reviewed several entire novels with little or no reciprocation. That being said, it is advantageous, especially for new authors, to build those reciprocal relationships.

A short story with virtually no point value can still draw reviews under this system if it is enticing. I published a three word short story with zero points - http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/posting … story-9764 - on the old site and it received "many" well thought out reviews. Yes, it would be impractical for an in-line review, but then that's what the regular review is for. Anyone who is motivated can come up with fifty words to respond to even your proposed one word story/chapter/page/whatever. BTW, the one word on a page was used in A Million Little Pieces and became a bestseller after being reviewed on Oprah - not her best moment.

The points are not always the deciding factor; it has more to do with what is written and how it is presented. If you simply want a "Good idea" or "Bad idea" you can ask for it in the forums and probably get quite a few responses. It's been done many times by different people.

See last comment. If a piece is that short, you use a little common sense and the regular review; surely anyone motivated can come up with fifty words as previously stated. If you simply want a yes or no, then tell your reviewers to fill in with gibberish to reach the minimum - a quick copy and paste should do without having to change the whole system.

Everyone is a newbie when they start. The vast majority of us managed to receive reviews from the beginning because of the system. New members are a good way to build further relationships if they are desired/needed. The bonus points received for the first three reviews also encourages reviewing newer members since they are the most likely not to have three or more reviews in the short term, or long. You also have members who review without ever publishing. A request in the forums might also point them to an author's work and if successful and you are short on reviewing time, you don't have to reciprocate since they have nothing to review. Additionally, some reviewers post in the forums looking for works to review; you simply have to ask.

So, obviously you don't need a network of reciprocation to be successful on this site, but it makes it a whole lot easier if you go to the trouble of building one. For long timers (myself included), most have accumulated more points than they'll probably use and yet continue to review because it is a valuable tool in it's own right and they enjoy it, getting to read a lot of original stories and possibly having a hand in their success. That's not a bad deal at all.  Take care. Vern

PS: Edited to add link to three word short story.

I read a portion of Being Fifteen and it reads like YA to me and the title would also imply YA, but you still do not have to classify it as such if you don't think it belongs. You can leave that up to any future publishing professionals who may enter the picture. And btw, most coming of age stories would probably fit into the YA genre though some like Carrie by Stephen King would also fit in the Horror genre. Take care. Vern

The age of the protagonist is irrelevant to Commercial Fiction. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird was written in the pov of a young girl, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were teenagers and I'm not sure there was even such a thing as a YA genre at the time; if there was, they crossed it and appealed to a wide audience -- adults read books about children all the time. As stated earlier, many works cross genres and often times an agent/editor/publisher will choose a different genre from the one you might think it belongs in. The broad category of Commercial Fiction seems to fit the bill, but where you place it at this point will make little difference in the grand scheme of things. The genre you choose is not a deal breaker for getting published, it's all about the story -- Harry Potter was not written for an adult audience but it certainly brought millions of readers into the so-called YA arena with a huge crossover. Good luck. Take care. Vern

Garfunkel

So, help be clear on your position in an attempt to bring this to closure. From what I have gleaned from your statements direct or inferred, let me pose a direct question. Should someone with what I would consider at least above average knowledge of punctuation, say an editor, says that although a certain writer (famous or otherwise) uses punctuation (any punctuation not just the semicolon) which is not standard (which you seem to think are concrete rules), said writing is still appropriate (or one might say creative) as it is their style, would you then say that both the writer and editor are inept? That is what I gather from your past positions so hopefully you can clarify it for me as true or misconstrued and we can wind this subject down. Take care. Vern

Check this forum thread:  http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/forums/ … elete.html
Tale care. Vern

Edited to add "thread."

freckles

lol, Only in knowledge, not necessarily orientation; I expect you're a bit further down that road than I and more acquainted with their methods.
Actually, you having no idea gives me my answer, I think. Thanks. I'll explain later - out of time, got to run for now. Take care. Vern

I guess that would place most agents/editors/publishers in the prescriptive camp and most aspiring authors in the descriptive arena. I would probably fall somewhere on the road to the descriptive side with the drawbridge leading forward in the upright position, lol.

Speaking of rules, a question you might be able to answer: What exactly are "interrelated clauses?" More precisely, I know they are "related" in some fashion, but would both have to be independent if two are joined with punctuation other than a period? I have a specific reason for asking and hopefully you can clarify it for me. Thanks. Take care. Vern

PS: Edited to add more detail to question.

Pretty cool and eye-catching. (S)he must've had a good teacher. Not crazy about the wine glass depiction for Broken - it's not - but the art itself is still good. Take care. Vern

That's huuuge.