We're like political candidates arguing about the "write" way to do this or that when we are actually all arguing for the same thing which is to get the damn story done and over with and hopefully published. When all is said and done, the author will heed whatever advice suits their vision and the reviewer will give whatever advice they think might help under the circumstances -- it may or may not, but the effort is valuable and hopefully appreciated and not denounced as some evil editor bound to keep their story off the shelves. We can learn and ignore with wisdom or simply ignore the rules and sound advice of others. And that's the truth, phtttt. Take care. Vern
101 2020-03-03 00:38:24
Re: it's, its', let's, lets' (17 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
102 2020-03-01 14:44:50
Re: it's, its', let's, lets' (17 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Marilyn Johnson wrote:
Memphis Trace wrote:Kill the apostrophe
https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/0 … nding.htmlMT
All I can say in order to end this rant I've found myself riled up about is I've lived too fucking long.
MJ
Rants are good, they keep us moving. To not rant once in a while is to not care one way or the other. Take care. Vern
103 2020-02-14 12:32:33
Re: Friend or Foe? Sol? (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Marilyn Johnson wrote:
vern wrote:I guess I was the only one who responded to her email and received the grand prize of a thousand dollars. Now, what to do with it.
Go figure! Some people just have all the luck! Have you considered Happy Hour down at the local karaoke joint?
Good idea. I'll buy everyone a peck of tomatoes, lol. Take care. Vern
104 2020-02-14 02:55:54
Re: Friend or Foe? Sol? (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I guess I was the only one who responded to her email and received the grand prize of a thousand dollars. Now, what to do with it. Perhaps that could be the next contest theme. Well, it could happen. Did you have second thoughts just for an instant, lol. Take care. Vern
105 2020-02-11 12:09:11
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Drifters
106 2020-02-10 13:51:41
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Buddha
107 2020-02-10 04:48:01
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Temple; Tapes
Me: VD, no excuse me, CD
108 2020-02-09 14:45:59
Re: Too good to check (8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I work hard to make Heinlein happy, Take care. Vern
109 2020-02-09 14:41:23
Re: Chicken Soup (9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Congrats, MJ, good news for the soul goes with the soup. Take care. Vern
110 2020-01-30 12:48:46
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Clarification --- about my use of PeePee in these threads. I assumed my past use was enough but my assumption was wrong. So,
PeePee = PP = Putin's Puppet = Trump. And now you know the rest of the story. Take care. Vern
111 2020-01-30 02:58:17
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Orange-head
112 2020-01-27 21:38:29
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
PeePee -- hey, it is what it is.
113 2020-01-27 14:28:01
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
PeePee
114 2020-01-26 23:46:09
Re: Carnage in Singapore - Update (11 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Congrats! Take care. Vern
115 2020-01-26 19:59:42
Re: Hello my fellow word nerds :) (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Catherine Wolfe wrote:
Thanks for the responses! Catherine Wolfe is not my real name, I made it up as the site required a pen name in order to sign up. My real name is, however, the one I've always used when submitting my writing for publication and I have had a few pieces published under it. It seems like if part of the point of being here is to develop an audience - as there's a possibility of exposing the work you put up to the whole internet - I should be using my writing (real) name? But I guess there's no point in worrying about it until I get to that stage... I'll leave it for now, as that seems to be the consensus. Maybe I'll change my pseudonym to something weird that is obviously fake. Anyway, it's a fun discussion.
If you wish to promote your real name to your readers on this site which is totally different from submitting for publication you can simply add it to your profile information and you can also sign your real name to any posts in these forums for further advertisement, good or bad -- to paraphrase the old saying, "Don't care what they say, just spell my name right." Take care. Vern
116 2020-01-26 04:18:52
Re: Hello my fellow word nerds :) (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I would consider a pen name strictly as a matter of privacy. If you don't care about such things in any way shape or form, then you should have no qualms about using your real name. Hell, if you didn't tell us, most would think the name you use is a pen name. But as reality has a way of biting us on the butt, you might also want to think twice about your choice. There are lots of crazies out in this world and the less they know the better imho. Take care. Vern
117 2020-01-26 00:38:08
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Pushups
118 2020-01-24 23:56:13
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
PeePee -- PP = Putin's Puppet = Trump
119 2019-12-31 22:34:12
Re: Breaking Time (6 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
You can always simply put a time reference such as the date at the beginning of each chapter kind of like a heading or you can have the narrator or a character make a reference to the time elapsed since the last episode described -- a week later Joe blow blew smoke signals or "You know, Joe, you blew smoke signals a month ago when we were in the firehouse" or "Since your skiing accident, you've been in a coma for three weeks" or such. A thousand ways to say things to reference time.
But it may not always be necessary to tell the reader the exact time lapse as the action unfolding will clue them in. Say your character was flying to Australia or somewhere halfway around the world, then you picked up their activities after they had arrived. That would indicate a certain amount of time had transpired assuming you don't want to follow everything they did on the flight. The storyline and characters will probably give you lots of opportunities and ways to reference the passage of time in various increments. See you next week. Take care. Vern
120 2019-12-26 04:56:02
Re: Marking short stories as read (3 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Ann Everett wrote:
Dirk,
It might take a bit of work, but if you go to your home page, then click your name in the upper right corner, then scroll down to reviews and click, you'll be able to see all the reviews you've posted...by choosing regular or inline. That will give you the chapter number of each you've done.
If they've occurred over time, then they may not all be on the same page...that's where the work comes in, but at least, you can see them and make a list?
Just a suggestion.
~Ann
If you want to go that route, you don't have to click on your name since all your reviews -- given, received, inline , or regular -- are available directly from the home page. Take care. Vern
121 2019-12-24 14:57:21
Re: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (11 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONyXSnL2LtA
Take care. Vern
122 2019-12-23 04:32:13
Re: Marking short stories as read (3 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
You could read them in order by date posted. You could probably remember the last one you read and go to the next one posted. Even if you didn't review or like it enough to read, you should still remember which one you last viewed. Or you could just tell them to slow down, lol. Take care. Vern
123 2019-12-09 03:33:31
Re: Chapter names or not? (5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I don't think it makes a hill of beans whether you give chapters names or not for a product ready for publishing -- perhaps different story on this site. I put chapter names in my novel on this site for additional description about the chapter topic, but do not have them in my master draft. I feel that on site perhaps a possible reviewer might get some inkling of whether to continue reviewing that next chapter but when/if a person buys the book they are probably not going to be influenced by chapter names. Just my opinion. Take care. Vern
PS: Type numbers? Who cares.
124 2019-12-06 23:35:26
Re: Favorite novels... (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
The Dune Trilogy hands down -- the first was the best, but all great. Take care. Vern
125 2019-12-05 23:56:27
Re: Who needs an extra review? (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Ray, I don't really need reviews for my novel Root Hog or Die, but you're welcome to see if it perks your interest. The chapters are relatively long for this site so the points add up quickly. Just give me a broad overview if it holds your interest or any blaring mistakes if you wish. Some small things have been edited in the master copy but not on site so no need to get bogged down in the detail. And if dialect or colloquialisms are not your cup of tea, you might want to ignore this. If you do decide, please pay attention to any bold notes at the end or beginning of chapters since some things have been moved around and the notes will guide you to where you should go under certain circumstances. Easy points up for grabs should you desire as I continue my search for an agent/publisher. Take care. Vern
