276

(20 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

jack the knife wrote:

I' was without power for two days but now back on line. Still raining, though, and speaking of that, did the dam hold, Marilyn?

Good to hear you're okay, Jack.  I saw the videos of your town with the streets flooded and more to come.  Also saw the downed power lines in places.  I wondered if you'd evacuated, or if you rode out the storm. 

The dam held just fine.  It didn't get as bad here as they had predicted, thank goodness.  The brunt of it went just east of me.  We had some high winds and torrential downpours, but since I'm on high ground, no flooding.  No big trees blown over.  There's a measuring pole in the water where I live, and it indicated the lake had risen only about a foot, so the Corps of Engineers didn't have to take any drastic measures to open the floodgates.  All in all, it could have been much worse for us.

Hope it stops the deluge up your way soon.  Stay safe!

MJ

277

(20 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Seabrass wrote:

Are you a good swimmer?

Prime example of why I rescue 4-legged asses instead of 2-legged ones.

278

(20 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

For anyone besides myself who is in the path of this monster, stay safe!  I'm in the northeastern corner of Georgia, one mile from the SC state line at Anderson.  We're on high alert and waiting to see which way it turns.  Our governor has declared Georgia in a state of emergency.  I'm on the downside of the dam at Hartwell Lake, which is a manmade lake with 1000 miles of shoreline.  Here's hoping the floodgates open on time because we're scheduled for some massive rain in our area and high winds!  Not really a good time to live in the forest as I do!!   

Fingers and toes crossed on this one!

MJ

What do you want your reader to believe?  The church thinks he may be Christ who has returned.  Do you want the readers to think the same thing?  Using the same route he used in the Bible will be more convincing to Christian readers.  To non-Christian readers, it won't make a difference because they are most likely unfamiliar with the original route unless they've studied the Bible as a history lesson.  So, in my opinion, it depends on what you want your readers to think.  I personally think discussing his life in chronological order makes more sense than hopping all over the place. 

For what it's worth! 
MJ

280

(3 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Have you tried this page?  https://www.agentquery.com/publishing_ip.aspx 
On the left, you'll see an agent query column.  Enter your info and you'll get a list of agents accepting queries.  Each one has a profile and a list of some of their accomplishments. 
Another source is https://www.pnwa.org/page/agents_editors? 

I can't personally recommend any of them but ran across these compilations in my own search for an agent.

Hope this helps.

MJ

281

(8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Climb = ascend; go up. 

Therefore, is 'climb down' an oxymoron?  I've never been comfortable using 'climb down' in a sentence, so what's your opinion?  If you feel the same, what do you say instead?  Just curious.

282

(18 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I don't mind when our threads stray a little, but I do detest ultracrepidarians.  Some closed accounts are a reason for celebration.  With that said, I personally have changed POVs in short stories, but I separate them with ***. More a matter of preference for me.

283

(10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Thought some of us may find this helpful.
http://www.writersdigest.com/revision-s … -narrative

284

(15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Ann Everett wrote:

Funny, MJ!!! If I go with a boy/girl combination...maybe I should name them Hunky and Dory!! Ritter's son should be a  "hunk" like his dad...and in the movie, Finding Dory... Dory the fish is pretty quirky...so she'd match up with True!

That would be a hoot!  It's funny when folks read For the Love of Mellie and come across the two donkeys named Hunky and Dory.  But in real life Hunky and Dory are alive and well and living on my farm!

285

(15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Ann Everett wrote:

I'm mainly looking for something that goes well with the last name Malone.

The boy could be Sylvester.  As in Sylvester Malone, not Stallone.  Sly for short. 
A girl could be Sasha (that was one of Sylvester Stallone's wives.)

But this is coming from someone who has two donkeys in her book named Hunky and Dory, so what do I know???

Never mind!  LOL!

286

(8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

jack the knife wrote:

I used to like Clive Cussler's books. I still like the imaginative stories, but I find it hard to read them as literature anymore. His dialogue tag and POV errors, as well as his penchant for adverb modifiers,  distract me from the story.

Ha!  I just finished Clive's 'Raise the Titanic' and I couldn't enjoy it for those very reasons.  I read it years ago but decided to refresh my memory.

Another thing that annoys me:  classified ads.  I read one this morning in a newspaper:  For Sale:  White woman's purse.

287

(2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

For anyone who needs this, here’s a great link to a website that can help you when you’re in a bind over how to punctuate, or which word to use.  I know some of you don’t need it and never make mistakes, but it’s a good reference for new writers or for those who want to brush up on grammar rules you may have forgotten, like myself.

https://www.grammar-monster.com/

It covers things on this list:
1.     Punctuation:  Apostrophes, colons, commas, dashes, hyphens, parentheses, semicolons, speech marks
2.    Punctuation test
3.    A widget for learning possessive apostrophes
4.    The parts of speech:  adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, interjections, nouns, pronouns, verbs
5.    Parts of speech test
6.    A widget for learning about the order of adjectives
7.    Easily confused words, such as advice and advise, passed and past, complement and compliment, further and farther, etc.
8.    Glossary of terms
9.    Origins of sayings and proverbs
10.    Interactive tests for you to take to improve your writing.

288

(24 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Sideman wrote:

Second, and the primary reason I don't post a lot, is no matter what you say, there's always someone who can't wait to tell you how stupid you are for saying whatever you said or whatever you asked. Polite disagreement is an endangered species. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a person disagreeing with you or having a different opinion. It's the manner in which they express it. A person with a different opinion than mine is welcome to tell me all day why - just do it with a little bit of courtesy


I 100% agree with you, Alan.  I have all but quit posting in forums because we have some self-appointed forum monitors who take it upon themselves to comment on things that don't apply to them.  If I read a post that doesn't pertain to me in any way, I move on without commenting.  Not true for some who can't let an opportunity pass by without trying to show their superior intelligence in a condescending way.  But since I don't participate in confrontations and insults because I have better things to do with my life, often I will just delete my post with a promise to myself to never post again.  As you said, an ounce of courtesy goes a long way.  And I'm not talking about writing reviews here, but forum posts.  While I love a good healthy discussion and thrive on differences of opinion and/or suggestions, I don't like condescension.  I've seen too many longstanding and good members here cancel their memberships because of these forums that got out of hand.

So to answer JP's call for opinions, mine for what it's worth is the forums haven't worked for me because of the reasons above.  Therefore, I quit posting in all of them except this premium one, and it's headed for the chopping block, too. 

MJ

289

(5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Using 'look' repeatedly is like having a nervous twitch.  You do it when you can't think of anything else to say, or when the room fills with silence.  In this case, when your writing hits a wall.  Instead of saying 'I looked at his face' you can use 'I canvassed his face.'  I contemplated his face.  I cross-examined his face.  Eyes don't have to be mentioned.

Yes, writing does require understanding.  This is not meant as a menu of words to choose from.  It's making you aware of how often you use 'look.'

290

(5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

https://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/shake-the-head/

291

(5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Ever get hung up on look?  He looked, she looks, I looked.

For those who need a little variety in your life, this may help. 

https://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/125 … -say-look/

292

(12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hi, L.A. and welcome to the site.  Posting your first chapter is always the hardest, but I suggest you jump in and see how it goes. You'd be surprised how much my writing improved after joining in 2008.  We're all here to help.  So before your trial period is up, take the plunge and we'll all offer our suggestions (if needed).  Good luck, and we're looking forward to reading your story.

Cheers,
MJ

This may help you by using a process of elimination.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_writing_genres

294

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Every writer goes through this.  Periods of self-doubt are building blocks to see how sincere you are.  Or at least they are for me.  When I get to that point, I close what I'm working so hard on and write something light.  Something far removed from the one story or chapter that weighed me down.  Variety helps.  Then, if all else fails, a big shot of tequila works magic!  (just kidding!)

You're not alone with your feelings.  There are times when I open my manuscripts and wonder what I was thinking when I wrote that.  I let someone else read it, someone I trust to tell me the truth, and then go back to the drawing board and either start over, or delete sections that don't feel or sound right.  As I shared with you in a review, there is never a time when a writer is completely 'finished' with their stories.  If I think I'm finished, all I have to do is open that word document, and every single time I make changes.  Maybe small changes, but changes nonetheless.

A sign of a good writer is always thinking there's room for improvement!  You will have self-doubt days, and writer block days.  They disappear because writing is in your blood.  You didn't become a good driver overnight.  It took time and practice before you felt confident enough to pull out of the driveway and face other drivers.  Now, as the years have gone by, you don't even think of your driving abilities.  You just drive.  Same for writing.  Just write!

Cheers,
MJ

295

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Dirk B. wrote:

You can also check out Fiverr for freelance editors. I decided to submit my first two chapters ($100 for 10,000 words) as a trial. Turnaround is approximately 10 days. I'll let you know how it turns out. There are multiple editors on the site with different levels of experience, although not all edit fiction.

I did freelance editing for Fiverr for a couple of years.  Just make sure you hire someone who speaks English as their native tongue.  Many of them are from other countries and aren't familiar with American customs.  If you look at their profile, you can learn where they're located and normally what their native language is.

296

(15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Wow!  Congratulations, Randy!  I am so very happy for you.  What an honor!

Cheers,
MJ

297

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Congratulations, Roxanne, Ann, and Brian!  Well-done! 

MJ

298

(14 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Norm d'Plume wrote:

Can someone please help me with the following sentence:

Teresa thought they might have more landing areas closer to the centre, but couldn’t make any out.

Unless I'm mistaken, the second clause is dependent. So why the comma?

Thanks
Dirk

C.  separating a preceding dependent clause from the main clause (“Depending on the size of the entrée, I might not order dessert”)

It falls under C above in the original thread post, but in your case the dependent clause is at the end of the sentence.  It works the same.

299

(14 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Norm d'Plume wrote:

My version of Microsoft Word (2007) replaces three periods with an ellipsis symbol. It looks almost the same, but it's one character. I can't recall if I configured the software to do that, but I'm sure they have the same feature in newer versions of Word.

Ah!  I'm using the 2013 version, but haven't noticed that feature.  Maybe I'd better take another look.  (But then again, it only takes half a second to do ... )

300

(14 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

jack the knife wrote:

Not sure what Marilyn meant by an ellipsis symbol (other than dots). I tried looking it up and got nowhere. And to my mind, using a symbol of some sort instead would confuse most readers, so why bother?

All of the info came from Daily Writing Tips, which is emailed to me daily.  They always have some great tips, so I copied and pasted their info here for those who don't subscribe to it.  I think they were referring to the dots as the 'symbol.'  At least that's how I took it since there is no other ellipsis symbol that comes to mind.