101

(24 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

dagny wrote:

Well, I am seventy now, tried of lighting my hair on fire and shouting into a void. So, unless they come after my gay grandchildren, or my Mexican American son-in-law (who was born in Texas), I am sitting back and watching them burn it all down. About a third of the nation feels the same way.

It's more than a third, but when the Supreme Court justices all were chosen by orange face, and he's been given a ticket to commit murder, he and the richest man in the world will do their best to run roughshod over anyone who stands in the way of what they want, which is POWER. If those who voted for him think he cares about them, they will be in for a rude awakening come January 21st. We tried to tell them, but buying votes is not illegal in this country, nor is being an insurrectionist, as far as I can see. And the January 6th insurrectionists/terrorists will be pardoned in just a few days, and it will all be washed under the rug as long as Clarence Thomas and his gang of injustices are in power.

102

(24 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Canada is not far enough away for me. If I was younger and didn't have so many animals,  I would sell the farm and do just what Mitch (whatta) and Mike Davis did… I would move to Costa Rica. The American empire is collapsing and I hate it for my grandchildren. My own daughter voted for the convicted felon, so we can't even have a conversation about anything political. I have tried to unplug from all things political, but every news outlet fills my email full of the headlines, and I can't NOT see it.

103

(24 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

George FLC wrote:

Maybe Musk will buy Greenland and Canada himself. He'll straighten these things out, eh.

He bought himself a president, so why not?? smile 

Just sayin'...

104

(24 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hey, friend! I had no idea you were under the weather—Covid is such a pain! I hope you're back to your fabulous self soon! Remember to stay hydrated—preferably with something more exciting than soup. And don’t worry about the reviews. I owe so many I’ve lost count. At this rate, I need a calendar to track the ones I’ve forgotten, but then I'd forget where I put the calendar. The older I get, the harder it is to write AND review—my brain’s on a permanent vacation! But here’s hoping you’ll be up and at ‘em soon, spotting nits like a ninja. Guess that Christmas tree had a few hidden germs, huh? smile (By the way, I triple-checked this for nits before posting—did I miss any?)

Happy trails,
MJ

105

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Wow, Randy! That is a fabulous way to start the new year! Congratulations, and let us know more! I'm proud to know you. smile And Happy New Year to you, too.

MJ

106

(4 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Wait! I think that was the book I just donated to Goodwill after I cleaned the dust off. Hmm... thinking now maybe I should've read it! smile

107

(17 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Well, I tend to agree with Vern. Whenever I'm finished saying what I want to say, I close out the chapter. Makes me no never mind how long it is. (How's that for a good Southern expression??) I never count the words unless it's a contest. So write until you're happy with it, and then go to the next chapter and let it roll! 

MJ

108

(7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Kdot wrote:

The hammer is a nice touch

ROFL! That's too funny!

109

(7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Joseph walked around the back of his mother’s desk and stood behind her. Alexander walked over and placed himself next to her, both shielding their son. He looked over their shoulders, ready for… what? A surprise homework assignment? A wild email from Aunt Linda? Either way, it’s nice to see a family so prepared for absolutely nothing.

110

(6 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

George FLC wrote:

I just saw that picture! It's funny. I generally cut my eggnog with milk. It's so thick.


Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice work better... with lots of salt around the rim!  wink  Just kidding!!  Eggnog = yuck!

111

(20 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

YAY! Way to go, Jack! Congratulations!

MJ

112

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Well, bless your heart, NJC! This explanation’s got more layers than a Mississippi mud pie and just as tricky to cut through. Microslough? That sounds like the retirement home for tired old computers. And ISO 646? Shoot, that’s gotta be tech’s version of untangling Christmas lights in July! I’m as lost as a goose in a snowstorm, but I appreciate you taking the time to spell it all out. I might not understand a lick of it, but I’m in awe that you do! I barely know how to turn my PC on and off, so I'll sit back and wait until somebody fixes the problem. Meantime, I'll work on a new syllabus—'Intro to Tech Philosophy 101'—and maybe head up a rescue team for stranded emojis.

Happy trails,
MJ

113

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Yes, it works when I copy and paste each chapter individually, but when you go to the publish page, there is a button at the bottom that says "download your ebook." That's what gives me the boxes and strange critters.

114

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Yes. Will do.

115

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

116

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

After all this time, I still can't download an ebook from my files. I am using Windows 11.  This has been an ongoing thing, even when I used Windows 10, It would be so nice if this worked. Any thoughts on how to do it?


Her breathing quickened. “They’re gonna know. They’ll come looking for me.”

“We won’t give them the chance.” I crouched low, my nose brushing hers. “Mellie, we have to move further back so they can’t see us. Now.”

She stiffened. “Dawg, I can’t. You go. Get to safety. I’ll stay here and hope they don’t find me.”

“I’m not leaving you,” I snapped.

“You’ll get caught!”

“Not if you stay quiet. When I pull you, don’t make a sound. Understand?”

Mellie’s jaw tightened, but she nodded.

“Good.”

Happy Trails,
MJ

117

(14 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Nathan, it's been a couple of days since the big storm. Did you stay dry and avoid getting blown away? I hope you're doing okay. My granddaughter and her family came here to escape the chaos in Daytona Beach. They headed back home today, but I haven't heard if they've got their power back yet. My friend rode out the storm in Siesta Key for some reason, but she's all good, just dealing with a bit of debris in her yard.

118

(7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Yes, Randy, for some reason I had forgotten you were so close to me in the Greenville area. I'm glad you were not more affected than you were, though 55 hours without power and 76 without internet are bad enough. My daughter is in Anderson, SC, and still lacks power and internet. But we survived, and that's what counts. Happy to hear you are safe and accounted for!

The daughter of a good friend of mine is in Banner Elk, NC, and no one has heard from her since the storm. Banner Elk was hit hard, and all the roads are washed out, and the phones and internet are down. But after days of not hearing from her, the mother has contacted Samaritan's Purse, and they are trying to get to the daughter's location and should have news tonight. We are all holding our breath.

MJ

119

(7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

jack the knife wrote:

Thanks, Dags. Helene didn’t affect us, but the week before we got torrential rain from a tropical storm that wiped out many roads and bridges in my area. We thought we had it bad until Helene destroyed Asheville, in the western part of the state.

Happy to hear all is well with you, Jack. We're still digging out here in NE Georgia. We've got trees down everywhere, the roof is torn off our barn, a monster tree is blocking our driveway, and our pond is overflowing. A tornado tore the tops off a swath of huge oak trees in my back yard and toppled more than fifty of them. These trees are anywhere from fifty to over a hundred years old. My power was off for ten hours. My daughter lives only 15 miles from me, and her power is still off today, four days later, with no idea when it will come back on.

We have one grocery store in the small town where I live, and their computers are down, they have no incoming food because their home office is located in Asheville, NC, and their offices and trucks are underwater. So shelves in my town are empty, and this dock workers strike is not going to help us one bit.

Has anyone heard from Vern? He's in the western part of North Carolina where a huge amount of damage was done.

MJ

Ho hum... this makes my head spin. If y'all don't mind, I'm gonna just write and not worry about the order in which I write ... IF I ever write anything again! 

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to writing school we go.

MJ

121

(12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

SolN wrote:

Users would not be able to post until they becoming a paying member. I actually don't think the trial works that well. I'd rather have people explore the site a a free member (who cannot post) and then when they are ready, upgrade and publish their work. That was the old site model and it seemed to work better.

I totally agree. If they spend their money for a membership, they will most likely hang around long enough to read their reviews and write another chapter. Thank you, Sol. This will help weed out the ones who don't give the site a chance to work for them because they post, expect instant responses, and then disappear into the night.

MJ

122

(35 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Dirk B. wrote:

Hi Sol.

I noticed/tested most of the fixes you made.
I'm pretty sure the timeout problem in the forums is gone too. I'm just doing a few more timeout test cases.

These changes rock!

Thank you very much.
Dirk

YAY!  Thank you, Sol. I'm so glad to hear everything is going well in your endeavors to spruce up this site. I am really grateful for that, and for Dirk's hard work behind the scenes, too.  You two rock! 

Happy trails,
MJ

123

(12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I personally loved the way the OLD site worked better than the way this one works. For those who weren't here when the old site was in its glory days, you could come in as a reviewer and make as many reviews as you wanted to. Sol, I can't remember if those reviews carried points in case the reviewer wanted to join later, or if they received nothing but the pleasure of seeing their review written. But what I also liked about the old site is that a paying member could not proceed with posting a chapter or reviewing a chapter until they answered the reviews they had received. If you recall, the recipient of the reviews had an opportunity to rate their reviewers on whether or not the review was helpful, yada yada.

To answer your question above, I think it would be wonderful to return to the requirement of being a premium member in order to post. We have so many who come on board, post a chapter, and then disappear without a trace after we reviewers have spent an hour doing an in-line review that will never go anywhere. I am almost skeptical today about doing a review of a newbie's work for that very reason. I don't need accolades for my review, and the writer doesn't even have to like it, but what I do need is at least an acknowledgment that my review has been seen. That makes me want to review their next chapter, if they happen to post one. Someone recently complained they were not receiving reviews on their chapters, but in looking back, I think it's because the reviews the writer received on the first chapter were not acknowledged, so no one felt the need to review the second chapter. I think this method filters those who are serious from those who are not.  I vote yes because I feel that if they pay to join,  they will be a serious addition to our team and will post more chapters.

124

(11 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

One reason second chapters don't get reviewed is the reviewer doesn't receive an acknowledgment that the writer has seen their review. Unless i’m confident it’s just an oversight on the writer’s part, I don't review another chapter until I know that my kind of reviewing is what you are looking for. I don't know about others on here, but after I spend an hour of my time reading and commenting, if the writer expects me to read their next chapter, I need to know you are seeking my line by line edits, or you need something different. I noticed several of your chapter 1 reviews went unacknowledged by you, so maybe they also wanted to know you at least saw their work.

Also, when I receive a review and a reviewer points out several glaring mistakes (we all make them), I immediately change the copy on this site first so the next reviewer doesn't have to spend their time making the same suggestions. 

Food for thought.  Also, if you are paying $20 a month here, you are overpaying. Check again because it's not that much.  If you are, let Sol know so he can correct your monthly amount.
Happy trails,
MJ

MJ

Dirk B. wrote:

I agree on both counts. smile Perhaps do it only on the contest for all members. And if you keep the requirement easy (2-3 reviews?), anyone serious would probably still enter, while anyone too lazy to even do that isn't going to succeed on our site.

I think we should not coddle contest entrants. This is a writing workshop site where people come to exchange ideas on writing techniques. If they are only dropping in for the contest with no intentions of staying, we will never grow and the contests are in vain. But making the requirement to review others more stringent isn't asking for much.. It's how we build relationships on here, which in turn encourages long-term memberships.