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Thanks, Bill and Dirk!

Editors have their own individual prejudices. That's why depending on one editor can't compare to the variety of critiques you get on TNBW. After posting all my books on this site, going through the editing process with publishers' editors was a piece of cake. Hope you strike oil, Bobbie!

I guess the site only allows one chapter at a time to appear on the new postings page. But I do have three new chapters up and will follow with the last two today.

I agree with Vern. You’ll probably never read another bestselling author who uses “was” words more than Lee Child. Calling attention to passive voice on this site is fine  - there are lots of ways to change passive to active voice without seeming high-brow or inappropriate for the context. But folks speak in passive voice all the time. It’s the decision of the author whether to make the narration active or passive without bending over backwards to confirm to “rules.”

Thanks, Lauren. Rachel made me feel paranoid!

Last I heard, Flo was alive and well in Seattle.

Longevity and reviewing over that time span is the key. I think, though Sol might correct me on this, I’ve been a member here since 2008. Twelve years, nine novels workshopped,  and tens of hundreds of reviews later, I remain committed to TNBW. I’ve given my reasons for my continued membership here a few times over those years. A site such as this can’t be beat for novel critiques. Whether you self-publish or want to polish before submission to a publisher, you can’t go wrong with letting the knowledgeable folks at TNBW weigh in on your creation.

Way to go, Randall!

The issue isn’t  family addresses. Everyone agrees that Mom, Dad, etc. should be capitalized when used in an address. But not when they are referred to generically, as in, “My mom makes the best meatloaf.”  But when referring to the mother directly, as in, “You might think you’re a good cook, Dad, but Mom can beat you every time,” Mom gets capitalized.

JP is right in one of her examples, but "boss" and "teacher" should not be capitalized. They are not titles. ("Mom" isn't really a title, either, but convention makes it one.)  "You neglected to give me the discount, clerk." "You are entitled to a military discount, veteran." The first is a job descriptor, the second is a situation descriptor. Neither are titles. Similarly, Dirk, I still hold to my comment that your "exorcist" should be lower case as it's a job descriptor, not a title.