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.
101 2020-09-09 12:56:41
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
102 2020-08-07 11:04:07
Re: I owe reviews! (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Hope to have you back soon, Dirk!
103 2020-08-01 10:47:57
Re: LADY SILVER Brings Home the Goods (25 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Way to go, Bobbie!
104 2020-07-28 22:10:53
Re: Beginnings (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
John - Maybe, as Dagny suggested, you only have one book in you. You seem obsessed with one book, after all. But right now you have multiple versions of a work with no finality. I think I suggested years ago that you pull the trigger, stop making perfect the enemy of the good, and try to get the damned thing published! Unless you will be satisfied with letting your talent wander endlessly in TNBW.
105 2020-06-22 17:12:53
Re: Posting tip I discovered (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
The pop up window is designed for holding the formatting of word docs and has always worked flawlessly for me. NOT using it, or editing in the TNBW pane is what's caused all the formatting issues
The pop-up window doesn't work for me. I just tried Dirk's remedy, and that didn't work either. Still no paragraph separation or italics.
106 2020-06-22 14:42:52
Re: Posting tip I discovered (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Jack, what version of Word are you using? I've rarely had problems with Word 2007 and, more recently, Word 2019. For what it's worth, I use CTRL-V to paste my Word content directly into the TNBW text field. If I'm editing an existing chapter, I use CTRL-A, then CTRL-V. I never use the popup window.
Dirk, I use Word 2007 too. But I’ll try your technique of avoiding the pop-up window. There didn’t used to be that window. Thanks!
107 2020-06-20 22:32:48
Re: Posting tip I discovered (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Back in the day, I had no formatting issues copying from Word and pasting it to TNBW. The last two years, though, there have been no paragraph breaks and no italics when I’ve done this, so it’s a pain in the ass to edit my posted chapter to get those things in. And I often miss some. Interestingly, when I’m done posting, the review copy looks like the MS, but when I look at what the public will see, those problems are there.
108 2020-06-17 13:18:16
Re: Carnage in Singapore - 2019 CIBA Global Thriller Finalist (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Congrats, Randall! Good luck! Will you becoming to the States for the announcement?
109 2020-06-12 21:11:02
Re: gone, but not forgotten (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Sorry to hear of your loss, JP. It reinforces the need to revise the work on TNBW in addition to the source manuscript, so you’ll have a true copy always available. I had a backup external drive that made me feel secure - until I realized it had become disconnected months ago, probably when I took my desktop to the shop to be fixed!
110 2020-03-02 02:06:47
Re: it's, its', let's, lets' (17 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Marilyn, I wish I could type like that! My father tried to teach me typing when I was a kid, but I couldn't have cared less. So now I use the one-finger method. I've gotten quite adept at it, though. Talk about new tricks! ![]()
111 2020-03-01 23:21:46
Re: it's, its', let's, lets' (17 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I’m reading Turow’s Personal Injuries now. Apparently, he likes to have it both ways. He eschews the apostrophe in goin’, havin’, etc., but still puts the comma in before a sentence-ending “too.” Old school and, apparently trendy, apostrophe avoidance.
Rules change, and they should. Internet and dumpster used to be capitalized, and now often aren’t, but there’s still some who do honor the brands. (There is a transition period!) Foreign phrases used to require italics, but increasingly, they’ve become a part of English usage and are in normal font. I often have to consult the CMOS or the AP Stylebook to see what the latest consensus is. Writing has changed a lot since I learned the “rules” in high school!
Marilyn, I grew up with the double space between sentences, but that’s dead, dear, and I’m living with that just fine.
112 2020-02-25 13:45:19
Re: Colombian Betrayal (5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Way to go, Randall!
113 2020-02-09 14:33:25
Re: Chicken Soup (9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Congratulations, Marilyn!
114 2020-01-31 13:35:28
Re: Carnage in Singapore - Update (11 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Good luck, Randy!
115 2019-12-11 20:33:09
Re: Nominations for best writing communities (5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Done!
116 2019-12-01 19:11:09
Re: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Aw, thank you so much, Lynn! I think you'll be the first. You're a sweetheart!
117 2019-12-01 01:35:57
Re: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks, J.P.! I'll be busy doing promos for the book, and I'm editing a a friend's book and co-writing a sci-fi novel with another online friend, so I won't be on TNBW much in the near term. But I've started my next book, so I'll be back eventually to workshop it here. BTW, Deep Cover hasn't had any reviews yet on Amazon, so if anyone who has read the book here would care to leave a review, you might be the first one!
118 2019-11-28 17:44:51
Re: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Dags, so nice to hear from you! Thank you for the kind words.
119 2019-11-24 17:36:55
Re: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks, Linda!
120 2019-11-24 14:10:37
Re: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks so much, guys! And thanks for buying a copy, Randy. You might have been the first one! The paperback version is now available, but it hasn't been linked yet to the e-book or my Amazon author page. Takes a couple of days, they tell me. The support and expertise available here at TNBW is why I'll continue to workshop my novels here.
121 2019-11-23 18:32:41
Topic: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
My latest book workshopped here on TNBW (as are all my books!) is now Live on Amazon! E-book only for now, but the paperback version should be coming soon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081VXYWJ6
Thanks to all of you who took the time and effort to review it!
122 2019-08-06 16:01:57
Re: Carnage in Singapore Now Published (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Congrats, Randy!
123 2019-07-25 14:44:29
Topic: Final chapter (1 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I've just posted the final chapter of Deep Cover. Thanks to all who took the time to review it! I'll keep it on site until the day it's published, so there's still time to read it for free. ![]()
124 2019-06-17 22:06:17
Re: Capitalization of Secretary of State? - Capitalization (8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
It seems to me, Chicago Manual of Style notwithstanding, that Secretary of State is a unique title - there is only one of those at a time - with unique duties. You can be a "general," but General of the Army is a specific title that means a 5-star general. A "a general of the Army" can be any general of 1-4 star rank. Lower case secretary of state suggests the person is a secretary of a state (which one?) with nebulous duties. So unless my publisher nixes it, I would capitalize it, even standing alone without a name attached.
125 2019-06-06 19:17:37
Re: Old-time slang (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I remember "chrome-plated" as being derogatory, as implying a fraud, like, "All hat, no cattle." And "radioactive" I remember as an adjective for someone to avoid.
"Can't dance" meant it wouldn't work.
A DA hairstyle. . . well, I think you know what that was.