As most of you know, I've been away from the site for a while3. My wife has been very ill. Diana's now in isolation (a very contageous infection) at the hospital and in very serious condition. Would appreciate prayers from those of you who pray and good thoughts from those who do not. I've not been able to see her for a couple of days now.
Thanks in advance.
Alan
Hi J P,
Just one thought. You mentioned "alright" and "okay" and wanted to know the appropriateness for them during that era. I grew up in the late 40s asnd into the 50s - almost 73 years old. Instead of "oaky" or "alright", where I grew up - St. Louis, Missouri area) - we often said "right-o". and if we wanted to elaborate as bit more, we'd say "right-o, kiddo"
A couple of others, if you're interested:
"Chrome-plated": Someone dressed up real nice
"Passion Pit": drive-in theater
"Radioactive": description of a very popular person
"Backseat Bingo": Serious making out in the back seat of a car.
There are many others but those are the ones that immediately came to mind.
1. Hemingway - "The Sun Also Rises"
2. "People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”
I used that particular quote for #2 because it reminded me of my maternal grandfather's advice to me when I was a teenager in the early 1960s" "Everywhere you go, you will always find two things - good and bad. And you'll usually find whatever you look for. Look for the good - you'll have a happier life." (Carl Crouch)
Congrats, Randy! Well-deserved. In my opinion, you're one of the best novelists in your genre. Wishing you many more successes!
Alan
Here's the other classic skit he's so well known for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_C3bO8WZ0
It was revealed many years later that Harvey Korman, playing the patient, actually wet his pants he was laughing so hard.
Hi Randy ...
This is my first post on the site since December of 2018. Lots of life issues and medical issues.
Anyway, I wanted to say "Congratulations!". Your work is near-perfect for its genre. I've always enjoyed your writing. Will be back to reading more real soon ... perhaps within the week. Your success is well-earned and deserving. Wishing you continued success and enjoyment as you move forward.
Hope is all with you and your wife. Again, congratulations!!!
Alan
Congrats to all the finalists! Good luck to all.
Just cast my vote for you. I see you've moved up a little higher in the ranking. let's hope that continues.
Will go over this afternoon and poist a vote for ya! Good luck!
Sign me up for a copy, Randy.
Yes, I'm having the same problem - have been for the past week or so. I also have the the 10 - 15 second wait. I have Google with the most recent update. Whether it's "I" or "me", it's running slow.
Just voted for ya, Randy. I see you're in 2nd place - not bad. Here's hoping for 1st place. It's a great cover. (And the book ain't too shabby, either!)
Alan
Not sure this would qualify, but "Family Man" with Nicholas Cage. The story begins with an incident on Christmas night and changes his life dramatically. There are Christmas references and scenes in several places.
I think almost all of us get dinged on stuff like that fairly frequently. I wish I could better comment on your specific issue, but I'm not quite as knowledgeable as you regarding those aspects of English grammar. The snippit you offered from John Ringo doesn't bother me. All I want is a good story. My favorite author, Janet Evanovich, throws unnecessary dialogue tags around at will. But I don't mind because I love her stories.
As you may know, I'm a professional songwriter/composer. I find one thing that applies to both writing music and writing novels/stories. That is: Until you become a "member of the club", you are expected to follow the rules pretty closely until you become a member. But once you're a member, you can do whatever in the hell you want. "Club Members" set and tweak the rules because of their influence. Of course, being a "Club Member", in this context, means you have been accepted as a professional by the popular folks in your field and you are no longer considered "aspiring".
But, to your original point, your style of writing would not bother me. When I review a chapter/story/poem here on the site, I review it for technical issues but also explain those issues may not bother me personally, but the info is for the writer's consideration for technical merit..
Good luck with your writing.
Alan
Thanks, Marilyn - that was interesting! If we made up more than word or two in our contemporary writing, we'd be scolded until all politicians spoke only the truth! Those of us in the the music and broadcast business have created a verb from a noun that is now commonly used in the business. We say we are "efforting" (making an effort) to get a certain interview, find the news behind the front page, etc.
My favorite book by Good Old Bill is "Merchant of Venice".
Thanks Mark - some interesting points to ponder!
Dirk,
My Creative Writing prof taught us that uppercase is not needed unless you include the formal name of the entity with the word. So, in this case, "sea" would not require an uppercase annotation.
That was back in the 1970s - perhaps the "rule" has changed since then, but I don't think so.
Good luck with your novel!
Alan
j p,
I'd be interested in any of the three genres you mentioned. I have active projects in all three of them. Works for me!
Alan
Congrats to you and your son. Wishing both of you the best of luck and success in all your writing.
Alan
I would simply say something like, "The trappings of poverty eventually claimed their lives." I think the average reader is familiar with what those trappings are. But, if you want to be more specific, Bill's suggestion would be a good reference. Just my take.
Alan
I have two novels in the contest. And good luck to you!
Thank you, Linda. Wife just released from hospital and doing better. My brother died last month and we're still reeling from that but coming to grips with it. Hope all is well with you.
Alan
"Love In Space" - a 2011 Romantic Comedy from Hong Kong
"How To Say Goodbye In Space" - 2008 British Sci-Fi
What Bill said!
What about gravitational bending of light, would that count as refraction?
Probably not as refraction is normally the passing of light through a tangible medium. If you apply the principles of Loop Quantum Gravity with General Relativity, by means of the Planck Scale, it indicates that gravitational pull passes the light through a vacuum which causes it to bend, due to a change in velocity. Because the light has not passed through a medium of tangible mass (it passed through a vacuum) it is therefore not refracted, by the definition of refraction.
