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Congratulations, DOn! I've been away for a few years - it's great to hear from you. Wishing you the very best with this and all your writing.

Thanks, Sol!

"Well sir, at least you're dying a virgin by choice."

Hi Stephen,

I'll be getting back to your book soon - lots of things going on with my wife's health and a recent move into assisted living.

I simply broke the first chapter of my novel "Alabama Greene" into two chapters and posted them as Chapters One and Two. When I send the manuscript for publishing, they will be combined as one chapter. You can combine, break-up, redo chapters as you see fit when publishing time arrives. That keeps it pretty simple for me. Ie., Chapter Three, as it's posted here, will be Chapter Two when it's sent of for publication. Just a thought, FWIW. And good luck with the novel!

Alan

Hi Dags,

What Vern said.

When I first joined TNBW in 2008, there was a limit of 5000 words you were permitted to post in one chapter/story with a single post. I don't know if that's still true or not. If it's still true, that alone would preclude you from posting a chapter longer than that. If it's not still true, I guess your best judgment will have to make the decision. Personally, if a chapter is much over 3000 words, I tend to move on to the next thing unless, as Marilyn said, it's a "can't put down read" or someone of whom I'm very fond (there are several of you out there - you know who you are!)

Also, I think genres such as "Adventure", "Action Thriller" and "Humor" need to move quickly to keep reader interest. A new chapter generally suggests movement in the story/action, which can be an enticement for the reader to continue reading. That could be movement  in the scene or movement in a new direction.

Another thought (this applies to me and several folks I know) is that I have only so much time to read at one sitting and I don't like to quit reading in the middle of a chapter. So novels with very long chapters tend to make me look elsewhere for that very reason. I'm a huge Janet Evanovich fan and her chapters are generally 1200 - 1800 words. I have every book she's ever written and love the quick pace.

Just a few thoughts for what they might be worth. Good luck with your writing!

Alan

Hi Nancy,

As far as I am concerned, you don't have to worry about reciprocating everything of yours I review. Just whatever you can get to, when you can, is perfectly fine with me.  I just enjoy reading a good effort in genres of my liking and leaving a few notes and/or suggestions for consideration. The reciprocity is nice but not necessarily expected. Enjoy "Marley's Ashes" so far!

Alan

Hi Everyone! Good to be back! I originally joined in 2008 - wow, 10 years ago! I've been here and gone a few times. My wife is significantly disabled and in very poor health. Her needs take me away at times. But, I'll be here as often as I can. looking forward to it!

BTW, I have Focal Dystonia which makes typing a nightmare. So, in my reviews and replies you will often find typos. But in my postsed work, I do go back and try to catch all of them. FWIW.

Good luck to all,

Alan

Mike,

We've know each other (on line) a very long time. We've kind of casually discussed those issues. I wish you all the very best. You aree very supportive of the rest of us and I hope these few words, and a few reviews from me, help you to move along and become the best Mike you can be. You'll be in mine and Di's prayers.

Alan

Congrats on the book! I wish you lots of success with it!

Amen! One of the best tidbits in this entire thread in my opinion.

Alan

I enjoy a good story more than technically correct writing. Thus, I try to keep my characters doing or contemplating their next move. I like to leave hints of something coming down the road. By tossing in a new unknown, no matter how small, it leaves the reader wanting to  find out what the heck that's all about.  The only way to satisfy that unknown is to read on. Little teasers work great, I think.

My favorite author is Janet Evanovich. Her technical merits are good but not exceptional. But I find every main character interesting and her stories fast moving but like a well-oiled machine. She uses a lot of unnecessary dialogue tags but i don't care - her stories and characters are so damned engaging. I relish every book of hers. Her humor is a bit silly at times but I like that.

I think the author has to have a basic knowledge of what his/her target audience enjoys and write to that. . Although I am pretty good with grammar, punctuation and the like, I find it less important to me than the story telling. Different audiences and genres require different techniques for moving the story along. Thus, i do not think there is a "one size fits all" answer. I write in four different genres on a regular basis (Humor, Action Thriller, Mystery and Dramas set in the 1950s and 1960s). I use a different technique for each one. For Humor, set up a situation that the reader knows is going to be a calamity; for Action Thriller, set ther stage for something that's guaranteed to be thrilling and dangerous; for Mystery, leave unanswered clues along the way; for Dramas, create the setting for actions that are going to be tense, difficult and usually pit one character against another. But the ... you MUST deliver.

Bottom line for me ... tell me a good story (if you do it with perfect grammar, so much the better but not a deal breaker either way) and make me like your characters or make me enjoy not liking them.

Just my thoughts.

Alan