I don't remember the last time I doubled spaced after the end of a sentence. I think I stopped the first time I used Word. BTW the new Word has a grammar function now. No worries about where a comma, period or semi colon goes any more! Also it will clean up your writing by highlighting extra words you don't need. 
101 2020-04-13 14:39:18
Re: Microsoft now flagging two spaces after period an error (19 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
102 2020-04-07 16:47:57
Re: Song list for John Hamler (22 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
njc wrote:
https://mobile.twitter.com/martingeorge … 6119816192
You may have to reload to make it work.
A masterpiece! Made me laugh out loud, NJC, thank you!
103 2020-03-31 19:55:54
Re: Song list for John Hamler (22 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
104 2020-03-31 05:14:08
Re: Outbreak, 1995 (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Max Boyce wrote:
And there were those outbreaks in the plague years, for instance, 1603 in London. Shakespeare ever wrote or placed his work in the plague years, and yet it was all around him. He rarely mentioned the plagues in his works. Covid-19 is our plague, and I can hardly wait for the deluge of the good, the bad, and the ugly social-distancing romance masterpieces wherein the guy kinda gets the girl. LOL.
If you search for literary works and popular films in the plague years, you'll read about many playwrights who were stuck at home writing furiously to fill the lonely hours between marathon binges of Netflicks, Zoon, Instagram, and gorging on HomeFresh meals, lol.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/a2009 … ;view=text
THE VVONDERFULL YEARE, 1603, is beautiful prose to fill your reading time. The beauty of life between the plagues and quarantines is what we may all experience in the coming years. Smallpox, measles, and dozens maybe hundreds of unknown antigens (peptide, protein, whole-cell, small molecule, etc.). These antigens over the centuries have ravaged and murdered millions but also strengthened our immune systems to make it what it is today.
Need some great reading, try reading an excellent textbook about the immune system or cell biology. WOW, it will blow your mind when you start seeing the complexities of evolution at that level. I have MMN, so I know the immune system like the back of your hand, lol. Call it research for your next novel. The medical thriller genre and covid-19 will be the next big write in every genre.
LOL
105 2020-03-31 05:11:51
Re: Outbreak, 1995 (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Dirk B. wrote:
Better yet, I recommend Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightly (no zombies). Currently on Netflix. A stellar cast and soundtrack. Much better than the book, and the only virus is a common cold.
I just saw Emma the other day, if you can you should watch it. BTW I love Jane Austen movies Emma Thomson's Sense and Sensibility my favorite, but I was making a Zombie parody movie list.
Also you should check out PBS's Sanditon, Jane Austen's unfinished novel, even though you might not like the ending.
106 2020-03-31 05:01:26
Re: Outbreak, 1995 (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
John Hamler wrote:
Looking for something to watch on Netflix? Tiger King, Tiger King, Tiger King. Talk about going viral, there's an epidemic of crazy cat people in this country I was never even aware of and must beware from now on. And not just because I'm a dog. (See thumbnail photo
I started to watch that but had to turn it off when they cut up the cattle.
107 2020-03-30 21:47:01
Re: Outbreak, 1995 (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
j p lundstrom wrote:
I, too, remember enjoying the thrills of The Andromeda Strain. It's available to rent on the Amazon Prime channel. Doesn't seem so exciting these days.
Try this: The 68 Best Pandemic Movies to Binge In Quarantine. https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/best-pa … -more.html
There are also Westerns, Feel-Good Movies, Zombie Movies and on, and on. People with time on their hands can come up with a lot of lists!
I recommend Zombieland 1 and 2
Shaun of the Dead
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
108 2020-03-30 17:08:43
Re: Outbreak, 1995 (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
B Douglas Slack wrote:
The first viral movie I ever saw was "The Andromeda Strain". Not quite what's happening now, but close enough. We're staying in as much as we can. Only ventured out three times in the last three weeks (prescription pickup, food, food). Both of us are in the process of watching every season of The Big Bang Theory (we have them all). Now in the middle of the third season.
Bill
Rats! I just found out that CBS does not have the syndication rights to The Big Bang Theory! If I want to watch it, I have to pay 20 dollars a season on Amazon, or 160 dollars for all eight seasons! That sucks! I have to stop using exclamation points! I look hysterical over a TV show lol....
I haven't been out of the house for three weeks. I have groceries delivered and what I can't get locally I get from Amazon. I had to get Kleenex online to double for toilet tissue because the only toilet tissue I could find online is manufactured in South Korea. Yeah, I'm not buying that...lol
So glad you're doing well, Bill. and thanks for the recommendation, you are so smart for having recorded those episodes when they were free.
dags:)
109 2020-03-30 15:20:42
Re: Outbreak, 1995 (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
After you watch that, I recommend watching 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation for some comic relief. I'm on my third week of isolation, I started a week before the social distancing directives, and I'm trying to balance out reality with a little escapism.
110 2020-03-29 03:16:22
Re: Song list for John Hamler (22 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
John Hamler wrote:
I thought Dagny's Andra Day selection was pretty cool, too. I don't usually go for histrionic singing (and would never have come across or indeed stopped long enough to listen to it without Dagny's suggestion) but... Yeah. I kinda/sorta dig it. Makes me wanna introduce y'all to this rather mannish-looking lady:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDjeBNv6ip0
Amazing, right? Thank me later.
Well, I've heard this song before, but I've never seen it performed. The ship tat distracted me, because I got one for my 65th birthday and it hurt like hell. It's a small one, 3'' x 3", that my granddaughter drew and has on her forearm. Did I say it hurt like hell? So...I cringed the whole way through that song thinking about the pain an entire ship would have caused. Other than that, I liked it.
This is one I really like, while it doesn't really encourages me the way Rise Up does, it's just a catchy tune:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrV90gXmOpA
If you liked that you'll like this too... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLEn5MyXUfE
111 2020-03-28 16:44:05
Re: Song list for John Hamler (22 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I find inspiration in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwgr_IMeEgA
"Rise Up"
You're broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry-go-round
And you can't find the fighter
But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out
Move mountains
We gonna walk it out
And move mountains
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
When the silence isn't quiet
And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
Move mountains
Bring it to its feet
Move mountains
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
All we need all we need is hope
And for that we have each other
And for that we have each other
And we will rise
We will rise
We'll rise
We'll rise
I'll rise up
Rise like the day
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I will rise a thousand times again
And we'll rise up
High like the waves
We'll rise up
In spite of the ache
We'll rise up
And we'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
112 2020-03-28 16:20:26
Re: Covid-19 - A Warning. (14 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Ray, so glad you recovered! These are difficult days we're living in and I have no doubt that we will get through them. The silver lining for us on the site: we are writers with imaginations that transcend our reality. Continued health, Ray!
dags
113 2020-03-26 18:13:34
Topic: The Contest (0 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I have found three short stories intended for the contest not entered. I am leaving a note in my reviews of those stories that they are NOT entered and how to enter. For those who have written an entry, please go to the Contest entries page and see if your story is there. If not, go to your story's edit function and click the Contests tab. That's it, you're entered!
You can't win if you're not entered!
dags
114 2020-03-02 16:26:38
Re: it's, its', let's, lets' (17 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Listening is the new reading. I don't remember the last time I read a book. Even on this site, I click the reader view option. It has a voice feature and I just listen to the members' work. My point is, when you're listening punctuation does not matter.
115 2019-11-25 18:43:57
Re: Run-on sentences that aren't (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
ray ashton wrote:
Actually, let me correct my previous post. The piece was posted here, and I received 3 reviews, all of them complaining about the length of the sentence, none of them about that error.
That sounds about right lol...
116 2019-11-25 16:36:56
Re: Deep Cover (12 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
You are an inspiration to us all! Congratulations Jack!
117 2019-11-01 15:16:08
Re: Amy S has passed away (8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I am so sorry to hear this. While I didn't know Amy, I did see how active she was on this site and I know she leaves a big hole that won't be easily filled. I think a group memorializing her and others that have passed would be a good idea. It would be a place to pay respects and to share how these writers have touched our lives.
118 2018-12-17 05:51:30
Re: Strongest Start Winners (8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Congratulations you guys...especially my friend ANN!
119 2018-12-10 03:22:53
Re: Strongest Start 2018 Finalists (15 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE FINALIST!!!!
120 2018-11-28 17:27:21
Re: A Question About Serial Commas (36 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Alan,
The easiest way for me to solve the whether to comma or not comma is Office 365. It's a subscription service, I think it's about 9 dollars a month, and the Word app has a grammar feature. When I click on anything underlined in blue, it tells me the grammar fix:commas, periods, hyphenations, and semi colons. It will also make suggestions on how to say the same thing in fewer words. It includes a dictionary and thesaurus.
The program came standard on this computer, here is the link to buy:
https://products.office.com/en-US/compa … 7af786cc8f
I hope this helps.
121 2018-11-21 13:22:23
Re: Unlikely Christmas Movies (NOT a Quiz) (8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
JP:
Krampus: A boy who has a bad Christmas ends up accidentally summoning a festive demon to his family home.
Wikipedia: Central European folklore, Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as "half-goat, half-demon",who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Krampus is one of the companions of Saint Nicholas in several regions including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Northern Italy including South Tyrol, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins.
122 2018-11-15 15:37:44
Re: Site Bug (19 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I got hit too.
123 2018-11-07 19:28:54
Re: Progressive aspect and dialogue tags (46 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
jack the knife wrote:
Sometimes I wish I had never taken up writing and exposed my stuff to critics. Because then I wouldn't have learned the "rules" and could enjoy books without being distracted by the breakage thereof. Case in point: I'm currently reading a John Sanford novel. It's replete with unnecessary dialogue tags and ellipses. He's a bestseller. Okay, he's in the club now and can do that without some editor telling him he can't. BUT - the "rules" would make his writing better. I would like to see the first novels of these bestselling authors to see if the rules were followed then. If so, that would prove the oft-held theory.
i love John Sandford, but I did notice that as well. It is distracting especially when you're listening to it!
124 2018-10-16 01:21:34
Re: Sharing Some Good News (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!
125 2018-10-14 16:13:28
Re: The Opening Lines... (78 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Charles_F_Bell wrote:
njc wrote:No, John Dickson Carr, who also wrote as Carter Dickson. His best? Open to taste, of course, but I'd suggest =The Sleeping Sphinx= (Gideon Fell), =The Lost Gallows= (Henri Bencolin), and =She Died a Lady= (Sir Henry Merrivale).
Wikipedia puts him exactly within the Brit/Christie type, having lived in England in his 20's in the '30's. So, yes, probably not something I am interested in. Interested in an updated Chandler, perhaps. Would also like a notion of what the expert editors and literary agents say sells in U.S. My guess is the "romance suspense" of Robyn Carr - also not something I am interested in.
Charles,
Try John Sandford Prey series, or his Virgil Flower series.
