Probably not too tactful to blow up the Admiral in the first chapter and have her named Mountbatten.
226 2017-05-03 20:55:00
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
227 2017-05-03 20:52:03
Re: The Colorless Dragon Thread (354 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
The single line at the end doesn't fit with the other summary. The dragon bit is kind of pasted on, not giving any context or understanding as to how two completely separate stories come together.
FYI, you aren't blowing the plot by saying that the dragons and girls meet up. It is the writing rather than the intro that makes that moment satisfying, So consider....
"The small country of Truacia has truly never seen darker days. The royal family is gone, murdered fourteen long years ago,
(mis-stated. Aren't the twins royalty?)
and the cruel Chaedoran Empire has taken over. Still, the people rebel, branded as scofflaws and hunted down. Those captured are executed or sold into slavery and those that run free must remain wary not only of the Empire’s hunters, but also the wild dragons wreaking havoc upon the land. It is in the midst of this conflict that four young souls find their fates intertwined.
This is where you need a combining sentence for the dragons and the humans. Ex: Sibling dragons and two girls live separate lives until Maya is accused of stealing from the Empress herself. Her sister, Vierra,
delves into a world of secrets her enemies would much rather keep buried. (WHILE) dragon hatchlings Noi and Dea must learn to survive in a world completely unfamiliar to them. Threats lay around every bend and each step they take only brings them closer to the two-legged beasts that wish for their extinction."
I think the simple addition of a few words makes this much more cohesive.
A
228 2017-05-01 21:47:52
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Roger that
229 2017-04-27 21:58:25
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
salon, waiting room, drawing room, reception
And I agree with NJC. Keep the first person intensive perspective.
230 2017-04-26 22:38:19
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
If you go with evangelical, then I see the origin as Siuthern Baptist. Something judgmental,and anti-LBGT. It would explain the church's willingness to wage war, at least in my mind.
Honestly, I would keep making it up to avoid offending somebody. It is just as easy to get your point across with made-up radicals
231 2017-04-25 16:38:47
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Anybody out there?
232 2017-04-20 00:25:16
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Your story is so tongue in cheek throughout, and I see it as being a little like The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy. That said, as you add color and dimension to the book, there is a serious story and good action driving the plot, so it gets a lot less silly.
You are going to have to choose, I think. Serious drama vs Black Comedy.
I've read most of the latest chapter and it is so much better than before. I get a sense of the surroundings, the flow of people, and the chaos surrounding Apollo. This is drastically better. Worlds better. So as you add depth, you move away from the spoof. Like I said, you need to choose.
And stop head hopping. Please. It is still everywhere.
233 2017-04-11 00:06:41
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
A sentence added with a guard-like activity. They are props. Even if they sneeze or blow their noses, they need a small vignette in the chapter.
234 2017-04-11 00:04:59
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
They need to be mentioned in each scene, placed where they are in the room, and
235 2017-04-09 02:25:47
Re: To: All who reviewed 'You Only Love Twice' (18 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Tom,
Here is what I envision for your first chapter. It is just on my wish list, so take what you want and discard the rest.
First chapter needs to present the problem, so I'll include that. Biru is lonely. He's successful in business but remains an outsider, (gaijin).
Ex: He is walking out of the high-rise in Tokyo, joining the mass of humanity walking along the street. Even here, he is noticed by his height and European features. Then let it start to rain, and the umbrella makes him invisible, part of the flow of the river that heads toward his home and relaxing. Maybe it is dark already, but have him go to one of the million of tiny nooks hidden in Tokyo where the street noises disappear and a stream is the only sound. Suddenly, he is one with nature, alone except for the rain, studying the line of a tree heavy with fruit. He pulls out his sketchpad and draws it (not the first time) agin, loving the line of the tree (maybe it reminds him of a woman, or the bent back of the the okaasan that he sees daily.) Either way, this image can relate somehow to his beloved once he meets her. It would also be on the walls of his room when he shows her his art.
Drawing the tree again, he isn't an outsider. He's in Tokyo doing what he loves. Now he just needs to find someone to share it with.
You have the ability to be florid, both in the description of the Tokyo street and in the sanctuary of the natural park, shrine, or hidden spot under a bridge.
Just on my wish list. You get to keep the first chapter first-person concept and ease into the conversation. Consider giving it a try. Let me know about your first chapter rewrite when it comes out.
A
236 2017-04-08 09:26:39
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I'm back on track for a week or so. Maybe two. Keep up the chatter and talk about books, books, books!
237 2017-04-02 10:24:51
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
No growth removed. They took biopsies for chemo and closed me up. The chemo buys me an extra 1-2 years of quality that I wouldn't have otherwise. There is time for me to end the book, hang out with kids, and husband.
Not trying to be morbid or dramatic. Just real. I can be a minx because K said so. So many minx it is...from now till ever afterwards.
238 2017-04-02 04:43:09
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Here is the new word
Out of surgery
Getting up and moving around more
Eating chocolate pudding and hummus crackers
Percocet is my friend
Bowel gas is part of everyday conversation
Just the truth, man. Nothing but the truth
Good news: it isnt ovarian ca
It hasn't spread to my lungs or brain
I can still work
I'm taking the summer off
I'm still getting chemo this summer
Bad news:
It is colorectal cancer without a source
It is slow growing, so I had it despite a negative colonoscopy last year
I'm looking at about a year of quality time before everything goes to hell in a hand basket, then about a year of wax/wane.
I've got a mission. And a book to finish. And friends to hang out with. And and extra year that wouldn't be mine if I hadn't figured this out.
Here is to good friends.
Give me a couple more days to heal and you'll be hearing more from me.
239 2017-03-26 08:35:46
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Surgery is Tuesday at 1030. It'll be a long one, so I might be floating high on good drugs for the night and next morning. I offered to carry the pager at work, but I'll likely be intubated. However, I can probably still text, so they might put me to work.
Oh, trust me. There are things I want to finish. I've always had a bucket list, even when I was a little kid. If nothing else, I have a free summer with limited mobility ahead of me. While I may be sleeping for much of this time, I intend to use it to good effect. I always wondered how much I could get done if I only had the time...
Let's see what I can accomplish if I put my mind to it.
Janet, seven books? Get hopping, girl. You can try to slap my pussy hat off my head, but I warn you, I'm fierce.
Dirk, I'll get to the Aussie's second appearance. Let me wake up from the Diprivan first, otherwise, this review is going to be hilarious.
K needs me the most, I completely agree. Who else is going to have the nerve to point out that people don't ride bareback in freezing weather (in a sheet no less) on a 40 mph horse?
NJC, Thou shalt see mine story in print. If I have to break my own damn rules and self-publish. And I'll keep writing forward instead of just revising. Got to get the story out of me so I can figure out how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Tuesday looms larger tonight. I'm no longer working nights, and I'm still awake. Damn the Sandman, anyway. Thought yesterday was a wonderful day. Drove through the Metropark, took my kids to the trampoline park, visited my sister, ate anything I felt like, and then had a wine cooler. We got home and I took a nap. Now I'm writing.
I have to say this out loud. Others just roll their eyes at me when I say things like this...
Good things about Ovarian cancer.
You get the summer off work.
You get to meet new people and insult them.
You get to talk back to your surgeon and swear as much as you want.
You never have to have a period ever again.
You get to have more quality time with your kids.
You pass an accident on the side of the road and realize that someone else is having a shittier day than you are.
You get to be the patient and walk around showing people your butt crack.
Hospital food (OK, maybe not)
Weight loss.
Scars. I can make up any story I want, and a lay-person might believe that I was in a knife-fight. I'm a writer. The story will be believable.
I don't give a shit about diabetes any longer. I. Just. Don't. Care. Hypertension? Pfft.
That's what I've got so far. I'm sure that there will be more to come.
A
240 2017-03-25 16:19:39
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I like the pope's skullcap idea. Streamers are cool.
241 2017-03-25 16:18:50
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Thanks guys. I'd say I was sorry for beating tux guys up on reviews, but that's probably why you like me.
Tuesday...
Phew. Deep breath.
242 2017-03-24 23:32:14
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I'm optimistic. And I've got access to a newly trained surgeon who is comfortable with the new options. I just need to make it thru the surgery. Lordy, I don't know what is worse..knowing or not knowing. But I've got a great team. My family is stepping up to help. And I might have the summer off to write while I sit around for chemo.
However, this was a shitty way to get a summer vacation. I got what I asked for.
Next, I want a pussy hat with bangs. Might as well look ridiculous.
244 2017-03-24 19:53:28
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
OK, folks.
Here is the skinny on Team Sonoda
Hard to read, but even harder to write. I've got ovarian cancer. Surgery is Tuesday. At that point, I find out the staging. Then I can make plans about how much longer I will have to finish this damn book of mine. If it is the most common form of cancer, then I am eligible for IV chemo AND peritoneal chemo, which drastically increases the amount of time that I can pick on you guys and wreck your plots. That is the scenario that I'm hoping for. (Wrecking plots included)
So I'll be out of commission on Tuesday and Weds. Thursday, I might have it in me to pick up the phone and text an update. Until then, there will be a dearth of reviews from me.
Wish me luck.
Feel free to insult me during my absence. You know I like it when you guys care. Feel free to make an insult-chain rather than a prayer chain.
And I already let it be known that I will cover my hairless scalp with a pussy-hat. Just out of spite. I may even sew on some bangs so that it looks like I have hair.
Maybe a tiara on the pussy-hat. Or is that too much?
Love you guys,
A
245 2017-03-24 19:45:12
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
There have been others.
Lances.
246 2017-03-21 15:30:39
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
wise words :-)
247 2017-03-21 00:00:49
Re: Unbar's Thread (87 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
One nit (because you know that nothing ever shuts me up) Why does the armor lace up the back? One knife cut down the spine (which isn't protected, BTW), and the armor is in pieces and flapping forward as the person fights. Back lacing is for corsets. Leather armor is laced, that is true, but it laces from the side, so that it is protected more.
248 2017-03-20 23:57:55
Re: Unbar's Thread (87 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I like it. Plain and simple. Nicely done!
249 2017-03-20 23:10:06
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
We miss you. Revise, and then revise again. Push forward on book 2. I'm so proud of you!
(FYI, it might be time for another phone call. We need to check in with each other at least once a year!)
250 2017-03-12 23:13:44
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
It's all about how much time I have. In the beginning, I wrote and shared stories with my friends. We established the characters, and then everyone was free to use the characters as they chose. The primary writers were myself and the gal who conceptualized Melody, but a couple other stories came out of it, including one story about Jaylene.
The story arc closed after a year, and everybody fell off the grid (the story of my life when I've found something fun). Years passed. I kept the folder with the stories and would read them every now and again. Then, I kept seeing Airen drawing a bow at Kha's face, and decided to write it out. I wandered through Kha's story, much like what NJC is doing with Mellaen and Merran, writing chapters that didn't equal a cohesive whole, and finally typing them out on a computer.
Time passed.
Then I got a computer and connected the chapters. By then it had been at least 12 years, and I split the story (which was interconnected instead of separate books). I was looking for feedback, and trying to show people my stories, but wasn't getting much (any) interest. I didn't realize that people are readers and not writers. I started looking for a group in Cleveland. Didn't find bupkis.
Time passed.
Then, I was told about TNBW. And I found people with similar interests. I read my old material and wince at the mistakes that I made, but they were part of the learning curve required to improve, so I don't let myself throw them out. I've been on TNBW about 3 years, and my learning curve is massive. I FINISHED two of the drafts, which never would have been possible before. But I'm starting to plateau again, so I'm looking for forward momentum.
I couldn't have done this any quicker, but I'd like to avoid taking another 20 years to have a work I consider publishable. Those who churn out a book a month are looking to make a living at writing. I don't need that because I'll never make the same pay grade writing as I do working in health care, so I can take the time to produce something of quality.
Man, what I could accomplish if I had a paid year off. Or a spouse who could let me be a stay-at-home mom and writer. But that isn't going to happen, so I make more time to sit down and don't schedule distractions. Each year, I spend more of my time writing. Someday...
Keep the flame burning, Dirk. Keep laughing at your space-puns, and messing with your characters. Set a challenge to yourself to sit down for at least 2 hours a day and write. Nothing else. No TV. No distractions. Do it for a week and see what happens. I double-dog-triple-dare you.
A