Hi Amy, Ok, I'll have a look at it this week. The first half of this week is crazy for me, although I know the story is short, but it may be towards the end of the week.
26 2015-01-19 06:05:34
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
27 2015-01-18 07:40:46
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
I have the same situation - work, kids, and once in a while I want to do my own writing, so I know how it goes. No need to explain!
28 2015-01-17 16:54:21
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
I'll read it tomorrow, Amy. I'm looking forward to it!
29 2015-01-16 21:26:48
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
I'm happy to be held responsible! 
30 2015-01-04 20:09:02
Re: YA suggestions (5 replies, posted in kid's korner)
Thanks Ann! He's read the Pullman books, but I'll check out Nancy Farmer. I haven't heard of her!
31 2014-12-22 14:08:52
Re: SOS - Membership expired????? (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
It says I have a 30-day upgrade bonus that expires on January 18. But I don't find anything that asks address, credit card, info etc. Will that appear in January?
32 2014-12-19 16:00:31
Re: SOS - Membership expired????? (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Hi Sol (and everyone who responded), thanks for the reassurance. But Sol, I still don't find anything under the billing info. For each category I got a message: "no information" or "no billing history."
33 2014-12-19 09:24:39
Topic: SOS - Membership expired????? (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Sol, I just received an email saying my membership expired and all my content is gone, but I can rejoin. Of course I am in a panic. SO far nothing seems to have actually happened, but I always had auto/renew. Is this function not working??? Please let me know what is going on! I don't actually remember when my subscription expires because of the autorenew, but whern I went to the billing page there was no information at all. Please Sol, I don't want to lose everything!!!!!
34 2014-12-14 08:38:13
Re: Dialogue Tags (15 replies, posted in Literary Fiction)
Dear Temple,
All I can say is BRAVO!!!!! You put my thoughts into words. Thank you!!!!!!
35 2014-12-12 17:22:38
Re: Xmas Cards (8 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Thanks for the glimpse into your life Amy!! And congratulations! Now for a glimpse into my life - I will spend much of the weekend making gingerbread cookies and wrapping gifts for the needy at the school where I work. I'm actually looking forward to it!
36 2014-12-12 17:17:47
Re: YA suggestions (5 replies, posted in kid's korner)
Thanks MsP! I'll check that one out too!
37 2014-12-05 20:14:41
Re: YA suggestions (5 replies, posted in kid's korner)
Thanks, I'll check it out!
38 2014-12-05 15:33:21
Topic: YA suggestions (5 replies, posted in kid's korner)
Hi MsP,
Just letting you know I have some ideas for a YA short story. December is always a crazy month, so I probably won't get to work on it in earnest until January.
Now since this is a YA group I may as well ask if anyone can recommend any books for a fifteen year old boy. No romance - he's opposed. Not too violent (I'm opposed), just some very good fantasy, science fiction, even realist fiction. He's a voracious reader and I've run out of ideas!
39 2014-12-04 06:29:31
Re: New Enhancements Released (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks Sol! This is definitely a step in the right direction! However, I'm a little confused by new novel v. new book and new poem v. new poetry. I suspect the "new book" people just clicked on that when most of them meant novel. It seems to me you could combine the two. Same with new poem and poetry, unless there really is a difference I'm unaware of.
40 2014-12-01 08:43:08
Re: New story (3 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Hi James, Great! I'll have a look later this week.
41 2014-11-25 08:14:01
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Yeah Amy!!! I'm rooting for you! I submitted three articles to them (over the course of a year) and the third was accepted (I don't think it was the best of the the three). But they were nice. With the second story they sent a personal rejection saying it made it to the finals and encouraged me to keep trying. They have new editors now, so I don't know what the process is like, but they were very thorough with my article. I learned a lot. With LM I sent two and the second was accepted. Same thorough editing. When I got the article published in BC, the editor for LM sent me a letter of congratulations - that's what I mean by nice. Very, very supportive!
42 2014-11-24 20:58:17
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Hi Amy, yes don't send an attachment because it will go into their spam folder. The cover letter is brief - only a few sentences of introduction. Basically dear editors, I wrote this last summer following a rain shower. I wanted to express the preciousness of such moments with my son, something like that. And also tell them which section you're submitting to (personal essay). The main thing is keep it brief. Then copy and paste. Don't worry about the formatting. They're really nice at both mags.
43 2014-11-24 18:52:13
Re: Still looking for interest in Kids books (5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I have ideas, just not much time. I may not get to children's stuff again until spring, but I do plan on it! Right now I'm trying my hand at adult short stories, trying to improve my technique.
44 2014-11-24 18:00:20
Re: Amy's short stories- flash memoirs (19 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Hi Amy,
Don't put Summer Rain up on the internet! Instead send it to Brain Child Magazine and Literary Mama. Brain Child pays (LM doesn't). I think you have an excellent chance of getting published. I'd do BC first, give them a month or two, and then submit to Literary Mama. I'm not sure how it works, but sometimes they won't look at a piece if its been on the internet. Don't take the risk. Oh, and I wouldn't hesitate to submit to the New York Times Motherlode blog, although maybe they don't take unsolicited manuscripts. Brain, Child is better anyway. I love Summer Rain so much - I'm still thinking about it!!!
45 2014-11-20 07:45:54
Re: If anyone has the time ... (15 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
No Amy, I'm not the fictionalized wife! It's my sister-in-law you beat up. so that's ok. ) Although I don't think Francesca is quite as manipulative as you see it, I think Dani is just clueless about the tension between his mother and wife. I do believe Dani is the true jerk in all this. If I were fictionalizing myself I'd be a lot kinder!!! In the real scenario my family is Rahel's - my husband is Rahel, and on this real weekend, like Rahel's husband, I did keep my own kids out of the action for most of it. Although I helped with the dishes and not my husband. Yeah sexism! (kidding of course)
46 2014-11-19 20:37:56
Topic: Master list as on old site (1 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Hi Sol,
I know this has come up already, and I don't like to sound like a broken record, but I'd like to make another plea for the old style master list with three general categories. People are having trouble finding the material. Even though you have increasd the number of new works appearing on the home page, what we really need is a simple list without the distracting images, so that as many as 10 or 15 works (I don't know how many appeared on the old site but it worked) in each category are shown. (Once we click on the work we can see the nice bookcovers.)
I know you have argued that there are so any more genres now that you didn't want to create the three lists again. But everyone knew the novel listing meant long works including memoir or scripts, and short stories of course included op ed, memoir, blog entries, etc.
The main idea of this site should be to give the material as much exposure as possible so we get as many reviews as possible. I know its only been a week, but I essentially had to beg people to review my latest post. On the old site within a week I usually had 6 or 7 reviews. With the new site my work was up for a week and I got none until I begged. Those who I requested a review from told me they had failed to notice my post. I don't know if others feel that the new format isn't working for them, but I certainly do. (And please don't suggest I review more. I have more than 200 points, and this week I wrote more than fifteen reviews.)
I have been in love with this site since I first joined and this is the first time I've wondered if it's worth it to stay. Obviously I'm not giving up yet. I know people are stumbling around, getting their bearings, but I am concerned. At one point you said nothing is off the table.
So, please consider restoring the master list on the home page.
Everything else is great. I like the inline reviews feature - it's incredibly helpful. And the bookcovers are fun, I just think we should only see them when we click on the book.
Thanks! Michelle
47 2014-11-18 22:31:31
Re: Another question about groups (35 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Basic)
I just wanted to say that you can post simultaneously in several groups, thereby increasing your exposure without using more points.
48 2014-11-18 21:02:59
Re: Another question about groups (35 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Basic)
I just reached the limit too, so I left the YA group and stuck with your kid korner. If you want to leave short stories I won't be hurt. I know that's not what you generally write!
49 2014-11-18 19:29:11
Re: If anyone has the time ... (15 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Yes, Amy, that makes sense! Thank you. That might be a problem - too much backstory before we get to the real events!
50 2014-11-18 17:22:34
Re: If anyone has the time ... (15 replies, posted in Short Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Amy, I also forgot to say about tornadoes, well, they do have them, they're just more rare. But the Hungarian plain is nice and flat. But people do use the expression, for ex.: She raced through the room like a tornado. So it seemed to fit with the Hungarian psyche. As I was writing I was thinking, if this was translated into Hungarian would they get it?
