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See? Nobody ever answered Ron's question. Things are already lost in the shuffle. This is the problem I had with the forums on the old site. About two months ago I looked for a discussion of genre to answer a question, but it looks like things have reverted to their old form--messy.

Call me obsessive, but when I have a question about a topic, I'd like to find a forum that addresses that topic, rather than having to search forever, then giving up and posting the question as a new topic. Can't we create a section called "GENRE" (and other general topics, for that matter) where related FAQs are posted? It would save time, and keep us from duplicating effort. And don't tell me to post my question in the appropriate group; my question was "what group does this story belong in?" And I had to leave one group and join another in order to ask the question!

There are already two groups for young adult writing--with another one for middle grades, that's getting ridiculous. How can I hope to keep my membership to just ten groups? I like to write a lot of different things. At least, if we had designated forums, it might be easier to find useful information, without having to bother group members.

I just read the contract. You would be giving amazon exclusive rights for five years, to be automatically renewed every five years. In exchange, you get 50% of e-book net (not gross), 25% of digital audio recordings net, and 20% of foreign-language editions net. You have to wait five years before you can apply to get the rights back, and then only under the conditions amazon sets forth. In other words, you do all the work, and amazon gets the profit.
BTW, "net" means after amazon decides what costs to deduct from the proceeds. DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A GOOD DEAL?  JP

Well, what is the theme for the contest? Will there be one? Any discussion?  JP

Well, now, I can see how Allen and Mike have based their stories on depictions of real people, but Amy, how many magicians do you really know? And I don't mean illusionists! Seriously, if we didn't keep our ear and eyes open all the time, we couldn't write about human beings--we'd have to invent new creatures.  My heroines aren't me--they're the women I wish I'd had the courage to be. The men-I just make them up. JP

I know what you mean. You get to chapter 27 and then you think, "Wait a minute. Where did she get the antifreeze?" Last week, I posted the link to this Terrible Minds post in Resources for Crime Writers. Here's what it said, in part:

23. AND NOW, A LESSON FROM BILL AND TED: IT’S NOT A CRIME TO GO BACK AND HIDE THE KEYS
(Yes, I’m about to quote Keanu Reeves for writing advice. Shut up or I’ll cut you with this safety razor.) Near the end of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the guys are stuck outside the San Dimas jail with a real problem: they must free the imprisoned historical figures or fail their presentation and flunk out of school. They have to engineer a jailbreak NOW. So Ted turns to Bill and says, “When this is over, remind me to go back and hide the keys.” Moments later, Ted slips behind a bush and returns with the jail keys in his hand.
The lesson? When you have a time machine, getting the details right is not a problem.
Hey, writer? You have a time machine. Go back during the editing phase and drop the keys where you need them. Just, please, find a better explanation for how they got there.

This is the most forgiving kind of work we could ask for. Just be happy you're finding the missing pieces.  JP

Thanks, Penang.  I went to the Grammar Girl site and read the current posts. They were easy to read, and informed. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of Lewis Carroll, a topic with which I'm familiar. The experience was easy for me, but I still think that the person who lacks grammatical background, either from inattention or poor instruction, or maybe learning disability, will not profit from a discussion of grammar. The mere sight of so many options, including the "bad" examples, is so daunting a person will never start. Once again, I say, if you can say it, you can write it and make sense. There's not a single one of us who can write without misspellings and typos. Why feel bad about it?

Sol-Thanks for the explanation. I'm working around those little things--they're not a problem, considering all the benefits of membership.  JP

Thanks, Mike--you can do the decorations for the Christmas party.  Just kidding--don't know what else will come up, but you're on record; I have documentation.  JP

You're welcome, though it all started with Sol. I agree, we're doing well for the first time ever. Thanks to all those who showed their support with their stories and reviews. THANKS TO DAGNEE FOR CREATING OUR CONTEST LOGO. THANKS TO JANET TAYLOR-PERRY FOR FINDING OUR JUDGE, THANKS TO ALLENL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CONTEST. And thanks to everyone for their contributions and suggestions. It has been a group effort. JP

What makes a great character? Find out at the following:
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/01 … ter-needs/

Super-I'm still having trouble deciding how to classify the story.  I'll be finished in a few days, if all goes well, then I'll be back.  Thanks.  Is there a story you'd like me to read?  JP