Glad you're all right, Bill. Are you having crazy weather in Colorado, too, or are you talking about Dayton?
We arrived at Wright-Patt just after the big tornado that demolished Xenia. In the years we lived there, we had several scares, but no big damage. Get home soon and take care of your wife! JP
I don't see the point in publishing your outline. I do outline everything beforehand, but more often than not, genius ideas (my words) strike as I'm working, changing the story and rendering the original outline useless. You wouldn't want to feel bound to the outline just because you devoted so much time to it.
Why ask for critiques on something that's only a jumping-off point? It takes a careful reviewer at last a half hour to write a review, time that might be better spent on the actual work, don't you think? Also, you don't want to spend so much time on your outline the story goes stale.
I think posting your ideas in a group for discussion among friends sounds like a good plan, though I'm not sure how that works. You might want to visit the group and see what they're doing with the idea. JP
some don’t reciprocate when they receive a review. Alas, human nature.
You can lead a person to the tnbw site, but you can't make them reciprocate. No amount of enticement (sometimes known as bribery) will change them.
Such is life. JP
Congratulations, Randy! You've hit the big time. You deserve it. JP
j p lundstrom wrote:. . . . And no, I'm not that old, but my mom talked about him all the time.]
JP
That's what we all say. ;-)
Bill
You know it, Bud! Denial is way more than a river in Egypt! JP
I tend to agree with Temple--the word 'cackle' brings to mind a shrill, high-pitched sound. That defeats the author's intent to portray a character's deep voice.
Of course, I checked my favorite internet thesaurus and found no synonym for 'cackle' that wound convey danger--they just got shriller and sillier. Most used phrases like 'evil laugh.' You could try something like 'menacing laughter,' or you could go with 'malevolent,' 'wicked,' 'murderous,' etc.
I would change 'cackle' for another word/ phrase, since there's no guarantee the reader will visualize Vincent Price or the Emperor from Star Wars.
[As for Vincent Price, I always thought he had a rather high-pitched voice for such a big man. And his laughter didn't always convey evil--he was a straight actor, sometimes a romantic lead, long before he became the curator of the House of Wax. And no, I'm not that old, but my mom talked about him all the time.]
JP
I just finished reading the prologue of a book written by a writer whose works I had enjoyed, but this killed my enthusiasm. I don't plan to read the rest of the book.
The problem? The prologue was an information dump, stuff the author thought I needed to know before I could enjoy the story. None of it was essential to the story. It felt like the lazy way to make a connection between this and a previous book.
The solution? Dump the book. I had already read the previous book, so I knew the back story. But even if I hadn't, it still would have put me off.
Yes, you can write a prologue for any book. But be certain it sets the stage for the rest of the story, and isn't just an excuse to dump information that could, with a little effort, be worked into the body of the book.
I haven't used the prologue for anything I've written. Chapter One does it for me.
That's my humble opinion. JP
I posted the last chapter of 'At the Movies' a few days ago. Thank you to all who read, reviewed and encouraged me to get the story finished.
I am composing the acknowledgements now. If you would like to be mentioned, please let me know what name you wish to use. Otherwise, I might wind up using your tnbw moniker, when you really want your pen name used.
Thanks again. JP
I've been manually editing these for about a year now.
Funny. I haven't had any problems, and no one could be less tech savvy than I. I did have some difficulty when I first joined, and found that changing my browser (at Sol's suggestion) fixed things. Not that you're having the same trouble. I would ask him, and see where the problem lies. JP
We'll miss you 'til you get back. In the meantime, https://www.ranker.com/list/best-countr … nker-music JP
What does fileol mean?
File out loud, of course.
By the way, when I asked for someone to 'delete this mindless thread', I didn't mean my post! You got me there.
But, really! sixty-two pages of random words? Isn't writing supposed to have meaning?
Take care.
Somebody, PLEASE! Delete this mindless thread.
Refresh our memory--
Does an in-line review award the reviewer more points than a regular review?
Generally, do writers prefer to receive an in-line or regular review?
What's the protocol for responding to in-line remarks?
What's the benefit of the x-line review?
Any other questions?
Feedback?
Sol--Thanks for fixing this. I just entered a book, and it was easy peasy.
Only one problem--I knew what I wanted to do, so I had no problem, but for a newbie, the directions could be confusing. Under the heading that states "only your published books," the directions state "first search the book you know you have read." Confusing, right?
Or maybe it's not a problem. Time will tell. JP
[quote=Temple Wang Some people will find holes in your story that you didn’t expect.
Plot holes are always a crucial concern for me. If someone pointed one out in one of my stories, I'd be embarrassed I hadn't recognized it, but grateful it had been pointed out. This is what makes TNBW worthwhile. Someone insecure, afraid to post their stuff because they're afraid of criticism, would not last long here.
That's the whole point of joining tnbw. Someone who doesn't want criticism might be happier with friends and family as readers. The truth will set you free, right?
Good article, Temple. JP
Now I've got it! Thanks!
I copied and pasted the Amazon links to my books onto my profile page. You have to highlight the link, then right click on it, then click on the Go to... It's working for my links.
Still not working. I did get a notice--something about my browser, and a box to paste the link, but it still didn't work. Don't concern yourselves--the shelf is not my big worry. I can wait until Sol arranges something else for us.
oh, wait--is that howto use the link, once it's pasted into the profile?
Out of curiosity, I tried entering links to individual books via the old bookshelf method and got no results. The I tried cutting and pasting the link in my bio, but it didn't act as a link. What am I doing wrong?
Well, I guess Juliette was not that big a draw. The point was she's been in a lot of big-name movies (even if she's not always the lead). That's an impressive career. Maybe next month...
Okay, MJ--that's enough snark. I just wanted to see if the problem was widespread, or my own. Yeesh! JP
That'snot the only problem--we're having trouble with font size. See Vern's post. JP
Wow!
I thought maybe you'd accidentally made an adjustment on your screen, but not so. The response I'm typing is so small, I can barely see it. Something's going on. I'm hoping it's not a reflection of my worth. Maybe it's an alien invasion. I'll stop now--it's giving me a headache. Anybody else? JP
Have you been reviewing the work of other writers? That's how people know to review your work. They respond to your efforts. JP
Just voted. You couldn't find a better image for Jonny Vallone! He's just as I pictured him. Good job!
Good luck! JP
Welcome, T.W.!
I suffer from the same problem--friends who say "I don't have time to read." This site is an excellent place to get honest, knowledgeable input on your work. It may be hard to take from time to time, but that's how we learn.
You'll enjoy it here. JP
