I recently renumbered my chapters (in "Into the Mind of God v3") because I decided the first chapter was really a prologue. Now the list of all inline reviews I've received for the book no longer show the chapter and version numbers. I'm lucky in that I'm only a few chapters in and have only a handful of reviews. If I'd been further along, this would have been very painful.
On a related note, the filter on the inline tab doesn't allow filtering for reviews of prologues.
Thanks
Dirk
Problem is everyone has a different pet peeve and one person's fix is another person's pet peeve. Bug we will fix regardless but we're very cautious now with new enhancements since we made a bunch of changes based on user feedback and they weren't well received by everyone.
Sounds reasonable. However, the algorithm by which new forum posts disappear from the home page is a mystery. It's been inconsistent since the new site went live. Some posts disappear within a few hours while others seem to hang around for about a day (my preference). It's either a weird algorithm or a bug. I'm not sure if time zones are involved.
This tool will probably get only limited use, since there are probably more aspiring authors on the site than published ones. Personally, I'd prefer it if the effort went into improving the site based on outstanding enhancement/bug fix requests. My favorite pet peeve, as you know, is that new forum posts disappear from the home page before I know they even exist.
How many people fail to reply to reviews? Is it a large number? And if they do forget/decline to do so, the reviewer currently has the choice to move on. It would probably help new members learn the ropes, though.
Once upon a time, if you didn't respond to a review, then you couldn't post any writing until you did, but I don't know if that is still the case.
I think that would be a good and simple feature. If I get no reply or recip for reviews I've given, I may do another review to let them know I'm interested in their feedback. However, after that I can take a hint and move on. I almost always get a reply, except from new members who don't know the process.
Don't you dare spend the next few days reviewing my crap. It'll keep. Seabrass, K, and Bill will suffice in your absence, although no one rewrites my stuff like you do. Much as I want to tone down the violence in v3, I still can't bring myself to remove the death scene you wrote for Ensign Ecks in chapter one. Chests exploding right and left. Jane Austen should write so well. :-)
Truth be told, I really think K needs you more than me though. And then njc. And then Dirk. They know it's true, but they'll never admit it.
This is what I get the day after writing Aussie's second appearance? Does the word "snip" mean anything to you? Although you did list me third, so that's a backhanded compliment.
Chapters 6 - 8 are up. Ch. 6 is a slightly modified version of the Galactipedia - New Bethlehem article, including a few extra paragraphs at the end to flesh out the society a bit more before we get to ch. 7. Ch. 7 is a redo of v2's "I Will Shake the Universe", which contains the trial of the traitors who attacked Joseph and his parents at the palace. It also includes the unveiling of Joseph's destiny. The biggest change is Joseph's homophobia and its consequences for Andrew. Also, Aussie makes her first reappearance (in the epigraph) since ejecting from Windsor's ship in Ch. 1. Ch. 8 is the Galactipedia - Rise of the Julii article that I had up out of sequence. I think only Seabrass reviewed the original before I took it down. It's essentially unchanged, except for the Further Reading section.
Quick, go read!
Thanks
Dirk
Perhaps a Pope's skullcap, although word has it he only gives those to fast-acting three-year-olds. Glue on some gold streamers for bangs and you're all set.
Funny thing. As the opinions were rolling in, I realized I needed to change the sentence, eliminating the need for this post. :-)
If you're curious, the final version is:
Your destiny is to create a new paradise across the stars for all humanity. You won’t just prevent the Apocalypse, you will end all suffering everywhere.
Thanks to all for their input.
Oh, wow, Amy. I'm so sorry. Barely know what to say. I hope everything goes well.
I think caps would work for King where there's clear context (the reader knows we're talking about Joseph), just as the reader would know Regent is Joseph's mother. Otherwise, you get things like: I'm king and my mother was the Regent. That makes it seem like Regent is more important than king.
Based on that, "No king (among many) and much less a regent (among many) has ever pardoned a traitor" should use lowercase for both, since that's the only thing that reads right.
If I understand you correctly, you're definitely saying that "no king (among many)" should be lowercase.
That suggests "You will become a Prophet, not a King" should be "You will become a prophet, not a king." However, that still leaves cases like "You will become a prophet, not the (one) King." So be it.
Let me know if you disagree.
Thanks.
Dirk
No, I got that. Thanks.
Thanks. I went with njc's suggestion. I came across several more instances like this, and they're all clear with just the one comma.
I was wondering if someone can tell me which of the following is the correct (or best) way to use commas:
1. You will create a new paradise across the stars for all humanity and, with it, you will end all suffering everywhere.
2. You will create a new paradise across the stars for all humanity, and with it, you will end all suffering everywhere.
3. You will create a new paradise across the stars for all humanity, and, with it, you will end all suffering everywhere.
1 seems cleanest. However, I believe "and" is functioning as a conjunction, so that would suggest 2 or 3. I believe 3 is the only one that would have made it past my fifth grade English teacher.
Thanks
Dirk
Amy, I can't recall if there has been more than one Lance in your story's history, but if there were, would you refer to them as Lances or lances?
Thanks.
Dirk
K, I'm using caps for titles like Prophet, King, Regent, etc. using your "rule of one".
What would you do with the following: "You will become a Prophet, not a King"? Since it's 'a' Prophet and 'a' King, it's one of many, but the line clearly refers to Joseph's future, not anyone else's. Caps?
What about: "No King, much less a Regent, had ever pardoned a traitor"? Should King be capitalized in this case? In this case, Regent refers specifically to Joseph's mother, even though Joseph's POV is worded as "a" Regent, so I assume caps on the latter.
What about: "New Bethlehem is ruled by kings"? I assume lowercase.
Man do I hate this stuff.
Thanks
Dirk
I do have a court system, but high-profile treason cases are subject to inquisition and potential Senate trials.
I did give them a lawyer this time. 
I'm wondering how detailed to get with armed forces on New Bethlehem. In v2, I had just the Armed Forces and robots providing all forms of guarding and policing. In v3, I've added a separate Royal Guard for the Royal Family comparable to the US Secret Service, and the Regent deployed the Armed Forces to secure the Senate when the Imperium invaded early in the book.
It seems easy to add a separate police force, but then come questions like who guards the Senate, who guards the traitors, who guards the parade, who guards the funeral route, and who deploys into the havens during the second invasion? Robots will be everywhere, but they're always overseen by humans. Most of these could probably be handled by police, although it seems odd (to me) to use a police force to handle the public hanging of the traitors.
Thoughts?
I'd go with #3, but then I tend to be comma heavy in my writing.
I'll ping you when Aussie reappears. He's definitely going to have a kickass scene in the book's revised wrap-up chapter.
Are you planning to post your latest revision of NS, Janet?
Cool. Thank you. Much better.
Done. Damn that took forever.
Given its history with and proximity to the Imperium Romanum, New Bethlehem is under constant threat from plots to undermine or overthrow its government. For this reason, it has adopted strict rule of law as a means of defending itself from attack, giving the government broad powers to detain and interrogate citizens suspected of treason. The interrogations, known as inquisitions, are considered harsh by Realm standards. Those found guilty are executed by public hanging, as a clear warning to others. Although there is growing pressure from other Realm worlds to eliminate these practices, most inhabitants of the planet accept them as necessary to protect their world from the Imperium, which many believe is the literal realm of Satan. Proponents of the laws claim that capital punishment is consistent with the Bible, while opponents claim that, since Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Laws, capital punishment should be abolished, frequently quoting John 8:7 of the New Testament: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Overly vocal critics of New Bethlehem’s practices are often accused of being Imperial sympathizers.
