Thanks for the review. I'll respond tomorrow.
3,051 2016-11-18 05:47:37
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
3,052 2016-11-18 03:43:25
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Upon rereading, I don't care much for the three E's. Fortunately, there are a whole bunch of ways not to say radiated: sent forth, bathed in (for the receiver), arose, brimmed, manifested, etc. And spat venom will probably be reserved for Billie.
I'll resume reading now, since I'm behind on my recips.
3,053 2016-11-17 22:46:03
Re: Word 2010: Something I discovered today (10 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Also, if you have chapter names (or numbers) in your book, you can use the styles on the right side of the Home ribbon (in Word 2007) to apply a Heading style that should automatically start your chapter title on a new page. You can also "edit" the style to make it more to your liking. If you decide you want to reformat all of your chapter titles later, you simply edit the style again, and all text using that style will be automatically updated throughout the book.
3,054 2016-11-17 16:45:06
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Problem fixed. The three E's: emitted, exuded, emanated. Haven't used 'gave off' yet, since it's kind of dull. Still thinking about shone, since it's a visual, whereas the others are something you can feel without seeing them. I'm on the fence about dazzled.
Thank you, Kdot.
Dirk
EDIT: How about 'The admiral's presence spat venom.'? That's cool.
3,055 2016-11-17 15:35:59
Re: Unbar's Thread (87 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
What about putting a summary of the book on the back in a font that matches or comes close to the one on your front cover? Or perhaps endorsements written by people who've already read it, preferably by published authors..
3,056 2016-11-17 04:52:08
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I reread it from your perspective. Those radiates stick out like a sore thumb. Will fix. Admiral Windsor was hoping for a real review. She's currently exuding boiling lava. :-)
3,057 2016-11-17 02:46:53
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Tada! v3 of chapter two is finally up (in the v3 book, of course). As before, it introduces the two MCs at various ages. Nevertheless, about 75% is new and, hopefully, more interesting.
I've introduced the concept of ghosts "radiating" their emotions/characteristics, which gives me tons of freedom to explore how those characters feel. Chuckling has therefore been eliminated in favor of things like: God radiated mirth. Ghosts can also radiate combinations of emotions/characteristics all in one simple sentence: she radiated mirth and tenderness, but with a touch of urgency and worry.
I added a new character to v3, which ties this chapter together with chapter one (formerly a prologue). Amy will be so proud.
Quick, go read!
3,058 2016-11-16 16:24:35
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Biggest alligator in the world is the black caiman. Lives in the Amazon rainforest around the freshwater Amazon river. Grows up to about 20 feet and weighs over one thousand pounds.
Double jeopardy? Bring it on!
3,059 2016-11-10 22:26:30
Re: Unbar's Thread (87 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Weakness: no visual of anything bookie. Could you put something like a book around the title? Otherwise this cover looks like something about a teen martial artist.
The cover is great. If you want to add books, I suggest a few "old" books (e.g., with a few pages hanging out of them, some unknown symbols on the covers, etc.) strewn on the ground. I think new books would ruin the otherworldly effect of the above cover.
3,060 2016-11-10 06:33:53
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Sloe Jobee? I don't get the reference. But then I'm slow and jobless, so it's close.
3,061 2016-11-10 02:52:29
Re: Unbar's Thread (87 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Here is my blurb for book 2, any thoughts? "After discovering that he can enter the World of Books, 15 year-old Tommy Travers has accepted training under the Gifted and now must learn to control his new powers. He has already seen the devastating consequences of ignorance. The repercussions for his past decisions are not over. The escaped wizard Mephitis read his mind. He knows where the Gifted are. If he can just get his powers back the warehouse, the Gifted, the world, will be his. Tommy is the only one who can stop him, but first he must discover the secret that Amelia has been keeping from him all along."
There is enough information here to get a sense of the story and the characters, except for Amelia. Needs one or two words before her name to describe her role (e.g., the enchanted princess).
3,062 2016-11-10 00:39:38
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Thanks. Based on yesterday's results, I appear to have miscalculated the start date of the Great Collapse of Civilization. To my credit, chapter one mentions that Aussie was beheaded on the orders of then President Tru.... I`ll probably have to change that, since it's no longer funny. President Hillar... perhaps? Too soon?
Free apricot brandy at K's place. He has a whole barrel.
3,063 2016-11-09 02:58:37
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I'm in the opening throws on Colourless. I'm also still slogging through the Arthurian Tales but it's been several months on that and I must concede I'm lost and might not finish
Who's writing Arthurian Tales? I'd like to see that.
3,064 2016-11-09 01:33:25
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
The paragraph below is from the new chapter two. I spent several paragraphs, including that one, describing Joseph's bedroom and world (through the open window). As you can see below, I then say none of that matters as I transition to the Voice. The natural question that arises is why I give all that information from Joseph's POV if he's entirely focused on the Voice. Even if there wasn't a voice, he would probably not think all of these descriptive thoughts explicitly after waking up in the middle of the night (although he might). Is this really a problem?
His planet. The one he would rule someday. A small, precious world in an otherwise perfectly ordinary star system. His star system. A member of the Realm of Stars, near the border of the scary Imperium Romanum. But none of that mattered right now as Joseph turned his full attention to the Voice!
3,065 2016-11-08 20:18:10
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Thank you.
3,066 2016-11-08 20:08:36
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I'm not sure. I know of one person who missed work for three days, which had never happened to him before. He hasn't had a flu shot since.
3,067 2016-11-08 19:41:23
Re: The Galaxy Tales - Dirk B. (1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Has anyone ever seen a bay window used on the second floor of a home (a palace, in my case)? I'm trying to dress up Joseph's bedroom. I don't think I've ever seen it used on an upper floor. It also has to have sheers and (ideally) drapes for the scene to work.
3,068 2016-11-08 19:16:10
Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread (1,905 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Amy, can you tell me roughly how long a reaction to the flu vaccine lasts? These are considered a mild reaction to the vaccine? Sheesh. (Kdot, don't be a wuss. Get the vaccine.)
3,069 2016-11-07 03:21:05
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Yup, all updated. I'm waiting to hear back from the TomTom forum about why it doesn't recognize the playground zones. I think there's a way to tell it what the posted limit is, assuming the feature works at speeds that low.
3,070 2016-11-06 22:17:48
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Try a vacuum windshield mount. The key is to moisten the suction cup ever so slightly before you press it in place and flip the lock lever. With the surfaces clean and a little moisture, it should hold for three to six months.
Thanks. I can just see it dropping when my mother is driving the car. Squeal! Crunch! Maybe if I wet it every three months... And just to make the whole thing totally ridiculous, the device didn't recognize either of the playground zones in my neighborhood. That was the main reason I shelled out $$$$ for the damn thing in the first place. I may just sell it and be rid of it.
3,071 2016-11-06 05:56:19
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I took a closer look at the adapter from hell. Turns out it's the plastic casing near the tip of the adapter that's too thick. It's all scratched up from me fighting with it. TomTom said all of their adapters are the same size, so they wouldn't send me another type of adapter to try. I ordered a decent one from Amazon for $.
The unit continues to topple off the dash, so they're sending me a different kind of mount. They also sell a universal mount for $$, which will be my last attempt before I toss this on Kajiji (Canadian Craigslist) at a loss.
3,072 2016-11-05 05:08:36
Re: Say the first word that comes to mind... (1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Bzzt! Cattle prod.
3,073 2016-11-04 02:38:06
Re: The imperfect use of Past Perfect (19 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
So many people think what a wonderful thing that language evolves not understanding that it is because too many people are ignorant or at least softly unknowledgable of what the language is.
I had had baked beans for dinner, but I forewent foregoing dessert since my diet had ended.
According to this article http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/ … forgo.html
forgo, forgone, and forwent are not the same as forego, foregone, and forewent, but have evolved to the point where they are used synonymously.
3,074 2016-11-03 05:26:18
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
In an effort to outsmart the Canadian carriers ($$$$$), I signed up for a prepaid cell plan (for emergency use) for $10/mo for 50 local minutes. In a further bid to outwit the bastards, I insisted on their cheapest phone. Add $70. Get this: it FLIPS! Haven't had one of those since last century. It's black, though, so it matches my horse and buggy.
3,075 2016-11-03 05:15:07
Re: The Sorcerer's Progress (1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I used a TomTom years ago and really liked it. When I moved back to Canada, I didn't have access to a computer and Staples was pushing Garmin, so I bought a decent-looking unit for $170 ($$). I was only planning to use its voice navigation to steer by, but the damned thing didn't speak much nor give nearly enough lead time before turns. I gave it to my brother to try and he punted it to his girlfriend after one roadtrip. It's on its way to becoming a doorstop.
My brother told me to use Google Maps on my phone, so I bought a battery upgrade kit for $80 ($) and replaced the old one. Made no difference at all. Battery life on the first-gen Moto G simply sucks. I use an old wi-fi only phone plan from my old US carrier, since it works here and only costs $10/mo. Without continuous data, I had to download the maps onto my phone. That's when I found out there's not enough storage on the phone. So much for that. If I upgrade the phone ($$$$), they charge more for the US plan ($$). And Canadian plans can best be described as $$$$$ (serious lack of free market here).
Next, I researched both GPS brands and found the TomTom GO 600 to be very highly rated, so I bought it for $300 ($$$$). It includes lane change guidance and warns you if you go over the posted speed limit (a must in a city filled with 24x7 30 km/h playground zones). After lots of trial and error, I finally got it installed on the far left of the dashboard, where it doesn't block my view. It remains to be seen how well the suction cup sticks to the mounting disk that you glue to the dashboard. That 3M glue is wicked! A better adapter and extra mounting disks for my next car ($BLING) run about $.
I wish I had bought the 5" model instead of the 6" as the latter is bulky when wrestling it out of the dash's corner. The unit is detailed enough that you can see entire stretches of major highways and exits on the screen well before you reach them (think Queens Long Island Expressway, but with fewer idiots). A quick glance at the screen and a few voice prompts ever km or so, and I'm all set. Now I'm ready to visit my doctor and grocery store 2 km away. ![]()
All total, about $600, which is a sizeable hunk of change. Still, the cost of a basic speeding ticket in a playground zone is about $300, not including the increase to your insurance rate. God forbid you lose your license in a city this sprawling. No Uber yet (soon), so taxis across town cost $$$$.