I've been fighting off Covid since before Christmas, so I'm only here sporadically, usually via smartphone. Everytime I think it's going away, I wake up the next day to discover I was overly optimistic, although I have made some progress. I can't imagine what this would be like if I hadn't been vaccinated recently. Yeesh.
I hope to return to doing at least one review a day soon. Sorry for the delay.
Thanks
Dirk
Sol,
The help documentation still refers users to support@thenextbigwriter.com rather than contact@thenextbigwriter.com. Also, last I checked, the site references the support email address when new users are trying to sign up and have to verify their email address. If they have an issue at that point, they won't be able to sign up, and we'll never know it.
At a minimum, is it possible for you to set up a simple forward of support emails to the contact email address, so that it's at least being monitored? The latter approach seems like it would involve less work.
However, the help documentation also still references the obsolete phone number, which should simply be deleted.
Thanks
Dirk
A nice right-click menu at the moment you want to start commenting would probably do it as long as the site could take you back to where you were at that moment.
Thanks for checking that. Didn't even occur to me. I had a look at it. Although you can use copyright to try to prevent anyone from using a unique name (Harry Potter?), if its important enough to protect all uses of that name in any fictional work (Harry Potter?), they'd almost certainly have to go for a trademark (eg droid). The example you found doesn't appear important enough that anyone would bother. Also, I only use the name once (I use Sir Rumbly everywhere else), and mine is Sir Reginald Rumblebottom IV whereas they use Lord Reginald Rumblebottom. Also, mine is the name of a relatively unimportant android in one chapter of a sci-fi novel, whereas theirs is something totally different.
I'm pretty sure I'm safe.
I added an android sports commentator for the combat pit, which I've renamed the rumble pit. Unfortunately, the android grew sentient and went off the deep end as Lo Bidda androids like to do and began making ludicrous British-slang comments in an English accent. Rather than replace it, the kids renamed it Sir Reginald "Rumbly" Rumblebottom IV (Sir Rumbly). Part of the credit for the slang goes to Gemini.
I'll probably do a full repost of chapters 8 and 9 once the cleanup is done. In the meantime, I highlighted the new nonsense in bold.
I have to admit I laughed my ass off writing Sir Rumbly's dialogue.
Ah. Cool. I forgot to ask, is there a way to export an entire thread from the backup to a text or Word file in some searchable/browsable format? That would probably be the easiest way to handle huge threads, although currently I'm the only one who still uses any. It would allow searching the file(s).
Thanks
Dirk
Cool. What do you foresee people uploading?
I asked Gemini to make up some absurd expressions for my demented space opera that some distant future British commentator might use while describing a martial arts fight in a mud pit (as if that wasn't absurd enough):
- "Not half bad, old bean! Though a bit like a walrus on roller skates."
- "Gadzooks, that was a barnstormer! Like a runaway wheelbarrow chasing a flock of pigeons!"
- "Well, I say! That was quite the carry-on! Like a tea party on a runaway rollercoaster!"
- "A right bobby dazzler, that was, like a giraffe tap-dancing in a teacup!"
- "A bit of a rum affair, if you ask me! A giraffe wrestling a penguin!"
Sol, happy new year. We have a returning user (whatta) whose account was created in 2006. He can post chapters and short stories, and the posted works show on my home page, but when I look in his portfolio, the book (Tropical Cancer) doesn't show up. Any idea why this might be?
Thanks
Dirk
Also, hit the escape key to attempt to bypass that popup.
Do you mean you finished reviewing a story?
Too bad tnbw doesn't host pictures for inside forum posts (as far as I know).
Congratulations, Randy. Terrific accomplishments.
If you post something with internet visibility, it will be included in search results returned by Google, assuming the right query/criteria are given. Anyone who clicks the link will then be able to read it or copy it without even being a member of this site. If you plan to publish something professionally, don't include internet visibility on the work when you post it here. I have no plans to sell my short stories, so I included internet visibility on those.
I just read up on it. The similarities are cool. I guess if you're going to invent an afterlife based on Revelation there will be similarities.
You're probably right about why it's not showing up. I suspect the site uses the original posted date to decide what gets shown on the home page. You can republish it, but that costs points. Or simply dive into those works shown on the home page and start reviewing. Almost all of the active folks on the site reciprocate, though some of us (e.g., me) are slower than others at reviewing. Best way to find active folks is to focus on the stories, chapters, and poems currently on your home page. For anyone else, check their profile to see when they were last online. Many accounts are inactive.
Yup, looks like it's accessible and posted in Premium. You're good to go. I'll try reviewing it shortly to make sure there are no glitches.
We did a major group cleanup and eliminated the ones that were consistently unused. Folks on this site also had a chance to weigh in before we deleted anything. You'll probably find most of the groups that remain receive very little forum traffic, although they are used to post stories into. Best bet though is to post into Premium as well. It costs points but at least everyone will see it. Stuff posted only to non-Premium groups will only be seen by members of those groups. Besides, all the cool kids hang out in Premium. 
If you want a group besides Premium with a semi-active forum, the Fantasy/Magic/Sci-fi group is an eclectic mix of characters beyond just those three genres. Think of it as Central Perk from Friends.
Goodness gracious! This is challenging.
1. You almost seem to describe purgatory (helping his mortal sinner flock get to heaven). Make it more like purgatory. You might even want to call it that or a variation.
2. Satan will be released from his prison in Revelation 20:7-10 after 1000 years (you mention the demons escaping). He will lead one last rebellion and then go to hell.
3. Reforming the AC is still a question for me.?
1. I prefer to continue calling it the lake of fire instead of purgatory, primarily to remain consistent with Revelation. I treat the lake as symbolic; mortal sinners go into the lake of fire, where there is some burning based on the number and gravity of your sins, after which you come out on some alien world elsewhere in our galaxy, which I consider to be part of (inside) the lake. The worse your sins, the worse the planet. The original mortal sinners (and their descendants?) will never be allowed to leave, but they will be allowed to die (once they become holy enough) and their souls can then rest, although they remain connected to their planets. The more holy souls a planet has, the more paradisical it becomes.
2. Your point number 2 is problematic from a Catholic perspective. As I've written before the 1000 years is not literal to them. It merely represents a really long time. And Christ is already present in the form of the Eucharist, so the 1000 years is the Church age and is well underway. Given that, Satan must already be chained and locked up in the Abyss, which is a bit weird considering he's still considered to be active in the world today. That's why I gave De Rosa stigmata every time he kills or orders the death of a clergyman. It's sufficiently painful that it limits his ability to do it.
3. Don't forget, this story takes place on a different timeline. God actually helped create the Antichrist, not just by providing a soul but also by helping Satan breed all of Connor's powers over two millennia. Otherwise it could never be done in that short amount of time. The reason God does this is that he needs Connor to rule the lake of fire (the planets) and guide all mortal sinners and their descendants to holiness. Thus, every power Connor has and every challenge Connor faces are all part of preparing him for that task.
The one fly in the ointment is that there is a big separation between humans who made it to heaven the first time around, and those who didn't, including the latter's descendants. Seems unfair that the descendants would be excluded from heaven. Perhaps the way I should do it is that the holy souls of the descendants who contributed to turning their planet into paradise will get to heaven when that task is done. And the holy souls of the original sinners remain connected to their planets and maintain it as a paradise for their descendants, which is no longer a punishment but a privilege. This means the mortal sinners never leave the lake of fire, which is also consistent with Revelation.
I think the above works while still conforming to Revelation, at least symbolically. Technically, then, Connor should never be allowed to leave the lake of fire, either, although I'm willing to bend Revelation in his case (remember, different timeline) so he can someday get to heaven. The alternative is that he doesn't get to heaven but becomes increasingly holy as the planets he rules become holy. Ultimately, he could turn into a Lesser God, although that would happen way beyond the end of book three, so it'll probably never happen, except perhaps in an epilogue.
Quick question, are the prior submissions still visible in your portfolio? If so, then that shouldn't be a problem.
It shouldn't.
We tend to see folks post 1500 - 2500. The higher the word count, the more difficult it becomes to review a chapter or short story in one sitting. If I can review two 1500-word chapters VS one 3000-word chapter, the smaller ones often get priority because that allows me to reciprocate with two authors in the same time as it would to trade with the author of the longer piece. I eventually get around to the longer posts too, but it simply takes longer.
For the sanity of my regular reviewers, I split many of my chapters in two or even three to keep within the word count range I suggested above.
If anything you're trying to post costs more than 8 points, then your post is at least 2600 words. Most people go over that from time to time, although it helps both the writer and the reviewer to keep things short and easier/quicker to review.
Joseph sailed over his mother's desk and cowered behind her, his head under her skirt. Alexander grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and scourged him senseless for being such a wuss. Joseph wailed, terrified and in pain. His mother grabbed the Royal Sledge Hammer and hit Alexander in the nuts before tearing out both of his eyes with her fingernails.
I currently have the three sentences below in one of my chapters. Joseph is the POV character. Alexander is his father.
Is it better to write it as one paragraph?
Joseph walked around the back of his mother’s desk and stood behind her. Alexander walked over and placed himself next to her, both shielding their son. He looked over their shoulders, ready for… what?
Or three?
Joseph walked around the back of his mother’s desk and stood behind her.
Alexander walked over and placed himself next to her, both shielding their son.
He looked over their shoulders, ready for… what?
I lean toward the former. Granted, Alexander is the subject in the middle sentence, but all three sentences are very closely related (they're preparing for intruders who are trying to break through the study's doors).
Thanks
Dirk
