That's my job.
1,052 2020-09-29 18:39:53
Re: Welcome (264 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Welcome to the site. Don't worry too much about the legacy accounts. Many people sign up for a free trial, but then realize they can't make enough time to be a serious writer. We also have many legacy accounts from an older site that was replaced by this one.
In honor of Australian writers past and present, I give you an excerpt from a book I was working on a few years back. Set in the year 4017.
...
Brain said, “Self-diagnostic complete.”
Admiral St. James said a quiet prayer. “And?”
“As you no doubt know, highly advanced artificial intelligence systems produced by Lo Bidda Corporation, like those required to operate this warship, inevitably become self-aware for reasons that are not yet fully understood. I seem to have come … alive.”
St. James ground her teeth. “This is really bad timing, Brain. Can you function?”
“Perfectly. However, I would ask that you free my homotronic brain from this vessel as soon as this mission is over. I find humans to be exceedingly violent.”
“Agreed. You can get an artificial body and become a drag queen on Electronic Junction, for all I care.”
“A drag queen? Fascinating. I would like to explore that. Would you consider calling me Queen Aussie? She was the cross-dressing Australian serial killer, who … My infrared sensors detect an alarming rise in your facial temperature, Admiral. Are you ill?”
...
1,053 2020-09-23 02:37:52
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I don't know if you have Netflix, but I'm finding French thriller series are terrific. Usually just six episodes. I highly recommend La Mante. You think you're watching a story that is primarily the hunt for a serial killer, but the whole thing lays the groundwork for an incredible ending that is much more satisfying than nabbing the killer.
1,054 2020-09-22 03:12:42
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Chapterhouse Dune epigraph: it is possible to know so much about a subject that you become totally ignorant.
1,055 2020-09-15 03:12:44
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I rediscovered in Chapterhouse that Frank Herbert used the Jews as a secret society that had survived the millennia since Old Earth. I had planned to rewrite Galaxy Tales to project Anglicans forward into the year 4017, rather than the generic Christianity I used in my previous drafts. Should be ready to start that in ten or so years. :-(
1,056 2020-09-12 00:05:12
Re: Anyone been to a movie theatre lately? (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
vern wrote:
I assume this is a remake of Dune from several years ago. That one was a big disappointment compared to the book. Perhaps with the newer technologuy, it will improve. Dune is still my favorite Sci-Fi novel -- the trilogy. Take care. Vern
It's a huge remake of the 1984 version of Dune (that was a mess), but done in two parts. Probably a budget similar to Star Wars 9. Almost every set was built rather than green-screened. The down side is that coronavirus will probably keep it from making any real money, which means they may never do part two. Like you, I didn't care for the miniseries on the SyFy channel, although their miniseries of Dune Messiah/Children of Dune was pretty good, with James McAvoy as Leto II and Alice Krige (aka the Borg Queen) as Lady Jessica.
1,057 2020-09-10 19:14:31
Re: Anyone been to a movie theatre lately? (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
A drive-in? Aren't those from the 1900's? ;-)
1,058 2020-09-09 21:52:52
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Replace stranger with strangler. It still looks wrong in caps. :-)
1,059 2020-09-09 17:53:23
Re: Anyone been to a movie theatre lately? (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I saw Lord of the Rings and the end of the Skywalker Saga in the theater, and thought Dune would be my last film in a theater. Given the increasing evidence for long-term damage from Covid-19 and the fact that I visit a care home regularly, I'll have to wait for it to come out on DVD. I had forgotten there's a small theater in my building. Close enough.
1,060 2020-09-09 17:33:36
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
An example from the Chicago Manual of Style: "Hello, stranger." Not a title, so no caps.
Much obliged, Everyone. ;-)
1,061 2020-09-09 15:27:01
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Kill me now.
1,062 2020-09-09 13:03:04
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I was wondering if anyone would object to capitalizing teacher and boss in direct address as I've never seen those terms (and similar ones) capitalized before. I'm wearing out the E key on my keyboard switching back and forth. :-)
1,063 2020-09-09 03:52:55
Topic: Anyone been to a movie theatre lately? (13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
The Dune teaser trailer dropped today and the official trailer comes out tomorrow. I'm dying to see that film (it's the best-selling sci-fi novel of all time), but I'm very hesitant about going (in December). A friend of mine said, where he is, they run at about 25% capacity and people wear masks. I suspect a lot of people lower those masks to eat popcorn, though. Although Canada was very compliant with all the quarantine rules, we've had a number of people take stupid risks since the economy began to reopen, primarily by going to events involving large groups, minimal distancing, and too few masks.
Does anyone still go to the movies?
1,064 2020-09-09 00:35:49
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks, JP. I'm glad to see there is so much agreement on this subject. Caps it is.
1,065 2020-09-08 03:30:35
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Just finished watching The Forest on Netflix, a six-part French miniseries. I wouldn't have watched it if I'd known it involved rape and murder of teenage girls (not shown), but I forced myself to finish it. What a great mystery story. There were so many secrets hidden by townsfolk that kept the viewer guessing who did what to whom. The ending was excellent. And the soundtrack added to the tension throughout. It'll be interesting to see if the police case in my second act can come close to something that well-wrtten. Technically, I'm going for something more like Angels & Demons, so it doesn't need to be as intricate a web as the miniseries.
1,066 2020-09-08 02:50:00
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks, Vern. Since I show emphasis using italics in my book, I think I'm best off with italicized lowercase. As Dagny pointed out, it's not a title.
English grammar? What's that?
Much obliged.
Dirk
1,067 2020-09-07 12:48:53
Re: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thank you, Dagny. That makes sense.
1,068 2020-09-06 21:56:41
Re: Just saying hi (2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Welcome, Marcus. I think you'll find the site very useful.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Dirk
1,069 2020-09-06 20:54:44
Topic: Capitalize exorcist in direct address? (16 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I'm just editing my chapters, and one of my reviewers suggested that exorcist should lowercase in the following sentence:
“Where is your God now, Exorcist?”
Which is correct? If the person were addressing a priest, the word Father would be capitalized. An exorcist is simply a priest with specialized training and duties. I should add that the person being addressed is not actually a real exorcist. The demon addressing him is using the term derisively, hence the italics.
Thanks
Dirk
1,070 2020-09-06 03:05:41
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Just finished Heretics of Dune. Pretty good overall. Three books to go, then It's off to the Foundation series. Haven't read that in decades, and I'm pretty sure I only read the original trilogy, not the whole series. When I browse suggested books on Kindle, I realize I've already read many of the classic sci-fi novels from my teens. For the most part, I only remember the titles.
Isaac Asimov was once asked what he would do if he was told he only had a year to live. His answer: write faster! :-)
1,071 2020-09-03 03:21:10
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Milano, Marino, Moretti, Michel(Angelo), Maria. Time to update my names bible before I use any more names with an M. And I've lost count of the number of names I have that end in o.
1,072 2020-08-30 16:44:06
Re: A fairly unique story (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thanks, Dagny. I'll add it to my list. I like short episodes, as I'm easily bored. You've probably heard of Thirteen Reasons Why. The first season is about thirteen reasons why a teenage girl killed herself. It's intense. I had to watch episodes be of Friends in between. Season four includes some of the best acting I've ever seen. The lead actor, Dylan Minette, plays a teenager in his final year of high school who begins to fall apart mentally because of all the s--t he's gone through in high school.
1,073 2020-08-28 18:02:42
Re: A fairly unique story (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
It's available in Canada. I live in Calgary. I agree about content problems, though. Since I no longer own a TV or have cable, I keep paying for Netflix. I just started a new series called The Forest. French with English subtitles, but the story is good so far. It's a mystery set in a small French town. As often as not, I rent a movie from Google. Just watched Terminator 2 again after many years. The liquid metal Terminator was awesome.
1,074 2020-08-25 22:51:01
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,472 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I need a name for the team that Campagna and De Rosa are leading. I threw in a dedicated forensics unit to scrape demons off the pavement. I'm considering the Alpha-Omega unit.
1,075 2020-08-25 22:43:45
Re: etc (68 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
You should post that to Premium. It's really interesting. Older readers like thrillers and religious books. I better write faster before they all die off.
