I was curious about other sites, so I did a comparison. I won't name the competitors, but the best one didn't support the concept of books, putting the onus on users to keep it organized. Also, chapters only remain readable/reviewable for thirty days. Then you have to gather more points to republish. That's ridiculous. Like us, they have a lot of dead groups, although more active forums. They also allow users to donate points to others. Hint. :-)
1,427 2019-11-09 17:53:47
Re: What happened? (38 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
vern wrote:
I disagree with expanding the free trial period.
Of course you do. :-) Look around, Vern. This place is a ghost town. I'm worried this site will become unsustainable for Sol. Beyond a longer trial, I would add a monthly paid rate to allow new members to see just how great this site is, then decide to buy a longer membership to save $.
1,428 2019-11-08 17:23:59
Re: What happened? (38 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
One trend I've noticed is that new users leave the site right after their trial period is up. I've lost count of the number of users I've tried to get up to speed only to have them disappear days later. I've always thought that the trial period is too short for such a complex site. Perhaps it could be lengthened to a month? It's not like someone is going to use the site in that month to write and publish a novel without eventually having to pay to continue to workshop here. Let's give them the full tour.
1,429 2019-11-08 05:57:23
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
So this is what it's like to have a real smartphone. Just upgraded from a six-year-old Moto g1 to a Moto e6. The screen is awesome. The speed is incredible. Sadly, there is no longer a version of Swype on Google play. SwiftKey sucks in comparison. Too bad the phones are so slippery. The g1 had a rubber-like back that stayed put in your hand.
If anyone knows of a good swiping keyboard, please let me know.
1,430 2019-11-05 18:01:06
Re: Just returned (5 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Welcome back, Linda. What's the WIP about?
1,431 2019-11-02 00:00:01
Re: Copyright/trademark question (3 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thank you, both. Very helpful.
1,432 2019-11-01 13:15:00
Topic: Copyright/trademark question (3 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I have a question about the use of two names in my book. The book was inspired by the Connor character from the Angel vampire TV series. The central character in my book is also named Connor, although my book is set in Italy, not the U.S., and is not about vampires. My other character is named Michaelangelo, but his close friends call him Angelo. I also have a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Angel TV series. Other than the names, there are no similarities between the show and my book.
Is it permissible to have two names inspired by another story? I assume so but figured I would ask.
Thanks
Dirk
1,433 2019-11-01 02:43:38
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Interesting. There's an international website for victims of Alström Syndrome, which comes up when you search for ASI disease. I'll punt the acronym entirely and only name the illness once early on. After that, I'll refer to it as his disease.
1,434 2019-10-31 04:48:08
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Idiopathic Acute Systemic Inflammation (IASI)
That works as the disease name, but the acronym is meh. If I take idiopathic out of the acronym, that leaves ASI. Not much better.
The other option is to give him throat cancer to explain why he coughs up blood, and have the chemo play havoc with his immune system, exacerbating his gold allergy, causing the severe rash around his neck. Seems rather complicated.
Thoughts?
1,435 2019-10-30 05:53:25
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Coconuts, not handkerchiefs.
1,436 2019-10-30 03:22:51
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
No, I want no reminders of that *sshole in my book. Hinkley Syndrome might work. :-)
1,437 2019-10-30 02:38:44
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Sadly there was such a kid. Grade eight was a nightmare.
1,438 2019-10-29 22:02:54
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
I've decided to make a change with De Rosa. His rash/coughing varies in intensity from day to day, but I need it until the end of the book. It's already annoying me, so my readers will probably hate it going on that long. Instead, he'll have a few really bad days throughout the book, and no symptoms on his good days. Still mulling over what the illness will be - a made up name (e.g., Holzberger Syndrome) vs. something that can't be diagnosed.
1,439 2019-10-29 08:09:15
Topic: Amy S has passed away (8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I'm sorry to say that Amy passed away several weeks ago after a two-year battle with colon cancer. She was a terrific author, writing about five books simultaneously. More importantly, she was a wonderful friend and human being. Her Medieval/Fantasy Magic group, where many of us used to hang out, has fallen virtually silent without her. She will be missed. (We were waiting for her husband to post here, but he may not have access to this site. He posted a message on her Facebook account.)
1,440 2019-10-28 19:35:52
Re: How much description is too much? (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Thank you for the feedback, everyone.
1,441 2019-10-28 19:35:32
Re: How much description is too much? (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
C J Driftwood wrote:
Let's see. Too much description is when you get bored reading it.
I recently received reviews on my latest chapter. General consensus was that it read more like a how-to manual for soccer than a thriller. Managed to rip out most of it and replaced it with an attack by the forces of evil. :-)
1,442 2019-10-28 02:50:17
Topic: How much description is too much? (7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
I'm curious what people think of setting descriptions. How much is too much? I think mine are mostly too light, which I hope to address in the next draft. How many paragraphs do you dedicate to describing a room so that you create a certain mood?
Also, how much time do you spend describing clothing? A sentence? A paragraph? None? I have inspectors from two police forces in Rome, but haven't described their uniforms yet, although I do mention they wear police caps, which implies a uniform. Does anyone care what the uniform actually looks like? Even if it doesn't move the plot forward?
I put up a short story for free feedback elsewhere to see how it compares to what I received here, and people told me it moved too fast and they couldn't picture much of it. I had about eight reviews from here and no one raised that as a concern.
Thanks
Dirk
1,443 2019-10-27 14:01:43
Re: Good Tip On Dialogue (2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)
Dirk nods and smiles. Guilty as charged.
1,444 2019-10-27 02:45:15
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
No, it's a names bible, not merely a character bible. With all the Italian people, places, and things, it's essential. I can't believe I forgot I had it. Galaxy Tales, though, had one hundred characters, including names from history.
1,445 2019-10-27 00:51:51
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Yikes! I went to save my new names bible and found one already existed in my directory. Had fifty detailed entries in it. Last updated in April. Can't remember doing any of it. 8-(
1,446 2019-10-26 20:54:13
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Oops. I have three characters with names that all start with C: Connor, Campagna, and Calabrese, and three that start with A: Angelo, Alessandro, and Father Albo (the referee). Time to create a names bible.
1,447 2019-10-26 16:17:57
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
As far as execution goes, I think you know from earlier posts that the Catholic Church will send Connor to the Holy Land to get him away from the Antichrist and to retrace the footsteps of Jesus to try and jog his memory of his past life as Jesus, assuming it's him. The latest version of the prologue is taken from a future chapter somewhere in the Holy Land, near the Sea of Galilee.
1,448 2019-10-26 16:12:18
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Definitely the new version. It's supposed to be a thriller. The original version was more suitable for a YA book. As I mentioned above, I'm still wondering if Connor should save Alessandro to minimize the violence in this book (the bodies are piling up). At a minimum, I need to tweak the chapter so that Connor is a little more emotional about Alessandro's death. Right now he's crying tears of joy. Not much empathy there.
1,449 2019-10-26 15:13:37
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
Odd. I thought the book content summary covered that in detail:
Fourteen-year-old Connor, an orphan in Rome, has special gifts. He comforts the grieving, heals the sick, and casts out demons from the possessed. As the Catholic Church struggles to understand his supernatural abilities, a police investigation into the deaths of several cardinals in the city uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy to topple the Church from within. Soon the Pope’s Council of Cardinal Advisers concludes they are being stalked by the Antichrist, and Connor becomes his main target. The Council must move swiftly to save Connor, who may be their long-awaited Christ returned as a boy, something that seems to defy Scripture. Thus begins a desperate struggle between good and evil that will decide the fate of humanity.
The main development in this scene comes at the end when Campagna meets Connor. In hindsight, the soccer match was too long/detailed/confusing. Its purpose was to show off Connor's physical powers developing, which is the part I kept. Although I don't want constant murder and mayhem in this book, attacks by the Antichrist can be deadly. I was having trouble finding a use for Alessandro. Killing him seemed like the best way to go.
Would it be better if I had Connor save Alessandro?
1,450 2019-10-26 03:34:00
Re: Savior of the Damned (the Connor series) by Dirk B. (1,492 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)
V2 of Campagna Meets Connor is up. All-but-killed the soccer match, and many other changes described in the chapter notes.
Quick, go read!
Dirk
