976

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

SolN wrote:

Do you have an old computer?

"Old" is a relative term, Sol.  I have (and use) a computer that has 512Mb of RAM and a Pentium CPU.  It runs this site just fine and the editing is just as rapid as my newest  64-bit speedster gaming box.  In a lot of cases, the speed at which editing (or other in-browser activities) is handled isn't the computer itself, but the browser, which should have been your question.

I rather suspect that you editing box may have quite a bit of format-checking done on each keystroke that adds a delay to the character as it is entered and then displayed.  Further, I've noticed that highlighting a phrase in the editor and then altering the contents takes a finite amount of time.

Tom

977

(61 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Persons who review my work will get a review in return (It may take a while during the holidays, however).  As Wilma says, it is just good manners.  I would return a review even if it didn't get me any points.  In fact, I read posts because the title intrigues me, I have already connected to the author, or the subject matter is interesting.  The least reason I read a post is for points.

Tom

978

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I still think that if a post shows in one of my groups over in the box on the right side of my home page, clicking on the link should take me to the LAST post, not the first post.  Take this thread for instance (please), it is 8 pages long and when a new post shows up, one has to at least click the "8" to get to the first post on that page and then wheel/drag down to the last post.  Not very efficient.

And, once you read it - and there are no more in the thread to read - the link on the home page should go away automatically.  As it is, I have to log out and then back in to make them go away after I've read them.

Tom

979

(13 replies, posted in Romance Inc.)

I didn't even make it through the third chapter of the first book in 50 Shades.  Pretty poor work, but it must have hit some chord somewhere as the series garnered a potful of money.

How about a discussion on "the most unusual setting" for a romance novel?

Tom

Every couple of months, I do a Google search using the first couple of sentences of my novels.  Most times, it comes back at me with my own posts.  But, if someone has stolen your works, and not had the foresight to alter a few things, then you will see it.  One of my friends had that happen and actually managed to get it taken down from the rogue site after complaining (and proving) it came from his works to the ISP manager staff.

So, copyrighting your work is a good idea if for no other reason that having a date handy.

Tom

981

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I just received an email stating that "author" has created new topic "topic" in forum to which you are subscribed.  I clicked the link and was told, in no uncertain terms:
===========================================================
Skip to forum content  <<<<--- this statement is NOT visible on the page

Forum message

You do not have permission to access this page.
====================================================================

Why would I get a notification for something I'm not supposed to see?

EDIT: apparently, images are not allowed here in the forum or I would have shown what the page looked like.  According to "show page source" (in Firefox), there is a ton of coding, but all I see is what I listed above.

Tom

In my case, I thought about that for quite some time, but came to the conclusion that it just might encourage people out there to become members if they saw what was being produced.  There is a danger there, however, that since this site has no safeguard regarding copy/paste that our writing could be stolen easily.  How hard would it be to add the coding to make copy/paste impossible (unless one know how to do it)?

Tom

Well, Sol, if it would make your life easier, I just tested KHippolite's input method and it worked a charm.  I've inserted my character as a jpg image with just a slight widening of the spacing in the paragraph in which it appears.  So, there isn't any real hurry (on my part, anyway) to do this.

EDIT:  also, Sol.  The characters themselves reside in their own fonts and are called out as "normal" when actually in that font.  Whereas Word will setup that font you used in the header for the document, I can see where that would be a nighmare to try and gather up all those fonts so just one character can be inserted.  If the native language, in my case, Japanese, were used, then the whole document would translate properly (I think).

Tom

Yeah, that is one option also.  Messy, but it can be done.  I might have to do that for some of my text as it contains quite a few characters.  Luckily, I have my own web site that I can host the images on.

Tom

Thanks, Charles.  I'd pretty much come to that conclusion also.  I do know HTML (I design web sites) and have tried to insert HTML in the "source", but it doesn't seem to accept the font selected nor the actualy 0xnnnn code for the character.  I think I am doomed to using something like [the Japanese character for "5"] in place of the actual character of '五'.

EDIT: Well, that is certainly interesting.  I can insert Japanese characters into the forum software, but not into the actual novel editing software.  Something isn't right here.

Tom

In my novel I am posting now, I absolutely rely on Japanese characters, either singly or as a group.  How can I enter these into the editing box?  I see them as they are entered but when the chapter is published, they turn into "?".  This ruins the flow of my chapter.  Any help here, Sol?

Tom

I wondered about that as I had an in-line review that only had one word highlighted and nothing more. I also assumed that the person reviewing either logged out, or got kicked off the site for some reason.

Tom

988

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

It seems to be working now, Sol.  I got the email for your post just now almost instantly.

Tom

989

(24 replies, posted in Romance Inc.)

At the moment, Denise, I am quite involved with a family matter, but I've shelved both your novels and will get to them soon.  All my other novels are over on Booksie, but I've decided to bring them over here also as a lot of authors here on TNBW don't have accounts on Booksie.  So, that means my romancers will be here soon.

Tom

990

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

That's true, Vern, but every email that arrives from those forums has an "unsubscribe here" link so if you don't want any more from tha thread, you just click it and it's gone.

Tom

991

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Oh. I see.  Every other forum I am associated with automatically subscribes you to a thread that you post in (or start).  You have to go to your settings to unsubscribe.  I see the 'subscribe' link at the top now.

Thanks

Tom

992

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Interesting. I just got an email for your last that time also.  My very first two.  But off-topic.

How about these emails, Sol?

Tom

993

(24 replies, posted in Romance Inc.)

I've inserted scenes in almost all of my Romance novels depicting intense love and sex between consenting adults.  I see nothing wrong with that, and I try my best to make it tasteful and certainly nothing more than what I've read what some of the more popular authors of the day put in their bestsellers.  I also see no need for gratuitous sex just for the heck of it, or to enhance a chapter I feel is lagging. Violent or illegal sex might be alluded to, but will not detail it and only use it if it is a critical turning point in the story.

Everything I've read in this thread seems just fine to me.  Janet, you and Rebecca both presented scenarios that I found delightful and easy to read.

Tom

994

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Too much time has elapsed to edit.  My last question should really be changed to this:

I can now see the box over on the right that reflects new posts in the Premium group (mine included), but once I've read them, shouldn't the notifications go away?  My other objection is that clicking the link takes me to the very first post in the thread.  This thread, which is (so far) 8 pages long makes for a lot of clicking to find just what the 'new' post is.

EDIT: I have since found out that if I log out and them immediately log back in, the links to posts in the Forums (that I have read) are now gone. They should really go away after a simple refresh of my home page.

Tom

995

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Well, this was unexpected: I received an email just now notifying me of your response, Jack.  Didn't appear on my home page because I can't find any category that reflects "Form posts".

Tom

996

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I don't know if this is a bug or not, but shouldn't I be receiving email notifications whenever someone replies to a thread I've posted in?

Tom

997

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Oh my.  I am sorry I haven't checked back in on my own thread.  For some reason, I haven't been receiving any emails that anyone has posted here.  I'm subscribed, so shouldn't I be getting them?

Tom

998

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Thanks for the reply, Dags.  I began long ago with chapters nearing the 5000-word limit but found that a lot of commenters said it was too long for one sitting.  That's when I chopped them in half (or thereabouts).  Now, I write chapters so that they break naturally around 1200-1500 words.  I don't think that it's a rule either, but more a matter of common sense.  Nobody wants to push their way through 5000 words before making a comment because that inevitably leads to scanning back and forth looking for points to comment on.

Tom

999

(13 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

On several other writing sites I have seen chapters that seem to go on forever.  Not so much poetry, which tends to be a lot shorter, but novels and even "short" stories.  I try to keep my chapters mostly from 1000 to 2000 words and short stories from 1500 to 2500 words.  Is that excessive, or about right?  I don't want to start off here on the wrong foot.

Tom

1,000

(12 replies, posted in Romance Inc.)

Howdy, all.  I have quite a few romance novels over on Booksie, but just starting out here.  Is it acceptable to transfer novels from there to here?  If not, I can understand it completely.

Tom