Robinski

How flipping cool would that be? So far I have two compact Bill Tracy volumes, this one will be bigger!

Hee-hee. You guys are going to have so much fun. This was my first encounter with Origon Cyrysi and still lives large in my memory. Those were the days (but these also are the days...) Can I make a pre-order for my copy now?

Yah been locked down!!! Nice work. Congratulations

Agreed! I can't think of anything more exciting than proofreading edits!!

Lol - yes, I think it's good form to tag people, draws their attention to the reply if nothing else

So, ahem, since we're into apologies on this page of the thread, I must render mine for being absent for so long. I blame Nanowrimo, but since then I've been working on finishing my Nano (-winning, booyah!) novel and alpha-reading @kaisa's ATD, which I'm really enjoying btw (see how I blamed her for some of my absence then sugar-coated it at the end? Man, I'm good ). Anyway, I hope to be back in proper action in a week or so, not least in order that I can subject you to 'TMM' ('L' ^100) in about 20 easy-to-digest installments. Sooo anyway, Happy New Year to everyone. Hope y'all have a great 2017!

Better that you make an example of me than I make an exhibition of myself So, I don't mind at all. (She didn't actually write 30k words in criticising me... I think it was only 10,000 ) I blame God, or whoever it was made the ladies nice to look at. Point was well made though, @kaisa.

I like it, @Yados*, some great lines in there. I felt it a bit choppy around the beginning, but I think you could tidy it up a smooth it out enough for it to serve as a character introduction, as you suggest. One thing I would suggest is to beware of making these vignettes too interesting if you want them to serve for minor characters (which you note above). In my view, this one would serve just fine as the introduction for a major character, as there is more than enough personal baggage and potential conflict to carry him through a novel, certainly a novelette, novella or short. Hey @king007*, I thought you piece was interesting but, I did think that it strayed too far into leeriness. Not that it couldn't be fixed up, but I guess that's not the point of these vignettes. Great idea for a thread. I left my notebook downstairs, but I think I will post one or two as well (Edit: Jeez, I've been away so long I had forgotten how to tag someone!)

Very interesting, thanks for that.

Happy New Year to you, Silk - and to everyone! All the best for 2017!! Let's hope it's better than 2016 which, I think most people can agree was, on balance, a bit cr@p :oD

Hey Ernei, there's this place called the UK, it's considerably closer than the US and has publishers and agents too. That's not your main point though, I realise, as a lot can be done virtually. I think in terms of queries and synopses, etc. it's about practice and getting advice from your group (that's us!).

I am smiling from ear to ear

That film is awesome, love it, love it, love it Enjoy!

Whoa, back up the bus there. Is AFD out? Was there an announcement that I missed? EDIT: Ok, I found it. (AFD releases January 30th, 2017, from NineStar Press)

Yes, he and I go 'way back' (3 years, @Mandamon?). Since we're blowing trumpets, I can fully vouch for his CP skills as well!! Well Kaisa, you'd better write something else then Yup, she gets my vote too.

On the basis that I might not get started till the weekend, by all means send it on Tuesday! The small print on my offer, which I will remind you of, is that I am a rather slow reader - I can't promise progress rates like yours on Waifs and Strays, I'm afraid. Say, how long is ATD? (not that I'm planning ahead...)

Hey @JanellR72, welcome to Reading Excuses, great to have you on board. Your first story sounds interesting - need a bit more to go on for the 2nd one . I think maybe we are coasting a bit at the moment due to NaNoWriMo, or maybe that's just me and the others have their own excuses! There is life though - Kaisa has been keeping our collective head above water recently. Like @kaisa says, the weekly subs probably get more attention, although I like to alpha read (in the other 11 months of the year!). Normally, I would stick my hand up at this point however, I have been promised a certain ATD to alpha in the near future <cough> (looking @kaisa), so I'd better not over-commit. But please do sub something soon, interested to read.

Hey, I take a break from critiquing and now you start with the action scenes? I demand a recount!

I feel this is not a glorious achievement for me... Oooh, hem, lol - the mind boggles. Maybe once you're published, I could write some Ne/Quirk fanfic... ...right after I write some Quirk / Steven Strange MCU crossover fanfic, to explain the multiple universes needed to bridge between Ne and Quirk's future Earths, although you do have those tesseracts... p.s. Bang on track, 40,227 words after 3,027 words today mostly on a train for 2:30 hours there and 2:30 hours back, and the plot is clicking into place as I forge into the second half of the story - luxury!! #writingisexciting

Not consciously, I do believe that my swears are character-driven, or have justifiable dramatic effect, but we shall see. Presently, 42 F-bombs and 33 sh*ts in 150 pages, I think I'm going to 'win' My submissions in December will be rated... 'L'

Thank you all very much for the filicitations, I am still lurking around here, I'm just not actually doing anything @Hobbit, I will go instantly to the NaNo page and hunt you down (in a good way). @Mandamon, left (identical) reviews of Merchants and Maji on Goodreads and Amazon UK yesterday. As far as Quirk goes, how many swears do you think I need to get an NC-17?

And while I'm on, I must apologise for not being more present these past couple of weeks or three, especially in these moments of what passes for crisis on RE. I decided to do Nanowrimo..., whilst on holiday for a week..., that my daughter got engaged - so, I've not critiqued a darn thing. Sorry, and I will return, and catch up as best I can, most likely in December, scouts' honour. The other side of this coin is that Quirk: A Space Opera (working title) just crossed 100 pages and is kicking towards 30,000 words

Lol, I feel like this might be my moment of vindication....

Lol - yeah, @kaisa, you're getting published, after which YOU CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING That must be a special kind of hell all on its own.

Believe it or not, I think the guidance actually says something about critiquing one or two things before submitting, or maybe Silk said that to me on initial briefing 'all' those years ago. I do agree that people should not feel obliged to critique if they are not submitting. I would say that is purely optional, unless one wanted to bank some goodwill for the future, or just loved reading stuff and spouting off about it (Arrgh, just let my m/o slip...). I'm not sure it's a big issue, but the way it doesn't get to not be a big issue is by us talking about it every so often. These things have a way of working out, and if they don't, we can always break out the Grammar Stick's big brother, the Very Large and Heavy Quarterstaff of Critiquing Compliance.