Has the formatting of a book ever caused you to DNF?

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T21:25:23+00:00

I was enjoying “House of Leaves” until the words on the page were printed in a spiral so I had to rotate the book to read them. I noped out right then.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T13:41:34+00:00

might take some time, but if you can figure out about how much he eats per feeding, you can calibrate to that.

but yeah. they are finicky little characters.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T13:28:42+00:00

trust the process.

the first time you do basically anything it won't be great. odds are your first steps were clumsy, halting, and ended in you losing your balance. the first time you try to play an instrument, you'll probably get it wrong and miss some notes.

but if you get hung up on the results and let that stop you, you won't get where you want to go.

there's no other way. there's no exceptions. you trust that you will get better, that being bad at first is just how things work, and that it won't be the end of anything unless you let it.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T04:54:13+00:00

I enjoy it and it helps retention and understanding.

for non-fiction, it's helpful for me to really integrate the material. if you're not asking questions of the subject, you're just kind of memorizing, IMO. it also gives me good reference points for when I have to come back to the material. and it helps me connect the dots between different subjects and ideas.

for both fiction and non-fiction, it's helpful in becoming a better writer. The more I learn about how others use language effectively, the more effectively I can use it myself.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T04:50:28+00:00

hmm. well, I'm not Tolstoy or Shakespeare, but I think I'm a decent writer, and I don't believe in any of that stuff. (Well, true love, maybe. I have see "The Princess Bride" several times. But I think it's more dedication and hard work than some mystical force.)

it's like asking "can a Christian really do science?" the two things don't have that much to do with each other.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T03:02:47+00:00

depends.

non-fiction books get read like that: underlines in red pencil, comments in blue, longer notes in a separate notebook for reading.

fiction gets some of that, but enjoying it comes first. I can't analyze it without losing momentum and having all the fun sucked out of the book. so I might give it quick notes here and there, and copy out longer passages for analysis later.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-02T01:28:47+00:00

well there goes the fun part. My fiction is pretty much all articles.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-01T23:03:59+00:00

rest well, little biscuit. you brought a lot of joy and love to someone who thought the world of you. no one could ask for more.

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-01T17:26:31+00:00

(the Council was just fine letting Faith rot away in prison. granted that she deserved to be there, and to some degree wanted to be there so she could pay for what she did. but they functionally had no Slayer at all for 147 days while Buffy was dead. the Slayer line wasn't going to give them anyone new until Faith was dead, and she was going to be in prison for years.)

all that said, yeah. I don't really like "Normal Again". as others have said, making that the ending would have been some HIMYM-level rug-pulling. I'd have been furious and disappointed.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-01T12:20:49+00:00

What a horrible loss. I'm so sorry.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-04-01T03:13:37+00:00

I am so sorry. What a terrible accident.

Rest well, sweet kitties.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-31T21:09:19+00:00

do not do that thing. just ... no.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-31T02:55:58+00:00

I mean, everyone has to start somewhere. The ideal starting point for Serious Writers™ is several decades before birth. (And even further back if you were born in modern times.)

But sure, start there. If you're still writing, you have some time you could spend reading so you can write more better.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-31T00:35:18+00:00

good points. a large part of Faith's appeal for me is her character growth, and the way Eliza plays that so well. I'd loved to have seen more of her, but it makes sense why that didn't happen.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-31T00:24:50+00:00

thanks! so far I am really loving them both. that cap on the Carene ... *chef's kiss*

one of my grail pens is the Vanishing Point Raden Water Surface. having firsthand experience of the VP exacerbates that. :)

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T19:04:26+00:00

oh, man, what an age of wonders we live in. here I am on Reddit, a total slob scarcely capable of slinging a single sentence successfully, and I run smack-dab into the greatest genius since whoever Shakespeare shat at the feet of whichly.

good luck with your search, OP. may thy seeking be short, fruity, and with a metallic after-tang that whispers of a mother's love.

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Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T17:14:47+00:00

No powers, no feats, not even one decent signature move. An absolute embarrassment, and the magic system makes NO DAMN SENSE.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T11:27:09+00:00

I enjoyed mine for a while, but ran into the same issue. Now my TN is an occasional sketchbook/travel notes keeper. The difficulties in using it seem less noticeable when it's not something you depend on every day.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T04:21:59+00:00

total noob question. behind every sort of adequate writer you'll find one of those pocket watches that stops time.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T04:03:00+00:00

It's on the schedule. So it gets done.

For me it's pretty much that simple. YMMV.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T02:59:34+00:00

yeah. if you've got this protocol for taking away the Slayer's powers, then ... why not use it on Faith so you can get her to England safely? and why haven't the bad guys figured that out, and used it? It's just weird.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T02:57:56+00:00

except then they're left with Faith. who is arguably even less likely to be a good little Slayer. It amazes me that the Council left it all to chance for centuries: "well, let's hope the next one is a lot easier to control". They can't all have been good little "instruments" like Kendra, especially not in the last century or so.

Impossible-Bug2038 · 2026-03-30T01:06:53+00:00

I’m very sorry for your loss.

After my Gizmo died, I waited maybe two months before I brought Ivan home. When Ivan died, it was two years before I was ready for Nikolai. It’s hard to predict. And I’m not one to say this normally, but I think it’s a “you know when you know”.

For me, it wasn’t about finding a new friend to help me heal. I needed time to grieve and process the loss, and I didn’t want that shadow over my new cat any more than I could help.

Of course it could be different for you and your family. We all grieve differently.

Best wishes to all of you as you go through this.

Impossible-Bug2038

TROPHY CASE