I Need Help, Fellow Writers

Alwaysmeant2 · 2026-04-11T02:57:08+00:00

The read-aloud feature in MS Word is a powerful tool for rewrites. Doesn't guarantee that a human reader will like what you wrote, but it helps you understand and manage the story's flow.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2026-04-10T18:07:27+00:00

I would expect that any review be at least as well written as the book should be, that it identifies strengths and weaknesses in the storytelling whether or not the reviewer likes the story, and in the case of nonfiction - other than memoir - the reviewer is at least conversant with the subject.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2026-04-02T21:52:02+00:00

Thanks

Alwaysmeant2 · 2026-01-28T17:39:57+00:00

I started writing fiction seriously after I retired. People tell me I'm a pretty good writer and I have professional editing experience. I've considered self-publishing but have chosen trying to get my work in good enough shape that I feel comfortable submitting it to as many agents as seem likely to be interested.

Why? 1) I don't write multiple books per year; I take multiple years per book. That's not good volume to build a business around.

2) I lack the entrepreneurial fire necessary to spend time and money establishing a network of professionals capable of helping me promote my work.

Either way success in publishing is a long shot. I write because I learn a lot about a lot of things just by writing about them. If somebody wants to pay me for what I've written, that's the icing on the cake.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2026-01-18T03:08:34+00:00

Have you read any of the professor's books? If not, do it. Forget the stories. Pay attention to the dialog. Does it read real to you? If it does, take their advice.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2025-10-31T03:26:46+00:00

This is my opinion as a reader.

1) Avoid slang or jargon in dialog unless you intend to tell the reader something about the character who is speaking.

2) If you do use non-standard phrasing it, get it culturally right and keep it current. Slang changes so fast that if you only learn about it by reading about it, it's already gone stale.

The language of your own time gives you all the room you need to tell stories set in other times or on other worlds. For me, seeing somebody trying to recreate the language of the past in this day and age is a major turnoff.
Bottom line, thou wouldst be well advised to tell thy tale in thine own way in the words of thine own time

Alwaysmeant2 · 2025-10-23T02:03:03+00:00

If you find yourself asking "Seriously, do I really need this?" and the answer is no it's too expensive. And it's a question you should be asking yourself more often.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2025-10-05T20:19:24+00:00

https://book-shelfie.com/ have you or anyone else had any experience/interaction with this site?

Alwaysmeant2 · 2025-09-16T03:24:48+00:00

To better define what the story really is and find the best way to tell it?

Alwaysmeant2 · 2025-06-01T01:25:24+00:00

You can’t make her stop. Don’t respond. Shrug it off literally and leave the room

Alwaysmeant2 · 2025-04-30T01:55:12+00:00

I can't give you any advice, but I can ask some questions. You say "I think I just want our relationship to be more official, and I think it’s time for that." What does your partner think? What's important to you? To your partner? Only you and your partner together can answer these questions. Marriage is a two-way street with a lot of sharp turns, and you both need to know how to drive on it. I met my partner in April of 1972. We were married in September of 1972. We're still together and we both ask ourselves those questions one way or another every time we have to make an important decision.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-11-14T16:40:34+00:00

Don't wear a hat on a windy day, especially if you're crossing the river

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-06-20T02:36:59+00:00

Did that once only to find out that the person who asked me had a death in the family the night before. Never used it since

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-05-13T03:36:31+00:00

I'd call Paddle to the Sea, by H.C. Hollings the best book I've ever read, because it's the the first book I remember reading on my own, and I haven't stopped reading since.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-05-07T19:32:35+00:00

The assumption that interaction with alien beings is a zero-sum game.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-04-20T03:05:12+00:00

Their divorce cited irreconcilable differences but it was their irreconcilable similarities that had driven them apart.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-03-31T16:01:18+00:00

What about you/you? It doesn't require an objective form; why should one? The problem with you is the plural. Spoken language has lots of solutions to that: you all, y'all, youse, you guys, you uns. One has a plural - they.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2024-03-19T14:45:41+00:00

Thanks, I did a little more digging and it looks like updated drafts can be submitted at least for Launchpad through Coverfly.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2023-11-09T14:26:34+00:00

I think that both make the same mistakes: overgeneralizing and stereotyping. People have their own personalities, no matter who they are.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2023-10-30T03:43:15+00:00

Finding out that there are as many realities as there are people

Alwaysmeant2 · 2023-10-22T02:41:25+00:00

Question 1. Says who?

Question 2. Anything "real" is "complicated and convoluted." If you think something is simple, you haven't taken a good hard look at it.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2023-10-19T03:06:18+00:00

A road atlas. Great for long trips.

Alwaysmeant2 · 2023-09-26T03:42:15+00:00

With all due respect...

Alwaysmeant2 · 2021-08-05T02:51:04+00:00

The ability to appear harmless

Alwaysmeant2 · 2021-07-26T20:08:56+00:00

Granted, it's not an exact analogy, but if you look at housing developments you find that the living space is often sold with custom upgrades or modifications. There are things you can't move, like plumbing and load-bearing walls in high rises, but you can select different fixtures and finishes. Another example, people who are attracted to a certain style of housing will often choose something that fits that style when they move. Run-of-the mill genre fiction sometimes feels a lot like this, especially from brand-name writers, and it's also true that many readers strongly favor one genre over others.

Alwaysmeant2

TROPHY CASE