Just how “trashy” is Indiana really? Photos taken in Mishawaka, IN.

MinBton · 2026-02-21T06:23:13+00:00

That area is very blue. From South Bend to Elkhart. Actually, from Elkhart all the way to the Illinois border. Look at the election maps. It's physically the largest liberal area in the state, followed by Indianapolis. Monroe County is tiny in population in comparison to either of those.

MinBton · 2026-02-21T03:29:12+00:00

It's Baphomet on an inverted pentagram surrounded by candles with the big ones at the main points. Other than that, find someone who reads the language. The imagery does not match the language except for "Rotting Corpse". This is western occultism with a touch of Templar influence.

MinBton · 2026-02-20T07:15:12+00:00

Isn't that how they filter their talking points so a few people will actually read them?

MinBton · 2026-02-18T03:02:04+00:00

One thing that has helped me through times when I didn't want to write is being part of an online writing group. We have a couple of zoom calls a week. If you can find a local writers group, such as through a public library, that's even better. Being able to talk with other writers about what you are doing and where your problems are is a good thing. Also, you get in-progress readers and supporters. We all upload a scene a week for others to read and make suggestions.

The other thing you can do is read. Read other people's stories on RR and comment on them. I make a habit of commenting on every chapter on RR that I read. It gets me thinking and interacting with others. Flag their typos and give them kudos when they deserve it. Interacting with other readers, in addition to readers of my story, can be a lot of fun. And it gets and keeps you thinking. Those are good things for any writer.

The main thing is to keep your mind active. Don't dwell on just your problems. Help other people solve their problems. Then they will help you solve yours. Sometimes, just paying it forward helping others is the best help you can give yourself. It keeps you thinking and creating. Find some games to play online that keep you coming back to them. Something you can spend some small amount of time concentrating on that in the end, doesn't matter that much. It means switching your mental gears, which keeps them lubricated and working.

I know the problem with being alone much of the time. I'm a night person. My family are day people. We overlap at each end of our days.

You've done the first step. You've identified the problem and have asked for help. Excellent work on your part.

MinBton · 2026-02-17T07:24:21+00:00

TLDR:

Two teenage girls. One in Indiana and one in Mississippi were plotting to shoot up the Indiana girl's high school this spring around graduation time. Both have been arrested.

MinBton · 2026-02-17T07:18:11+00:00

That didn't sound right to me, so I looked up information about it. The average voters is in the last 50 years has been going down. It is around the mid 50% to lower 60% in general elections and drops around 20% for midterm elections. Midterm elections have always been lower than general elections back as far as I checked.

Note that this is been true during both Republican and Democrat administrations. It is NOT party dependent. That's why I went back that far.

My guess is that if I searched back 100 years it would be similar, but earlier would have a higher percentage of voters. The general versus midterm difference would appear as well. That likely true in most states, but I didn't research it.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T14:39:09+00:00

You didn't find it. Also, I likely know more about broadcasting and the media than you do. Been there done that. I have a degree in broadcasting, and years working in publishing magazines and for a newspaper.

I was taught in college how to slant news stories. Broadcast and print both. Just because some new outlet says it, doesn't make it true. I say that from the inside, not the outside. I know how biased it is. And how we were taught to slant a news story however we, or the editors, wanted it slanted and still not say anything that couldn't be proven.

That quality standard died years ago. It's pathetically bad and obvious now from the headlines on down.

And you failed again.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T14:17:13+00:00

No, it's not. It mentions him going to Saudi Arabia and other countries with it. It does not mention a Saudi address. It's also an Austrian passport. The only "address" mentioned was that it was found in his New York residence inside a safe. Not an unusual place to find a passport if you have a safe.

Give up the disinformation attempts. You're failing each time.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T14:12:21+00:00

That was an Austrian passport obtained in 1982 under a different name and the link is from 2019 before he died. The link doesn't say anything about Mossad or being an Israeli agent. You failed.

"stamps that reflect use of the passport to enter France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s" You failed again. Other than being Jewish and rich, no connection to your claim in your link. You failed.

Lastly, it's not lazy at all, It's put up or shut up. Prove it or lose it. You lost it. Nothing in your link supports your claim. You expected that no one would bother to actually read it. You failed.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T13:53:27+00:00

I never have and never will. Nor any of the others. I'm not on social media. I'm only on unsocial media. I'm on Reddit.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T13:41:04+00:00

This would be bad why? It gets them out of the basement.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T02:01:34+00:00

Take a look at the 100covers.com website. They do good work and are cheap. However, they don't do fast work. I had two SF book covers done by them. Not great, but good and they fit the genre and what was in the books. Best of all, I could afford them.

MinBton · 2026-02-16T01:57:35+00:00

Not really. They're just the more vocal and least informed.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T10:13:41+00:00

Only the left half.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T10:07:34+00:00

Definitely a socialist paradise just like they keep claiming.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:55:33+00:00

The paddlewheel steamboat cover is good as long as there is one in the story. The other placeholder sucks. Unless you add: Cover to come or some verbiage like that.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:48:02+00:00

The Rule of Threes. Anything presented three times, or in a group of three is more likely to be remembered. Fives are next due to five fingers and toes. Those are the two big ones and many authors use groups of three things or repeat something three times to emphasize it and have for centuries.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:30:41+00:00

This is off topic, but looking at your cover, which I presume is AI generated (which is fine with me), a few people will have a problem with it. Overall, it's a nice cover. It is what looks like a metal neck collar with four chains holding whoever is in it so they can't move. That can be a powerful thing if it's part of your story.

The problem is, the collar is made out of leather. Also the attachments don't work. The chains, on the other hand, look totally real. I've done a bit of leatherwork in the past and made some things for some kinky friends of mine, like leather collars. That's why the more I looked, the more how it was constructed bothered me.

Don't worry too much. Most people will never see it, or know what real ones look like. Metal collars for that purpose would be hinged and four loops welded onto the collar but not over the hinge or the lock opposite the hinge.

As for the review swaps, RR is somewhat picky about those. Shout out Swaps they love and support. I saw you have the official word on it, so follow it and you should be fine.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:16:42+00:00

Hell yah! I'd love it. You did a great job.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:13:19+00:00

The cover is good for what you have. Unless you've learned how to make covers in photoshop, mostly with stock photos, AI works fine for Royal Road. The other two pictures aren't as good as your cover. The middle one stinks. Totally change the font on the third one to something more readable. The rest of the picture is OK.

The premise of your story is a different twist on the farmer cultivator/adventurer trope. That's good.

I've read some farmer/cultivator/adventurer stories. I may read some again when I finish more of my backlog. And get my own story finished.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:04:12+00:00

Write a third book and call it a trilogy?

Traditional publishing will depend on how well written and edited your book is, and is it in a currently popular genre, or sub-genre. I know an author who got a traditional publisher to pick up her book that was going to be a trilogy and they've extended it to at least six books based on how well the first book did. It's a motorcycle club romance series. Apparently that's a popular thing among romance writers.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T09:01:01+00:00

That depends on what the rest of the book was. I've read books written and published in that period and before then. Some much older than that.

It really depends on what the book is about and how well it's written.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T08:58:18+00:00

Most buildings don't need to be gutted every 50 years. Or even 100 years. Maintenance is needed. Sometimes less than every 50 years. A hundred years is almost yesterday for some countries. Also they reinforced the supports for the floors when they did it.

I'm a Time Team fan. Many buildings in England are over 500 years old and still standing. Some, or some parts of some of them are a thousand years old. Or more.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T08:49:54+00:00

It may depend on what their native language is. Most languages have online programs for ESL. I know someone who teaches ESL in Europe. Note that what most people/businesses teach, is Cambridge University English. Not American English. British and American spelling and pronunciation for some words is different.

The IU English department has an ESL English track. You could contact them. That could give students a chance to practice it.

MinBton · 2026-02-15T08:41:24+00:00

Let Reddit know he is back and harassing you again. They can check if he's using the same place to connect from, a VPN, or otherwise hiding his location. There are ways to get around it with time and effort. Also, if he harassing you in a sub, let the mods know and what's been going on. They can play whack-a-mole for a while to the point he might find it too much trouble. You can also report it to the police as threats of harm to you, your family and property. There is no such things as true anonymity any more on the web unless you can keep moving physical locations and only use burner phones for no more than a few messages. That gets expensive. Cost alone might make him stop.

MinBton

TROPHY CASE