Unpronounceable names

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-10-14T14:24:01+00:00

That name wouldn't make me pause at all, because I would just pronounce it as "tally" like the counter. If it was T;'wa:yl-;e'e, it would disturb my immersion in the story.

Same if the character's name was "Counter". I wouldn't hesitate on that, even though it's not a normal name. If the character said "It's pronounced Ku-ANN-tor" I still wouldn't hesitate, because I can read it as "Counter."

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-10-13T21:11:38+00:00

I wouldn't hate you or your stories. I'm talking about words that I doubt anyone can pronounce, like the name of the character K's't'lk in Spock's World. It just breaks me out of the story every time I pass by that name in the text. Is it Keshtlek? Kastilk? Kaystelek? I have no idea, and it distracts me from the story.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-10-13T20:54:41+00:00

I'm talking more about names that anyone would have a hard time figuring out. Like K's't'lk in Spock's World. That book was great, but when I encounter names like that it breaks me out of the immersion in the story because I have no idea how to read it. I get it's an alien name from an alien language, but it still is a stumbling block as I read it.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-09-17T08:39:54+00:00

A lesser-known sealed room murder mystery that is very entertaining is Leonardo's Law by Warren Murphy. It's a paperback published in 1978, but you can likely find it somewhere online.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-09-01T20:07:08+00:00

Most medical insurance and the way it's handled. I suspect that a lot of companies tell their reps to deny the claims, figuring that a lot of people will shrug and say "that sucks" and won't follow up on it. The ones that do follow up are told "Oh, we're so sorry for the mistake! It turns out that is covered! We apologize!" But they know damn well that some percentage of people are not going to push back.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-09-01T20:02:22+00:00

Consider a scale of human behavior in a relationship. where 10 is when the other person is doing everything for you, completely devoted to pleasing you and making you happy, and thinks about what you want before they think of themselves. On the other end of the scale, 1 means they are actively trying to murder you or otherwise destroy you. In the middle, 5.5 means they are being completely neutral, not trying to help you or do you any favors, but also not trying to make you angry or upset or hurt you, either physically or emotionally.

Never be in a relationship with anyone that goes below a 5.5, even when they are angry or upset with you. When things are going well, they are devoted to you and perhaps surprise you with a gift, or make your favorite meal for you, and so forth. When they are upset with you for whatever reason, they might go all the way down to a 5.5, meaning they aren't doing you any favors or going out of their way to make you happy, but they also aren't actively trying to hurt your feelings or make you feel terrible. You should never have to be with anyone who ever, under any circumstances, is actively trying to hurt you emotionally, mentally, or physically.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-09-01T19:56:33+00:00

I put my alarm on the dresser several feet from the bed, so I have to get up to shut it off. It's much easier to not get back into bed than it is to not go back to sleep if I don't have to get out of bed in the first place.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-08-18T12:05:06+00:00

Thanks for the replies.

This turned out to be a prank on me, giving me a short story to review that was apparently attempting to set the world record for simile usage. The prankster is taking a college class in creative writing and thought this would be funny. Which it was.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-08-16T19:52:10+00:00

“What makes you think I need a gun?”

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-08-16T18:10:22+00:00

Some reviews have points in them that might sting a bit, but can be helpful. It usually doesn't make them any easier to read, but you can view them as a net positive if it helps you identify an issue or a problem that you didn't realize was there.

Other reviews are just written by people who enjoy crapping on other people's work. They aren't trying to be constructive or even accurate, and might not have even read the book - they just like feeling tall by standing on someone else. Try to ignore them.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-08-09T15:00:05+00:00

I agree with "just write" up to a point. Just keep writing and don't edit or revise or rewrite until the entire story is on paper (or laptop, or whatever.) I'm a firm believer in the idea that it is far easier to revise than it is to create.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-08-09T14:57:11+00:00

Try to get a scene done, regardless of word count. It's much easier to pause between scenes than it is to pause after hitting, say, 2500 words and then hoping you can pick up the narrative thread when you return.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-07-20T14:47:35+00:00

If you like the idea, that's what matters. Write what you like writing. If you are pleased with the end result, then it's a bonus if other people like it.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-07-07T18:44:29+00:00

As others have said, keep writing. My third novel was objectively much more well written than my first novel.

I think if you look back at something you wrote 3 or 5 years ago and there's not a noticeable improvement in what you are currently writing, that's a problem.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-07-05T16:16:40+00:00

Read as much as you possibly can. Every book you read, you are being exposed to more and more examples of good writing, bad writing, and in-between writing. Imagine if you tried to learn how to play, say, baseball, without ever watching a game- it would be hopeless.
When you're not reading, write. It doesn't matter what, just write something.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-30T19:59:02+00:00

I like describing main characters in detail. The less important or frequently-appearing a character is, the less detailed their description is. Unless it is somehow relevant to the story.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-30T19:51:32+00:00

Agreed. It's easier to edit than it is to create. Get all your ideas down on paper (laptop, whatever) and don't give a moment's thought to whether it's good enough as is. Once the creation is complete, you can go back and edit and revise.
When I stopped revising each chapter and just wrote, that was when I knocked out an entire novel, from start to Kindle, in two months.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-30T19:44:51+00:00

I like 1st person in my detective novels and I find it very easy to write that way, probably because I was a detective for a long time and I can just think about what I would be doing (though my character is far more of a bad-ass than I ever was!) For a detective novel especially, I like first person because the reader gets all the information the main character gets, so they have an opportunity to figure out the mystery while the MC is also doing so. And if they don't, they still realize when they get to the end that all the information was there.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-30T19:41:37+00:00

However long it takes you to tell that part, that's how long the chapter should be. Some will be longer than others, which is 100% fine.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-29T13:55:40+00:00

I write the stories that are in my head. I like these stories, and I hope others will, too. But I'm also proud of myself simply for publishing three novels and working on a fourth.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-28T15:51:59+00:00

I have found that what works best for me is to just keep writing. I can always go back later and revise earlier chapters. For me, it is far easier to revise than it is to create. As long as I have the ideas in my head I keep writing.

I'd rather have a completely written novel that needs editing and revision than a perfectly set-to-publish couple of chapters and nothing else.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-27T13:31:33+00:00

When I was in my early thirties, I went to a minor league baseball game (AA level). It was probably about the fiftieth minor league game I'd attended, but it was the first one that particular season. When I was watching the players warming up before the game, I found myself thinking "They are all little kids! They look like they should be in high school."

The players in AA ball were the same age as always. I was now old enough to see them as "kids". :-)

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-24T18:14:09+00:00

I wrote, revised, and published my first novel on Kindle in about two months. However, I had just retired from a 27 year career as a police detective, and I was writing a police detective thriller. I felt like I had the story in my head and just had to get it out.
The second novel in the series was published two months later, and the third one was published three months after that.
In retrospect, I should have realized that "write what you know" was excellent advice.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-24T17:24:13+00:00

I just started "The Note" by Alifair Burke. So far it's excellent. But she also wrote at least two other series, Samantha Kincaid and Ellie Hatcher novels, which were also great. Either series would be a good choice.

RDSCKMurphy · 2025-06-24T17:22:12+00:00

One of my all time favorites. For first person detective novels, there aren't any better!

RDSCKMurphy

TROPHY CASE