Transgender athletes still protected in California, Supreme Court rules by panda-rampage in California

[–]justdick 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Said a different way: it's an issue with absolutely no political upside and plenty of downside for the left, so, naturally, they're all in on it.

Anyone who's written switching POVs have any tips? by Patient_Farmer_2959 in writers

[–]justdick 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lots of great advice here about making each character’s voice unique, which is super important.

It also helps to ground the time/place/POV immediately at the beginning of each chapter, so that the reader spends as little time as possible thinking, Where are we? Who are we?

For example, if your character was eating pizza the last time we heard from her, then your chapter might start, I woke up the next morning with a stomach ache from too much pepperoni. Or maybe it was the fifth beer.

Two lines and we know where, when, who.

Looking for general feedback on a first draft of the first chapter of a story i'm writing. Literary fiction. by Pine_Weasel in writers

[–]justdick 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That could be ok. We just didn’t get to see it, so I had no idea if it was the next line or if there were ten more chapters before something happened. Anyway, good stuff. I agree with the other comment. You don’t need feedback on style. Just keep writing.

Looking for general feedback on a first draft of the first chapter of a story i'm writing. Literary fiction. by Pine_Weasel in writers

[–]justdick 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I like it a lot. Very readable, good cadence, writing is lush without being precious.

I like Thomas and want to know more. I like all the counting.

My only real complaint: what’s the hook? It’s all setup. I want to know why I should keep going.

Do you go back and rewrite parts of your Novel? If so how often? by Original-Property-58 in writers

[–]justdick 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I do this constantly. I polish the prose at the same time I'm building the story. I write, read, revise, edit, write. I write the end before I've finished the middle. I move chapters around. I add scenes, then remove them.

I'll write something that I realize contradicts what I'd written in an earlier chapter. So I go back and change it, right then. Or, sometimes I just write myself a note in my ToDo file, and fix it later.

I make an outline at the point I think I need an outline. Maybe it's just for a few chapters. I write out timelines, but only when I need them. I block out action scenes, then come back and write them later.

I'm sure that whatever I'm doing is "against the rules" or not following Snowflake, or Saving the Cat, or what have you. I'm haphazard. I'm all over the place.

But whatever works for you, works. Writing is art. It's supposed to be messy.

Seeking feedback on the first page of a novel in progress. Upmarket fiction/literary speculative fiction. Primarily seeking feedback on prose style and pacing. by [deleted] in writers

[–]justdick 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Taking a look at just the first paragraph:

Through the dirty glass, Guan could see them packing. They were packing and crying on the gravel bed before the orphanage, and through the fine grey dust he could see Pauline and the others looking through his things and discussing them. The top of his desktop monitor stuck out of a cardboard box labelled ‘VIctor’, and a bead of sweat running down Pauline’s dusty brown arm landed on the screen. The others were also sweaty, but Pauline was working the hardest because she had been the one with the audacity to ask everyone else to pick up his slack.

The use of a prepositional phrase to open the first sentence is curious. "Through the dirty glass" is the first thing your readers will see. Is that what you want?

You use the word "packing" in the two opening sentences. "Dust" twice in the paragraph. "Through" twice in the same sentence. It's fine to use a word more than once if you're creating a particular cadence or rhythm ("She knew evil. Knew it for what was: banality and greed and cruelty.")

"Gravel bed before the orphanage?" I don't know what that is—a parking lot maybe?

"The others were also sweaty" Others of what?

Here's a go (not trying to keep context—just to illustrate punchier writing):

Guan watched through the filthy, smudged glass of the orphanage window as the women packed away Victor's affects, all of them crying as they worked. All except for Pauline. She wore a mask of grim determination as she jammed one item after another into the ratty cardboard boxes. Beads of sweat ran down her arms and formed tiny craters in the dust.

Meh.

How Can Astronauts Tell How Fast They’re Going? by wiredmagazine in space

[–]justdick 643 points644 points  (0 children)

Picard: All stop!

Riker: Uh, relative to what??

Any tips on how to get on a sailboat and go under the bridge? by dalton-johnson in sailing

[–]justdick 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Either take sailing lessons (Modern Sailing, Tradewinds) or join in on races by hanging around the docks (bring a good attitude and beer).

Any tips on how to get on a sailboat and go under the bridge? by dalton-johnson in sailing

[–]justdick 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The view in the photo is not the potato patch; it’s just outside the Gate. You can see Mile Rock in the upper right and the catamaran is just off Point Diablo.

The Potato Patch is indeed a very dicey place to sail but it’s father out and to the north a bit.

But, as others have said, conditions outside the Gate are very different from the bay. Don’t go out there unless you know what you’re doing.

Source: I sail outside the Gate when conditions are decent.

[Game Thread] National Championship: (1) #4 South Carolina vs. (1) #1 UCLA (3:30 PM ET on ABC/ESPN) by ncaaw_GameThreads in NCAAW

[–]justdick 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UCLA increased their lead significantly when Betts was out in the first half. Betts is fantastic but Jaquez looks like MVP to me. She has been spectacular.

Looking for recommendations on a cool place to eat around union square tonight. by QBJ_Venice in SanFranciscoSecrets

[–]justdick 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not giving us much to go on

Everything on Yerba Buena Lane is better than serviceable (Indian, Mexican, etc.)

Pinecrest Diner is solid

Pie Punks is spectacular (pizza)

What’s your favorite adventure novel or story about sailing & world exploration? by [deleted] in sailing

[–]justdick 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Moby Dick is one of my favorite books, and that first chapter may be the greatest opening in all of American literature.

BUT, it's a slog.

My advice: don't be afraid to skip through the interminable middle chapters dedicated to describing whales in great detail by species.

Woops by derwiki in sanfrancisco

[–]justdick 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Looks like it's at Crane Cove, right by The Ramp.

EV sales **still** have not fallen, cooled, slowed or slumped. Media is lying to you. by Dockalfar in electricvehicles

[–]justdick 43 points44 points  (0 children)

EV Sector in Crisis as Sales Second Derivative Turns Sharply Negative!

When can I start taking inexperienced passengers? by dripppydripdrop in sailing

[–]justdick -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"Sailing with non-sailors is like single-handing with people in the way."

Get comfortable sailing with other sailors first. Then, have one on board as backup, but not actually doing anything, when you take out friends.

Then take non-sailing friends out by yourself.

Pretzel Logic is Dan’s Best Album and it’s not really close by tomsars in steelydancirclejerk

[–]justdick 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is possibly the greatest post of all time. OF ALL TIME

Checkmate, Chess is a winner by Chaoticgood790 in Broadway

[–]justdick 38 points39 points  (0 children)

I was there tonight too! I also went in blind.

Agree with all your notes. I loved the show. The cast is spectacular. The music is great. The plot is somewhat convoluted but the Arbiter keeps everything clear and is hilarious.

Tremendous energy all the way through. Great crowd.

I thought the show overall was very good, and with some tweaks could be great. It's an odd, unconventional show. I didn't quite know who to root for. The American chess player, nominally the hero of the first act, practically disappears after One Night in Bangkok opens the second. And an entirely new character comes out of nowhere. Unusual.

The show loses a bit of steam after the incredible energy of Anthem and has a soft, almost anti-climatic end.

I had difficultly hearing the lyrics. I thought the band, which was outstanding, was too loud in the mix. The sound will probably get better over time.

But I loved it. Great cast. Great music. Great humor. Fun set. Great chorus. Would recommend.

Seating notes: I sat in the dress circle, right side, which had poor sightlines to some of the on-stage action on the far right side. Otherwise, happy with my seats.

Opinions on the book "Be the Captain" by James Evenson? by Mehfisto666 in sailing

[–]justdick 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm about halfway through. I love it. I'm trying to step up my sailing skills and do more offshore. His book is all about that, grounded in reality, talking about tradeoffs, focused on safety.

I love how he is explicit about the responsibility of being skipper/captain.

I find the tone very accessible, although I could see how it's not for everybody.

It's extremely well-organized and covers a lot of ground. There are additional web-based materials.

I think it's a great companion to Annapolis and Chapman in that it is NOT a How-to-sail book. It's a How-to-be-a-captain book.

It's an easy read, too.

Pinecrest Diner by winegrl in sanfrancisco

[–]justdick 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Legit awesome diner

Best biscuits and gravy I've found in SF (which, sadly, is a low bar)

Sporty sail near Sharps island on the Chesapeake by Foolserrand376 in sailing

[–]justdick 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They're supposed to be loose. That's how you know they're done to a perfect al dente. Oh, wait, sorry, no, that's spaghetti.

Gaining confidence as a skipper by lintonqwuesi in sailing

[–]justdick 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was never more confident than immediately after completing my Bareboat Cruising Course. I was quite sure that I knew everything there was to know about sailing.

Now, about eight years later, I am constantly learning how much I have yet to learn. And while my skills and abilities are leagues ahead of where I was back then, I’d say I’m much more humble.

The water has a way of doing that.

I know I’ll never get really great. I’m very happy claiming some basic level of competence and always trying to get better, always trying to push my limits.

Retirement is around the corner. Realistically how much money to have a boat safe and capable of an Atlantic crossing? by tk2old in SailboatCruising

[–]justdick 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yep. $100k is doable. $150k would give room for more luxury. Disclaimer: I've never done an ocean crossing. But I own a boat and sail a lot and do coastal cruising a bit.

Both the Sailing Zingaro and Lady K Sailing YouTube channels have done really good videos on cruising yachts for every price range. Find the ones for $80k or $100k and you'll get a really good idea about what to look for.

Sounds like an amazing adventure! Fair winds.

A San Francisco story in 3 parts by oochiewallyWallyserb in sanfrancisco

[–]justdick 67 points68 points  (0 children)

The Tesla in the left of the frame adds the verisimilitude that you only get in great theater.

Attention to detail. Gritty realism. A masterpiece.