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Many of you have taken the time to advise me to "Get a Proof reader". Evidently my submitted content is insufficiently checked for errors in Grammar, Spelling, Word association, improper use of language and a host of other grammatical errors. It is regarded as not Not good enough for submission by most of you.
And those who make those complaints cannot be bothered to respond to my appeals for help, offering instead short snippy comments here in the comments section of what they found and where it was found and Don't I have a spell checker. My appeals for a proof reader are responded to with either derision, or offers to help FOR A PRICE. And with a number of hidden "Requirements" such as "I don't use word. Convert it to text so I can bring in my text reader and I will insert my suggestions and send them back to you to complete editing."
I can see why some authors turn comments OFF. And turn E-mail OFF.
My Solution at this point is to suspend submissions until I have "finished" the story, Error checked it thoroughly, Submitted it to a set of English Teachers to get it corrected, and then (Possibly next year) re submit it here.
I do want to thank you few people who waded through my mass of mistakes and unreadable blather and complimented me on what I was trying to do. Namely Tell a story. To you few, you brave few, I send my appreciation. To you editors and critics, Please enlighten me with your own new works. Something of Interest. Something *I* can comment on.
Old Saying. "Perfection is the enemy of good enough."
Did you ever have one of those situations where you THOUGHT you were uploading the right chapter and you weren't? This happens when you use Word, in conjunction with OneDrive, which does not update your most recent copy until you log out and then back in.
So, I uploaded the shortened chapter 6. And then when I went back and read it this morning, I found that it was cut off 1/2 way through. So I had to massage the 6.1 to reflect deletion of the material of 6.0 and save it as a 7. And I cursed my computer all the while.
I can only say that I have been away from writing too long which allowed me to make such a BONEHEAD mistake. Oh well. So today I do 2 inserts, and start on the Wednesday chapter.
Well, Its' interesting. So far, 20 of you have been very supportive of my extension of hte story of Hank that Reluctant_Sir started some years ago. Most of you (35 or so) have commented on my lack of accuracy in Capitalization, Punctuation, Use of tense, confusion of Atlanta and Augusta (I didn't) and one enterprising person even commented that it was the 75 Regiment rather then the 75th division. (Now that is a real detail digger)
And ONE of you followed the breadcrumbs I have left littering the Landscape. Breadcrumbs that were planted by RS in the 101, and which I have carried on into 201. Bread crumbs that will have an amazing impact on the future of Mages, Wizards, and Slaves. And have impact on the treaty between all species.
Can you guess what these crumbs point to?
Probably one of the greatest boosts to your ego as a writer is from the comments of your readers. And when your ego gets too big, along comes a pin to pop it. I absolutely love reader comments. Reader emails are usually complimentary. The ones that aren’t are usually well meaning assertions of their superiority as proofreaders, not writers. It goes with the writing. You should have seen the flack i got over classy conversions.
But to everyone, please tell me what you think. My skin is pretty thick, and feedback is precious, even bad feedback.
Folks. I am not a professional story writer. I was a writer of some professional ability in a former career, but my missives there were Short, to the point and had to be direct. (My audiences were Exectives and managers of major corporations. As a Project director, you have to pitch the story to the level of a 6 year old or they miss it)
I admit that I ain't that good all the time.
But if my words amuse you, then enjoy them. If my spelling bugs you, Bug me.
And those of you who DO want to bug me, Please continue. I don't promise I will fix it immediately, but I do keep track of them and I do want to polish my stories. Even if they are turds. (By comparison to some here.)
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