I really appreciate all the comments, pro and con, for Discovery. I will, at some point, make some editing changes I feel are valid from my post-it notes I make from the emails I receive.
I take the emails much more seriously than any score given. It's not that I don't appreciate the scores when they are honest in nature, but the system isn't set up to weed out the trolls, so scores become less a measure of the quality of any given story. Then there's the fact that scores are also adjusted by the stories posted during the same time frame. No system is perfect and I don't know what could be done to fix what is there, so I live with it as it is.
The same goes for emails that simply say, "You suck!", but don't explain why they think that. If someone explains why they think that, whether I agree or disagree, I have much more respect for that person than the one who just drops a 2 in the score column.
Then there is why I wrote Discovery. It was written for me because it is the type and quality of themed story I would like to see more of, just like most of you that wrote to me asking for more. If I get the inspiration for what happens next and with whom, I'll write it. For right now, I ended it where I did because I wasn't sure what Kate would choose and how soon she would choose it. I might come back to Kate after she graduates and has a place of her own, a new job, and making new friends while staying in touch with old acquaintances. The point is, it will have to be a rich, full tapestry that takes place with her choices; not a simple stroke story.
Nysau Moon
I've have been perusing the volunteer editor lists for about two months now. I've sent out quite a few emails asking for help. A few responded. What I haven't been able to find is a female proofreader who can catch those subtle nuances in a character's response or viewpoint that isn't right when a male tries to write them.
I think many really good stories would be a lot better if the author had that kind of help. Sometimes the changes needed aren't so subtle, like when a female character 'sees' a neat car and KNOWS instantly that it's a 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 with 15 inch Cragar SS 5 spoke chrome rims with Mickey Thompson street slicks. Now, I'm not saying there aren't female gearheads out there, but if the character is a high school student in the band, it just smacks of being wrong. That band geek girl would instead say, "OOOO! What a pretty midnight blue car! That black interior must suck in the summer."
Granted, my example is an extreme one, but I'm trying to make a point of what I am looking for in some help. I have a couple editors that are great at catching spelling and grammar mistakes. I need someone that can point out that a female character wouldn't think or say something, "I", the male writer misses as obvious because I don't think that way.
I'm fully aware "Discovery" needed that help. This was a short story I wrote in a single afternoon and then set it aside for a couple weeks, came back to it, fleshed it out some and then shopped it out to a few editors. It still needs a good proofreader to fine tune it.
The story I've been working on for about 3 months is quite a bit longer than Discovery (which is currently at 14K words). I've got the outline finished, Act 1 is roughed in and is around 25K words. I'm roughing in Act 2 and it's at about 4K and will probably be about the same size as Act 1. The main character is male, but there are a few female characters that are central to the plot and I want them to sound and feel real--so I need some help. The codes for this one are pretty much the same as Discovery, which makes it that much harder to find willing editors and proofreaders.
Thanks,
Nysau Moon
Instead of answering several emails about when I was going to post the next chapter, I opted for the public announcement method. Plus, I felt like sharing something I found a while back while bouncing around the net. It's a poem that reminded me of a couple exceptional four-legged best friends I've had in my life.
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful, and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
by anonymous author
A few people really get that poem. You will know who they are when their voice gets a touch scratchy, or they blink a few times to clear the excess moisture, while they read this aloud. They are the ones who had the luck, or fate, to have that one dog that stood out from the rest. The one that seemed to look at you as if he really understood you. I've had the privilege to have had more than one who was like that in my life. I sure miss those guys. I think Lord Byron summed it up with what he placed on the tombstone of his faithful friend.
"The poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,
Whose honest heart is still the master's own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth,
While man, vain insect hopes to be forgiven,
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven."
So, maybe the next time you think you should let your best friend know just how much you appreciate him, you can share your girlfriend or wife with him. Hey, it's the least you can do for the one who's more devoted to you than she is. (When's the last time your dog emptied your wallet without a hint of thanks?)
Nysau Moon
I left the option for emails unrestricted so that no matter who wanted to comment, they could do so. I have to say it's been a lot of fun reading them. I appreciate the accolades and, to be honest, laughed my ass off at the anonymous person who berated me for writing a horrible story. That one really had me wondering if the guy next door wasn't going to call the looney bin and tell them one of the inmates was loose--I was laughing that loud!
When I set out to post this story, I went through the code definitions meticulously, choosing only those codes I thought matched the content. My reason for doing this, is that one of my personal pet peeves is when I read a story and something isn't coded properly ... or at all.
I explained this little personal quirk for a reason; the person who railed against my story accused me of not including several codes: gay, rape, and non-consensual. According to my critic, any mention of homosexuality should be coded as gay. This speaks to a very vivid imagination and quite possibly a very troubled and confused individual. A gay character without a sexual description of any kind does NOT need a gay code. The next part of the criticism imparted upon me had to do with the nature of contact between humans and animals--namely a human having sex with an animal constitutes non-consensual rape (Is there any other kind? Really?) since the animal cannot say NO!
My response to that is--if a woman sticks her naked butt in the air and says, "Come on, boy! Mount up!" and the dog climbs on and does what nature imprinted upon his brain for the continuation of the species--it isn't rape. Is the act kinky as hell? Yes! Is it perverted? Oh hell yeah, it is! Is it rape? Oh, please! Get over yourself. A male dog will do what his instincts tell him to do with a willing female--no matter if she walks on all fours and barks or normally walks on two legs and has her butt in the air offering up the promised land.
My story is a fantasy adapted from what some people do in the privacy of their own homes. Some of them take home movies and post them on the net in various places for the thrill of sharing their kink with other like minded perverts.
I have to wonder, though, if you have an aversion to bestiality/Zoophilia--What made you read the damn thing in the first place? Not that I didn't need the comic relief, trust me. I haven't laughed like that in ages.
Hopefully other like minded perverts will enjoy my efforts.
Nysau Moon