Forum: Author Hangout

I think it's the last 100, but not sure.

IIRC, it's the removals from the last month, or maybe the last 30 days.

Today is 9/6 and the oldest removals in the list were removed on 8/6.

Today is 9/6 and the oldest removals in the list were removed on 8/6.

I recall a discussion a while back when Young Thinker left SOL. In it Lazeez confirmed the list has a limit of 100 stories. When Young Thinker left, 286 stories were deleted - 186 of them were on the "removed stories" list for only a few seconds.

https://storiesonline.net/d/s6/t474/deleting-a-story#po7228

So was WhatDreamsMayCome a new author

When his/her 3 new stories showed up on SOL's Home page I clicked on the author name to see if there are other, older stories. None.

BTW, I usually look-up the author of a new "in progress" story when the story description peaked my interest. If I see few concluded stories, many "in progress" and a bunch "unfinished but inactive" I'll back-off.

HM.

I realised 'peaked' actually makes sense in this context.

'Peaked' would make sense if that's what HM wanted to express, which I doubt. I'd rather assume your substitution 'piqued' was correct.

'Peaked' would make sense if that's what HM wanted to express, which I doubt. I'd rather assume your substitution 'piqued' was correct.

Helmut, please forgive this discussion about what was going on inside your head. :-)

'Piqued' is definitely the wrong word. The Ox. Dict. defines it is as simply 'upset or annoyed'.
'Peaked' seems possible, but it's a bit of a stretch using it to mean raised my interest in something.
I think the expression Helmut had heard before and knew was exactly right for his context is 'pricked my interest'.

The OED lists 'pique' as a verb, meaning to stimulate (interest or curiosity).

MY MISTAKE.

I looked up the noun but should have at least checked the verb too.
My edition lists an idiom for the verb:

ˌ
pique somebody's interest/curiosity
to make somebody very interested in something

I now agree with the first assessment of your internal proofreader: the correct homophone for this situation is 'piqued'.

MY MISTAKE...

Typical, I get your 'correction' and AJ receives the confession of your mistake.

ETA: I couldn't even find the phrase "pricked my interest". Did you invent it? Poor Helmut should feel totally confused by now.

Does it mean inflated (cf 'pricked my interest' intends) or deflated (as I vaguely remember).

I could not say I've heard that expression.
Perhaps it could mean either. There are things called 'contranyms', words that can mean completely opposite things in different contexts.

ETA: I couldn't even find the phrase "pricked my interest".

I've heard it used. It seems to be fairly common English vernacular although it's quite possibly an error that became normalised.

AJ

It seems to be fairly common English vernacular although it's quite possibly an error that became normalised.

Or maybe someone meant 'piqued' and was misunderstood. I've heard that happened before.

Helmut, please forgive this discussion about what was going on inside your head. :-)

I think it was slightly foggy in my head at about 5 am local time. ;-)

'Piqued' is definitely the wrong word. The Ox. Dict. defines it is as simply 'upset or annoyed'.

'Peaked' seems possible, but it's a bit of a stretch using it to mean raised my interest in something.

I think the expression Helmut had heard before and knew was exactly right for his context is 'pricked my interest'.

Yeah, pricked was meant. One of the possible translations for prick is the Low German verb 'pieken'. I think (don't remember exactly) this I had in my mind and wrote peaked. (same pronunciation).

HM.

Yeah, pricked was meant.

Actually, no. The word you thought you were using was 'piqued' as AJ pointed out.

I have a question for both you and robberhands.
May I preface it by saying what a welcome addition to our community you have both been since you began frequenting here. You both make valuable contributions are good-natured. I think all of us here become keen to help new arrivals when we see, as we do with both of you, a commitment to being the best you can be.

Both of you have some gaps in your knowledge because English is your second language; it is impossible for it to be otherwise. English is a language with an endless supply of trivial details which have no explanation.

My question is: what do you prefer we do when we notice something amiss in your posts?
How do we inform you of some trivial factoid - with as AJ said 'intending no disrespect'?
Would you be comfortable if his original post was like this:

FYI, Helmut,
The expression you thought you were using when you wrote 'peaked my interest' is 'piqued my interest'.
The usual meaning of 'pique' is upset or annoyance. If is often used in the phrase someone 'stormed off in a fit of pique.'
But there's an almost contradictory idiom. In the expression 'piqued my interest' it means the same as 'sparked'.

You might appreciate posts like that, but they could become irritating.
Would you prefer such FYIs were sent to you via the site email system?
Would you prefer we let such things pass through without comment?

My question is: what do you prefer we do when we notice something amiss in your posts?

I'd prefer you treat my posts like everyone else's. In your case it probably means to point out each mistake and suggest a correction. Btw, I still refuse to end sentences with a 'Smily' - live with it.

I'd prefer you treat my posts like everyone else's. In your case it probably means to point out each mistake and suggest a correction.

Okay. As you wish.
I admit I enjoy playing the game of Semantic Gotcha - but I am by no means the only one here who does that.

I admit I enjoy playing the game of Semantic Gotcha - but I am by no means the only one here who does that.

You're the only one I remember who ever corrected my posts, though. I know it was my own fault as I served you a perfect pretext, admitting English is not my native language.

You're the only one I remember who ever corrected my posts, though. I know it was my own fault as I served you a perfect pretext, admitting English is not my native language.

It seems clear I have caused you some irritation, and for that I apologise. It was never my intention; I thought I was being helpful.

I will stop making that kind of post.

You are dead wrong to think I thought of English not being your first language as giving me an opportunity to have fun at your expense.
The exact opposite is true.
If you ask, I will send you a long list of new authors I have worked with as an editor, and for whom English is their second language. You may ask any of them if they think I was not sympathetic to their difficulties, and whether I made extra efforts to help them overcome their natural disadvantage.

You asked me to treat you like I treat other posters here.
I will not do that.
To do that I'd have to stop limiting the errors I choose to point out to those where I think I can explain something it appears you do not know, and I expect you would want to know.
I would also need to stop framing the posts I do make as simple and matter-of-fact manner I can manage, and instead look for the most sarcastic or humorous way I can find of pointing out a mistake.

You seem to think I only point out others' mistakes for reasons of schadenfreude. Has it occurred to you I might actually care passionately about being clear with my communications to others? And without that, I would never have learned the things I now identify as errors others have made?

I am not here trying to make friends, or show how smart I am: I am here trying to become a better author.
It is working, and it is working because I take care with every post I make.
Do you think - the way I dish it out - I don't know that whenever anyone sees my name as the poster, they start looking for any little mistake I have made to point out and get back at me?
I am happy with that. When someone points out mistakes I have made, I generally agree it was a mistake (or sometimes just shut up), and I'm grateful to have learned something new. I know I've no chance of becoming a good writer if I'm concerned about what others here think of me.

If you want the benefit of expertise in some areas, it is available to you (and Helmut, sunkowan, etc.) You may send me an email, and in the future when I notice something I'll send my thoughts to you privately. Otherwise, I will just let them past.

It seems clear I have caused you some irritation, and for that I apologise.

Not all that much and there is no need to apologize. Correcting mistakes in a story I posted on Sol, or plan to publish, is something different than correcting mistakes I made as statements contributing to a forum discussion. These corrections disrupt the discussion and divert from the statement I wanted to make. That is annoying, regardless of your good intentions. As long as the others at the forum have no problem to understand what I am trying to convey, I don't see a neccessety to correct my grammar or orthography.

However, the fact that authors, the wordsmiths that we are, rely on crudely drawn cartoons to express ourselves, is insulting in the extreme!

In direct personal communication, body language and tone of voice are as important to knowing the meaning of what is said as the words themselves.

In an on-line text forum, you can't see me smiling :) or sticking my tongue out at you :P.

Personally I see emoticons as an attempt to put those body language signals back into remote text communications.

It's imperfect, but in moderation, it's not a bad thing.

It's imperfect, but in moderation, it's not a bad thing.

To me a 'Smiley' means the same as explaining a joke - the joke is ruined. If you feel the need to explain a joke to your audience, than better don't make it at all.

To me a 'Smiley' means the same as explaining a joke - the joke is ruined. If you feel the need to explain a joke to your audience, than better don't make it at all.

As a humourist I completely agree, but ... I just read today, "Everything that comes before a 'but' is horseshit."
Contrary to popular misconceptions about Germans being humourless, I eventually grew weary and started using them because I got too much grief from ultra-sensitive Americans with no sense of humour for any jokes directed at them.
If you can cope with the flak, I say go ahead and keep on doing it.

If you can cope with the flak, I say go ahead and keep on doing it.

I already do. I guess that's one reason the reponses I receive are often much longer than the statement I made.

I got too much grief from ultra-sensitive Americans with no sense of humour for any jokes directed at them.

Those are just the leftists.

You're reinforcing the incorrect British stereotyping of Germans having no sense of humour :)

But I laughed when I read that.

Yeah, pricked was meant.

Actually, no. The word you thought you were using was 'piqued' as AJ pointed out.

1) I don't recall exactly what went through my sleep-foggy mind but 'pieken' or 'pieksen' to get my attention was part of it.

When I encounter 'pricked', the first thing that comes to my mind is being stabbed by a needle.

A slight stab with a thorn or needle could be described in german with either 'pieken' or 'pieksen' (very slight).

2) This usage of the noun peak:

"a point in a curve or on a graph, or a value of a physical quantitry, higher than those around it"[New Oxford American Dictionary]

I assumed there is a verb, too.

The usual meaning of 'pique' is upset or annoyance. If is often used in the phrase someone 'stormed off in a fit of pique.'

But there's an almost contradictory idiom. In the expression 'piqued my interest' it means the same as 'sparked'.

3) The second is new for me, I don't remember it ever seen used this way.

However I didn't really learn English in school, after 6 years I got a 4- in English (german grades are 1—6, 1 is best).

I learned English by reading british and american books, about 210 dead tree editions and nearly 800 ebooks, not counting the stories found here on SOL. Probability is high I read this 'peaked my interest' in one of these books where the author meant 'piqued my interest'.

In my sleep-foggy mind I mixed all three together and wrote

BTW, I usually look-up the author of a new "in progress" story when the story description peaked my interest.

without checking a dictionary.

HM.

In my sleep-foggy mind I ... wrote without checking a dictionary.

If it's of any comfort to you, I'm not sure I would not have the same as you.

My question is: what do you prefer we do when we notice something amiss in your posts?

How do we inform you of some trivial factoid - with as AJ said 'intending no disrespect'?

Would you be comfortable if his original post was like this:

FYI, Helmut,

The expression you thought you were using when you wrote 'peaked my interest' is 'piqued my interest'.

The usual meaning of 'pique' is upset or annoyance. If is often used in the phrase someone 'stormed off in a fit of pique.'

But there's an almost contradictory idiom. In the expression 'piqued my interest' it means the same as 'sparked'.

You might appreciate posts like that, but they could become irritating.

I still will appreciate such posts.

Would you prefer such FYIs were sent to you via the site email system?

No.

Would you prefer we let such things pass through without comment?

No.

BTW, some ten years ago in a programming forum I meant 'angle' but wrote 'ankle' and got some funny comments.
I think I'll never make this error again!

HM.

I still will appreciate such posts.

Great. I want to be helpful and not cause offense.
I can only imagine how hard it must be for those using English as their second language. It is hard enough to use correctly as a first language.
When my intention is to be helpful I will draft my comments as a simple, "FYI, this is what ... and this is why ..."

He's on the Removed Stories list, not the Exclusive Stories list. He asked to have the stories removed, why isn't said.

It's instructive that he also deleted his pen name as he no longer shows up in the author list.