Does anyone have updated/recent information on the status of Cmsix ?
Last known contact was about 18 months ago when he was still in the Rosehaven Nursing Home in Texas. He had issues accessing the Internet and was losing interest in writing. He has not appeared in an obit list yet, as of 2 weeks ago when I last checked.
I would make a guess that the first option would be to contact that nursing home. At least its a starting point if you know his real name. His online name won't work for that however.
As far as I know the only way is to either visit him or to phone him at the nursing home. I think it's in Plano Texas, from memory, but it's the Rosehaven Nursing Home that he's in.
If you want to contact him and want his full real name message me.
Delighted to hear that you've been in contact with him. I haven't heard from him in probably 5 or 6 years.
I know I have missed some of our debates over the path he was pushing for the "I Feel Lucky" story. We definitely failed to agree but like I told him it was his story even if I thought it wanted to go to a different ending than he wanted.
Delighted to hear that you've been in contact with him. I haven't heard from him in probably 5 or 6 years.
About 5 years ago would be roughly when he went into Rosehaven. He posted a couple of messages on his blog just after going into the nursing home. The last known contact was about 18 months ago (maybe a little longer now) when one of my editors dropped into see him at the nursing home while moving from Florida to Arizona.
I started saving most of his stories on my local drive because if I'm not mistaking his stories are up for archival next year. His last blog post was 2014-03-31. I don't know if there are other triggers that would keep them from being archived.
I think cmsix is one of those authors that should not be archived. New readers will have no access to his stories, stories that made a specific theme take on a life of it's own and inspired other authors to create similar themed stories.
I think cmsix is one of those authors that should not be archived.
The lesser of two evils, I think. The site needs some things restricted to premier members. Without those, no one would be willing to pay for better services, and sites without a viable funding model inevitably end up going down the same drainpipe as ASSTR.
If no stories were archived, I'd still pay just to get access to more stories in a 24-hour period. I read a lot.
The lesser of two evils, I think. The site needs some things restricted to premier members. Without those, no one would be willing to pay for better services, and sites without a viable funding model inevitably end up going down the same drainpipe as ASSTR.
Oh I agree that some restrictions are necessary to attract paying members, but you have to get users interested in getting that payed membership. If over time a lot of the good stories disappear in the archive NEW visitors of the site have no idea what quality stories are available because they have no access to those. I do understand it's difficult to find a balance between encouraging payed membership with attractive stories on one hand and not giving too much away that would discourage paying on the other.
I'm not going to rant again about payment options but it would really help if people outside the US/Canada have other ways to pay for a premium membership.
(Lazeez, can't you just send me an invoice for a year membership?)
you have to get users interested in [paying.] A lot of the good stories disappear in the archive. [NEW visitors] have no idea what quality stories are available
A 'Story of the Week' might be an effective promotional tool? Perhaps, Lazeez could select one high-scoring story from the archives each week and make it available to non-paying members ... to give them a sample of stories by authors they are missing out on.
Doesn't he have something like that now being able to read X number of chapters of a premier story?
Doesn't he have something like that now being able to read X number of chapters of a premier story?
If so, that would make the dozenth time I've made a serious suggestion to Lazeez for a possible enhancement of the site - only to find out it's already available or the need I perceive is satisfied some other way. :-)
Doesn't he have something like that now being able to read X number of chapters of a premier story?
Yes that is available but with a lot of stories it gets way better past those first chapters. The proof that a site offers real good stories works better than the teasing with something that *might* get better later on in the story. Maybe just a rotating selection of the stories that keep returning on "the best of" lists here in the forum. Not too much because that would kill the purpose of getting readers to sigh up for premium but just enough too make it clear that it's worth it. It took me a long time to realize that premium really is worth it's money. That should be much faster because you get into a routine with the limitations of non-premium and that's not what you want. You want them to sign up before they get used to the limitations.
A 'Story of the Week' might be an effective promotional tool? Perhaps, Lazeez could select one high-scoring story from the archives each week and make it available to non-paying members ... to give them a sample of stories by authors they are missing out on.
That might help a great deal but they would have to stay up for at least a week because I suspect new users to visit only occasionally until they get into it.
If no stories were archived, I'd still pay just to get access to more stories in a 24-hour period.
And I'd pay just to help support the site but the real reason I started doing the premier membership is so I could easily download stories for times when my internet connection was flakey.
stories that made a specific theme take on a life of it's own
What theme would that be? Never finish a story if you can start another one? ๐
What theme would that be? Never finish a story if you can start another one?
Nah, the alien-kidnapping-loads-of-stuff-time-travel-back-in-time-build-harem theme, you know, the usual ;)
stories that made a specific theme take on a life of it's own
What theme would that be? Never finish a story if you can start another one? ๐
I suspect his point isn't that CMsix is an author to emulate, but that he inspires many authors (who all think "Shit! I can write a better story that that!). Thus Cmsix serves as a story catalyst for many new authors, in that he inspires non-writers to take up the pen and craft their own stories. Thus, putting his work behind a paywall isn't just hiding his stories, but possible cutting off the potential wellspring for new authors coming down the pike.
Following that logic, the National Inquirer would inspire people to try journalism. ๐
The obvious method to keep his or any author's stories from being archived. Would be to have someone login under his account. Hang around for a minute or so. Then Log off, thus resetting the timer for that account's stories.
My opinion/worry, which is particularly appropriate for CMsix, is that many of the stories being archived to premier are the Incomplete & Inactive ones (an active author 'goes dark', a year later their 'in progress' stories go I&I, four more years and they are archived) so someone looking through premier-only listings to see what they are missing may be put off by the higher than normal proportion of I&I. Excluding the I&I stories from archiving will allow basic members to see the writing style etc of the author, but if they want the completed stories they would need to get premier membership.
My opinion/worry, which is particularly appropriate for CMsix, is that many of the stories being archived to premier are the Incomplete & Inactive ones
If I understood correctly it's just the non-active period of 5 years that determines if a story is archived. I don't see how that would result in more I&I stories in the archived part. If anything that would be better for new readers because they would stumble upon less I&I stories in the non-archived part. Over time the only I&I stories left in the unarchived part are those that have not reached the 5 year time limit.
Excluding the I&I stories from archiving will allow basic members to see the writing style etc of the author
I doubt most readers want to read I&I stories. What good will it do a non-Premier reader to see the writing style of an inactive author whose completed stories are premier-only?
If I understood correctly it's just the non-active period of 5 years that determines if a story is archived. I don't see how that would result in more I&I stories in the archived part.
The archiving process wouldn't, but specifically archiving Cmsix's work would, and showing that many I&I stories being archived at once just might prevent someone from spending money on a Premiere membership. I believe that was the point being made.
Actually Madnige's post was I&I stories should not be achieved. Only Cmsix's completed stories would be archived.
Actually Madnige's post was I&I stories should not be achieved. Only Cmsix's completed stories would be archived.
I understood his point (that archiving incomplete stories discourages readers from paying for Premiere Features), but maybe we need a new I&I policy, either finish your story or it gets dropped (not just archived). That would hurt those classics "Spitfire & Messerschmitt", but hopefully it would encourage authors to address their unresolved issues sooner. At least, if a story gets removed because it's incomplete, it can always be restored when they begin posting again.
For everyone who rereads Cmsix's tales, how many of you reread the yellow-tagged ones, as opposed to the completed one? Is there even that big a market for yellow-tagged stories?
either finish your story or it gets dropped (not just archived
The only thing that would accomplish is that authors mark their story finished even though it's not. And that would be even worse then knowing up front that a story is unfinished.
... maybe we need a new I&I policy, either finish your story or it gets dropped ...
It's a threat to authors who submitted incomplete stories. So call it a threat, and not an incentive.
It's also a ridiculous threat to authors who submitted their stories for free. We'd lose many stories and that's all it would accomplish.
either finish your story or it gets dropped (not just archived). That would hurt those classics "Spitfire & Messerschmitt",
Slightly off topic, but Gina finished the story on her website and then posted the completed story on SOL. Just thought you should know.
it can always be restored when they begin posting again.
which makes unnecessary work for the admins, if he ever returns to the site.
My personal opinion is if an author hasn't been active on the site for 5 years, his completed stories should be archived and the I&I stories dropped.
My personal opinion is if an author hasn't been active on the site for 5 years, his completed stories should be archived and the I&I stories dropped.
Why?
Some of the very best stories I ever read were, and still are, incomplete. No one is forced to read an unfinished story and who'd gain anything when they get dropped off the site?
Some of the very best stories I ever read were, and still are, incomplete. No one is forced to read an unfinished story and who'd gain anything when they get dropped off the site?
Yep DMan3 would disappear while the first 2 remain. Makes no sense to me.
Why?
I don't like wasting my time to read a story that isn't completed. But as I indicated, that's a personal opinion. It doesn't bother others.
I don't like wasting my time to read a story that isn't completed.
No one is forcing you to read an unfinished story but why would you deny others the option to do so?
Are you aware that you can go into your account "General Author Pages Preferences" and Hide Incomplete and Inactive stories?
Sorry, this should have been addressed to CW, my apologies.
Sorry, this should have been addressed to CW, my apologies.
I was suggesting it as a point of discussion. Frankly, it doesn't affect me, since I can continue reading all the stories whenever I want since I've earned (and occasionally pay for) premiere status.
Besides, my 'inspired by Cmsix' stories were inspired by other cludgy writing examples, as my first story was a sci-fi harem rather than a do-over story.
premiere status
The site now calls that 'premier status'. Lazeez made the change when I pointed out that 'premiere' means the first performance of something, while 'premier' means of highest quality.
... 'premier' means of highest quality.
Huh? I thought 'premier' is a synonym for 'prime minister' and 'prime' is the adjective which means first class or highest quality.
I thought 'premier' is a synonym for 'prime minister' and 'prime' is the adjective which means first class or highest quality.
As a noun, 'premier' has the meaning of a head of government. As an adjective, its meanings from dictionary.com are:
first in rank; chief; leading.
first in time; earliest; oldest.
As an adjective, 'prime' generally means of most importance, as opposed to being at a different level to others.
The Free Dictionary:
prime (prฤซm)
adj.
1. First or highest in rank or importance; main: Our prime consideration is for the children's safety. See Synonyms at chief. See Usage Note at perfect.
2.
a. Highest in quality; excellent: prime real estate.
b. Being the most desired or suitable example of something: a prime candidate for the study.
3. Of or relating to the USDA highest grade of beef, having abundant marbling and usually only sold at restaurants.
4. First or early in time, order, or sequence: the prime action of the drug.
5. Mathematics Of, relating to, or being a prime number.
Whereas the definitions of 'premier' (where it's even listed as an adjective) always refer to a person.
The Free Dictionary ...
I'm not going to debate this. You asked a question ('Huh?') and I provided an answer.
There is overlap, but for me, the distinction between the adjectives 'premier' and 'prime' is that the first shows a different standard, while the second shows higher quality.
The site now calls that 'premier status'. Lazeez made the change when I pointed out that 'premiere' means the first performance of something, while 'premier' means of highest quality.
Good point. You can tell I haven't checked since the name officially changed. :(
My personal opinion is if an author hasn't been active on the site for 5 years, his completed stories should be archived and the I&I stories dropped.
That's a better option. Mine was just as 'what if' consideration.
I think Cmsix's I&I stories should not be archived. It has been noted he wrote in the style of a television series not a movie. His I&I stories are more like a series which was canceled at the end of a season without the chance of a series finale. He also pioneered a genre of story which many here have embellished upon.
A pm member reads from just after noon until midnight. An am member reads from just after midnight to noon. Prime Member is pm, Addicted member is am.
you forgot P.A.M. Pro Addicted Member. we have no time constraints.
I'm a NPPAM, Non-Premium-Pro-Addicted-Member.
No time constraints here ;)