Breakdancing Moves (b-boying/b-girling)

Does anyone know anything about breaking? If so can you tell me the moves Crazy Legs is performing from 1:44 to 1:55?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_dVJEgSdSU&t=1m44s

Thanks. Much appreciated!

Breakdancing Moves (b-boying/b-girling)

A tense problem

I have a question regarding tenses: If a story is narrated in the past tense, do things that remain true after the story ends get put in past tense? So, for instance, if everything is in the past tense except observations the narrator makes such as, "The thing about the mail, though, is that it's kind of anachronistic," does that observation actually belong in past tense?

A tense problem

Just typed "the end"

I've been working on this project for almost four years now. And with the way I've written it, I've written a lot of "drafts", but this is only the second time that I've actually typed THE END.

So maybe it's not that special, but it certainly feels special to me.

This book is in a much better place than it was on the first completed draft. The characters feel more real, and they've been speaking quite loudly for quite a while now; now it feels like I'm telling their story, instead of the story I was trying to tell, if you know what I mean. I am happy with what I've written, and I'm at the point where it's time to get outside eyes on it.

Now, there's still a lot of work to do. The draft went just a smidge long for Contemporary YA, 104,542; I'll be working with a writer and attacking this thing with a blowtorch to pare it down to size.

But in the meantime? Onto the next project!

Just typed "the end"

10 days left to enter the Maine Review's Annual Poetry Contest

Submissions are open through October 10th for the Maine Review’s annual poetry contest, offering prizes of $100, $50, and $25 along with publication in our annual poetry collection, free print subscriptions and publication to Honorable Mention winners, and a free electronic issue for all entrants.

The contest is open to published and unpublished writers in any geographic area. All entries will be considered for publication in the annual poetry collection, as well as subsequent quarterly issues of the Review. The maximum line count is 90 lines per poem. You may submit up to three poems in one entry, online or by postal mail. The entry fee is $10. Deadline: October 10th, 2015.

Guidelines: http://ift.tt/1M2zA5q.

10 days left to enter the Maine Review's Annual Poetry Contest

Need some help deciding on a back cover blurb

Hey everyone,


I’m self-pubbing for the very first time and have been working on the back cover blurb for my Urban Fantasy. I’ve got three different blurbs – all 200 words or under – and would like to know which you like best and why. Thanks!


#1


"Magic and I have a love-hate relationship. The more it hurts the people I love, the more I hate it."


Being a shifter in a world dominated by cruel, power-hungry mages is tough as it is. But Enforcer Sunaya Blake is more than just a shifter. She's also half-mage, a secret she's kept from birth in order to escape persecution. So when she accidentally incinerates a berserk rhino shifter in front of witnesses, things get bad really, really fast.


On top of that, someone's been murdering shifters at an alarming rate, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Stranded behind bars, with an execution looming over her head, she fears the murderer will never get caught, and in a bid of desperation appeals to Iannis ar'Sanot, the enigmatic and dangerous Chief Mage.


As cold as he is handsome, Iannis is blind to Sunaya's plight, and locks her up in his palace so he can study her further. But with the bodies piling up, Sunaya doesn't have time to be his lab rat. If she wants to catch the killer and regain her freedom, she's going to have to breach Iannis's icy exterior and win him over to her side.


#2


Enforcer Sunaya Blake is in trouble. A panther shifter with mage powers, she’s not supposed to have magic of any kind, and constantly struggles to suppress the talent she’s always hated. But while tracking down a serial killer targeting shifters, she accidentally incinerates a berserk rhino shifter, and brings the law crashing down on her own head.


With the power-hungry mages who run Solantha demanding her execution, Sunaya appeals to the elusive and dangerous Chief Mage for help - and instead becomes his prisoner. Reduced to little more than a lab rat, she is defiant against oppression from the palace guards and staff, but defiance isn’t good enough. If she wants to regain her freedom and catch the killer, she must breach the Chief Mage’s icy exterior and win him over before it’s too late.


#3


"Magic and I have a love-hate relationship. Every time it hurts someone I love, I hate it just a little bit more.”


Enforcer Sunaya Blake is in trouble. She's supposed to be tracking down an elusive killer who's been poisoning shifters, but when she accidentally uses magic to incinerate a berserk rhino-shifter, murder becomes the least of her problems.


Magic has never been Sunaya's friend, but now it could mean her death. As a panther shifter, she's not supposed to possess magic of any kind. Now that she's drawn the attention of the poewr hungry mages who run Solantha, they demand her execution for posessing a talent she's never wanted nor asked for.


Desperate, she appeals to Iannis ar'Sanot, the dreaded Chief Mage of Solantha, who locks her up in his palace for further study. Reduced to little more than a lab rat, she remains defiant despite the constant hatred and oppression from the palace guards and staff, but defiance isn't enough. If she wants to regain her freedom and catch the serial killer, she must breach Iannis's icy heart and mind and win him over to her side before it's too late.

Need some help deciding on a back cover blurb

Oklahoma postpones executing innocent man (but only because they ordered the wrong f*cking drug)

Short version: Oklahoma was set to execute Richard Glossip today, despite grave doubts about his guilt and the fact he was convicted solely on the testimony of the man who actually killed him (who was of course spared the death penalty for doing so.) Since then, at least two others have come forward claiming that Sneed openly boasted about getting away with it by pinning it on Glossip, and charmingly, both have found themselves on the receiving end of trumped-up charges from the state.

I'd post more about the case, but in the interest of not spluttering, you can find a decent background here

The pope got involved, the Supreme Court did their usual Fuck Yeah Execution! routine, and the Oklahoma governor has now ordered a 37 day stay, but only because somebody ordered potassium acetate instead of potassium chloride.
Because you might as well add a bit of incompetence to your travesty of justice while you're at it, amiright?

Oklahoma postpones executing innocent man (but only because they ordered the wrong f*cking drug)

Halloween Blog Hop - Oct. 19 thru Oct. 31

It's that time of year again, almost. Come and check out the Halloween Book Hop. I'll be posting with 9 other authors on October 22nd and giving away an autographed copy of Storm Rising (A Kelli Storm Novel 1) to one lucky winner*. Stay tuned for details.

http://ift.tt/1P63HhH




*Must live in the U.S.

Halloween Blog Hop - Oct. 19 thru Oct. 31

Newbie Alert

Hello everyone. I'm a new and happy to be here! I hope to make friends with the lot of you. Unless you take my ice cream. I can't make any promises if you take my ice cream.

Newbie Alert

Would it still be a romance novel if the main character doesn't fall in love?

Would my book be romance, chick lit, commercial or women's fiction?

Plot:
Becky loves being single, but after she loses a bet, her sisters force her into going on a few dates with men.
She doesn't fall in love or anything, in fact, she's actually sickened by the idea of being in a relationship. But she begins to feel guilty when she strike up a friendship with one of her dates. They continue to date, but the guy doesn't know it's a part of a bet. The guy is falling for her, but Becky doesn't feel it.

So would it be romance if Becky isn't in love. She and the guy only end up being friends.Becky just doesn't want a relationship.

When writing a query letter, what genre should I call it?

Also, do you think that sounds boring?

Thanks?

Would it still be a romance novel if the main character doesn't fall in love?

Does anybody else hate the way double spaced writing looks?

I do. Why do agents want double spaced? To me, it just looks so messy and confusing. Also, the paragraph space can barely be seen. And what do agents even mean when they say they want double spaced?
This is a guideline I copied from an agent's website:


This is what to do! (Please don't phone or email ahead. It's all here!)1 Type your book title and surname in the email subject line.2 In the email, tell me briefly about your book and yourself.3 Attach just one Word file containing (i.e. in the same document):for fiction, the first 20 pages of the book (rounded up to the end of a chapter) in 12-point text, double-line-spaced; followed by a brief synopsis of the whole plot (including the ending!);for picture books, the complete text.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When she says 20 double spaced pages, does she mean 10 single pages when double spaced turn into 20? Or 20 single spaced pages when double spaced turn into 40?

I'm so confused. Thanks in advance.

Does anybody else hate the way double spaced writing looks?

"Clouds called Misunderstood" STOEM-3

Speaking to the better half- You thought your words were clear - When done you look for an answer or responce - Its like words falling on deaf ears: When it sinks in later - theres the vibe of a hater - Because you missed the entire point - You look up in the sky and then ask " WHY " must be witness to this strange behavior: As the cloud gets thick - "Still did'nt get it - your heads burning like fire to the wick: Sometimes our better halves should made to make us laugh - For not paying attetion when they should: You've been through the storm, trying to keep the heart warm - To avoid that cloud called Misunderstood.

"Clouds called Misunderstood" STOEM-3

'Your Kids Check them" STOEM-2

Knowing since birth [ As a parent } you know morethan enough: And then they grow up: Thinking thier teaching you new stuff: Then comes the time they get beside themselves: New moods and attitudes Place those things on the shelf: You might think that im old and that I'm slow and dont know, no better: Parents have decades of knowledge Serving food for thought To listen is your treasure: As a parent some of us are well aware of this kind of STOEM. Tell me what you think?

'Your Kids Check them" STOEM-2

Suggestions for researchers who want to contact the experts?

I'm working on my first historical fiction novel. It seems that no matter how many dozens of books I read on the subject, there are always day-to-day details of the time period that I can't quite figure out. It's time to start reaching out to the experts: archivists, professors, historical societies, etc.

I'm planning to just dive right in, but should anyone have helpful suggestions or words of warning, please don't hesitate to share.

My one burning question is how best to introduce myself.
Do people often react poorly to "I'm writing a novel, and..."?

Suggestions for researchers who want to contact the experts?

What is your favorite Archetype for YA books?

I have been doing some reading on the subject for my book, and I thought I would ask.

What is your favorite Archetype for YA books?

Planned Parenthood Head Cecile Richards Testifies In Front Of Congress

Cecile Richards testified for four and a half hours in front of Congress yesterday.

One of the highlights – Jason Chaffetz introduced a graph showing an increase in abortions and a decrease in cancer screenings. purporting to show that Planned Parenthood does more abortions than cancer screenings. When asked about it, Cecile Richards stated she had never seen the graph before and didn't know where it had come from, to which Chaffitz replied ""I pulled those numbers directly out of your corporate reports,"

Her lawyer then leaned over and pointed out the graph was actually from the anti-abortion group Americans United For Life.

http://ift.tt/1FF8bdp

Much of the questioning, as expected, was hostile. But to get the real flavor of the interrogation, you should take a look at this short video of the questioning from Ohio Rep Jim Jordan.

http://ift.tt/1FF8bdr

Planned Parenthood Head Cecile Richards Testifies In Front Of Congress

Orphan Black anyone?

So season three came out this year and I've seen that it's transitioned to netflix now so I'm hoping that it's come to the attention of a few people here. I can't be the only one to bask in the divine acting talent of Tatiana Maslany and her many characters. Starting with the most important question, who's your favourite clone?

Orphan Black anyone?

Russian Air Strikes in Syria

Quote:

---

Russia has begun carrying out air strikes in Syria against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

The strikes reportedly hit rebel-controlled areas of Homs and Hama provinces, causing casualties.

The US says it was informed an hour before they took place.

Russian defence officials say aircraft targeted the Islamic State group, but an unnamed US official told Reuters that so far they did not appear to be targeting IS-held territory.

---

http://ift.tt/1GgKUZL

Russian Air Strikes in Syria

Foreknowledge or surprise, which do you prefer?

In my Sci-Fi novel I have a chapter where my MC and friends are lured into an ambush. A fight follows and then they argue about who and why this ambush took place.

My wife suggested that I write a chapter before the ambush where the bad guys plan the ambush, letting the reader know the who and the why before it happens.

I tried to think back to novels I read to see if I can conclude which scenario I prefer. I came to the conclusion that they both have their merits, therefore I have no preference. So the idea came to make a survey. This is my attempt at a survey.

As a reader, do you prefer the surprise of an ambush learning afterwards the who and the why? Or do you prefer knowing in advance and seeing the events develop with this knowledge? Maybe like me, you don’t have a preference.

Foreknowledge or surprise, which do you prefer?

Non-Sexist female descriptive

I've run across recently where most of the commonly held synonyms for woman could be considered sexist when either a male character or male author uses them. Since I'm a male author, and I don't write a lot of female main characters, I've had trouble finding words that other than "Woman" to describe female gender individuals that other readers of this site don't find sexist.

When you look up "Woman," in the Merriam-Webster thesaurus what comes up is "Female, Lady, skirt, dame, gentlewoman, madam, madame, senor, babe, beauty, belle, chick, damsel, doll, gal, girl, ingenue, lass, lassie, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, miss or senorita." All of those terms either don't sound natural coming out of someone who lives in today's world.

Miss, even though it's commonly used in the South, sounds sexist to many women, as I've experienced on my trips to the north. Many women consider Ma'am to be matronly and not used outside of the South. The English have a number of slang words for women, none of them non-sexist.

The problem I'm coming up with is that there's no alternative words to woman for when a first-person male narrator encounters a female. There's no female equivalent to guy, dude, bro, or dude. Any thoughts?

Non-Sexist female descriptive

Unstuck, or How to Unfuzz a Brain

In all my fifteen years of writing and submitting my work, I have never had writer's block like I've had for a month this summer. I could post here (occasionally), on FB more often, but writing, actual BIC and writing? Nope. Besides not writing short stories or essays, I had two WIP novels and couldn't decide which one to complete. I couldn't even come up with answers to "What if?" I couldn't even listen to my characters. They weren't even whispering to me.

So, I bought a new computer.

Well, that's not why I did that, though. My old computer was 8 1/2 years old and very cranky. I spent a part of August setting the new one up (ya know, getting the Start menu just right and oh yeah, all those photos had to be sorted out and....) All excuses not to do any heavy-duty writing.

But---the good news is, that in all that setting up, I reloaded all of my work from Dropbox onto my shiny new computer. Work that I had forgotten about, perhaps from many rejections or just dropped like a brick. And I found many what I thought were duds just in need of polishing. And I am now writing (well, rewriting) again. Hey it's a start!

Moral of this story: if after a week of not being able to write, go over all of your old writings. It might help.

Unstuck, or How to Unfuzz a Brain

Glad to be here

Man it was hot under there... sorry I was just crawling out of the rock I was living under before finding this site! Bottom Line: I'm glad to be here and hope to learn and grow as a writer. Maybe add something to the conversation. Cheers!

Glad to be here

Do your mediocre ideas ever become great ones?

Like everyone, I am inundated with ideas for stories all the time. Most are mediocre.

I type out the story concepts that I think have some promise, title that file with the name of the idea, and save it with the intention of seeing if I can build something better from it one day.

The other day I was looking through those files, some of which I saved years ago, and I realized I doubt there is even one that will ever become a great idea.

Usually for me, when I have a great idea, it starts off as one. It doesn’t start off as a mediocre idea that I somehow managed to make great.

What has your experience been?

Now I do note that there are some average type ideas that can still make a good story. I write romance, and not every idea has to be some high concept, brilliant one.

Do your mediocre ideas ever become great ones?

New pseudonym Query Letter

I've traditionally published multiple times under my current author name - Kellie Wallace - and I want to publish my current WIP under a new pseudonym. However, how do I address my publishing history in a query letter under my new pseudonym? I don't wish for prospective agents/pubs thinking I've never published before. Thanks in advance.

New pseudonym Query Letter

Anyone collect stamps or have a kid who does?

I have about twenty stamps that look mint although they've been used. They're not particularly valuable but if anyone wants some Australian postage stamps or have a kid who collects stamps, PM me and I'll send them over to you.

Anyone collect stamps or have a kid who does?

Hello from cloud cuckoo land

Hello boards,
I just stumbled over the forum while searching for experiences from other people with this strange obsession.
I obviously lost several hours on some threads and learned many things. So I wanted to give something back to a community that gifted me with such great information. :) I´m probably not able to help with any of your writing. But I´ll provide a shoulder to cry on, a pat on the back or even a kick in the "you know what" if needed. And I fancy myself to be a decent plotter and observer.
What´s on my desk you ask? Well, there is a sci-fi manuscript waiting to be edited again (and again and again and...).

Now I´m off to discover the stuff that awaits an actual member of the board. ;)

Best wishes,
Shuffler

Hello from cloud cuckoo land

I need a luxury hotel in San Francisco, pretty please!

Back again for more brain-picking*!

(* = And that's not Mr Bad Guy's bad influence).

The scene:

It's November 2006 and a fancy party is in full swing at a POSH hotel in San Francisco. We're talking a "money is no object" megabucks party here, the kind of party you read about in the media and think "How much?!" as your meagre bank balance breaks out in a cold sweat.

I need the venue to have spectacular views of SF's nocturnal skyline, but that doesn't mean it has to be looking towards the city from the Bay. Ideally a central-ish location, but deeper into the edge of the city centre would work.

If anyone knows of such a hotel, please could you suggest it so I can do some googling and make up a fictitious version of the place? I did think about Alcatraz, but doubt they allow private parties (of the booze-up variety). Money wouldn't be an issue if they would allow it.

I spent five very enjoyable (albeit cold) days in SF back in summer 2011, but my budget is more "Travelodge near Presidio Park". ;)

Many thanks in anticipation,

LPH.

I need a luxury hotel in San Francisco, pretty please!

Canadian Fantasy Publishers

Hey everyone,

I've been having trouble finding reputable local (Canadian) publishers that publish fantasy. Do you guys have suggestions? Thanks.

Canadian Fantasy Publishers

How Tacky is too Tacky?

So... I have read many a book in my time, mainly those of the fictional or fantasy genre. Things like LotR for example, that are well put together and have a relate-able feel to them in most aspects seem to be just fine. I never found the elves or walking talking trees, too 'tacky'. At first growing up as a non gamer/tv watcher/writer of any sort, a movie like this or harry potter as well as their book counterparts, seemed suuuuuuuper nerdy/tacky. Even star wars was hard to get used to, but after a while, and getting more and more into reading, and watching tv series or popular movies, I became more and more fascinated with this particular genre. I got more and more into lore rich games, and enjoyed reading books that I found out existed through their television versions.

Now then... in terms of attraction or 'what killed it for you'... where is the line drawn? For me its the stereotypical king needs a dragon slain, young farmer or what ever rises up to the challenge and does it. Said farmer is now a knight, and takes on other hero/villain like quests... To me this is just... and I dont mean to offend, but its too much tackiness.

I mainly would like to read about y'all and your thoughts on this subject, so that I can get an idea of what to avoid and what to strive for in terms of content delivery to a reader. Do keep in mind this is mainly about fictional or fantasy/adventure genres. Examples would help shine the light brighter, but ya... what makes you not want to continue, or what point does it have to reach for you to stop desiring to read said book?

How Tacky is too Tacky?

Do I need a website and social media when I start querying?

I've seen agents say that they Google potential clients, and that authors should have websites when they query. Some agents also say social media is very important, while others don't seem to care as much about that. I'm not at the querying stage yet, but I figure if this is important it can't hurt to start learning now.

Thing is, I don't know if I want to start a blog. I haven't ruled out the thought for the future, but right now I don't think I would have much to say on one, and I don't want to blog just for the sake of it. I think a blog is far more likely to succeed if you're actually passionate about it. At the moment I'd rather devote my energy to writing novels, not blog posts. The same goes for Twitter - I'm not sure it's something I'd enjoy and use often enough to get real value out of it. The only social media I really enjoy is Tumblr (which I use for totally non-writing things), but I don't see that as a site that's as well-suited to networking as Twitter or a blog.

Is it going to hurt my chances if I don't have an established web presence when querying? (I write fiction, not non-fiction.) And if I'm not blogging, what things would an agent be looking for on a website, and when they Google me?

Do I need a website and social media when I start querying?

Afraid I'll be murdered by the government if I write this book

Before I go any further, I just want to say that I'm not trying to insult anyone who lost a family member or friend in the 9/11 attacks.
As you all know, there are a lot of theories that the whole thing was organized by the US government. That is what my story is about. My fear is that, somehow, the fictional novel I'm writing is too close to the truth and they end up killing me. That, or I somehow end up angering Islamic State soldiers, and they end up killing me.
I know that I am jumping ahead of myself, but let's just pretend the book becomes and international best seller and is turned into a movie.
Kind of like the Charlie hebdo attacks. That's what I'm afraid will happen to me.
Am I being too paranoid?

Afraid I'll be murdered by the government if I write this book

Married women's property rights in 1890s America (Alaska)?

English law at the time maintained that once a woman married, any property she owned was transferred to her husband. It was no longer hers.

Was the same true in the United States in the 1890s? In Alaska Territory?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Married women's property rights in 1890s America (Alaska)?

I'm a "mama" again.

Every time you think you're done with the bottle babies, more come to you.

A family friend brought three 2 to 3 week old kittens over today for care. The queen had been killed by a car. I hope my older cat takes to them. He really helped me teach cat manners to all of my past bottle babies.

Anyway, wish me luck. These guys are pretty healthy so I won't have to feed as frequently as I had to with my last charge, but I'm still going to have a weird schedule for a bit.

I'm a "mama" again.

You know you're back in Australia when...

... your boss sends an all-staff email warning people to be wary of snakes when going outside to eat lunch.

Sigh.

You know you're back in Australia when...

About hearing and dog whistles

So I've been toying with the idea of having a story about an MC who for brevity's sake is a mutant like in X-men. I thought a nice little detail to his 'mutation' would be being able to hear sounds that are at too high a pitch/frequency/whatever (I fell asleep that day in science class, okay?) to be heard by normal humans, like dog-whistles. I wanted to know what kind of sounds a person with that power would be able to hear on a day to day basis. Thank you.

About hearing and dog whistles

Food for Thought

What does your character's favorite food say about them?

Food for Thought

Double Action Percussion Guns: Anybody out there ever shot a Tranter or Beaumont-Adams?

I have a scene where the MC borrows a Tranter-Adams from a whorehouse madame, minutes before getting into a gunfight. He's completely unfamiliar with the action, especially the dual triggers. Never having shot one of these guns before, I can relate. Which is unfortunate, since this puts me firmly into the territory of writing what I DON'T know.

His inexperience with the gun leads to some far reaching consequences. Since it's such a key part of the story, I'd like to get the trivia right.
I've read up on the Tranter, but reading and shooting are very different things.

Hoping someone out there's shot one or something similar, and can share the details of their experience.

Double Action Percussion Guns: Anybody out there ever shot a Tranter or Beaumont-Adams?

The Daily Show With . . . Trevor Noah?

I tuned in because I was very curious to see how the new guy would do.

Of course, he has an impossible task. The Daily Show was Jon Stewart. Anyone trying to do that job will suffer from comparison.

But I thought he, and the show, was pretty funny. For a basic unknown, on his first show, he really pulled it off – or at least came close. He's a bit edgier than Jon Stewart was – he told a couple of jokes which verged right up on making people uncomfortable. But he got away with it.

I'll probably watch it for a couple of weeks to give him a real chance and then we will see.

The Daily Show With . . . Trevor Noah?

I hate Sigil with the fiery passion of a thousand suns

True story

Has anyone had issues with Sigil cutting the ends off chapters? Why does it do this?

I hate Sigil with the fiery passion of a thousand suns

Jewish Epithets and Slurs In the 19th Century American West

A yiddish cowboy here in need of some help!

I'm currently writing a Western, set in the 1870s-80s featuring an Irish/Jewish Gunfighter (true story). To say the guy suffered from a sense of alienation would be a bit of an understatement. I'm having a hard time finding period and regionally correct epithets to put in the mouths of his antagonists. "Kike" is a gift of Ellis Island, so it's out. So far, that's left me with "sheeney" and the old, go-to "shylock". I've been getting mixed signals about whether "jew boy" was in circulation or not.

Any alternatives would be welcome. The more flavorful the better. There are at least two scenes where my MC needs to be goaded into shooting by such taunting, so the language has to be fairly toe-curling. Any help would be much appreciated.

Jewish Epithets and Slurs In the 19th Century American West

Police Notifying Possible Minor of Parent's Arrest & questioning

Hi, I'm needing a little advice on a scene in my novel.

It takes place in Texas. Possibly relevant as juvenile law is so state-specific. The girl in question is 17, which is considered an adult in Texas for most purposes.

The girl in the novel is at school when her mother is arrested on a drug charge. Protag's getting off the school bus when she sees the police leaving with her mother. Instead of going home, she gets a ride with a friend to her sister's house (a couple hours away) and stays for the weekend. She goes back to school on Monday & work after school.


questions:
1. During this time, would the police be trying to contact her? Is it possible they would contact her at school or work on Monday if they hadn't reached her over the weekend?

2. Since she lived with her mother, I'm assuming they would want to question her. Would they need a child advocate with them (I'm thinking no, since she's 17, but that still seems so young to me, that I want to make sure).

3. If they have no evidence to make them suspect the daughter had any knowledge of the mother's activities, would they go pretty easy on the questioning, since she's still young, it's her mom, etc? Or would they be pretty tough?

4. Would she be forced to testify at the trial if she had no knowledge of what was going on?

Okay, I think that's all for now, though I'm sure I'll find more questions once I get some answers back!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Police Notifying Possible Minor of Parent's Arrest & questioning

Seeking Writing Buddy for Support/Butt Kicking

Hey, all.

I'm a bit ashamed to say I've never really finished anything I've written. I got my start in writing from interactive mediums like roleplay, and I think that made me used to only writing half of a story, then petering out when my partners lost interest in the plot. I'm not unhappy that I've had this experience, as my writing would be much worse without it, but it's set me up for some terrible writing habits. I've only really written when I feel inspired, and I typically feel the most inspired to write fanfiction, instead of focusing on my own ideas.

No more. Damnit, I want to finish one novel in this lifetime. And since it appears I lack the ability to kick my own ass (for now), I'd love a little assistance in the form of a writing buddy. I know it's the writer's duty to force themselves to write, not anyone else's. I just need some training wheels on my willpower before I can do that successfully.

Obviously, I'm not looking for someone to crack the whip at me from afar, as that would be unfair to them and rather boring. I'd just like someone to hold me accountable for getting at least a little writing done everyday. I'd be happy to do the same for them, and would enjoy reading anything they'd want to share with me. My main genres are YA science fiction and fantasy of all varieties, though I'm also open to a buddy who writes adult instead. I am a bit busy, since I'm trying to complete a music degree and that sucks up a lot of my time, so I'm probably not going to have thousands of words available to exchange everyday. But I do want to try. I want to have a complete story, not all the little snippets and half-chapters that litter my computer right now.

Post below or PM me if you're interested! :)

(Also, I've never had a writing buddy before, so if I've completely misinterpreted the concept, let me know.)

Seeking Writing Buddy for Support/Butt Kicking

NHL 2015-2016

I thought I'd create this here. Caught a pre-season game of the Oilers against the Lawn Darts. First time I watched the Oilers play a game live since the days of Kovalenko, Arnott, Smyth and Weight. I believe the defencemen were Richardson and Mironov back in those days. Anyways, 'twas fun.

NHL 2015-2016

Juveniles in police custody

Got a bunch of tightly-intertwined questions here. Any thoughts appreciated.

In Missouri, local police have detained a 17-year old male for questioning. He is intelligent (and also Black), but not legally knowledgeable. He needs to find out on what grounds he is being held.


What must the police inform him? Must the police inform his legal guardian? Can the legal guardian and/or a friend with an interest in his well-being intercede with the police to get him released from custody? Would bail need to be posted? Any other assurances? What would be the procedure(s)? And what differences would there be depending on whether the police consider him a suspect, a person of interest, or a material witness?

Juveniles in police custody

Looking for a Beta Reader for a Adult Fantasy Novel- 167,000 words

Hi everyone,

I've been sending manuscripts to publishers for the past few weeks, but as it is my first novel, I've been a little uncertain about the quality of my work. Just yesterday I was informed about beta readers, and realised they're exactly what I need. So please consider reading my novel Falling Stars, and I'll happily return the favour. I understand that reading such a long novel is a daunting task, but I'd be delighted if anyone would be willing to read even a few chapters from it. Thank you.

Blurb:

There were once Gods that watched over the earth, like shepherds of humanity, but one day, over fourteen hundred years ago, they, in the midst of fire, rock, and chaos, vanished. Now, within the borders of the Aegarian Empire, these beings are only spoken off in whispers, and their existence is all but dismissed. But the Gods that once walked the earth can only be kept from it for so long…
Loushan, confined to a town in the midst of mountains, is lost. His past is unremarkable and his future uncertain. But life has a way of settling itself. In time he finds rhythm in the disorder that plagues his mind. He starts helping around town, he learns to use a sword, he wins a tournament, he meets a girl. There is a future in sight…Then chaos ensues, and his life is irreparably changed. As the heavens open above him, bringing everything he’s ever known to an end, Loushan comes to discover that trying to find himself in a life marked by the fingerprints of gods, the capriciousness of existence, and the inevitability of his choices, is crueler than the destruction that lays waste to all that lies around him.

Looking for a Beta Reader for a Adult Fantasy Novel- 167,000 words

What to make of form Rs on fulls?

I have a bit of a situation here that I'm not sure how to handle. I'm querying a manuscript right now that has been doing well query-wise (~20% request rate) but not well full-wise. I am getting absolutely no personalized feedback, just all "not a good fit" kinds of form rejections.

I'm not sure what to make of this. I queried this manuscript in 2012, got some requests, did two R&Rs, and eventually after writing two more manuscripts, I realized what the problem was. I fixed it. I had it beta-read. I even entered contests. Contest feedback and beta-readers have all said almost all good things, as in, no one has identified a major flaw that could account for all the rejections. Even the one agent who I did the two R&Rs for who reread it this time around didn't given me anything other than it just wasn't a good fit.

I'm about halfway or two-thirds through my querying list. I currently have four fulls still out. I recognize and respect that agents can't and won't give personalized feedback for a variety of reasons. But I'm just unsure what to do and how to troubleshoot what's going on. Do I keep querying? Do I send this manuscript around to some more beta-readers?

Basically, what do I do in this situation?

What to make of form Rs on fulls?

Dear Mr. Dick, It's not a pre-cog. It's a computer.

No, this isn't even a bit creepy.

Quote:

---

What if the future of law enforcement doesn’t involve faster, more forceful responses to crime—but rather, a surefire way to predict it?


Hitachi, the Japanese tech giant that makes everything from elevators to security systems, seems to have faith in the latter. It announced today (Sept. 29) that it’s developed a robust new technology that can pinpoint where and when a crime will occur.

---

It does bug me that question 2 isn't actually answered by the Hitachi Execs answer to it.

Dear Mr. Dick, It's not a pre-cog. It's a computer.

FKA (formerly known as) doesn't work for my problem here

Okay, so this is NOT a writing project per se. What I'm really doing is sprucing up my resume, and my post-secondary degree came from a college that recently went university on me. (I'll make up a college name to illustrate here.) I graduated from Bedford Falls COLLEGE, but they are now called Bedford Falls UNIVERSITY.

The problem here is that if I write down on my resume that I graduated from Bedford Falls College, and then they look it up, there is no such college, and there is also no "redirect" to their new-name web site. But if I write down that I graduated from Bedford Falls UNIVERSITY, that is NOT what my actual diploma says.

So I pondered the usage of FKA (formerly known as). And I thought about trying to be all clever by writing down the following:

DEGREE:

BA in Elementary Education
Bedford Falls University (FKA Bedford Falls College)

But using FKA like that doesn't seem right, and maybe I should reverse it and write down like this instead:

DEGREE:

BA in Elementary Education
Bedford Falls College (recently renamed Bedford Falls University)

But that seems kind of awkward. So I almost feel like I need an "opposite" to FKA. But I am unaware of an opposite to FKA.

How should I handle this??

FKA (formerly known as) doesn't work for my problem here

If Two Agents Ask To See the Complete Novel What Are The Protocols?

Am I required to inform them that someone else is going to be looking at the whole megillah as well?

If Two Agents Ask To See the Complete Novel What Are The Protocols?

Minority Report (series)

Loving it so far. Mostly I'm loving it for the future porn, but I was a big fan of the movie and I like the concept of what happened to the Precogs after the movie.

Minority Report (series)

Drake available for pre-order

My urban fantasy debut "Drake", book one of the Burned Man series published by Angry Robot Books, is now available for pre-order:

http://ift.tt/1KJ4SR3

http://ift.tt/1KJ4SR5

Drake available for pre-order

Hello all :)

Hello to everyone :) I'm so glad to have found this forum, and you all. I am an author who writes sci-fi , but I like almost all kids of literature. See you on the forums :D

Hello all :)

Allo

Hi, I'm new here if you couldn't tell. This looks like a pretty good writing community so thank you for having me.

I'm fresh out of college and a romantic at heart but I would consider myself a mystery horror writer. Currently working on horror short stories and a romance mystery.

Thank you all and have a wonderful day!

Allo

need help building complex intriguing characters.

What are the best books on building characters?

I want to build a complex characters.

It feels so huge and big I feel overwhelmed and get paralysis and don't know where to begin.

Thanks.

need help building complex intriguing characters.

How does one express 2 ending punctuations at once?

I don't even know if 'ending punctuation' was the correct term... I have been up all night writing so go easy on me...

Anyway, say I wanted to have a character ask a question at the same time as being surprised...

So for example, would it simply read:

"And you let them get to it first!?" such and such shouted.

Or is there something that I missed?

I imagine it could also simply go something like:

"And you let them get to it first?" such and such shouted with rage.



Halp! (examples make the world go round)

How does one express 2 ending punctuations at once?

VCFA Student Literary Journal -- Synezoma

The Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing & Publishing program will be putting out a small print literary journal, and we welcome submissions of words and images.

Synezoma is a student-run publication focusing on the fuzzy area between mediums, genres, and other forms of categorization. Like a rhizome, we seek to stay rooted, but spread wildly into a beautiful, heaping mess, wet and alive with action. We seek to demolish fences, reconstruct the broken, and venture into new avenues of thought. While our content has no limitations stylistically or thematically, we tend to focus on the bizarre, the colorful, the fanciful, and the jarring. Each piece in our journal will join hands with its neighbor to sing, but will also turn its back and go its own way into the dusky forest.

For our inaugural issue, we are especially interested in collaborations, studies of color and synesthesia (in the oblique sense), genre-benders, and works based in processes of ekphrasis.

All forms and genres of writing and visual art will be considered and may be sent to synezoma@vcfa.edu.
Photography, drawings, paintings, visual poetry, graphic elements, and any other images should be in .tiff or .jpg format and have at least 300 DPI.

Please submit by October 20th.

VCFA Student Literary Journal -- Synezoma

Olive Kitteridge

I didn't see a thread on this (2014) HBO mini-series, but DANG!

Amazing acting, compelling story.

Frances McDormand was incredible in this - While a part of me felt sorry for her, I mostly wanted her to go ahead and put a bullet in her head and end the misery.

Olive Kitteridge

Animal group beat up disabled French homeless man, steal his puppy

You read that right, and it's on video, too.
http://ift.tt/1h7K8aZ

I reiterate:
Animal rights activists beat up deaf, mute, old French homeless man to steal his puppy.
Need me to repeat?
They guessed: oh well, he's homeless so he can't buy the dog any good food like Nature's Variety Instinct, and he can't get the dog its monthly flea treatment. He's also probably Roma and exploiting and drugging the puppy to get pity money from people and then throw the dog out, because that's what Roma do (is it?). Let's pounce on him and beat him up and take the puppy.
I mean, it's not like they have any evidence for those claims, yeah? Or any jurisdiction or authority... A local actually wrote the man had had an old dog till it died at age 15, and was given the puppy as a gift as consolation. Several locals have commented on the news sites and petition saying they know him and have never seen him treat the puppy poorly.
He is deaf and mute, so when he gets brutally assaulted and his puppy, screaming with terror, kidnapped, he can only wail and has no way of reasoning, asking for help, or offering his side of a story that is his, and only his. So people around him just think he's a dumb drunk the puppy is better off without. He runs after these lessers, leaving all he has behind, to get his puppy back, to no avail.

They have placed the puppy they pretentiously named Vegan, for adoption within 24 hours. They said she was drugged. They said she was such and such. But they could assess her as fit for adoption within 24 hours? Interesting! And "adoption"... For those €200, I could buy a purebred, not from a reputable breeder obviously, but damn. €200 mongrel, I don't think so LOL that's greed.

What baffles me is how the man has a passport (for the dog) and can prove he is the owner, but somehow, the poor man needs petitions and a volunteer lawyer to get his property back which might have been adopted by now. If a sorted-out person had been filmed having their dog stolen, all it'd take is a police call. But homeless people don't get to own anything, huh? They only get to be pathetic or else their plight isn't legit?

Wishing [bannable abuse] upon these people.

Animal group beat up disabled French homeless man, steal his puppy

Agent requesting first 5-10 pages with the query?

When an Agent ask that you send the first 5-10 pages with your query is it better to send said pages from the first chapter rather than the prologue?

Agent requesting first 5-10 pages with the query?

Different ways to plan.

Usually I'm an ol' pen and paper gal but I'm starting to waste a lot of paper and out here there's no recycling options unless you collect all the scrap paper and drive 40+ minutes.

A while ago I read a blog post about doing it in MS Excel. After some faffing about I've got an extremely basic plan in Libre Calc and it's okay so far but it seems like a lot of hassle to maintain it.

I was wondering what ways people plan their stories and what they find helpful about that particular way?

Different ways to plan.

Angry Robot Announce 2015 Open Door Period

Those lovely people at Angry Robot are doing it again - yes, there is going to be another Open Door this year!

Angry Robot will be open for unagented submissions from December 1st 2015 until January 31st 2016

Full details are here: http://ift.tt/1iYSQKo

I signed with them as part of the previous Open Door so it can be done - get polishing those novels guys!


Please note I do not work for Angry Robot Books and I have no influence over the selection process whatsoever!

Angry Robot Announce 2015 Open Door Period

Mentioning Former Client in Query

Hello!

I was reading a book the other day that has enough similarity to mine to use as a comp, and in the Acknowledgements, the author thanks her agent. Since the projects aren't so similar that they'd overlap, I thought this would be an excellent agent to query. The problem is that in doing more research, I discovered that this author left the agent to go Indie earlier this month. She gives the agent a very nice thank you after saying she just couldn't come to a contractual agreement with her former publisher, but I have no idea how amicable the split was.

Would it be bad to mention this author? I'm torn because I don't want to associate my book with possible bad feelings but the comp would otherwise be good.

Mentioning Former Client in Query

Compass point words in the Viking Age

I can't believe how pedantic I've become over the possibility of anachronisms. Even the most mundane words are getting the side-eye from me because I'm just not sure.

Case in point: North, South, East, West.

Every source I come across tells me that the words were "in use" before AD900. But does "in use" mean wide, common usage, as in everybody knows/uses the word?

My usage involves a character who is sailing with Ivar Ragnarsson and the Great Heathen Army from Denmark to East Anglia in AD865. Would he say "We sail west", or would it be more correct to say "We sail toward the setting sun"? (Yes, I know it was more of a south-west jaunt, but my character only knows that it's across the sea "that way".)

The odd part of this obsession of mine is the fact that I write humorous MG novels, and I doubt anyone reading would even notice a word like "west". And I make deliberate use of anachronisms (in dialogue) for comedic effect, but I really don't want any to show up because of STUPID!

So which would it have been in AD865? West, or something descriptive?

Compass point words in the Viking Age

How to make exposition better?

I sometimes write science fiction, which often requires more explanations than contemporary fiction. I also sometimes write alternate history fiction, ditto. The situation is even more acute when I write alternate history with scientific and technological elements.

So an issue which keeps coming up for me is how to make exposition more entertaining. Or at least more bearable. Here are some possible tactics that I've come up with so far. Maybe you can modify them. Or suggest other tactics.

(1) Include exposition where it's needed, not before.

I'd modify this by suggesting that an author ON THE FIRST DRAFT include exposition when s/he feels the need for it. And make it as complete as s/he needs to. It's best to have too much, written when you're inspired to, than to have too little. ON LATER DRAFTS we can always trim it. Or move it.

(2) Include only what's needed.

Leave fuller explanations and side issues for a later point in the story. Or just leave them up to the reader's imagination.

(3) Make an especial effort to write simply and clearly.

Avoid jargon and technical terms, using them only when necessary. Using them does not make text sound authoritative; it only makes it sound pedantic.

(4) Try to make it interesting.

I can't say I know how to do that!

How to make exposition better?

How long to travel to Pluto?

In my sci fi book my MC goes to space, and she asks her friend where his home planet is. He says that with Earth ships it would take "two or three generations" to get there. He doesn't give an exact figure because she wouldn't really understand it.

But then I started I wonder.

How far out is Pluto? Would an Earth ship (with todays technology) have even passed Pluto by then? Have I accidentally made that species live on Neptune?

So my question is:
Using today's technology, how long would it take a manned flight to reach Pluto?

How long to travel to Pluto?

Words for courtyard garden that works in both US and UK

I'm aware that what I in the UK would call a garden, in the US would be called a yard.

To me in the UK a yard is paved or cobbled. Might just have a few pots at the edge, or a bush, but we are not talking green and flourishing.

No idea what might be used other than in US or UK.

So yesterday I was writing a scene where in passing I referred to a courtyard garden. Someone looks through railings into an area between two buildings which I am picturing as wall to wall cobbles, with various raised beds (round beds stone walls) which have herbs, flowers and maybe a small tree. So a pleasantly scented leafy area, shady sitting spot in summer, sun trap in winter, not muddy underfoot. It really is in passing in this scene (though might be used more in a few chapters), so for now I am trying to pick as few words as possible. To me "courtyard garden" invokes what I've just described. (Courtyard garden plus mention of cobbles, herbs, maybe a seat - can just about be done in a sentence or maybe two.)

So does "courtyard garden" work for you?

Hoping for some "international" answers here please. ;)

Words for courtyard garden that works in both US and UK

First Three Chapters Beta

Hey all,

I'm taking a break from writing after finishing my first draft of my work in progress.

I've done this in the past and enjoyed it. I'm willing to take a look at your first three chapters and give you some feedback. If I end up really liking your story, I'd be up for a full beta swap with one of my previously completed works.

I'm NOT interested in MG, YA, erotica, or romance. Anything else is good to go.
I also don't want to be a tech editor for you, so I'm not looking for a rough first draft.

If you're interested, let me know!

First Three Chapters Beta

Scenes and conflict - in need of expert revision advice

I'm currently working on revising a novel and find myself in uncharted territory. I've never made it this far! Now I'm scratching my head as I sit with my scenes in front of me.

Does every scene need to further complicate the main conflict of the story? Or can scenes exist that achieve character development but not so much conflict development?

Anyone have thoughts out there for analyzing the effectiveness of scenes?

Scenes and conflict - in need of expert revision advice

Smooths versus Smoothes????

I need to know which spelling of this word is correct to use? Should it be Smooths or Smoothes? I've seen it spelled both ways in novels, so I don't know which to use...?

She smoothes my curls.

She smoothes a hand over her hair.

“I’m glad.” He gives me his Prince Charming smile and smoothes the curly bangs off my forehead.

Smooths versus Smoothes????

WordPress Malware Campaign: Now What?

I found this out last week; I'm worried and confused about it. Apparently there's a Malware Campaign on WordPress.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tech Times

Researchers reveal that some compromised WordPress sites are unwittingly spreading potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), as well as spyware.

The spyware and PUAs are being sent to users through fraudulent browser plugins and bogus Flash update messages. The hacked WordPress sites basically redirect users to Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that are infested with spyware.

---

I have a WordPress.com blog. I may not update it often, but I'd like it to be hacker-free when I do. Unfortunately, I'm afraid to go to my blog and check to see if it's infected and I'm afraid to check the WordPress.com site to see if they have any info on the malware campaign. Ars Technica's article links to a scanning tool from a security firm I've never heard of before (Sucuri), but I don't know if I can trust it, either. I have an antivirus program and 2 malware detectors/removers, so I'm not unprotected, but I'm still worried.

Any advice or information? If it help my WordPress is .com, not .org.

Thanks!

WordPress Malware Campaign: Now What?

Driving Off a Romantic Rival

I've got CollegeGuy starting to date one of the female leads in the story. Danielle is 18 now, taking some college classes in combination with online high school.

CollegeGuy doesn't realize it, but one of the girls he dated very briefly his senior year in HS has developed new feelings for him, or never quite got over what CollegeGuy thought was an amicable break-up.

I want FormerGF to do stuff to CollegeGuy, or seemingly to him, thinking it'll make him break up with Danielle. I've got her sabotaging the car on their first date, and then maybe actually vandalizing it on the next. She's going to start spreading some rumors about Danielle too, but I need a little more for escalation. Never having been a catty female, I'm coming up short on ideas.

And is it at all reasonable she'd do stuff to CollegeGuy rather than Danielle? Although given her past (kidnapped and trafficked), Danielle is pretty careful about her privacy, so it might be hard for FormerGF to really find out much about Danielle to do anything to her.

Driving Off a Romantic Rival

"What You Go Through' - Ladies and Gentleman

Although we have our spouses and some better halves
with out further or due, let me bring to you
My first written STOEM-1 that may make you laugh:

UH - Hello are you here
Ok, now who is that:

What are you speaking of
I know where I'm at:

You know I just saw you
I'm just walking with you looking around:

Looking at that other person
all eyes going up and down:

Now listen calm down
please allow me to assure you:

"Uh Huh" Whatever look again
I'm telling you we're through:

We are her together
Side by side, hand and hand:

Please embrace this solid kiss
It's coming from me
"UNDERSTAND":



Now in many cases it can work that way, when one is calm and willing to listen
If you have to show them, "Yes" take a look at this STOEM
If you rather be with them or miss them:

"What You Go Through' - Ladies and Gentleman

YA banned books week

The Banned Books organization this year celebrates YA. Here are the top 10 banned YA books in 2014-2015.

http://ift.tt/1VjOe2F

For your convenience I've put links in each title so you can read a sample of each book if you want.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon Books/Knopf Doubleday)
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston)
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury Publishing)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books/Simon & Schuster)
Drama, by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix/Scholastic)
Chinese Handcuffs, by Chris Crutcher (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
The Giver, by Lois Lowry (HMH Books for Young Readers)
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros (Vintage/Knopf Doubleday)
Looking for Alaska, by John Green (Dutton Books/Penguin Random House)

I was a little surprised to find the Green book on the list. I recall it was pretty innocuous but it's been a while since I've read it. Does it have a gay guy in a sympathetic role? Maybe that's why haters hate it so much.

YA banned books week

I hope I am not a suspect?!

It took me several days to be approved for this forum. I wonder if my account caused some worry and it had to be "looked over"?

Ok, I absent mindedly drove home with pens from the bank, back in the day, I'm sorry! I eventually returned all of them!

Even though I had two years of basic writing training in college it was more functional than anything.

I am very far into a rough draft piece of fiction and am looking for a place to learn, comment, converse and ask questions about writing.
I would like to encourage and be encouraged, aside from critique.

I have always been a reader. I don't know if I am really a writer.
Thanks

I hope I am not a suspect?!

Hello: This Mr Ced

Hello to all:

I'm glad to have meet you all when I do meet you all. I am a poet . I have a unique form of poetry called "STOEMS" which is a combination of a story or real senerios about the world of expression written in my form of poetry. I'll be expressing some from time to time and hope you all enjoy them . I also like down to earth conversations that makes sence to oneself and the world because we can all learn from good answers and responces. I look forward to meet more than many of you here soon.

Hello: This Mr Ced

Rejection email— Anything to take from it?

Hey everyone,

Just got a rejection from a publisher. What I want to know is whether I can take anything from it. The title of the email said my query was considered and the email itself said that they have to pass on my novel, but they encourage me to keep querying because the industry is ridiculously subjective. This is my first novel, so I don't even know whether it's up to scratch, does their reply suggest that my work is, at least, adequate, or is this a standard polite reply that they would have sent in response to any work (even if it was dreadful)? Thanks.

Rejection email— Anything to take from it?

Agency asks me what I'm working on next...

Hi,

I queried an agent and the agency got back to me and asked for 50 pages. Two days later they asked for the full manuscript. Last week they just asked, simply, "What are you working on next?" I responded that night and have yet to hear back (not that I expect to hear back so quickly).

But... this is a good sign, right?

Agency asks me what I'm working on next...

Querying the Same Agents with Different Novels

I know each novel is different. My response rate was pretty good on one and not so good on another. I'm still looking for those, one a publisher (because that one was queried to death on agents) and another that still has some pending fulls out.

I have yet another to query now and I'm wondering if I should continue hitting up the same agents. Some always respond while others never do. I'm hoping by a miracle if I get an offer on my pending submission, I can show her the newest one. I'm starting to lose hope that that will never happen.

I feel like I'm hitting a brick wall on the agents that never respond. There has been times they do, so it has happened. Like I said, not on every novel. Should I still try to query the non responders? I also am going to query again those that have showed an interest, but passed anyway. Also can I send to the agents that I've had a full with from before? I know I wouldn't even have to remind them. Normally I would just do it, but my fulls were pretty recent with them.

My list is getting smaller and smaller because of all this. You'd think it'd expand over time. Not for me it does. I'm feeling the same way with my list of publishers. I guess I'm starting to get really picky, I just foresee R's and want to avoid that as much as possible next time around.

Querying the Same Agents with Different Novels

Beta Reader Wanted for first few chapters of NA Urban/Paranormal Fantasy

Hello!
I've recently tried looking for representation for this MS with no success. I'm wondering if it's the query that's turning agents off or the sample chapters. If anyone would be willing to go over the first six chapters, I'd really appreciate it! Here's the query:

Lindsay doesn’t want to be a werewolf. She’s put up a front for her family and friends, kept guys at arm’s length, chained herself to the floor on the nights of the full moon, and avoided others of her kind for ten years. But now her little brother’s been kidnapped and sold overseas. Now she wishes her abilities were sharper and stronger than they are. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to trade her freedom for Wayne’s help. That might sound dramatic, but marrying this guy and moving to his secret all-werewolf settlement sure sounds like prison to Lindsay. He’s the only werewolf she knows who can help, though. She’ll do whatever he wants if it means her brother is returned home safely.

Their search leads them to Budapest. Wayne’s brooding, superior attitude, and tough outer shell start looking more like shields he hides his shy, awkward self behind. The beast Lindsay has been wrestling with all these years starts feeling less like an abomination and more like an exhilarating gift. By the time they find her brother, she's come to the conclusion that she was wrong about both of them. But being in Europe also brings Lindsay face to face with a werewolf alpha, whose mafia-boss-like reign is what got her brother sold. And if he isn’t stopped, there’s no telling what he’ll do to any other humans he finds irksome.

PM me if you're interested! I'm willing to beta read any sci-fi, fantasy, or regular YA fiction in return!

Beta Reader Wanted for first few chapters of NA Urban/Paranormal Fantasy

Deli owner is too accommodating

Here's my latest first-world problem....

So, my company moved to a new building a few weeks ago. I'm the kind of person who usually brings lunch or just runs down to the deli (which the new building has) and then eats at my desk while I work. The owner is also the cashier, and he was very friendly when I bought there the first two times. The third time, this conversation ensued:

Owner: "So, you can't eat solid foods?" (I was currently purchasing solid foods)
Me: "Um.... I, uh... sometimes I like fruit?"
Owner: "Oh. I just notice you never buy spicy."
Me: "Oh, really spicy foods cause me some reflux. I try to eat bland things."
Owner: "Okay. I just wondered why you always buy salad." (I've never bought salad there)
Me: "Okay... Bye, then."


So I avoided the deli for a week or so, but I was forced back today.

As soon as I walked in, he announced he'd made very bland chicken tenders and potato soup. He then left the register and took me down the line (it's cafeteria style) and explained the spiciness level of every option. Then, he engaged the rest of the line staff and kitchen staff in getting me samples of all of the different foods so I could try them. Meanwhile, it's 12:30 and there are people in line behind me (and still trying to check out at the register). One woman sighed very loudly, and it's not like I didn't agree with her.

I feel I've dug myself a hole, here. Yes, I've said I don't like spicy foods, and it's some superior customer service there that not only does he remember me out of a hundred customers he sees a day, but also wants to make sure I don't accidentally get something I won't like... but I feel like shaking him and yelling, "stop being so nice to me!" And I feel like, now that he's gone to this trouble, I can't actually order anything remotely spicy without looking like a flaky asshole, like I must keep up this facade of "non-spicy food eater" forever.

I just want to get in, get my food, and get out, anonymously. How do I fix this so there's not a whole dog and pony show every time I go to the deli?

(On the plus side, the potato soup—which wasn't on the line and sort of makes me paranoid that he had it back there just for me—is actually pretty tasty.)

Deli owner is too accommodating

Comet 67P may be two comets, "smooshed together"

Comet 67P looks to have been glued together, not sculpted

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ars Technica

Last week, we covered the latest piece of research to come out of the Rosetta mission studying comet 67P, which involved some interesting ice action in the shadows of the comet’s skinny “neck.” That action probably encourages extra erosion in the shadows, which may explain why the neck is so thin. It puts another mark in the column for the hypothesis that the comet’s strange shape is the result of sculpting from an initially conventional shape.

The other hypothesis is that comet 67P is actually two comets, long ago welded together after a chance meeting. New research published in this week’s Nature puts a rather large mark in the column for this hypothesis.

...

---

Comet 67P may be two comets, "smooshed together"

I am Pilgrim - First Person Omniscient. What?!

This is a comment I made on a review of I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes. The second part of my comment is what I would like to address here. Has anyone encountered this seemingly innovative literary device? I don’t recall such and it seems preposterous to me unless, of course, the narrator is some sort of supernatural entity which is certainly not the case here. Any thoughts?

___________

I agree that the book is riveting and the writer is one of rare talent. But I do have a few notable reservations.

Doesn't he make a rather boneheaded research error regarding the events of September 11, 2001? The narrator/protagonist describes how he was watching the events of that fateful day unfold on a television set in a Geneva bar. He talks about how some of the seemingly callous bar patrons found the sight of the first airplane crashing into the World Trade Center tower to be amusing. He then describes the second airplane hitting the other tower. However, I happened to be home that morning and was watching CNBC, the cable stock market channel. They broke away from the regular programming to tell and show viewers that one of the towers at the World Trade Center was on fire. This was still the stock market commentators as the network hadn't brought in the big news anchors and reporters yet. It didn't seem like that big of a story at first. The commentators said that there had been reports that a small, presumably private aircraft had crashed into it and the story didn't seem all that serious. Then the second airplane hit the second tower and one of the commentators and myself realized the probable truth in a flash. "Is today the anniversary of something?" he asked in a stunned fashion. "This can't be an accident." My thoughts exactly. I don't believe there is any footage of the first plane hitting.

Secondly, the writer seems to invoke a literary point of view I don't ever recall reading before, and I've been a voracious reader since childhood. It seems to be first person omniscient. Has anyone seen this before? The narrator recounts precise details of events he was not a witness to, such as "The Saracen" doing his bloody number on the former Syrian secret police official in the parking lot of the medical research facility where the former had posed as a indigent Palestinian refugee and even the exact thoughts of both the perpetrator and the victim. Has anyone encountered this seemingly totally implausible literary device before?

I suppose a writer is free to introduce groundbreaking literary innovations, but I just find this, well, impossible and therefore it detracts from the overall quality of a very good thriller. It should have been written in the third person. The writer had to sacrifice something in order to make his account tenable in my opinion. In light of these apparent shortcomings, I cannot concur with those who rated this a five star effort.

I am Pilgrim - First Person Omniscient. What?!

Evidence that water flows on present-day Mars

Direct evidence found that water is involved in summertime darkening of Martian soils.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ars Technica

About five years ago, scientists noticed something unusual on Mars. Images taken at different times of the Martian year by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera showed dark areas developing on steep slopes in the summer and then vanishing during the Martian winter. The pattern of these dark areas looked like what you'd expect from a liquid flowing downhill.

At the time, water seemed like an obvious explanation for the dark areas, which would make this the first evidence of liquid water in the present of Mars. But to confirm this theory, scientists needed to get a reading on the chemical composition of the dark streaks. Now, researchers have overcome some major technical hurdles to get these readings, and the results indicate that the streaks contain water-rich salts.

The dark features have picked up the name "recurring slope lineae," or RSL. They appear on steep slopes, such as crater walls, and form braided patters that look like water flows. RSL are absent in the winter and spring and only appear near the Martian equator during the summer, at which point the temperatures in the area can often climb above the freezing point of water. Any liquid water should evaporate into the sparse Martian atmosphere quickly, but dissolved salts will inhibit evaporation and can lower the freezing point of water by as much as 80K.

The people who initially discovered the RSL favored salty brines flowing downhill as the most likely explanation for their seasonal appearance, but they lacked direct evidence for the presence of water.

It turned out that obtaining any such evidence was exceedingly difficult. ...

---

Evidence that water flows on present-day Mars

What word should I use?

I'm writing a short story about a man who has the power to cause volcanoes to erupt on demand.
Should I call it "THE VOLCANO RAISER" OR "THE VOLCANO RISER"?

What word should I use?

Question About Announcements, Events and Book Promotions

I don't see a 'post new thread' button for this forum. Can you tell me how to post to it?
Thanks, Diana Rubino

Question About Announcements, Events and Book Promotions

Hi All! Historical Author who enjoys blogging about the writing craft

I'm fairly new here, but just got a birthday message from Absolute Write, and just updated my profile. I've been published since 1999 but started novel writing in 1982. I write historical and paranormal novels, and now write biographical novels with no fictional characters. I especially enjoy medieval England and American history.
I live on Cape Cod with my husband and also own an engineering business. I enjoy bicycling, golf, racquetball, reading books of any genre, and playing the piano. I also enjoy hosting other authors on my blog; if you'd like to be a guest, Email me, Diana@dianarubino.com. Blog is: http://ift.tt/1xFMSi2

Hi All! Historical Author who enjoys blogging about the writing craft

Re: Vopying a picture on a lenovo laptop

Hi. I am wondering if anyone knows ow to copy a picture from my gmail to someone else's gmail. I copied/pasted it but it doesn't show up. Wny I don't know. Thanks much!

Re: Vopying a picture on a lenovo laptop

Looking for beta for a 7000 word short story

Hello, I'm looking for someone to beta a short story I wrote. The piece is called 'The Broken Tree', and is a companion piece to the novel I'm currently writing.

It's pretty hard to put down the genre. It goes from pretty light-hearted and gets darker and darker, with a very dark ending. I suppose it mixes contemporary, with horror and a small mix of urban fantasy.

I am willing to swap for something of an equal length. :)

If you're interested PM me, drop a message below with how to contact you, or email me at: jake.ratcliff@hotmail.co.uk.
But leave an obvious subject line I won't miss.

Thankyou all!

Looking for beta for a 7000 word short story

What's your next step?

We all want to be good writers but how are you planning on accomplishing this? What do you need to do to improve in your writing and how are you going to do it?

I need to:
1 Write longer stories-by-Increasing the complexity of my plot and characters and the detail of my descriptions.
2 Write stories with clear themes-by- Creating a much fuller outline beforehand so the themes become clear before I start.
3 Write realistic romances-by- I dunno, I think I need to figure this out in real life before I write about it.
4 Write better action scenes-by- I think this is my strong suit but I would like to study actions scenes in published novels and learn from the pros.
5 Write great climaxes-by- Practice, practice, practice.

There's probably a lot more but I'm starting to get depressed.

What's your next step?

Does anybody else forget to make chapters?

I just get so stuck up in the events, and what's happening. Just taking it from point to point, I forget to put in chapters. Forget that it needs breaking up. So now I have a colossal probably 10k word chapter, because I forget to split it up. But that's a job for future, editor me.

Anybody else get this problem. And/or have a solution?

Does anybody else forget to make chapters?

Looking for a writing buddy

Hello,

My name is Tania, and I've been a casual writer for a few years-a few short stories, a bunch of fan fiction, a truck load of unfinished stuff...

I've just started work on my first full length novel. I'm currently working towards a full, four page synopsis using the snowflake method [http://www.advancedfictionwriting.co...wflake-method/]. I've decided to use this as I believe, based on all my aforementioned unfinished work, that writing 'as you go' doesn't seem to be for me... Hopefully, with a good, structured plot plan, I might finally succeed!

What I'm looking for is not exactly a writing buddy, but a buddy who's a writer! Someone to email back and forth, setting goals for each other, developing ideas, etc... As far as 'writing buddy' duties go, right now, I'm looking for someone to look over my work in progress synopsis, and my story arcs and character development, and, once I start to get some actual writing down, someone to beta read and critique/advice. I'm, of course, willing to do the same for you, whether it's just to read through and critique or help develop ideas and break through writer's block! The only thing I'd like to mention is that I have a full time job with varying working hours and I study part time... I'll do my best to reply in a timely manner, but please understand if it takes few days for a reply to arrive!

Final note on genres and such... I like a little of everything, but I lean a little more towards sci-fi and thrillers. Romance is fine, but I usually prefer it as a side plot. That said, I'm open to give anything a read :) My current project would fall into the category of a sci-fi thriller, but I've written stuff in the urban fantasy, horror and YA genres.

I think that's it! If you're interested, or have any questions, let me know!

Tania

Looking for a writing buddy

OOPS

So I went to a conference and pitched to an agent and I nailed it and she asked for a full MS!! Haza! BUT...I didn't grab her business card. She didn't offer one and I didn't think to ask. So I went online and realized she is listed as closed to submissions so she doesn't even have an email listed on the site. So I have an email from another website (querytracker) but I know sometimes agents have separate emails for queries than for submitted materials.

So I'll submit to that and pray...but aside from that...what do I do? My options, as I see them, are to try to bug other people at the conference who pitched to her, see if they were also asked for submissions and see if they acquired business cards. To call the agency?? Not even sure if that's a viable option. To throw myself off a structure of substantial elevation.

Help. Please.

OOPS

What Would you Do? - The Just-below-midlist-blues

Greetings Fellow Writers,

I'd like to offer you my size 8 1/2's and hear other perspectives on a subject I've been weighing for quite some time. I've asked some of you to walk a mile in my shoes eons ago. But I'm here again, ready to make a final decision on this. So here goes.

What would you do if...

...your first YA Book sold 12,000 copies. Your second YA - barely sold 4,000. After six years in print, you're still receiving royalties - under $150.00, and you're not that great at promoting yourself. In the meantime, you've decided to work on an adult book, to take your mind off of the flailing YA situation. But every single time you say to yourself, "I no longer want to obsess over my YA Amazon rankings, no longer want to worry about my YA life" - you receive a random email from a fan who loves your work, or a librarian who wants you to give a talk (for free). In other words, you appreciate the sporadic love and attention from your readers, but you want to move on and make real money.

So basically, my main question is: Would you totally give up on what's not yielding fruitful fruit; or would you keep hope alive and keep trying to promote two books that just aren't reaching a mainstream audience?

All blunt thoughts would be greatly appreciated! *Bracing self*

What Would you Do? - The Just-below-midlist-blues

Which YA authors inspire your own writing the most?

I'm taking a class with Devid Levithan this semester, and I'm extremely happy because he's one of my writing inspirations.

But my #1 is definitely Laurie Halse Anderson. SPEAK helped shape me in so many ways and made me want to write YA. I've read almost all of her YA books and have enjoyed each one in different ways. I love her snarky, insightful, funny style and beautifully crafted environments, even if they are dreary places (which they usually are). I also love how she handles character and realism.

Who inspires you the most?

Which YA authors inspire your own writing the most?

Is It Okay To Introduce The MC Via A McGyver?

Hi, everyone. I have a question with which I need some help.
In my work in progress, I open my first chapter by showing the initiating event. Next, I introduced the MC which scene ended with him to evade death completing a Field Hack.

Is it correct to do this? Or is this unwisely making a promise of Indiana Jones-like proportions?

Is It Okay To Introduce The MC Via A McGyver?

How did people introduce themselves during the italian renaissance.

I don't think they shook hands....did everybody just bow?

How did people introduce themselves during the italian renaissance.

Red Dwarf (the star, not the TV series)

This isn't my science, yet I'm pursuing this idea like a dog with a bone to chew. Setting: planet tidally locked to a red dwarf, atmosphere, ocean, thick atmosphere, but what is the quality of light from this type of star? Both on the light side, where you can see the entire star, presuming cloud cover isn't obscuring it, and the band between light and dark where you can only see part of the star. Is it truly red as the name implies, like being closeted in an old school dark room developing your own photos, or is there a wider spectrum of light involved?

My main interest is in describing light quality within the band of terrain between dark and light sides.

Red Dwarf (the star, not the TV series)

Good Samaritan shoots crime victim in head. Flees.

This is why some of us aren't reassured by the claim that "good guys with guns" will protect us from crime.

Texas. A man at a gas station was jumped by two others, who then stole his truck. A passer-by pulled out a gun and started shooting at the aggressors. He missed and hit the victim in the head. The shooter then picked up his shell casings and fled. The truck was recovered but the carjackers and the would-be hero are still at large.

Good Samaritan shoots crime victim in head. Flees.

Catalonia votes to go it alone - possibly breaking up Spain

http://ift.tt/1FtHXuj

Quote:

---

Separatists were poised to win control of Catalonia’s regional government on Sunday, after exit polls suggested a result that could plunge Spain into a political crisis by forcing Madrid to confront an openly secessionist government at the helm of one of its wealthiest regions.

In an election that saw a record-breaking voter turnout, an exit poll by the Catalan broadcaster TV3 suggested that the nationalist coalition Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) was on track to win 63 to 66 seats, leaving them just shy of the 68 seats needed for an absolute majority in the 135-seat parliament.

---

Catalonia is the richest region of Spain and provide a large chunk of the country's GDP. I expect the central government to loudly protest, but what can they do? It's a democratic election, and the stakes were known beforehand. Unless Madrid sends in tanks, there's not really anything anyone can do.

Of course, on the other side of Europe, the Scots are still in independence mood. I fully expect the Scots to become independent within 10 years. Everyone I talk to in Scotland seem to think that independence is inevitable. Even the ones who voted against it last year.

2015-2020 could be the years that see wholesale fragmentation of the large countries of Europe.

Catalonia votes to go it alone - possibly breaking up Spain

Is it bad to compare your book to a TV show?

To give an idea of what the book is about, in the query letter, you write:
" DEXTER meets THE BIG BAND THEORY, (BOOK TITLE) tells the story of ............

Is it bad to compare your book to a TV show?

If you were following the William Meikle Facebook page...

I accidentally trashed my Facebook page but it's back. Lost my followers though, so I'm mostly over there. Mostly. --> http://ift.tt/1LVJje3

If you were following the William Meikle Facebook page...

Graphic Novel Queries

Is there a specific thread on writing graphic novel queries on AW? I tried the search function and for some reason nothing is coming up...

I would be querying a project that has already been fully illustrated. I am the script writer and I have a partnership with an artist. We were just going to print it ourselves as a zine, but I thought I might look into actually submitting it to agents/publishers.

Graphic Novel Queries

Vicious on PBS

A fantastic Britcom starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi as an elderly gay couple who has been together for fifty years.

For my (admittedly particular) tastes, it hits on every level. Incredible cast and incredible writing!

Anyone else watching?

Vicious on PBS

The Wolves of Langabhat

Chuffed to chunks to announce my Vikings, werewolves and rock n roll saga The Wolves of Langabhat is now available on Amazon.

1014 AD
The terror of the Viking raids is a fading memory for the people on the Isle of Lewis, and the once dreaded Northmen have now begun settling on the island, living in peace with the natives. But when the settlement of Eanach is attacked and burned to ashes in the dead of night, the slaughter heralds the arrival of a terrible new threat on the island. Something far worse than the sea raiders of years past.

2014 AD
Five old friends come to Lewis for alcohol, the Celtic music festival, and a spot of canoeing. Cal's stag is the perfect way for them to reunite, and comes as a welcome distraction for Ian, the troubled musician tormented by his own twisted existence. As a giant hill dweller with murder on his mind stalks the group, something very strange is happening out at the ancient Calanais Standing Stones, and an inhuman horror from the distant past begins to stir.

Something is howling in the dark of night.

The Wolves of Langabhat have risen



‘The Wolves of Langabhat is an accomplished, terrifying novel that doesn't disappoint' ~ Snakebite Horror

'Ambitious and spectacular' ~ Undiscovered Scotland

Buy it here!

The Wolves of Langabhat

Cliche Careers/Jobs

Hello all! I tried googling this topic and searching on the board, but could not find any past threads. I'm sure they likely exist, but ahh well . . . maybe a new one is okay?

Anyway . . . I'm wondering about what folks might consider "cliche careers." I came up with an idea for a book years ago and am revisiting it, but the character is an English professor (literature). And I swear, I've seen this on a few "cliche careers" lists. I think I went toward that career because I've done it myself and have read a lot. I imagine quite a few folks here would have the same types of experience to draw from.

The thing is, this character's ability to write (which is never going to be awesome, btw) is part of the story arc. I imagined her as a character who desperately wants to be good at writing, but really isn't. She's a great teacher, but lacks some of the intuition and skill to do it herself.

I could make her an adjunct that's struggling and has another part-time job, but, I'm stuck on this notion that her teaching will turn people off because it's considered cliche. Hmmm...

Ideas?

Cliche Careers/Jobs

Help finding wireless headset that isn't bluetooth.

Hope this is the right place to put this.

Right. I am trying to buy a wireless headset so I can listen to audio books while painting. (Only way to stay sane). Not having a lead connecting me to something would be such a gain (have used an iPod for many years with wire, and the dear old thing is dying.. :( )

So what I want is a headset that stays well on the head, and talks to a transmitter that you plug into a USB socket. Nice and simple, no software or compatibility issues to worry about as you can get with bluetooth, just plug and play. I have been looking on Amazon and there is no filter to screen out "Bluetooth" - so I've been wading through stuff and getting fed up.

Can anybody point me to such a headset?

(Ideally less than £20 but can go over by a bit.)

Could be rechargeable, or work with rechargeable batteries. The latter is better for me as I can have two sets of batteries on the go.

Help finding wireless headset that isn't bluetooth.

Resources and Feedback?

I'm having a secondary character in my WIP who's asexual. It's not a huge factor in the story, she doesn't have any romantic/sexual subplots directed her way, but it does come up briefly.

Can anyone recommend any resources?

Also, could I paste the clip on here where she talks about it for feedback? It is only briefly but I want to make sure I didn't muck it up. I also don't want her to sit my MC down for a lecture on the range of sexualities.

Resources and Feedback?

Elephant Rock Books (ERB)

Small publisher. American. They have a recent Printz Honor winner in their lineup. I picked it up in paperback at my library.

As of this posting, they only accept unsolicited manuscripts during certain open reading periods. They are closed now, but I thought it worthwhile to bring to people's attention.

http://ift.tt/1G7BWSG

Elephant Rock Books (ERB)

~Quotations 101~

Okay so... No laughing...

For the longest time... and this is really going to suck if I have been doing it wrong the entire time, and would need to go back and change the layout of everything... I had thought that when you quote something within a paragraph, that was just a style of writing. But, when you make a quotation of something someone said or is about to say... is it not okay to just do that within the paragraph? Or must it always start on a new line after said paragraph? I noticed this a lot in the SYW forum, then decided to check out a book to see if its a thing in there too. Harry potter on my sisters shelf happened to be the first thing I grabbed, and alas... it was...

The general layout seems to go something like this:

[New line](indent) paragraph describing the details and setting of things going on, and/or explaining the situation.
[Line x]end of paragraph, proceed to next line.
[New line](Indent if new paragraph and no quote)
-or-
[New line](indent)Such and such said(comma) (start quote)quoted words(? . ~ !)(end quote)
-or-
[New line](Indent)(start quote)quoted words(, ? ~ !)(end quote)such and such said(period)
[Line x]second quote or reply, same set up as above two.
[New line](indent)next paragraph~ rinse and repeat~

I myself have been going paragraph after paragraph just tossing in my quotes within the paragraph then continuing on, this may be me simply being the heratic of common writing, but is that okay or not okay to do? If I have both concepts wrong, do correct me. The whole thing now has turned into a massive confusing mess of literary rules and guidelines. Someone please set me straight so I can get on with the book.

Remember, examples are a writers best friend!

Thanks guys!

~Quotations 101~

Twitter Picture Book Pitch Party

I'm one of the organizers of #PBPitch, a Twitter Pitch Party just for Picture Books. It will be 10/15 from 8a-8p est. We have a webpage where you can get more details....and we congratulate and celebrate a success story from our inaugural event in June.

www.pbpitch.com

Twitter Picture Book Pitch Party

Custody and Guardianship questions.

I've revisited an old story and decided to rewrite it. (Oh, the terrible writing of 15-year-old me.)

My MC was born in America but has lived in the UK for over 10 years (she has a dual passport for simplicity) and her mother vanishes. She's left living with her step-father who is found to be abusive. The police remove her from his custody. Her only other relative is her uncle, on her mother's side, who lives in America. He goes to the UK and agrees to take her in.

I was just curious as to what the process would be for transferring my MC into his custody. The mother has already been missing for some time and is presumed dead at this point so it's likely the MC will be staying in America for some time. Would there be formal documentation from lawyers or just an informal "off you go" kind of thing? If formal documents are needed how long would this roughly take? I also assume she would have to be enrolled into a new school as well, seeing as she's under 18.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

Custody and Guardianship questions.

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate

Hi everyone, I was wondering if I needed to hyphenate this sentence since the phrase modifies a noun but Im not certain. I couldn't find any grammar rules online.

Example sentence

She tried to comfort herself in a less-than-ideal situation.

Or without the hyphens?

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate

Novels about artists and artisans?

I have recently discovered I have a serious weakness for works about the creators of real historical artworks or treasures. Like A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, about the potter who created the Thousand-Cranes Vase; Artemisia, about the Rennaisance artist Artemisia Gentileschi; or The Secret of Kells, about the illuminator of the Chi-Rho Page in the Book of Kells.

Does anyone have recommendations for books that feature historical artists/artisans as the protagonists? More for my to-read stack, please!

Novels about artists and artisans?