I love my own writing. Sometimes I think this is a curse, and sometimes I think it’s a blessing. It’s a curse when I send a short story to one of my relatives or friends thinking it might induce a hometown tickertape parade of some kind, and I get back, “I enjoyed your short story.” And that will be the last it is spoken of. |
I often write thinking about someone (almost like a talisman) or to honor them. I've had mixed results: perplexed, thrilled, reduced to tears... "Frames [#8 Lorin]" ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I recently read an article from a famous author who said, “Never send your stories to your friends or families.” Her reasoning was that most of them won’t care. I think I will try to follow that advice, but then when I think about all the wisdom and insight to life I’m denying them, well... it breaks my heart is what it does. |
I've just edited a Camp story I wrote and I'm hoping for input on how to improve it.
Thank you, Winchester Jones |
I just wrote a Cramp story, and no one has commented. I'm hoping somebody will read it and give me some ideas for improvement.
Thanx, Winchester Jones |
Ouch. I will say that I think "Cottage Cheese" would make a better title. That said... the sadness of the moment felt realistic. Sometimes one faces what one has to face. Kudos to Helen. I'm not a story teller. I wrote a poem to the same prompt. You featured a dog; me, a cat. |
Of note- Potomac Review isn't open for new submissions until January - and they don't yet pay for submissions other than by free copy of the mag. so..... here's a link from my search for "submission guidelines for crime/mystery stories" https://internationalwriterscollective.com/where-to-submit-mystery-thriller-and-... First one listed - Ellery Queen Mystery Mag, pays about $75 per the writers' guidelines (found under "The Crime Scene" tab) Good Luck! |
What does it mean when somebody "Tags" you? PS I know someone's going to say it means "You're It" and though I appreciate the humor, I'm talking about WDC-speak. ![]() |
Yes, to "tag" someone is to include them in a post. This is mainly done so they know they've been mentioned: they'll receive a Notification with a green, well, tag beside it. Tagging people in this way also allows others to discover more about the person you're tagging. If it's in a Newsfeed or forum post, members can click or hover over the tag to get quick info on the tagged person and easily access their portfolio. Especially helpful with newbies! The easiest way to tag someone is by typing the at symbol and begin typing their username. For example, typing @budd should open a pop-up list where you can select my handle–buddhangela–and by clicking it, the code will automatically be filled in so you don't have to type it into your post. The other way to tag someone is to type in {user:username}, {suser:username}, or {huser:username} which each offer a slightly different look/info with the tag. There, that's more than you asked for, eh? ![]() I'm glad you asked. There's a lot of computer and WDC-speak that some of us haven't been exposed to before, and there's no sense in not asking! ![]() |
There is much to like about the template that people are using to review items on WDC. One thing that I don't understand is what is meant by "Appropriate Dialogue." That seems a bit vague. I would like to see it changed to-- "The dialogue in your story seemed real/ forced, or some other critique beyond "Appropriate" which has no meaning. What is Inappropriate dialogue? Just Sayin'. |
Appropriate for the characters and how you've established them. The kid speaks appropriately for their age. The cowboy maintains his subtle dialect throughout. How the cowboy talks to the kid makes sense in the story's context. The kid's mother carries a different cadence than the cowboy, because she's from New York and got stranded at the side of the road, and she doesn't suddenly swap out her whole manner of speaking without explanation (and the explanation holds up). Those kinds of things. |
Winchester Jones ![]() Reviewing is like writing sometimes. What makes sense in my head doesn't always translate to the page. (But I try!) Your feedback was helpful to me and hopefully my reviews will be stronger because of it. ![]() |
I wrote a story nobody has commented on and I'm hoping one of you nice people will.
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I've re-written a short story I would like somebody to review for me.
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