Jibber Jabber - Q1 - Volume 34

[disgruntledpeony]

I know what I need to do to get my story where it needs to go, but have been having serious non-writing problems at work that are ruining my mood come writing time. This is not a time to give in to depression! (Also, not a time to give in to that fear that this story isn't good enough. I've still got the chance to fix it.)

[J'nae Rae]

I know what I need to do to get my story where it needs to go, but have been having serious non-writing problems at work that are ruining my mood come writing time. This is not a time to give in to depression! (Also, not a time to give in to that fear that this story isn't good enough. I've still got the chance to fix it.)

You can do it!!!

[Dustin Adams]

Peony,

I sent you an e-mail through the forum, but I don't think you got it (I sent several and heard no replies).
I fear that may be broken as well.

I'll send you a PM instead. Check the top of the forum page for a (1 new message). Hopefully that goes through OK.

[disgruntledpeony]

Peony,

I sent you an e-mail through the forum, but I don't think you got it (I sent several and heard no replies).
I fear that may be broken as well.

I'll send you a PM instead. Check the top of the forum page for a (1 new message). Hopefully that goes through OK.

I never got those e-mails. Thanks for sending the PM! I sent you a reply.

[Dustin Adams]

Cool.
I replied.

I also sent a PM to MOON. I hope he sees it.

I wonder if Brad or Martin can fix this puppy soon.

[LDWriter2]

Late with my story, should have worked on it last weekend but hardly touched it. I think I am about half way done. If so it will a short one for me. Lately most of my WotF stories have been pushing the max for the contest. So far this one won't. But tonight it took a turn I didn't expect. That won't effect the ending I have more or less planned but it will change the thinking of my MC and help him with a significant problem he has.


Those pesky mini sparkly purple flying unicorns can make a mess of things. He still doesn't know how to chase them away. Loud noises don't work, ditto smells, owl, raptor, large griffin lookalikes just don't scare them. Neither do showing them various weapons.

No, no, no. No unicorns of any types, sizes or colors in my tale. Even though one day maybe in a future story.

[kentagions]

A friend who was in the US Army once told me that: No problem cannot be solved through the sufficient application of high explosives. (Yeah, it's a double negative, but what do you want from a grunt?)

Some of my favorite stories end with a bang: Star Wars movies especially.

[amoskalik]

Like high explosives, unicorns are underutilized in writing. Thank Celestia My Little Pony came along to change all that...

[Ishmael]

The succinct history of a Victorian War as given in 1066 And All That

"The Zulu War

Cause: The Zulus.
Zulus exterminated.
Peace with Zulus."

These methods are no longer considered PC (except in The Kremlin).

[pdblake]

Anyone else had an email from Joni wishing Happy Christmas and saying that your submission is showing as being in draft still?

I've logged in and can see my submission. There's no way of telling what state it is in to be honest and no options to do anything with it. It's just a copy of the entry form as far as I can tell.

[amoskalik]

The succinct history of a Victorian War as given in 1066 And All That

"The Zulu War

Cause: The Zulus.
Zulus exterminated.
Peace with Zulus."

These methods are no longer considered PC (except in The Kremlin).

True, but PC is no longer considered PC apparently. We are returning to an age of overly simplistic thinking much to our detriment.

[Ishmael]

Anyone else had an email from Joni wishing Happy Christmas and saying that your submission is showing as being in draft still?

I've logged in and can see my submission. There's no way of telling what state it is in to be honest and no options to do anything with it. It's just a copy of the entry form as far as I can tell.

Yes, I got that email. It seems possible Joni clicked send on the wrong list of names, since my entry was submitted on 4th October. I emailed her a query.

[Ishmael]

The succinct history of a Victorian War as given in 1066 And All That

"The Zulu War

Cause: The Zulus.
Zulus exterminated.
Peace with Zulus."

These methods are no longer considered PC (except in The Kremlin).

True, but PC is no longer considered PC apparently. We are returning to an age of overly simplistic thinking much to our detriment.

Yes. I'd intended this as a comment about Kentagion's friend's notion on the application of sufficient HE. In point of fact, of course, we see in retrospect that such policies have a habit of bankrupting the applier of HE and alienating the survivors thereof, such that two new problems are created in place of the one solved. Unfortunately the opposite policy sometimes results in the moral bankruptcy of non-appliers and exploitation of the consequent power vacuum by inimical interests. As Plato remarked about the refusal of good men to undertake the burden of government - if you won't do it, somebody worse than you will.

[amoskalik]

As Plato remarked about the refusal of good men to undertake the burden of government - if you won't do it, somebody worse than you will.

Ah, I see. Of course they didn't have high explosives in Plato's day, or twitter, both of which appear to amplify the dangers.

[J'nae Rae]

Feeling a bit confused this morning. Last night I got the Holiday greeting email from Joni, but in it she said to not forget to finish my submission as it showed as a draft, yet I got my confirmation email on November 10th. Anyone else get a strange comment from Joni like that?

I tried in inquiring her showing I had confirmation, but now I'm a bit nervous about my submission.



J'nae

[amoskalik]

Feeling a bit confused this morning. Last night I got the Holiday greeting email from Joni, but in it she said to not forget to finish my submission as it showed as a draft, yet I got my confirmation email on November 10th. Anyone else get a strange comment from Joni like that?

I tried in inquiring her showing I had confirmation, but now I'm a bit nervous about my submission.



J'nae

I haven't submitted yet this Q, but I vaguely remember receiving such emails once or twice in past Qs.
If you already have confirmation from her that she received your submission, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[reigheena]

And I'm in. Now on to addressing Christmas cards...

[kentagions]

All I wanted to do was help quickly solve a unicorn infestation. But just as so many conversations on social media have gone this year, the overlying social ramifications of pyrotechnic entertainment reach Stygian proportions. Fear not. HE solutions merely overdraw what began as a somewhat meager account. One needs only remember traditional lore behind genus Equicornis to suggest truly diabolical solutions. Said quadrupeds aggregate only when certain conditions are met. And there you have it, receivership achieved.

[Ishmael]

Look, it is a documented fact that unicorns only browse in gardens, where they consume roses, tulips and lilies. All we have to do is go out into our gardens and check. If there are teeth marks on the roses, tulips or lilies, that proves unicorns are there, but hiding. On the other hand if there are no roses, tulips nor lilies it proves the unicorns have eaten them all and left.

[george nik.]

Look, it is a documented fact that unicorns only browse in gardens, where they consume roses, tulips and lilies. All we have to do is go out into our gardens and check. If there are teeth marks on the roses, tulips or lilies, that proves unicorns are there, but hiding. On the other hand if there are no roses, tulips nor lilies it proves the unicorns have eaten them all and left.

If there are roses, tulips, and lilies but no teeth marks, it only proves that unicorns are there but have gone in stealth mode.

[J'nae Rae]

Feeling a bit confused this morning. Last night I got the Holiday greeting email from Joni, but in it she said to not forget to finish my submission as it showed as a draft, yet I got my confirmation email on November 10th. Anyone else get a strange comment from Joni like that?

I tried in inquiring her showing I had confirmation, but now I'm a bit nervous about my submission.



J'nae

I haven't submitted yet this Q, but I vaguely remember receiving such emails once or twice in past Qs.
If you already have confirmation from her that she received your submission, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Joni got back to me. For some odd reason I show in the system twice, once as a draft and once as completed. So all is good.

J'nae

[Rebecca Birch]

So now that there's only, like, two weeks left in the quarter (and I'll be traveling for the last one), I'd better get on the writing a submission thing, huh?

How the heck did all that time go by???

[amoskalik]

Look, it is a documented fact that unicorns only browse in gardens, where they consume roses, tulips and lilies. All we have to do is go out into our gardens and check. If there are teeth marks on the roses, tulips or lilies, that proves unicorns are there, but hiding. On the other hand if there are no roses, tulips nor lilies it proves the unicorns have eaten them all and left.

If there are roses, tulips, and lilies but no teeth marks, it only proves that unicorns are there but have gone in stealth mode.

I just look for the rainbow feces. It makes spectacular fertilizer, so if your plants are growing exceptionally well, then you have unicorns.

To recap:
1. Teeth marks =unicorns
2. Plants missing = unicorns
3. Plants growing well = unicorns
4. Plants sickly = gnomes
5. Large crater where garden once was = unicorn deniers trying to eliminate the evidence of the unicorns we all know to be there

[emilymccosh]

Look, it is a documented fact that unicorns only browse in gardens, where they consume roses, tulips and lilies. All we have to do is go out into our gardens and check. If there are teeth marks on the roses, tulips or lilies, that proves unicorns are there, but hiding. On the other hand if there are no roses, tulips nor lilies it proves the unicorns have eaten them all and left.

If there are roses, tulips, and lilies but no teeth marks, it only proves that unicorns are there but have gone in stealth mode.

I just look for the rainbow feces. It makes spectacular fertilizer, so if your plants are growing exceptionally well, then you have unicorns.

To recap:
1. Teeth marks =unicorns
2. Plants missing = unicorns
3. Plants growing well = unicorns
4. Plants sickly = gnomes
5. Large crater where garden once was = unicorn deniers trying to eliminate the evidence of the unicorns we all know to be there

Wow.

[disgruntledpeony]

Thanks to some very helpful critiques and some serious editing, I'm now on my final push for the quarter. Should be able to submit my story by Christmas.

[J'nae Rae]

Thanks to some very helpful critiques and some serious editing, I'm now on my final push for the quarter. Should be able to submit my story by Christmas.

Knew you could do it.

[pdblake]

Feeling a bit confused this morning. Last night I got the Holiday greeting email from Joni, but in it she said to not forget to finish my submission as it showed as a draft, yet I got my confirmation email on November 10th. Anyone else get a strange comment from Joni like that?

I tried in inquiring her showing I had confirmation, but now I'm a bit nervous about my submission.



J'nae

I haven't submitted yet this Q, but I vaguely remember receiving such emails once or twice in past Qs.
If you already have confirmation from her that she received your submission, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Joni got back to me. For some odd reason I show in the system twice, once as a draft and once as completed. So all is good.

J'nae

I'll assume the same then as she's not got back to me. Pretty sure I got a confirmation after submitting anyway.

[Dustan Moon]

Cool.
I replied.

I also sent a PM to MOON. I hope he sees it.

I wonder if Brad or Martin can fix this puppy soon.

Got it, Dustin, and replied. My bad, I haven't signed in for weeks, family visiting and all that goes with juggling schedules around. Really threw off my writing game, that and the screaming crash to the bottom of the cliff as I waited hopefully for "the call" only to write in after finalists started announcing, to find out the rejection somehow never got to me. So much for thinking I could improve on a story that was a former HM by Dave. : ) That blew out at least five in a row of HMs, a Silver, and an SF with Dave where he said it would have been a finalist if I'd just toned down the breast imagery (in my defense, they were mermaids! ). Sometimes, I believe this contest is my nemesis. I've won a lot of contests, some against many pro writers, and I've had a couple pro sales, so this one just baffles me.

Nothing most of you haven't gone through...just maybe not as long. : )

I will continue to take my own advice...

Keep writing. Keep sending.

~Moon

[disgruntledpeony]

I'm in. ...And the insecurities are already mounting. I must distract myself. ON TO THE NEXT STORY!

[Athena]

I'm in for Q1! And feeling very nervous about sending him something I know will be a tough sell. Well, he bought a werewolf story last year, right?