Tanuki Racoon

Now, this is a fine story. You gotta love the Dudester even if it's only for the one thing he does best: Bringing us literature and not porn. Another work of art. Oddly, I vaguely remember reading something like this a long time ago. Still I was moved, quite possibly to tears. Read it. -- wbms

Hey, what's wrong with football dammit? :) -- wbms

..... I just wanted to congratulate you on your decision. I haven't been posting much lately, but it doesn't mean I'm not reading or don't care :) -- wbms

Just finished 7 & 8. Wow. Very impressed with the ending of 8. Moving. Well done. Yay. -- wbms

Sorry but now they just make an orchestra play really loud music swells

Welcome. Your story has held my interest but I haven't yet written because I wanted to see where it was going first..... And me. If it's part of the story I might put up with it but in most cases it's superfluous and/or forced. I hate it. But the sign of a good writer :)Now, in unrelated news I must confess. I read your story and said to myself, "That's clearly got a female author." I even wrote the Dudester and voiced my opinion on same. I apparently owe you an apology? :) Best, wbms

What self-respecting gay man plays with pussy? I am shocked I tell you, SHOCKED -- wbms (I, too, am a cat person)

Well if you're looking for VOTES, I pick 2 and possibly 3.-- wbms

Or his something at any rate.... -- wbms

Well, I am a huge fan of fantasy novels so I had to immediately give this a try. It shows promise, that's for sure. Grabbed me right away. I was crushed by an it's error, a peeve of mine. But I liked it enough to overlook it. There's a lot of wondering going on in the reader's mind as to what's happening, and the best thing is the reader (ME!) wants to know more. Grabbed my attention full-on, it did. Besides, after reading the author's Bio, we have far too much in common. -- wbms [/b]

Dude! I am so glad you brought this story here. I only had to beg. I would encourage everyone to read this amazing story. It's POWERFUL. I had mentioned it in an email to a few readers and also on my blog, and now here it is for you all to read. And, please, write the author and tell him how AMAZING this work of art is. -- wbms

I read about halfway through the first chapter and then said, "Eh, not quite my cuppa." Why? Well it didn't grab me. I like a story that gets my attention immediately. But then, I went and finished the first chapter from where I left off and it got better. More importantly, I loved the second chapter. So, just in case you care, I really DO like it. I should know better. Dude hasn't let me down very often here :) -- wbms

I have been shot down by a number of major houses. The bottom line is that without an agent you are unlikely to get a fair look by any mainstream press. There are places such as iUniverse which let you do POD. That's easy. However, my personal preference is a real publisher or NO publisher. I have been unsuccesful in my search for an agent. I can go into grusome detail if you have more detailed questions. -- WBMS

Generally, if it's small portions use the correct language. Your reader can figure it out from conext. If it's large portions you can type in English but italicize it and in the FIRST reference make some indication that the person is speaking in <language>. There would be a specific exception if you have two people who are talking to each other and don't understand each other, the ideal thing is to do it in the individual respective languages. None of this is official, but it's how many authors seem to handle it, and it is sensible enough. I most certainly am not flatulent. :D Je parle un petit peu de fran?ais; yo hablo poquito de espa?ol tambien. -- wbms

It's so hard to follow I gave up. If the author can't make his story readable, it doesn't belong here or anywhere. That may be harsh but I've got a low tolerance for that sort of thing. Grammar, spelling, syntax, and formatting. Then *IF* that's all good, then you've got plot, characterizations and such. But I never got there because it was a bunch of words crammed together and thus not worth the effort to wade through. Not that you asked. -- wbms

To see exactly what I was referring to: http://www.jumptheshark.com/ (The site is way cool and will keep you busy for hours) It's a phrase originally coined to indicate something good has gone bad and specifically the EXACT MOMENT it went bad. It's named after the episode of Happy Days where Fonzie jumped over the shark tank. It's in common use now, though most people probably don't know where it came from (or the precise definition). -- wbms [/url]

Why do I bail on a story? (1) I dislike the story or where it?s going. If a story is getting nasty (rape, incest) I?ll leave. But some stories this might not be so bad if it?s worked in properly. (2) When the author has ?Jumped the Shark? -- not to name names, but one of my favourites for a long time was Carrots & Celery. But it?s done and the author hasn?t figured it out. She?s stuck in a rut and can?t get out. The characters have turned from interesting to whiney things. I hate that. (3) The story isn?t believable. This is my number one reason for bailing on a story. Just because it?s sci-fi/fantasy isn?t an excuse. ALL WORLDS must be believable. (4) Bad writing and/or editing. Nothing pisses me off more than bad writing. Let?s take ?The William Carter? which was SUPERB. Now, I don?t even LIKE the new version coming on at Nifty. But I still read it because the author is such a good writer, I just enjoy reading his words. The worse a story is, the better it better to keep me going. At some point it becomes so bad, it?s unforgiveable. Storm Front is a fantastic story but the chapters are getting worse and worse in terms of editing and have slews of bad grammar but I still read because it?s good. Writing and grammar go hand-in-hand hence I?ve combined them here. (5) Disregard for the audience. You know what I?m talking about. Some authors rely on Deus ex Machina too much. This should be rare and not common. If you?ve ever felt cheated then you may be here. But not liking something doesn?t necessarily mean the author?s cheated you. (6) Too much sex. I read for mental pleasure. If a story becomes ?fuck and suck? I?m outta there. There is nothing wrong with sex, but I like to read a story not get off. Standard disclaimer applies :) BTW, if you wonder what happens to your readers, perhaps it?s ?cause you don?t answer your e-mail. You answered once, and I wrote back. Personally, I gave up writing after two tries, because being ignored sucks. I didn?t take it personally and I still love P&J but I stopped writing :) Best, WBMS

I have no advice, but I gotta tell you that I really like you. You sound like me but you're a lot closer to the closet door than I ever will be. I'm so far back in the closet I may never even see the door much less peek out of it. I'm impressed with your ability to express yourself. Nice job. I'll just go away now.... ;) -- wbms

No' date=' they don't. At least not now though I can't remember many EVER wearing it. Now, only the Goth kids wear much makeup and even that isn't too much. I hate to argue, but you're just WRONG here. :)

Step one. If it's on Nifty it's probably shit. Either this site or Dabeagle offer much better quality. Or, go read some of Driver's writings. NOBODY writes better than Driver. Nobody including present company. Driver is at http://storiesbydriver.netfirms.com and that's how to write. No, if you just sucked you wouldn't even get to be on this site. Nothing here sucks. It's all decent. Maybe you or I or someone else doesn't care for a particular story or author. That's personal taste. But nobody here would tell you something here sucks. I've had harsh criticism (from fans and fellow authors such as Pecman). My feelings are not hurt. I like it because it makes me better. I am a good writer and I was a professional sportswriter with a weekly published column for several years. So I had more practice than most. That doesn't always carry over to fiction. Again, stop with the Nifty comments. We're talking PACING here. "We got in the car and went to Manny's house." is fast pacing. "We got into the car and I immediately noticed all the trash on the back seat, the open packs of cigarettes on the floor, and the crumpled beer cans under the front seat." That is slower pacing and it tells us quite a bit about the car's driver. I can go further even, "We approached the car, though calling it a car was certainly a kindness as it was rusted through and through. The passenger door didn't open and I had to crawl in from the driver's side. I immediately noticed (append above)" See? Same exact scene at three different speeds. You aren't boring us here, you're giving us detail. If you start telling us it had 42,786 miles and Goodyear, Eagle X1 tyres, that's oveboard. Neither. See above. You misunderstand. I understand smoking. I just feel that a bit of self-censorship is appropriate here for the SOLE reason there are lots of teens here. It's not the image we want them to think is ok. I'm not judging you or the habit, I'm watching out for our young residents. You've got smoking so prevalent it's noticeable. However ONE character with an addictive personailty is a great idea. You just need to reduce the number. Your story is good. Your plot is good. Your continuity is excellent. This is the first of two posts I'm making :) -- wbms

I've been reading the story. It's good. I do have some helpful suggestions. SLOW DOWN. Damn. No need to rush. A little more detail please. You have all those other characters. How about a bit about them -- comments on their looks and personalities. They're in a car or restaurant or classroom? Tell us about it. It'll make the story seemed less rushed and more substantial without making your work much more difficult. Fixing that one detail will cure your story of the two of the three complaints I have. The other is: Why is everyone in your story always having a cigarette? I think your characters have smoked several packs so far. It's TOO noticeable. Ideally nobody would ever smoke (kids are reading this) but I know people DO smoke. But sometimes they come up for air. Story idea: have him try and quit. That could be a long and funny (albeit painful) story arc. Best, WBMS

This character is, shall we say, terribly angry. He'd be at home in any genre. The easiest for me to write would probably be straight (bad choice of words, huh?) Epic Fantasy because the rules are a lot more lax. I'm still toying with what to do. Just want you all to know I appreciate the feedback so far. -- wbms

Hello :) I was sitting on the tarmac this past Sunday waiting for our plane to take off. An hour later, it finally did. By that time my boredom had created a character for me. I've got a great character. I need to plop him into a story. And therein lies the rub (to steal a clich?). I'm not sure WHAT genre to do. I was thinking Epic Fantasy. I've already done Urban Fantasy (that's where I put AWMS & IDAD). I've done Contemporary (ADIP). I can't write Murder very well -- besides Josh Aterovis owns that market. I refuse to do a Harlequin-type romance. So I've got science fiction, Epic Fantasy, Contemporary. What would people like to see me write. (If you think I suck at writing "nothing" is certainly a valid option). I'm being terribly indecisive and vacillating heavily. I'm just not quite sure what I want to do. My readers don't write, so I'm hoping some fellow authors will help me decide. Thanks! -- wbms I am not sure if this work will be for posting or not. But I write lots of stuff. I just don't post it all. I have to get a good feel about it before it sees the light of day.