ricky

I'm actually at about 80-90 % so far.

I'm just intuitive. I get an itch usually just before a chapter arrives. Usually within a day or two. I post it to track how accurate I am. Let's call it an experiment.

Well don't ya think he SHOULD? I mean why discriminate? lol I'm getting an itch from Mark. That means another chapter is about to emerge.

Told ya. A great chapter as always Mark. And a brilliant battle. I love a good battle and we haven't had a good one for a while so this was well received. I am a little confused. When did we acquire Mr Clifton again at sea? I would think that Granger would have hosted him to his bed more often were he there. The last I saw of him was in the beginning when they had to deal with the Treadway bit. But I was under the impression he went back ashore. If was just odd to hear him given orders during the battle.

A great and scary story. Loved it.

I'm not sure that I understand in the context of the story. Rereading Master and commander and Granger tells Calvert to weigh anchor and "I want all plain sail set." How is that different then what they would normally do? And here I did not go back to ascertain which plane /plain was used as I am listening to it, not reading it.

Oh yes, a sea battle is a must! Westie, another question. This time on a term. "All Plain Sails" Was thinking that I didn't really know it I understood the term. Is that all the square or rectangular sails? Minus studding sails and such?

Thanks for that. I guess that I didn't see it as him having joined the Royal Navy as much as attached to them for a period of time to learn. And they had their own navy but I did not know how large or feared they might be at this time. We have guest nations serve to learn here all the time and they continue to wear the uniforms of their country so not having any other point of reference made me question. Thanks for clearing that up. And yes, I'm jealous. Lucky dog.

Hi Parker, Welcome. I thoroughly loved the story. You fleshed them out rapidly and completely. Most do not realize it but short stories are MUCH more difficult to write then are serial novels. Every word must count towards the story. No time or room for character or scene building in any detail. Little space to build the premise and execute it. You did that here as masterful as a well seasoned veteran of the quill. I noticed in one of your responses that they the characters, mostly wrote themselves. That shows you have the writers mindset and a good muse. Allow yourself to try a serial. Simply think of a situation or a "I wonder what if" circumstance, then write it and let your characters write the story. Don't worry about an arc or an outline. Just write about the journey they give you. You'll spot the end game or the target of the story along the way. If you're nervous, then write it completely before posting any of it. If you get stuck, go to the next point you see in your story and write it backwards to the place you got stuck. You're good. Really good. Don't let go of the drive or the dream.

It ran in my family. Intuition. Made me a little unpopular in high screwl. I was sitting in history once, and had a flash vision. poked Don, the kid in front of me. I had to say something, better to be wrong then to have regrets. This was a first but I recognized the vision as one of the ones that would come true. So Don turned around, he wasn't my friend, but not my enemy either. I was poor and an outcast, he was popular but not unkind. I simply said, "Don, you can't go. If you do Diane will die." The bell rang and they immediately had a fight in the hall over who opened their mouth about cutting school and going to Marde Gras. He cornered me later and asked me WTF. I told him I had a Lucid dream. It was dark, raining a truck, a wreck and Diane would die. He promptly told me I was whacked. Long story short, they went, two weeks later Don and I sat on the steps of the school and cried. She was ejected during the wreck. It was exactly as I had described. People are always afraid you can see their secrets. It doesn't make you popular. For me it was just more isolation. I was a reminder to Don so he even avoided me. I learned to bury it. Or at least ignore it. There were many other times but that was one of the most significant ones. It's also how I knew every time my foster son was trying to commit suicide.I always knew. Got to him in time. 6 or 7 times at least. Thank God he stopped wanting to die. I love him and am so proud of him. He is doing well today. It's not something I really control. I'm much happier when it is used for things like new chapters. Like it's knowing the next chapter is already written and we won't have to wait as long. I think he could have posted them both together if he had desired. Just a feeling.

Glad to see I'm not losing my touch! A fantastic chapter Mark. And it looks like we may have some action at hand. I wonder if our prince will show up on deck in HIS royal uniform to be seen by the Orainians. Would that be enough to make them stop? Risking a war with his people? Just a thought. I don't know that he had uniforms of his own or had British one's made. Westie, how would that work? Would he wear his own countries uniforms? He's there on a temporary basis isn't he? Perhaps the squall will come up just the right time and give Granger the advantage he needs to thwart the enemy. Since they're not at war, taking prizes would not benefit them but it won't do for these barbarians with no sense of diplomacy or civilized behavior to have two ships of the line to constantly be belligerent with either. So they were looking for him, are they aware of the treasure? Now that would make the cheese more binding wouldn't it? How did they know they were coming? How did they know to watch for them? This is indeed an interesting development. Did Daventry's men run afoul and give up the information? Not many knew of the treasure. And this is a sizeable force, larger then normal for them and out to sea a good ways. More intrigue. Somehow I think the answers are written on cannon balls for this one though.

I'm getting that itch in my ear. That usually means a chapter is about to burst forth. I've had it for a couple days so it should be near. OR I just have itchy ears for some reason. Mark could be busy with life though as I've not seen any chapters for CAP posted either. I hope all is well with you and yours Mark.

Welcome! Lots to read here and a lot of things to do and to talk about. Settle in and enjoy. OR not. lol

Hi Ryan! Lots to read and people to interact with. The forums can be a great place to be more a part of the community. You'll find acceptance here and just a lot of good conversation. SO sit back and get comfortable. Finding your way around can be a little confusing at first, if you need help finding something just holler. Lot's of help here. Be welcome!

Graeme's spots is indeed a favorite of mine too and I am not a sports fan at all. In fact I feel ALL sports boil down o the same thing, give'em the round thing and they won't hurt ya. But he's got me hooked on Aussie football. The fact that they wear soccer shorts three sizes too small, their all buff doesn't play into it at all.

I don't trust him. He operates under the radar. Such men think nothing of leaving someone hanging. And although Granger is powerful but he is also powerful enough to withstand scandle especially if he feels he is doing something to benefit the king.

Welcome Rockbottom. The great thing about rockbottom is that the only direction left is up. Be welcome! Good people here and a welcoming community. Enjoy. R

Another great chapter. You know Mark I have learned so much about UK history from reading this story. The task of guessing what is next causes me to research significant events for the year. And it's amazing how many names I recognize in both birth's and death's for the year. And I'm enjoying it so very much, thank you. Names well known in the story like jardines, Robinson, Freemantle, Caendish, Darby. Fascinating! Now, As for the story. Still nothing from our elusive royal midshipmen! A red herring? Perhaps but not normally Mark's style. I wonder what will be next. I loved the battles of the smaller ships. I guess it's like that for the captain's too. The older they get the bigger the ship, the fewer the skirmishes. The longing for conquest! You've conveyed that very well Mark. Daventry's story is still not complete, there is much yet to occur. Loving it.

Another great chapter. Inching closer to another historic event. Which one I"m not sure. Time to research! Or I can ask Westie, he's faster and better then google. I still don't trust Daventry. Well done.

Comicality is a great writer. Be welcome!

High Jim and welcome. This has been approached before in some of the other books and I am sure that you were not here for that so let me fill you in on the reasons for it. It won't curb your frustrations but it will explain the reasons for it. The CAP series is completely fictional although it touches historical points in the timeline. That makes it a faster write. Part of what makes the HMS series so fantastic is it's attention to real life detail especially in regards to ship life. And it is woven neatly ind intricately into history and the great battles that have occurred. That being said, it requires a great deal more research to produce a chapter then the CAP series. And his incredible staff checks and rechecks the historical accuracy of things large and small. Things that may come back to bite the story in the ass if it was fudged. So yes it's frustrating to see the CAP chapters fly up like lego's in a 10 year olds hands but there is a reason for it. I hope this helps your understanding of it. He's not neglecting the story, he's just keeping the integrity to the incredible standard he has already set. If it's any consolation, I think four chapters of CAP is the most I've seen without a chapter of HMS. So we should see a chapter in the next few days I suspect. Once again Jim, welcome to our little family of HMS addicts, be welcome.

Hi Phillip, The PM feature is one of those things not open to new members until you have 5 posts in the forum. It's an anti-spam feature. And there are a few places in the forums that don't count. The only one I can remember at this time is the humor forum. Look under your avatar, right now you only have two active posts. Do three more and the Private messaging should open up to you. Cheers! r

Be welcome Phillip!

Do you want it all in one zip file so far and then just add a link for each chapter as it comes or would you like a link for each chapter? I'll make it happen. :-)

What, not gonna share it with us?