C James

Hi Susan! We cross=posted so I'll repl;y here.. Thanks!! The Scar is, I will admit, up to something. I just can't say what. Thanks Susan!! CJ

Wow, you're fast, mike! Thanks!! I sent the files in to Joe late last night, and Joe posted them this morning, before I logged in. You saw them long before I did. Thanks Woody! The chapter was a bit shorter, by just a few hundred words. My chapters average about 6000, and this one ran in the mid 5000's. Part of that is that's just the way it turned out, but it could be (even I'm not sure) that I was in a hurry, trying to write it fast so I could get caught up again and back on schedule. Steve, fear not, I can assure you that no russian engineer by the name of Dimitri will be harmed in this story (Echidna, you can't make me into a pincushion for that, becuase there is no Russian engineer by the name of Dimitri, so that's no spoiler!) As for Vladimer, well, like some engineers I know, he's socially inept. Seriously, that's more common in engineers than you might think, especially when they're working on something and are distracted. And I must say, the ending of this chapter surely bears obvious fingerprints other than mine! Now, reverse the order of the key words (Which I just highlighted)... Yep, it's a Shadowgod Cliff hanger (being on a cliff means hanging off one, in this case) and he even signed it! (and the leader of the shadows is even named Steve!) Well, we all know that I never use cliffhangers, right? So it has to be Shadowgod, and in this case, he even signed it. Now, now, you did so do that! I recall several places where you've left us hanging for several chapters! Matt and those pills in LiS, for example, you left us hanging for several chapters as to whose they were, and what they were for. And, umm, please note here Shadowgod's use of "Even I", which in this context clearly means that he's at last embracing his role as King of Eeevil Cliffhangers! Hmmm?? Graeme, I don't know what you mean... Eric, plus Tequila, plus rock climbing.. What could possibly go wrong???? And as for ending a chapter with a paragraph containing the word "cliff", well, umm, I did that once before and that wasn't a cliffhanger... (In FTL, where the chapter ended with Steve's cries echoing off the cliffs, just after they'd been left to, um, work on their tans.)

Thank you Puppster!!! I always try and give a "real feel" to the environment in which I set a story, such as small-town Arizona in FTL, or the music biz in Let the Music play. For me as a writer, half the fun of writing is exploring different worlds from perspectives other than my own. Thanks very much Puppster, and welcome to the forum!! CJ

Mine is, first and foremost, that I'm a lurker and this almost never post anyway. The second is that I've been busy with both work and writing. Sleeping? But, Ieshwar, you're such a postaholic that I thought you posted even while sleeping? Lurking? Sorry BK, you can't be a lurker.. you post too much.

ACK!! Wildone!! I'm acknowledging nothing! never use cliffhangers! Everyone knows that... and if in doubt, please see rule #1 in the rules pinned at the top of the forum. And BTW, a while back the issue was rasied about Shadowgod sneaking cliffhangers into my stories, and that my "all errors are mine" statement in every chapter makes his cliffhangers my responsibility. Wrong! Only ERRORS are mine. I certainly wouldn't call Shadowgod's cliffhangers errors, so therefor, not my fault.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't understand what he's saying. Tob The question is, does Shadowgod understand what he's saying?

I dunno... I've been told that my flatulence is one of my better features. <looks at Graeme's picture> Ummm, well, spiney, and eats ants... That does fit. See? I keep telling ya The Scar is alturistic and has good intentions at heart.

Of course I have an aversion to cliffs; that's why I never use cliffhangers! And don't you worry, I'm still looking for a good Shadowgod quote, to go with the Wildone quote in my sig. Graeme, Wildone is correct; I can't comment on future plot happening of any sort, for fear of your spines!! We don't even know that The Scar is going to use the nuclear devices, let alone detonate them. Maybe he just wants them for unusual bookends? ROFL! Well, being put out to stud would, indeed, not be my cup of tea. LoL. However, I will note that I get constant threats RE becoming dinner around here, too. BTW, it was very inconsiderate of you to fly over Nevada and not Arizona; Just come a little closer next time, please.

Hi Jimmie! Sorry for the chapter delay; I've been trying like heck to get caught up, but my vacation really wrecked my writing schedule. The next chapter will be posted within 72 hours, and I should be returning to the regular tuesday posting every week thereafter. Or, you could just do like we all do around here: Blame Shadowgod. I really don't want to use a UT: I don't see how one could work without prior knowledge of a language, so to me it comes off like a cheap plot device. I've got some other ideas now on how to handle it, though. Yep.. I've seen examples of this in Russian; translate a sentence into Russian, then back to English, and you often get gibberish. For an example, look at how awful machine translation is; it is often nearly incomprehensible. Given a truly alien language, it would be far, far worse. I think I've figured it out how to handle it though.

Aww, I admit, I went on a slight bit of a posting spree. Yes, I, a lurker, actually posted a fair amount. Even a lurker can have an off day, right? I blame temporary insanity, I didn't really mean to post more than 80 posts that day. It's all Shadowgod's fault. Now, back to lurking...

Now, now, Wildone, were I truly seeking revenge, I'd be having The Scar heading for the Great White North. (Ahh, yes, I haven't forgotten what eeevil entity thought up the whole "Queen" lable... That's just EEevil...) Now, Wildone, when will you be passing over Northern Arizona as you fly from smogville to the Great White North? And, umm, on an entirely unrelated note, where did I put that missile... Hrmmm, Well, the Echidna won't let me discuss future happenings in the story, but, I can say one thing... Just how is it that a goat knows all the details of how to build a nuclear weapon? Cliffhangers? I'd never do such a thing... HAve you worked who Dimitri, the quirky, prickly foreigner with a few bad habits regarding airliners, is yet? Oddly enough, none of the team have ever been as harsh to me as Helen can be to the guys... Not saying I don't deserve it, but they haven't. BTW, bad news... There's been a delay in Ch 17 due to some changes that were needed. I'll guarantee it will be in Joe's inbox within 72 hours, but that's the best I can do. The good news, from my point of views, is that the delay in the posting schedule (I should be able to return to Tuesdays after next week) will allow me to rebuild the working buffer space. It often takes close to two weeks from when a chapter draft is written to when its ready to post, and rushing it is bad for everyone, as amongst other things it hurts the quality. I'll be sending Ch 19 into beta in a few hours (assuming I get some scenes polished how I want them) so I'm trying to get ahead again (that's the second chapter I've written this week). I figure that if I write a minimum of a chapter and a half a week, I'll soon get the breathing room back. CJ

Thanks Jan! Hard Sci-fi is IMHO far more limiting, as you are constrained by extrapolations of known science; no "shields", no "warp drive", etc. It also takes a lot of technical research to make sure the science is plausable, but that's half the fun. Lol, well, now can you find the other mention of 5k in the post.

That could work though I'll have to make some adaptions due to the plot. It's somewhat odd. Of course, if I do show alien "words" I might be tempted to include hidden messages (there are two in my first post in this thread, though one isn't in the dialog).

I'm open to any wording of the question, so neutral it is... However, based on last year's format, it would involve nominating a specific chapter for the authors in question, and it would be open to any chapter posted by a hosted author in 2007. I doubt we could use the term "monarch" or "king" though.. It doesn't fit the format we used last year. However, we could agree that whomever wins shall be entitled to the title of King of Eeeevil Cliffhangers... Or don't you want to put your title on the line? If not, we could go with "Reigning Monarch of Eeevil Cliffhangers" Would that suffice?

Well, oh Shadowy one... I think this is an excellent idea! Perhaps we could call the category "Most devastating cliffhanger in a hosted story in 2006"? Does that sound agreeable? Would you agree to abide by the results?

I'm a lurker, I tell ya, a lurker... I'm just... Misunderstood. Seriously everyone, thanks.

It's not a theory, it's a fact (seriously) and I can prove it; it's the way invision board works. I made no claims other than that your count was inaccurate, which it was.

Why, hrmmm, nobody here has, actually. However, i do plan to attend the next GA get-together.

Sorry to dissapoint you, BK, but that's not accurate, and I don't mean becuase of the time since you took it; it wasn't accurate when you took it, either. Due to the way the GA software works, you only see a count of the posts someone makes in the forums which you can see . For example, if Jan makes five posts in the WST forum, you won't see the posts, of course, but you also won't see those five reflected in his daily post count (but they are in his total post count). What this means is that two users can look at that list at the same instant, and see different numbers. That's how I know for a fact it';s not accurate; I made some posts in the WST and elsewhere today, which will not be in that count. So, so sorry!

Of course he could! He gets the chapter drafs in .doc format, so he has ample opportunity to sneak in cliffhangers.

Nope, you said postwhore, your title says you aren't a postaholic, which you most certainly are. (34 posts so far today!!)

Ahh, but in FTL, you forget that Shadowgod has this habit of inserting cliffhangers.. And BTW, were you not aware of the FORUM RULES?

I do try and keep the rules to a minimum, but we do need a few. Rule #1: All bad things are Shadowgod's fault. So are, of course, Cliffhangers. Rule #2: When in doubt, see rule #1. Rule #4: Joe is Evil! Thanks you. CJ

Regrettably, I've never met Shadowgod in person. And converting goat years into human years is bound to cause some confusion.

So was I... Remember, Shadowgod is the anonymous beta reader for FTL, so he could sneak in cliffhangers.