kbois

This was a fun undertaking. Nelonius was Aaron's idea. I'm not sure if anyone ever picked up on it but Wythuf is a play on 'what the f**k' This story has a ton of shade lol.

That's a helluva way to start your vacation. I hope it's smooth sailing from here on out.

I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had anything to blog about. Today is the day to change all that. I am in a writing slump at the moment. I think a lot of factors have fed into this. Since the beginning of the year, I lost my job, started a new one, packed up and moved, downsizing from a decent size home to a very small condo. My son moved back in, which we weren’t planning on when we signed the lease on the condo. Tight is an understatement. On top of that, I’ve been battling issues with a chronically inflamed ankle tendon (posterior tibial tenosynovitis) since January, which is finally resolving. I went through five months of constant pain, and in the state of Florida, it’s easier to get pain meds for dogs than it is to get them for humans who need them. Overuse of NSAIDs brought their own issues. None of these things are conducive to productive writing. I tried my hand at a few things, the poetry anthology being one of them. Not my forte, but it was a good experience. Instead of writing, I’ve helped a few fellow authors out with editing and beta reading, which brings me to the guts of the blog. Writing, editing, and beta reading are three different things. Let me repeat myself... writing, editing, and beta reading are three different things. Let’s start with the first one. Writing Writing is creating stories. It’s bringing one’s imagination to life. It’s providing an outlet to the voices in one’s head. It’s whatever the AUTHOR wants it to be. Every story has an author. This site has plenty of them, whether they be spectacular, great, mediocre, or just starting out, and have no idea when to use commas. Editing Editing is providing support in the form of grammatical and spelling corrections. A good editor will make suggestions to improve the story— it might be adding a missed detail or maybe an alternate way of wording something, usually clarifying or simplifying. Occasionally, and this depends on the relationship between the author and the editor, an editor might add a few sentences to enhance the story—NOT change it. If there are significant changes that an editor feels are necessary, then a conversation should be had between the author and the editor. In the end, it’s the AUTHOR’s sole discretion as to whether or not they will implement ANY of the suggestions an editor makes, even the ones correcting spelling or grammar. The author may have a reason for leaving it in. Beta Reading This one can be trickier. It all depends on the author and the beta. Technically, a beta reader should provide feedback and constructive criticism of an author’s story. Some betas do just that. Others are more like second editors, often catching things that were overlooked. Every relationship between an author and their team is different. I’ve worked with probably 10-15 different people on my stories and theirs. Everyone is unique. The hardest thing a team can encounter is when the lines get blurred between the different designations. At the end of the day, every story must be credited to the author. They make the final decisions as to how they want their story posted. No matter who the support team is for any author, final credit must be attributed to the person who wrote the story. So, as you enjoy whatever story you’re invested in, please give credit where credit is due. Anything less or incorrect can lead to a rift between a team. This can happen with seasoned teams as well as those just starting. It can make any member of the team start doubting themself. Please keep this in mind when commenting or reviewing.

Sigh. No and no. As I've said before, this is tim's story. It was written in full long before I ever got my hands on it. Please don't credit me for any of this. An editor's job is to fine tune what the author has written--not rewrite it. I fix some grammatical stuff and make a suggestion here and there if I see something that needs to be addressed. If anything, it's an argument for tim writing Hide and Seek. Enjoy your vacation.

Ahhh... dinner went well. Everything else... not so much.

Have a great holiday!

That's downright balmy. Right now our "feels like" temperature is 106F (41C). This is mild compared to last summer.... we had 4 straight months of "feels like" temps of over 110F (43C) with very little rain which is unheard of for a Florida summer. At least this year we've had our normal rain almost every afternoon. I can't wait for hurricane season to be over. Hopefully this latest one isn't bad. Only 3.5 more months to go. Stay safe!

Nope... I overdid my intake of NSAIDS over the years for various aches and pains. It threw off my kidney function just enough that I'm not supposed to take any more anti-inflammatories. I haven't been told not to consume alcohol, but I figure if the kidneys aren't at 100%, I'd rather not risk damaging them any further. Now, it's just an occasional beer or margarita if we go out to eat.

In a dog park.

It's starting to feel like this guessing stuff is one of those logic puzzles. John, Mary, Bob, Susie and Joe are in a room. John does not have a red shirt on. Mary is wearing sandals. Bob has a pinstriped tie. Joe is looking up. Susie has a red shirt on. Who is drinking heavily?

Yep.... spreadsheets.

Why do I have the feeling you have multiple lists and spreadsheets cross-referencing authors/styles/ genres/ and who knows what else?

It's a shame that more readers don't vote. For the amount of members, there are only 25 votes total right now. It would be nice if more participated in the voting process. Hopefully, there will be a last minute rush. (Then maybe mine might get one vote)

I second that. First instincts are usually right.

Trust your instincts and if you have an HR department then report him, or your manager. At the very least they will investigate. If he is taking pictures of you without your permission it's harassment... plain and simple. He's also posturing if he stands over you anywhere close to your personal space. If push comes to shove... tell him to f**k off and call him out for creating a hostile work environment.

Still leaves the dilemma of which is which.

That the truth is out there.

Lemme go look.

I haven't decided yet what I'm voting for. There's a couple of front runners. I should probably reread them.

Authors shouldn't be allowed to vote. If we all vote for ourselves it just cancels them all out. But I guess there's no way of blocking it.

Has anyone explained to you how scales actually work? Lol

So far it's been a dumpster fire of a morning... but fingers crossed it'll change. (I'm not holding my breath) I hope everyone has a good day.

I love when people pay attention to my profile and heed the warning... 🤣🤣

This story is all tim. He's an amazing writer, both stories and poetry. All I did was make a few suggestions here and there, and curse every time my Grammarly program prompted me to change colour to color. I'm a far cry from a celebrity anywhere in this world. I merely enjoy interacting with other GA members. Those who follow me do so at their own risk.