LJCC

YouTube knows you gay boy. It's time to come out. Also, if I'm filming something like a naked touchy-feely scene with a woman and I'm getting a boner, I may be straight. *glares at Taylor Zahkar-Perez* Just saying...

Now I want to read this. I'm a masochist.

William Shatner wrote a book? HAHAHAHAHA. Wiki says: TekWar is a series of science fiction novels created by Canadian actor William Shatner, ghost-written by American writer Ron Goulart... Uhuh. Makes sense now. 😂

My story's also been featured: (Commercial incoming) Nearly a year later, I still haven't finished my story, The Third Longest Date. Haha.

Dress like a computer. After dinner, say, "Encode me." I'm sure he'll start programming you. A 100%.

True. Alpha readers are generally your editor, in a sense, because if he or she is providing feedback on your partially finished or drafted work while constructing commentary regarding the overall theme of your writing/novel, then they're also an alpha reader. Like they'd give feedback on what's working or what feels weak in the overarching theme of your story. For example, the pacing at the start feels weak and needs to be more punchy, or the plot is great until you swing the story to the far left of the totem pole, where it suddenly shifts into a dramedy that feels off---stick to drama. On the other hand, beta readers are usually used near the end of the finish line. Like publishing companies would hire 3 or 5 Beta Readers then set up a panel interview to get feedback on the drafted manuscript. Their feedback is essential as the penultimate step before the last and final edit before the novel is set to production. It's also hard to find beta readers willing enough to provide constructive criticism on an unfinished manuscript, ESPECIALLY if they're unpaid. They approach your writing as casual readers, reflecting the entirety of your reader base, where their feedback revolves around inconsistencies and overall character mapping and story plotting like: Is X supposed to be dumbass? X keeps doing the same shit and it's pissing me off. X is great until B shows up. Is X meant to be written like this? If yes, then why? I have a friend who had a beta reader say to his panel feedback session, "Is your protagonist supposed to be an idiot? He keeps 'curling' his lips. Does he have a tick?" And then he realised upon inspection that he kept putting dialog tags and description as, "he curled his lips" 28x throughout his novel. 😂 Beta readers are meant to be brutally upfront. Otherwise, you're not getting what you paid for. Because the assumption is, what they're thinking is what your readers will be saying.

How dare you remind me that I'm getting older!

There's no espionage. 😢I can't see my story.

Two of my favorite things.

Mr. Penguin looks like someone's divorced uncle who is going through his fourth divorce hearing.

Haha. Thanks for your patronage. That'd be $25.99 for my OnlyFans subscription. I'd probably finish this early next year.

I hate listening to this song. It makes me feel in love with someone I have yet to meet.

I wonder when I will finish my story.

I also have issues like this with the current story I'm writing, where pockets of the narrative are set in the present tense. One line in a paragraph is written in past tense, so I have to be hyperaware. You might have some success passing your work on online editing software (like Grammarly, Quillbot, or Pro Writing Aid) for a quick touchup regarding tense issues, commas, or spelling, even. But treat it with caution. Using it critically can be beneficial. Tools like Grammarly are primarily designed for business writing, not creative work, so it’s important not to follow their recommendations blindly. It's the most basic form of editor's help you can get. It's not very succinct or particular, but it gets the job done.

The tense shifting is really jarring. In one paragraph you have, "Eric said softly, his voice full of sincerity." Then, on the next, the readers get, "I lean in and kiss you passionately, feeling the depth of our connection stir something profound within me. As I pull away, my voice is filled with sincerity." The tense switching is on and off throughout the story. It's really throwing me off .😐