The Vent and Rant Thread

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

There was a couple of wonderful examples of this recently on KB... all was fine until someone threw in a legitimate critique and the thread rapidly degenerated into a series of mud-slinging events.

Which is why I tend to avoid such things. Life is too short to waste on that sort of nonsense.

I know folks who write for a living. Delicate egos are all very well, but they need to sell their work, want good editors to help in the process, and participate in writer's groups with other writers to get critiques.
______
Dennis

[wyndslash]

My friend and I plan to co-author a book, but we haven't really worked out the details yet. It would be a good experience, I think.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

yeah, i encounter those people too. i've beta-ed for a few writers before, and they seemed appreciative. i am by no means a professional editor, but it always helps to have someone else look at your work.

It certainly does. If nothing else, it tells you whether people are getting the story you are trying to tell.

Too many would be writers have delicate egos, and just can't tolerate suggestions that their writing could use improvement. Sorry, but getting professionally published is about rejection. You can assume you'll get rejected a lot before you start hitting the target, and you'll continue to be rejected even after you've been professionally published. Nobody hits the ball every time. The best hitters swing and miss far more often than not. If you can't accept that, you shouldn't try to write.
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

My friend and I plan to co-author a book, but we haven't really worked out the details yet. It would be a good experience, I think.

If you can do it, it will be. (It will certainly test your friendship. )

Spend time working out the details, and nailing down exactly what you plan to write, how you plan to accomplish it, and who will be responsible for what. Is your friend close enough you can do this primarily in person, or will it be a long-distance collaboration?
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

But for those interested:
http://www.biancavanwilligenburg.nl
And blog:
http://www.biancavanwilligenburg.nl/wordpress

It's bare bones, but you have to start somewhere, and it's a solid foundation.

I followed a few of your links. Brighthand is a site I've been active on as well, though not recently. I still have and use a PDA.
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Mortis

I am also a firm believer that you can't make a good manager, they are born, just like good leaders. You can however make a good leader a bad manager by sending them to a bunch of high priced seminars, a night MBA perhaps, god forbid they by "Management Books"

You can't make a good manager, but you can try to improve bad ones.

I think the classic analysis of the problem was the one Lawrence J. Peter gave in "The Peter Principle", where the basic issue was that people were promoted to their level of incompetence. Folks who should never be managers get put into managerial slots because there isn't another growth path.

The most common example is technology, where good engineers get promoted to supervisors and things rapidly degrade. Engineers are good at dealing with rational problems and things that behave in predictable ways. Managers have to deal with human beings, who are often neither.
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Dennis

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

If you can do it, it will be. (It will certainly test your friendship. )
Spend time working out the details, and nailing down exactly what you plan to write, how you plan to accomplish it, and who will be responsible for what. Is your friend
close enough you can do this primarily in person, or will it be a
long-distance collaboration?
______
Dennis

Long distance, unfortunately. We've talked about it a few times but can't seem to agree on a final plotline yet.

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

I've heard somewhere that publishers are now only getting the first 100 pages or so done in an edit, I suppose it's enough to draw the person into buying and "who cares after that, job done, sale made".

The financial pain of getting an edit is quite a lot - that said we pushed ours through, cost quite a bit (over $1000) and subsequently followed up with a proof from another person. It costs but it does also give one a bit more of a sense of security when putting the book out.

Paul.

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but if there's some bad editing, faults and all that; it doesn't bother me. If the story is good, I just read on and it is as annoying=, a coffee-stain. But I guess I'm one of the few, as I sometimes see some angry posters about bad editing.

[nohmi2]

Originally Posted by desertblues

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but if there's some bad editing, faults and all that; it doesn't bother me. If the story is good, I just read on and it is as annoying=, a coffee-stain. But I guess I'm one of the few, as I sometimes see some angry posters about bad editing.

Ditto.

Cheers

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

It's bare bones, but you have to start somewhere, and it's a solid foundation.

I followed a few of your links. Brighthand is a site I've been active on as well, though not recently. I still have and use a PDA.
______
Dennis

As I said, I made a nice website when I was house-sitting for three weeks and didn't have a back up. When I got home my notebook refused to start and I suspect it's the hdd that has died. Since then Wordpress has become more powerful so I think I am going to move my blog to the front page and try to learn more about WP and the available plug ins.

[nohmi2]

Okay!!

Here's my Vent and Rant.

I am sick of 'Geographical Restrictions'

I have been into three ebook sellers for a book which I particularly want to read, only to be told that it's not available in Australia.

Why? I honestly cannot find a rational explanation for business' to turn away cash paying customers.

It's enough for readers to turn to the 'dark side' or else to quietly put a curse on said business.

Quietly cursing.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by nohmi2

Okay!!

Here's my Vent and Rant.
I am sick of 'Geographical Restrictions'

Angry? Me too! But first change the term to Geographical Isolationism!

I went to my bank today to get some information about making an international wire transfer, bank to bank. Seemed to me that this should be a fairly common thing that banks do, right? Wrong!

I began with the Information desk. All smiles until she understood what I wanted, then she had to go and get her supervisor. I had just spent 15 minutes trying to explain that all I needed was the routing codes for an international wire transfer. We see it on TV all the time; the executive says into the phone, "OK, it's a deal. I'll wire you the 14 billion dollars. Give me your bank details." Or about the crook... "He only had the funds in his bank for 30 seconds, then he wired them through three different off-shore accounts." If they can do it, why can't I?

So I had to explain all over again to the supervisor, another 15 minutes, then the two of them had to conference for another 10 minutes before the supervisor went off to find HIS manager and bring him back. Then I had to explain all over again to this manager. Why neither the Information person or her supervisor couldn't tell the manager, I'll never understand. Their Japanese is certainly better than mine...

Well, the manager, the supervisor, and the Information person all conferred for another 10 minutes, all very serious sounding, before deciding that they needed the manager of the bank. So he was brought in. And I had to repeat the problem again... But... and here is why this guy is the Big Manager... he IMMEDIATELY knew that he didn't have a clue how to handle the problem, and called the main office in Tokyo, and foisted it off on them! Then he handed me the phone.

I explained once more to the person on the other end of the phone, who said "Of course, sir. Here are the routing details," and gave me all the information I needed. With all this effort, I sure wish I was transferring 14 billion dollars...


Stitchawl

[nohmi2]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Angry? Me too! But first change the term to Geographical Isolationism!

I went to my bank today to get some information about making an international wire transfer, bank to bank. Seemed to me that this should be a fairly common thing that banks do, right? Wrong!

I began with the Information desk. All smiles until she understood what I wanted, then she had to go and get her supervisor. I had just spent 15 minutes trying to explain that all I needed was the routing codes for an international wire transfer. We see it on TV all the time; the executive says into the phone, "OK, it's a deal. I'll wire you the 14 billion dollars. Give me your bank details." Or about the crook... "He only had the funds in his bank for 30 seconds, then he wired them through three different off-shore accounts." If they can do it, why can't I?

So I had to explain all over again to the supervisor, another 15 minutes, then the two of them had to conference for another 10 minutes before the supervisor went off to find HIS manager and bring him back. Then I had to explain all over again to this manager. Why neither the Information person or her supervisor couldn't tell the manager, I'll never understand. Their Japanese is certainly better than mine...

Well, the manager, the supervisor, and the Information person all conferred for another 10 minutes, all very serious sounding, before deciding that they needed the manager of the bank. So he was brought in. And I had to repeat the problem again... But... and here is why this guy is the Big Manager... he IMMEDIATELY knew that he didn't have a clue how to handle the problem, and called the main office in Tokyo, and foisted it off on them! Then he handed me the phone.

I explained once more to the person on the other end of the phone, who said "Of course, sir. Here are the routing details," and gave me all the information I needed. With all this effort, I sure wish I was transferring 14 billion dollars...


Stitchawl

I wanted to give you some Karma for such a terrific rant, but I have to spread it around to others first.

Cheers

[LCF]

Originally Posted by nohmi2

Okay!!

Here's my Vent and Rant.

I am sick of 'Geographical Restrictions'

I have been into three ebook sellers for a book which I particularly want to read, only to be told that it's not available in Australia.

Why? I honestly cannot find a rational explanation for business' to turn away cash paying customers.

It's enough for readers to turn to the 'dark side' or else to quietly put a curse on said business.

Quietly cursing.

I totally agree!

Not books-related, but youtube gets more and more annoying.

1. A friend posts a video in facebook or here in the listening thread - I can't open it. I can't even see it's name, cause after clicking it it disappears. Well, seaching the link in google (or F5) spills out the performer and the title.
I go and search these in youtube - as expected, it's all there, just a different upload. Never, I mean NEVER was I unable to find the same video available. So the question is, why the stupid restrictions????!!!

2. Even more annoying, when you watch a video there is a list of similar/connected/whatever videos on the right side. But not all of them are available in my country. So, why do the advertise them to me, just so I can click and enjoy the "video not available in your country" sign?

[maianhvk]

@ LCF: woo hoo, that's the thing I've always want to rant about!! Youtube drives me insane everytime I want to watch a simple video. No it's not porn or anything black, just something from Eminem or another rapper and all I get is 'video is not available in your country', just like what you get.