Obsessive Rep Point Checkers Club (Volume VI)

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

This is just a pic off the internet (not my actual shoe, coz it's not with me right now!), but these are the ones:

The green's more green than it looks in this pic, though.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

It doesn’t snow here and I don’t wear snow boots, usually. Just fashion boots. But I’m going to go home to visit my family for Christmas as it will be very cold and snowy, so I broke down and bought true winter boots.

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Ohhhhh, those are cute!

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

Here’s mine.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

Nice shoes, BF!

Ajaye, snow looks pretty for about the first 20 minutes - as long as you don't have to be out in it, freezing your tail off. Then it starts getting dirty and gross. I'm very happy to never have to see snow again aside from in pictures!

Also... I need a bigger kitchen (with more cupboards). LOL

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Those boots look nice and warm, Lil. No frozen toes for you!

Southpaw · Oct 12, 2017

Ya'll take [that should be talk, but ya know how it goes] too much! :ROFL:

Jaymz Connelly said:
Morning all!

Hey, Mags! Long time no see! *ignores the fact I still am not seeing Mags cause she comes around when I'm sleeping* Glad you had an awesome holiday!

I did NaNo one year... didn't write for months afterward. Lil, how long has it been since you stopped reading? Maybe your brain just needs a break for words?

I was going to have fruit for brekkie... but my rockmelon went mouldy sitting on the table uncut. So I shall have my usual banana and... maybe nothing else. I'm not that hungry.

Yuck. I had beautiful white nectarines that went moldy on me too. Made me so sad.

Lillian_Blaire said:
Hey, guys! Sorry about your melon, Jay. My melons are big and plump. Or so I’ve been told.

I’ve been crocheting again today. Meh. I’m getting tired of it.

I haven’t read much in about two years, Jay. First because I was writing so much and now because I can’t seem to focus.

Been there. What help me was reading non-fiction.

Lillian_Blaire said:
So, I've done a lot of thinking about what's changed for me as far as writing goes and as much as I want to blame NaNoWriMo on the burnout, it's more than that.

I think I'm a very social person, but in real life, I'm not able to connect with people the way I do online (especially with the people here on AW). So, before I joined AW, I had a lot of solo time. I spent the time I waited for my kids in the carpool line jotting notes down in a notebook. Evenings, after the kids went off to do their own thing, I'd write. Writing is solitary. But once I joined AW and made friends, that writing time was usually spent here and while it filled my need for socialization, I admit it hasn't been great for my actual writing.

BUT, I don't know that I'd change anything. I like it here, I love you guys, I've been a lot less lonely the past year. So, while my writing may have taken a bit of a hit, I haven't really minded. Except that I really SHOULD write and I want to write.

Also, my kids started complaining that writing took up all my time, that I didn't give them the attention they needed. Lots of things got put off so I could write. So, I also made the conscious decision to write less (and to spend less time on AW and reading, as well). I've also painted less, too. It's a balancing act and since I can't do everything (I don't have the time), I tend to rotate through my hobbies. Right now I'm spending a lot of time crocheting. Next month is might be painting. In six months I may go back to writing again. Who knows. I love doing so many things that I have to juggle them. You know?

And, the other thing is, I started a manuscript that I loved and got lots of positive feedback for (I've had three people beta read the first few chapters)...but as the story progressed, it required more and more research and there was some action writing I couldn't managed very well. Then the story morphed into something unrecognizable and before I knew it, I'd lost my direction. It was off to such a good start and then it just...fizzled. And so I lost motivation.

Mostly I really liked writing erotic scenes but even that has lost its appeal the past year. I dunno what's happened to me. I really don't.

I'm not social. Maybe because I hate people? Just Kidding! I am way more social online than off.

be frank said:
Lol. Sorry, got distracted.

I bought new shoes!

Lil! There you go. How about a sex seen in a shoe store?

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

Hey, Southy! :hi:

I would be very upset if I had white nectarines and they went bad!

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

Lillian_Blaire said:
Here’s mine.

Nice! And bonus points coz they're called "Outback."

Southpaw said:
I am way more social online than off.

I suspect that's true of all of us. We're all RL introverts, the lot of us!

Southpaw said:
Lil! There you go. How about a sex seen in a shoe store?

Now there's a plan!

Give me strength, guys. I have to make a phone call to the air con repair place, and I don't wanna. I was supposed to do this months ago. Oops.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

You can do it, BF!

Sex in a shoe store? Is that too Married With Children? Hmmmm. Maybe I could make that work.

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

Oh god. Now I'm picturing Al Bundy.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

You can do it, BF! :e2cheer:

I've bowed to the wisdom of the crowd... new food processor is in the cupboard.

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be frank said:
Oh god. Now I'm picturing Al Bundy.

Well, that's a mood killer right there.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

Sorry. Sorry.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

All food is finally back in the cupboards in the new location. Now it'll do Mr C's head in when he comes home from his surf. :evil

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

Good work on the food processor, Jay! Just enjoy it!

Okay, I made my phone call. Our downstairs reverse-cycle a/c unit has been unresponsive for about a year. We meant to get it sorted before summer, but those months disappeared really fast! It went from "no rush" to "holy shit, it's mid-October!" We weren't sure whether the unit just needs a service/repair or if it's stuffed. When the lady heard what POS brand it was (it came with the house) she said they wouldn't even bother trying to repair it.

Which means we'll need to buy and install a new one. And since installation / labour is the expensive part, as opposed to the actual unit, we'll probably replace all three at the same time. Sigh.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

Wow, yeah, you left it late to get the A/C fixed, BF.

Sucks that it's such a crappy one they don't bother repairing it. I hope you can get a new one in place before the really hot weather arrives.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

Sounds like a hassle, BF. Sorry.

Okay, I have a writing question. How do you, personally, feel about flashbacks in a book? Originally in my ms, my MC had PTSD that caused flashbacks. It was through those flashbacks that the reader learned about the character’s past, what happened, why he was so screwed up. I had some beta readers who liked it, but one in particular said it broke up the story too much, pulled her out of the story. So I took them all out. The problem is, it left the character feeling one-dimensional to me. And then I ended up sort of info-dumping his story. I’m unhappy with the results.

Any opinions? I’m just curious what you guys think of books that flashback or perhaps have an alternating timeline. I want to add the flashbacks back into the story and make it work. But is that stupid? Can it work? I dunno...

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

I procrastinated. My bad! We only use this unit maybe 5 (?) times a year, if that. Our house is pretty well insulated, so we only need the downstairs aircon when we get a stretch of really hot days. It starts getting pretty uncomfortable after ~ 3-4 days of 35+.

Anyway, they're coming out to give a quote next week. This should be an easier job than the one we replaced in our bedroom last year. At least this is on the ground floor, and the outdoor unit is right behind it (the one in our bedroom was a far more complicated job).

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

Lillian_Blaire said:
Sounds like a hassle, BF. Sorry.

Okay, I have a writing question. How do you, personally, feel about flashbacks in a book? Originally in my ms, my MC had PTSD that caused flashbacks. It was through those flashbacks that the reader learned about the character’s past, what happened, why he was so screwed up. I had some beta readers who liked it, but one in particular said it broke up the story too much, pulled her out of the story. So I took them all out. The problem is, it left the character feeling one-dimensional to me. And then I ended up sort of info-dumping his story. I’m unhappy with the results.

Any opinions? I’m just curious what you guys think of books that flashback or perhaps have an alternating timeline. I want to add the flashbacks back into the story and make it work. But is that stupid? Can it work? I dunno...

Lol. Well, yanno, loads of my MS's backstory gets filled in through nightmares/flashbacks from a deeply traumatised person, so I'm biased!

But it does depend on the book and the story and how it's done. A lot of backstory isn't actually needed, unless it's relevant to the story itself. Like, does it move the story along, or is it there as a cheat to shortcut explanations that either aren't needed or could be shown through the character's actions/reactions and narration?

TL;DR: it's amazing how little backstory you actually need.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

What about having the character just recalling the event without an actual flashback? I mean, his PTSD is central to his character and a big part of the story so I don’t see flashbacks as being out of sync with the story. If that makes sense.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

Lillian_Blaire said:
Sounds like a hassle, BF. Sorry.

Okay, I have a writing question. How do you, personally, feel about flashbacks in a book? Originally in my ms, my MC had PTSD that caused flashbacks. It was through those flashbacks that the reader learned about the character’s past, what happened, why he was so screwed up. I had some beta readers who liked it, but one in particular said it broke up the story too much, pulled her out of the story. So I took them all out. The problem is, it left the character feeling one-dimensional to me. And then I ended up sort of info-dumping his story. I’m unhappy with the results.

Any opinions? I’m just curious what you guys think of books that flashback or perhaps have an alternating timeline. I want to add the flashbacks back into the story and make it work. But is that stupid? Can it work? I dunno...

Flashbacks, the way you say you had them and for the reason you had them can be very effective. A flashback that is just to provide information that happened before the story can be rather annoying-- in those instances I'd say find a different way to provide the reader with historical information. BUT

Your flashbacks are a result of the PTSD your MC is suffering, so it makes a lot of sense to have them and gives the reader insight into what happened to make him such a mess. I say add them back in.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

I wasn’t aware of that, BF. I’m sure you’ve done a great job of it. I’m wondering if it was, perhaps, simply poor writing on my part that caused this particular person to find the flashbacks jarring.

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

Thanks, Jay. Yeah, I felt they happened pretty naturally, you know. But it’s hard to know what advice to take from betas and what to ignore.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

BF - Yeah, it's difficult to remember to get something fixed when you use it so infrequently. Hopefully they can get it replaced for you quickly.

Lil - What about a happy medium? Include flashbacks for the main problems, but then where you had a flashback that wasn't so integral previously, just have someone else find him in a quivering mess (or whatever) and have him explain (e.g. "Flashback to Afghanistan." and the other character says, "Shit, man, that sucks." (eloquent dialogue, eh? *G*))

Lillian_Blaire · Oct 12, 2017

You know, when I tried to query my ms, a few people commented on things they thought were cliché. At the time, I was a bit taken aback by that because I’d tried so hard NOT to be. now I’m seeing how certain aspects could, indeed, seem cliché, and now I’m overwhelmed by the idea of trying to change some of the core backbone of the story. I dunno. This is a big reason why i haven’t been writing. I get overwhelmed and stressed out and shut down.

Jaymz Connelly · Oct 12, 2017

Lillian_Blaire said:
Thanks, Jay. Yeah, I felt they happened pretty naturally, you know. But it’s hard to know what advice to take from betas and what to ignore.

And that is the crux of the matter. Ultimately, I think you need to write the story that makes YOU happy. Also, just because one beta had a problem with something, and you have three, and the other two didn't have a problem... well, that may indicate that it's that beta's problem and not a problem with your story.

be frank · Oct 12, 2017

Remember, the beta was only one person. The others didn't have a problem with it. There's every chance your flashback scenes were fine, it just wasn't this particular person's cup of tea. It happens. At the end of the day, it's your book and your story. Take other opinions into account, but trust your gut.

Eek. I just posted the first three sentences of my new shiny. It's been forever since I posted any of my own writing on AW. I'm strangely nervous!

Obsessive Rep Point Checkers Club (Volume VI)

not a bloke, not named frank

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

The squirrel apocalypse is coming!

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

not a bloke, not named frank

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

not a bloke, not named frank

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

not a bloke, not named frank

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

not a bloke, not named frank

not a bloke, not named frank

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

not a bloke, not named frank