Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

Frank, at the bottom (or in your profile), you can specify how far back to display the threads. You can specify up to "from the beginning." So if you want to see ALL 118 pages, you should do a "show from beginning."

That's what I have showing Ray. The problem is that it shows pages 1 through 20-something, then scrolls off my page. I can't click on any that go outside my screen. I guess what I should do is just have it show the last 10 or something.

Hmmm, you should be able to scroll your window to see the runoff pages...

Chunky!?

Learning Curve

It'll take all of us a while to learn how to use the new board.

DOH!

Didn't try scrolling the whole window. That works. Thanks Ray.

And here I was congratulating myself for my techno-wizardry for figuring out the sig thing in under 3 hours....

Hi guys. I sent you a personal message on this Frank, but Ray has it dead on. I don't have all the admin controls yet, but there should be (I hope) a way to make the page list in a thread like this behave the same way as the thread list does when viewing a forum, with the little arrows at each end to let you move back and forth.

This kind of stuff is what I believe Jenna wants me to be able to play with. We just hafta get me them-thar controls.

Working on it

I just submitted a bunch of questions to vBulletin, including that one. I can't find any options for page numbers-- either to wrap them or to condense them so it looks like

1 2 3... (last)

And am trying to also get Chunky to have full admin powers so he'll be able to play with things like this, too.

Just wanted to let those in charge know that the wrap problem looks fine on my computer... hopefully the changes you made are permanent!

By the way, Jenna, the place looks great!

I Fixed It!!

I'm so proud! I fixed the wayward page numbers!

Also am working on changing the defaults on all the boards so you see all threads instead of just threads from the last 30 days.

I'm so proud of you, Jenna.

Hello? I just got on board. What a nice way to start a Saturday afternoon. Do I have to subscribe to be able to use an avitar?

Avatars

Hi Pat,

Once you get to 50 posts and keep a reputation score of at least 10 (which basically just means you haven't caused any trouble ), you'll become a "Super Member" and get some extra "powers," like being able to choose an avatar and custom title, and the power to add events to the calendar.

Just to keep this thread clean, though (my fault, too), please direct any other questions about the new boards over to the "Water Cooler Changes and Announcements" board.

Oh my...

Lurking for about a week, but I need to surface for a little air....I'm on 124 of the old forum...eyes...hurt....must...keep reading.....

Great job, you've inspired me to start again...

I'll be back soon...I hope.

:|

Mike

Hello. I read the whole thread months ago and lurked ever since. I took the board switchover as an omen to finally register.

Ok, caught up at last

Uncle Jim et al,

I've made through 142 of the original posts and the forum switch over (which occurred literally while I walked from one computer to th other in my home...now THAT took a few minutes to figure out!), and I hope I'm ready to ask questions and contribute.

Firstly, let me say that I am really impressed with the quality of the advice and pointers here. Uncle Jim, you have inspired me to take up writing, something I haven't done in years and had almost forgotten I enjoyed. Your advice had me saying "Yes,Yes YES!" "Of Course" and "That's brilliant" on almost every page.

I must say that some of the interactions in the forum where fodder for a book themselves...the "weird thread" and "Chris" who took your challenge of the Knight Story and was upset by the critique.

Man, talk about conflict!

Anyway, I'm off to scribble down some story and charcter ideas for my first BIC session in 15 years tomorrow morning.

Later.

BTW, I have an interesting book called What if? by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter (1990, HarperPerenials) with some neat writing excercises I might try...Uncle Jim have you heard of it? If so, what do you think?

Mike

I'm confused but I'm glad this thread survived.

Argh!

This forum doesn't have a very useful search function, either.

I'm trying to find a discussion of why writers shouldn't register their copyright on works they're submitting to publishers. I want to link to if for a nice fellow on another message board, but I'm coming up with bupkiss.

Can anyone remember where these discussions happened?

No, I can't remember, but the reason you don't want to do it is because A) the publisher will register the copyright for you and B) if you do register it before it's ever sold, you look like an amateur who has no faith in the publishing industry. A lot of people copyright because they don't know any better and they are afraid that the publisher will steal their idea, which is silly, because as soon as a publisher did that, then nobody credible would submit to them. There might be other reasons too, but I can't remember what they are.

On Copyrights

I don't know where it is either, but I seem to recall someone mentioning that it would look bad if, for example, you registered copyright in 2001 but didn't sell the novel right away, and it's still out there making the rounds in 2005. Might make some publisher wonder what's wrong with it.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

Cindy

Copyright

The discussion happened in the old board.

The reasons are:

a) It's unnecessary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is fixed in tangible form
b) It's unnecessary. No one is going to steal an unpublished book. (Several reasons for this, the chiefest one being that anyone who thinks it's publishable not only wants this work but wants your next one too.) If it's good enough to steal it's good enough to buy.
c) It will tell folks that your manuscript has been in your desk drawer or in the slushpile for the last ten years.
d) The pros don't do it.
e) Who wants to waste thirty bucks on something that's going to get rejected anyway?

To go along with this -- only submit your manuscript to legitimate publishers. You and they have similar interests: You both want to sell books to readers. Legitimate publishers have the practical ability to do it; and they need you.

On a related note, there's no point worrying about people stealing your ideas. And copyrighting a work is not going to protect your ideas anyway. They're a dime a dozen. What's rare is a well written, fully-realized manuscript.

Hello, newbie here

I am having a wonderful time reading through the lessons. However, even with staying up 'til the wee hours, I am only up to page 34. I'm not sure that I will ever be a novelist but I am writing again and find the lessons quite helpful. Has anyone indexed Uncle Jim's lessons somewhere so that they might be read straight through? I'm not too lazy to go through all 119 pages (and certainly shall in time) but I would like to be able to follow the syllabus separately in a more structured fashion.

Dawn

(apropos of very little)

I love your sig, Dawn. That's from Hogfather, isn't it? One of my favourite Discworld books- anything with plenty of Death has got to be good for you.

Word documents have certainly been compiled, comprising all UJ's invaluable posts, but it would have to up to him to make them available, I think?

I would definitely be interested in such a file, too. So much great information here!