Writers' Workshop General Chat Thread

[Beth Pavell]

which doesn't allow copying to the clipboard for some reason.

I always assumed that was something to do with combating plagiarism

 

[diamondpearl876]

@diamondpearl876
So it is possible... cool! The only problem is that this would be rather difficult for stories from FF.net, which doesn't allow copying to the clipboard for some reason. It would also be great to have an app or site feature that converts fics into Word or PDF documents automatically, especially for long, 100,000+ word fics on sites with lots of extra content and formatting. I'd develop one myself if I had the know-how and motivation to do so, but...

Oh, right. The only fic I got from FF.net, I just asked the author for their Word version so I could read it. At any rate, there's definitely ways around it with all the file converters out there these days, but... I don't know a short, easy way.

 

[Misfit Angel]

I always assumed that was something to do with combating plagiarism

Which is hilarious, since there are several sites out there that mirror FF.Net's entire database and (seem to) regularly update it with the new stuff.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Certainly makes trying to review that much more of a nuisance when you can't easily quote from the text

 

[AceTrainer14]

It's made me a lot more motivated to read fanfics, because my eyes get strained very easily by the computer and you can basically read fanfic anywhere you want, even without internet access.

Though obviously as a moderator, you advocate reading everything on Bulba when possible

 

[Beth Pavell]

Apparently I've only used the word "tenacious" twice in well over 100,000 words of story - which is odd because I could have sworn I'd overused it

 

[canisaries]

so i've got a question about the review game... is the system really so that you review the former, then request a review on your own stuff, and then the review you get is posted only after the review is done? there's no way to call dibs (and, say, have that expire in like a week or month if the reviewer forgets or never delivers)? because the current system sounds like it's pretty prone to ninja-ing, and it's not really fair for either whomever got ninja'd or whoever ninja'd them, since only one of them will end up receiving the next person's review.

(also, if i have a series of loosely connected one-shots, can/do i post them in the same thread?)

wasn't sure where these questions would go so i put them here.

 

[Beth Pavell]

In practice, the Review Game just doesn't move on quickly enough for that to be a problem. I can't remember the last time it moved on within the space of a week, put it that way

 

[canisaries]

i just assumed it was so because some fics are pretty long and take a while to review

 

[Beth Pavell]

I seem to recall something in the rules about requesting reviews for long stories

 

[diamondpearl876]

so i've got a question about the review game... is the system really so that you review the former, then request a review on your own stuff, and then the review you get is posted only after the review is done? there's no way to call dibs (and, say, have that expire in like a week or month if the reviewer forgets or never delivers)? because the current system sounds like it's pretty prone to ninja-ing, and it's not really fair for either whomever got ninja'd or whoever ninja'd them, since only one of them will end up receiving the next person's review.

(also, if i have a series of loosely connected one-shots, can/do i post them in the same thread?)

wasn't sure where these questions would go so i put them here.

I've never seen someone get ninja'd myself, but it's possible. The problem with calling dibs is then, if the person who called dibs disappears, the review game drags on even longer. And as Beth Pavell said, it tends to drag on a bit as it is. I wouldn't see an issue with posting to ask if anyone's already in the process of writing a review, but I'd double check with @AceTrainer14 on that one.

And yes, one-shot series should go in the same thread, unless the one-shots are completely unrelated, in which case you can post them separately if you want.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Well. Made the silly mistake of wandering into a bookshop again today. I'll put aside my usual bellyaching over the selection of history books and instead say - did not know Ian Mortimer had done another Time Traveller's Guide! I have high hopes for A Time Traveller's Guide to Restoration Britain - his Guides to Medieval and Elizabethan England are both really very well crafted overviews of life in those times

 

[canisaries]

alright, i see. i'll remember that all. thanks

 

[diamondpearl876]

alright, i see. i'll remember that all. thanks

Yepp. If you forget, feel free to PM one of the mods or hit us up again in the rulebook thread. 8)

 

[Nitro Indigo]

How do I report technical problems to Reddit? Selecting "new" on the homepage turns it completely white on mobile.

Also, I've complained about the UK Wings of Fire covers a lot across the internet, but I realised today that it's a genuine case of American Kirby being hardcore. The US covers seem targeted towards the 9-12 range, while you can find the UK editions in the same section of The Works as The Hunger Games.

I say "genuine", since I've seen American Kirby Is Hardcore used to mean any cover change.

 

[AceTrainer14]

@canisaries: We don't have dibs as the game is to review and request as quickly as possible so as many stories and authors have an opportunity to do it. It's not really fair on other people if someone reserves their place in the game and then takes two weeks to do it when there could be someone ready and waiting to do it straight away. It can be a bit annoying if you go to post a review and someone beats you to it, but that's part of the game!

@Nitro Indigo: Technical questions/getting help with that sort of thing would be better served being posted in the Video Games and Technology section, as the people there are far more likely to be able to help you.

 

[canisaries]

How do I report technical problems to Reddit? Selecting "new" on the homepage turns it completely white on mobile.

you're answering your own question. mobile is horrible and awful. i'd use the desktop always if it didn't randomly log me out and be a complete pain in the ass to navigate on a small screen. (i can't fit the app on my phone, but it's not like i've heard great things about that either)

 

[Instrutilus]

Well there's a police stand-off going on in my village. What have you guys been up to, anyway?

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I was just skim-reading Phoenix, and since it took me ages to read it in full, I saw some foreshadowing I'd forgotten. I have plenty of things to say, so I might do a video review of it.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Writing boring blogs. Reading some hit and miss nature writing. It's a genre that opens the doors for claptrap in the hands of a hack, it seems