cu-kid9

That earthquake last night here in the Midwest scared the crap outta me! I had finally laid down to get some sleep when everything in my apartment started moving, like some giant had grabbed the building and was shaking it. I thought I was just going crazy since I was in that sort of middle place between being awake and asleep... I remember there being an earthquake here when I was a kid, but I don't remember anything more than the dishes rattling. I can do most natural disasters, but having the ground move when it's supposed to be solid is the weirdest thing ever, in my opinion.

I have that same reaction. But if they put Tetris -or any other game on there- I think I would do the same thing after the novelty of it wore off.

And here I thought I was the only one that was afraid of weird things. It's good to know I'm not alone I'm only afraid of the dark if I'm in the bathroom -for some reason, that is the absolute worst and I totally freak out. Any other time, I could care less if the lights go out. I'm terrified of heights -pretty much anything over six feet from the ground- which isn't really unusual I guess. It's more of the possibility of falling that scares me more than anything. I'm even afraid of them when I'm playing video games where you have to jump across bottomless pits -when I die, everything in me just sort of seizes up for a moment I'm cool with most insects except for ticks and silverfish *shudders* Just thinking about them makes my skin crawl! I also randomly develop phobia's that only last for a short time. Like the other day, I had a piece of something I had just eaten stuck in my back teeth (gross, I know, but it happens). Since I didn't have any toothpicks (I try to avoid putting my hands in my mouth...ick), I had to use my finger, but I knew my hands were dirty. A co-worker's solution was to use the Germ-X (it was closer than the bathroom), which I had thought of. But, after thinking about that, I immediately thought that if I put it on my hands and then put my hands in my mouth, I would end up poisoning myself. Completely irrational since it is unlikely that such a small amount would do anything, but I just couldn't do it once the thought had entered my head. Oh, and I can't drive by trash cans (like the ones that sit on the curb at fast food places so you can toss stuff from your car) slowly with my window down because I'm afraid a squirrel will jump out of it and attack me. My roommate thinks it's hilarious

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The reviews that make me dance around are the ones that I get from authors on here who I think are fabulous. To know that they have read something I wrote and like it is always the highest compliment for me.

I always add a little oregano to the tomato paste. It helps with the saltiness, I think. You could also try other sauces for your pizza, depending on how much you like to experiment. I make pizzas with a pesto sauce with mozzarella cheese and garlic on top -I don't know if that sounds weird, but it's really yummy. I've also tried an alfredo sauce, which wasn't as good, but was decent. I love making pizza at home, it's so much better (I can't get pepperoni for it, though, because I usually just end up eating them out of the bag as a snack before I get around to making the pizza ).

No, I can't say that I've ever read a review you've written. But I still think that you have something to offer! Even if it's just con-crit on grammar/technique with a few, "but it's interesting so far"'s added in there. We're all here as writers and readers, which means we all have some basic knowledge on how these things should work. I'm not trying to push the matter, that's just my opinion. As for being too critical...is there such a thing? I'm sure a lot of people here would be happy for someone to point out all the things that they need to work on in order to make their writing better (the whole point, I think, of TheBlackadder posting this). While getting lengthy reviews about how good your story is, with all the things people like, is nice, getting one that actually points out flaws would be so much more helpful. I'm not going to lie and say that if someone did that to something I had written, I wouldn't be upset -after all, it is my baby that they're criticizing. But, after the initial sting, I would probably be grateful that someone took the time and effort to help me. Admittedly, there is a certain amount of tact involved in leaving con-crit, but ultimately I think if you're not making any personal comments about the writer herself/himself, and focus on literary elements, there should be no reason for people to get upset...although, I do find that there are a lot of people on this site (and elsewhere) that think even mentioning grammatical mistakes is a personal insult I feel the same about my original stories -I watch the hit count go up and just wait and wait and wait for someone to review. Sometimes, I just want to post a chapter that is completely off the wall to see if I get someone to at least say "WTF?!?!" Surprisingly (or maybe not), I posted a three chapter fanfic in a fandom and got a ton of hits and more reviews than I have on any of my original stories. Maybe the readers in certain archives are just lazier (or...less zealous) than in others...?

Ah, I'm going through the same thing right now. At first I thought maybe people were just waiting to see where things were going in the story (I know sometimes I won't review a one or two chapter story unless those first chapters are amazing). But, five chapters into it, and I have one review? Grrr! And I had to post a snide A/N note just to get that (well, it wasn't meant to be snide, but I think it may have come off that way ). My whole thought on it is that maybe people just really hate it and are too nice to leave a review saying, "I really hate this." ?? It's true, though, that as a writer it's a little discouraging to not get any kind of response (sometimes I'd kill for just a rating ) . As a reviewer, I kinda go through cycles. Right now I'm in my review-everything-I-read cycle, even if it isn't that great of a story. I have to disagree with you, DemonGoddess, about not having anything constructive to offer other writers as a reason not to review. I mean, you still read and still know what kind of elements make a good story, can recognize errors and poor plots. I don't think it takes another writer to critique someone's work. Just being a proficient reader is a good enough qualification, as far as I'm concerned.

I have to say that, as a reader, I never expect sex in a story. In fact, I usually don't even enjoy the sex scenes...well, that's actually a total lie, but the best parts, in my opinion, are all those things that lead up to the sex -sexual tension in a story is what will keep me hooked forever. In one of my favorite stories on AFF, the characters haven't even come close to getting together (I don't even think they really like each other yet), but the author puts them in these situations that just make me want to scream, they're so tense. And, though she hasn't updated the story in awhile, I constantly go back and re-read it, overcome with jealousy at how well she writes those scenes. If the rating on your story just says ADULT with no +'s, I don't know why your readers think it should or would have citrus in it. However, posting in the Inu fandom is really kind of a pain -as others are, too, I'm sure, but I have only experienced the wrath of the Inu fanbrats. Most of the readers there seem to always want to see those characters getting naked and figure good writing can go to hell (and then they bitch that the characters are OOC...you just can't win). I've read some stories on there that were terrible and then I've looked at the reviews and was astounding to see things like, "This is the best story I've ever read!!!" You're kidding me, right? But people love it because there was sex in it (not even well written sex! No tension or anything! Just off with the clothes and into the bed. Ugh). I say you just keep doing what you're doing. If it was my story, I might even add an author's note replying to reviewer's concerns about the lack of lemons. The politeness of the A/N would probably depend on how frustrated I was while writing it, but I would at least try to be civil I also suggest that you keep the story up; you never know when that one reader will come along and totally appreciate what you have written. Lack of reviews sucks, and bad reviews are even worse, but, for me, one good one can keep me motivated for months...but that may just be me

I don't think you have any responsibility to notify readers when you post a new story/chapter. If a reader loves a story, they'll check to see if it's been updated (which some of us do obsessive compulsively ). I agree with scottishfae -it's not a hard thing to do, but it's really up to whether you want the added work on top of writing. I used to do a mailing list, but I would post, forget to send the e-mail, and the next day or day after feel bad.

I've run across a new one recently that really just chaps me. It's the insertion of an action between asterisks, like when a character coughs and the author puts *coughs* instead of So-and-so coughed. Why would you do that?!

They always predict that we're going to get tons of snow, but it almost never happens. I think last week we were supposed to get 6-8" but it didn't drop that one degree for all the rain to turn to snow. I see flurries out my window right now, but the sun is shining

We're seeing the same thing here- Sunday, 70 degrees. Monday started out beautiful in the upper 50's...then it rained and dropped below freezing within hours. We got our 2-3 inches of snow though! It was freezing today...and I hear tomorrow's supposed to be worse, which is okay with me. I have a hot date with my couch and television I also hear it's supposed to be in the 40's on Sunday...we'll see.

They couldn't tell me. They just said that every time they tried to hook it up (to my computer, or another) the computer wouldn't start. I was told I probably wouldn't even be able to set it up as a slave...

Yeah...apparently, it was my hard drive. Dunno what happened -the people at the repair place said it had probably just worn out. Fabulous. So, now I get to re-install everything and hope to god that my last backup discs have everything that I need on them. Otherwise, I've just lost everything

Yeah, but write anyone OC enough and they will make a match with someone they ordinarily wouldn't in the canon story. I don't mind a little OC. In fact, I think it's necessary if the author has made the characters older. But extreme changes in character annoy me.