I do believe you'll enjoy my flash fiction piece! I ask a weird question in this one. *tries for an angelic smile*

We're OK so far! And feel free to critique Immortal Child - I figure that's about as much work as I'm willing to do at the moment! Still needs work, but bah! Main spot of trouble is making the beginning smoother.
Just raining endlessly here! Still have power, so I think I'll get the crits done today (hopefully!)

Even in your scratchpad comments you are eloquent! Have a good night, Laurie!

I like the graphics update

LOL!!! I love your descriptions!!! I'll probably start messing with it tomorrow. The beginning is still a little funky...

BTW, CONGRATS!!! on getting published!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!

lol it's good to be back. And you're very welcome, I couldn't have chosen a better author to critque. By the way, I heard you got published. SOOOOOOOOOOO jealous, but I still love you! ::hugs:: Congrats and kisses: mwah and mwah!

Hi. Thank you!

Before you read IC, I'm still mentally kicking myself & Scribophile for IC getting to the reveiw queue before I was done with the edits! (lol) I'm still working on it though.

That helps a lot, actually. For some reason, I never thought about writing just a scene; I do short stories to begin with, and I guess I always assumed every flash fiction piece was a whole story in itself, but never considered that it might be just one scene, and that there could be more to it. Thanks, that helps a lot. I'll have to try writing just one scene. Once again, you saved the day. And what shall I call you, saver of story woes?

As if managing my time isn't enough of a challenge for me, I have another: keeping my word limit under 1000. I usually go way over, convinced that I need to include more background or some such stuff. I wouldn't wanna join FFF, exceed the word limit on my first story and then be embarassed and disappointed. I'd like to discipline my hand to at least around 1000 words before I join. You seem to have transformed it into a super power though (of which I'm jealous, in case I haven't said it before). Any tips?

Aww, I didn't know I was missed; that makes me feel good
But you're right, I really do need to make the time and just write. Just sit down and write. I've been thinking about joining Flash Fiction Fridays to help me write, cause then I'd be writing and working on a deadline: I work well with deadlines. I just need to get my act together, but that's easier said than done.

The painting is "After the Thrill is Gone" and the artist is Jack Vettriano, born in Fife in the 1950s. I read somewhere that he was working in a coal mine in Scotland until his friend got him a paint set for his birthday when he was 30-something, and he's been painting ever since (and manages to get by, since his paintings sell in the millions). Sadly, I've been up to nothing. I haven't written or read nearly as much as I'd like to, even though I know I need to get back to it, but I suck at managing my free time. What about you, what's up? Love your profile picture, by the way.

Cheers. Thanks very much.

I'm tweaking the first chapter of IC. Should be done by tomorrow evening.

Do please! That one I think need to be brought to the surface a bit more. Maybe have him tell her? I donno. But, WELL DONE!

Heh, to answer your question: "Tabletops" in this case is short for "tabletop strategy games," a type of games in which battles (historic or otherwise) are fought with miniatures on sculpted tables. So as long as it's a battlefield, I'm interested in the top of a table. I'm so used to not being able to put the complete term in profiles, I didn't even try this time.

Just posted another true story... Not of my marriage, but an incident that happened a few years ago when I had a roommate. Enjoy reading!

Thank you! We're incredibly excited now!!! Especially since now I can feel the baby kicking. Dec. 26th... I can't wait!

Haha! We've decided on Zoe Ilyssa.

Baby's doing fine! We found out yesterday it's a girl! We're VERY excited - and this pregnancy is going so well I don't FEEL pregnant...I look a little like I ate a bit too much at one sitting, but still am wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes! And this at 5 1/2 months! LOL

I absolutely LOVE your styles & wicked ideas! You're one of my few favorites to read on here!

I try not to let things stop me Once again, I enjoyed it, and Phedre has recommended to me I read more of your works, to which I plan on!

Hi Laurie,
Thank you for your gracious invite to check out your flash fiction circle. I'm very interested, but I'd like to get one or two stories up first and get a feel for the site before I join anything. I look forward to reading and critiquing your work. Circus and I have known each other a long time and she has spent the last month convincing me of your talent.

ok, will do-- thanks for that, Laurie. look forward to still reading more of the circle's works!

Demon Seed is a book by Dean Koontz about an AI that escapes his computer in an MIT college and finds himself in the home security system of some woman. He falls in love with the woman, become obsessed by her, and traps her in her own home. Very good book. Told from the POV of the computer. Read it if you get a chance.

Ha! Tell your husband I think he's pretty damn cool.

Laurie, your review of "Faith" made me deliriously happy! I am floating! You got the story thoroughly, you understood everything and followed the pacing and let the ending catch you and you are officially my favorite person! Thank you for the comments on corrections, I am definitely going to use them and thank you so much for getting it! Made my whole year, I think.

I'm glad I chose it too. It really is a good story. You're very talented.

Thanks for the welcome. You may call me whatever pleases you. I answer to just about anything (just be kind, lol)

Hey Laurie, thanks for the comment! Especially since it sounds like you are pretty busy with some writing of your own

Thanks so much, Laurie!! You've got two nice looking trophies there too +)

Hi, Laurie, thanks for your message and your interest in my profile -- which needs filling out a bit! A coincidence that you ask me about Segovia as a couple of days back I heard him on the radio playing "Recuerdos de la Alhambra." I do not own any of his music at present but hearing him play reminded me of a couple of tears back when I bought a CD of his while in Spain on holiday. When I got home it was unplayable -- and I had bought in a music store. I also like Tango and especially the music of Astor Piazzolla -- so dramatic.

Thank you very much!

11 : 59 : 30. I hate automatic smilies.

Panic not, Laurie! Even if the clock ticks down to 11:590 on Friday night, in those seconds you will pull something beautiful out of your ass.

Aaand done. And in the time between writing on your scratchpad and checking my email to see that you had written on mine again, I wrote my first FURIOUS submission. I am a friggin' machine. Powered by awesome.

You should DEFINITELY get a blog. You will be blown away by how easy it is. E-mail me any time (emergingemma(at)gmail(dot)com) if you need help. Interesting fact: I was once on a Frisbee team called Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cats! And what is Nanowrimo?

You sure do know how to flatter, Laurie! I have no problem giving critiques on a regular basis (nor, obviously, receiving them); it's just the pesky issue of getting ideas for stories. I am not good at that. I've already looked at FFF and thought of joining, but I'm worried I won't be able to keep up with the output. Meh, I certainly have enough time on my hands and it can't hurt to try, so I'll throw caution to the wind and join in time to participate next week! It's all on you and your flattery if I suck. Good night!

re: August Contest

Yeah, but it's also kind of intimidating because I don't have the "well that's not really what I write" excuse. You'll see what I mean when they get to horror.
-Ben

You are quite welcome. Thanks for celebrating with me!

It was actually really hard to place it at all. I was envisioning more 1700s England, for example! Some sort of "setting" that places it more easily in the american west of the 1900s (slang, dialect, or something) might help a lot.

But like I said, it's a minor complaint.

Thank you for the sudden burst of poetry. I had to become a fan. Apparently, you are popular

Thanks as always for the comment, Laurie. "Samuel" is somehow especially close to my heart, so your encouragement means a lot. Have a good day!

Posted how to pitch today. A bit long (as usual)...I typed straight from the 2-page handout I got. I'll be posting more stuff this week & next week - on how to go commando if you choose to NOT use an agent, and how to do a synopsis. Synopsis will be LONG and require several postings I think...

ENJOY!

Posted answers to your questions on the Writing the Region thread. They're long and I chose to submit them individually... and I remembered to post the link to the writing conferences you wanted. It'll probably take several sittiings to get through them, I'm sorry! It really is a lot. Enjoy!

Thanks for the critique on Apple Tree Laurie. I actually wrote it from inspiration to completion from 11:00 to 11:55 last night, so yeah the ending is a little rushed.

The idea was actually inspired by an incident on this very site (I'll let you figure out which one).

I struggle with voice and vocabulary. I love to write and use different words. It's one of the things that makes writing fun for me. I also understand that a voice closer to the main characters probably sells the story better. Oh well, I'll keep experimenting. Thanks again,

-Ben

Congrats on being awesome!! June winnings and August publications sounds like a good reason to celebrate July!

Laurie-
i know just what you mean; affectation is the gift of the breath of vital life, most assuredly. i don't know what i'd be doing withOUT poetry, honestly... withIN is a much stronger task force of building up morale, focus, and generousity.

reading your work was truly moving for me, thank you. & for the karma, too...
i'm moving on now, to fulfill the rest of my day, only to post up tomorrow what can't be posted right now.

Thanks for the welcome! ^-^

And I'm over the moon because I took a "leap of faith", ha ha. (I don't know if you're a RENT fan or not; I just happen to like that part quite a bit.)

I think this site is amazing and I wish I'd found it earlier. It's just what I've needed. I just have to critique something already so I can publish!

Hi Laurie -- thanks for the message. Yes... I'm concentrating on my novels at the moment. Couple of domestic things going too. I'll be up and running again when I manage to organise myself! Love, Dom.

Thanks for the welcome!

Hey Laurie,
Thanks! I'm actually taking an online Photoshop class this summer and that was the assignment I did today. Totally abstract, but I thought, "Hey, a Scribophile Avatar!" The one before that was a doodle from years ago that I just dug up. I'm trying to keep them Ben-made and rotating them out. I don't know if that helps me or hurts me as far as being recognizable, but who cares. It's fun.

-Ben

Howdy-

Thanks for your thorough critique. I was aiming for a story that everyone could apply their own experience to, which is why I didn't elaborate much on either character. I'll certainly use your comments if I decide to edit or add to it.

thanks again!
-matt

Glad to critique, your poem really was a good read. I am considering entering the contest. Do I need to rack up any karma points or anything else to enter?

I am really glad I picked up your Heat of Love. I am interested to see where it leads. Great description and attention to detail in most places. Can't wait to read more.

Hey, you are welcome. It was a pleasure reading your poem, so I thought it'd be nice to give you my input on it. And thanks for the welcoming. (And I'm guessing you are a fan of Poohbear and Firefly too? Hard to find that combination).

I have to watch the show alone because my sister doesn't like to watch the acctual show. Just the auditions.
I wish I could dance the contestants on the show. They're amazing!

Thanks for welcoming me.
Are you going to see Guillermo del Toro's new movie, Hellboy 2? It looks way better than the first.

Will you let me know which one it is that you "republished"

Hey, sorry I am so late in replying. Where is your sonnet?

It's the right most tab in your Inbox menu under My Desk.

-Ben

Hey Laurie,

There IS one thing you can do for me. You have 40 fans . If you sent out a bulletin about the new FFFF, they would all get it. You can just point them in the direction of the forum post or give them more of a sales pitch if you like. So, if the cause is worthy, you can help me in this way. Think about it.

-Ben

Argh,

You accepted before I officially invited you . As soon as I get done going through the list of FunFFF members I will send you and invite. Eleven to go.

-Ben

Thanks for the welcome, Laurie. I appreciate the kind words. I'm looking forward to reading some of your writing and looking around this site!
Haley

Thanks, I like it too Your writing sounds great, will have to read it soon.

Katie

Thanks so much for the warm welcome--I'm really enjoying it here! I'm sifting through some things, trying to decide what to post, but finding some wonderful reads in the process.
Nice to meet you!

Laurie -

Thanks for checking out my blog. And I'm a fan of anyone who's a fan of 'Junebug.' I'm juggling a lot of things now but when I have a chance I'll check out your stuff.

Thanks Not sure what I"m going to do next..

oh, hey! happy birthday!

Hello Laurie - Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself - I am new to the Scribophile community and am hoping to make myself at home here. Jennifer (Circus) said that I should stop by and say hello. I look forward to reading some of your work soon! ~James

Ah - Laurie -- Thank you for your kind words on my review for Williams' work. I hope all's well & that you're having a great day. Yours, Laos

Happy B-Day, Laurie.

-Ben

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday Laurie!

Laurie! Happy birthday! I hope you have the best day ever. By the way, I was reading over a critique you gave one of my poems, and I realized that the way you speak makes me think that if I ever met you in real life, I would like you immensely. Just figured I'd share! Happy birthday again!

By the way, I love love love your profile picture. It's totally awesome

Hey, happy birthday! I couldn't let your natal day go by without some birthday wishes from me
Have a great one, make it count!

I just finished Thirty stories in thirty days. As to whether or not anyone would want to read them...

Happy birthday I remembered because of the whole "June only has 30 days" thing, if you recall..
Two more stories to write.

Dear Laurie -- Thank you so much for your thoughtful critique of Bob. I'm glad you liked it and I take your comments very much on board. I waxed overpoetical with 'hero' (perhaps a 'helmsman'/moral compass concept instead?). I think I'd still need the 'swapped out' line/moral to keep the tone of fable, but certainly I could be wrong there, just as you say.

I hope you have a splendid day.

Careful with the piemaking!

Laos

Gosh! A fan! Thank you very much! Laos

Have you read the first chapter? It's there too!!

Hey! I wriote the second chapter of "A Thirst For Revenge"! Will you please read and critique it?? PLEASE! I've been trying to get it on here for months, but it kept saying I didn't have enough karma points!
Please read it!

Hi Laurie,
I really liked the Mrs Brown story.
I am still trying to get used to this site and the the 'trinkets' thing??? But I guess it works out good because of the forced critiquing, which is where we get most of our 'help'.
I posted a Chapter 1 to the June Mystery contest titled SMOKE AND TWISTED MIRRORS, Chapter 1: Waking the Dead.
~Kirsten

Gatorade, sweet. I only like the light blue kind, fyi. If you get a chance, could you stop by and write a comment or critique? People have said they like them so far, but no one's really said why, or what they like or don't like. Just.. if you get a chance? Thanks again for the Gatorade

Don't think I haven't tried, my friend. Journals and magazines don't want to publish traditional forms anymore; they all want edge. Maybe Hopeland is something that finally fits into that category.

Laurie! Not once in my entire life has someone taken something I've written so seriously. I am sincerely touched by everything you had to say. The fact that you would get the opinion of your husband - it had me laughing! I understand completely, though. I am very happy that you enjoyed it, and I cannot thank you nearly enough for being so encouraging and wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hey, don't worry about it! I am happy to read what you write, and I realized that I hadn't commented on your novel, so I wanted to remedy the situation.

Thanks! I'm so glad I could help!

No problem, Laurie! I always love reading your stuff. It's always exciting to see what story you'll unfold next. ( :
The challenge is going pretty well for me. I ended up taking a break this weekend because I've been so busy, but I plan on making up for those two days. Is the challenge doing good things for you, too?

Just wanted to stop by and say thanks for the encouragement on our June endeavor. I really needed it. I'm floundering a little. I would definitely appreciate your opinion on my second batch of works. I think your a great writer, so I'd really like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks again -dnm

thanks, Laurie ( :

YAAAAAAAAAAaaY! I'm so glad you liked my essay, your comment made my day.
::squishy hug::
Of course I'll be posting more. I hope to get my stories up soon, but I just got a new computer and apparently forgot to email myself any of my stories, so I'll have to type them all up again (my shortest to date is 6 pages, and I'm lazy). Braindead. Thanks for commenting, too. I was going to ask.

Hmm...sonnets. I'm not very good at critiquing poetry period, but I'll try.

Thanks Laurie

I think I need a nickname for you now. After that critique of MY WILL, I need an affectionate moniker for you. I will begin work on it immediately, and not stop till I'm bored. What was I talking about? Kidding. Thank you for your time, trouble, and cogent feedback on MY WILL. I looked at it again and sailored it up a little more, but I don't know what to do with the end. I think I like it muddy! Thanks, Peace, and Love! Sammy

Laurie,

I thought of asking you to read one of my pieces, but I wasn't sure of the etiquette of the site.
If you could add my piece "Great Expectations" to your reading list I would certainly appreciate it.
Many thanks...Carole

Hah! Keep me posted on that, Laurie.

You are too kind, Laurie! I am glad to offer anything I know. To answer your dire question: hearing meter in your own poems comes from reading a lot of other poetry. It requires a lot of study. Maybe you get down to reading a lot of Romantic and Age of Reason poetry and decide that you hate sonnets, or rhyme, or anything with structure at all (although I hope that doesn't become the case, because I think you have an inherent talent for word choice and rhyme). Write what you enjoy reading; it's the same as fiction. Don't force meter if you don't enjoy it. And if you enjoy it, read a lot of it. There is my advice! Do with it what you will.

Thanks, it would be great to create such a utopian society where all ideas and opinions were considered just as valid by everyone.

Hmmm. It's hard to say--I can't really recommend that you converse with my two most influential teachers for a while. I had almost no appreciation of poetry until I heard one of my teachers read Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf aloud in his south african accent, and then read the untranslated part aloud.
...I'll have to get back to you on this. In the meantime, I'd say just read as much poetry as you can, and always aloud, slowly. If you can, pounce on a good English professor and get him/her to read it to you.

Thank you, Laurie! And I know what you mean about critiques on ongoing projects - I feel the same way. Comments are the way to go! Your comment was very helpful; I'm glad to know what readers are guessing and what parts spark intrigue, it helps a lot in keeping the surprises smooth. And I just love hearing hypotheses about my own characters. Your comment on action is one I get a lot; I just can't seem to move around the words to find the momentum. It's something I hope to work on in a longer piece like this. Thank you again! I'll get to your stories very soon!

Pretty creepy, huh?

Laurie,
Thanks for the awesome critique - you really went in-depth. And then I discovered that I somehow published my story wrong or something last week, so it wasn't showing up in the circle. I fixed it, so now here's another Dagny story up there I think you'll like.
Ryan

Hey, Laurie!

I haven't been very active recently, so the circle is kind-of run down, but I'm going to try and put a little more effort back into the side. I've sent the invite, and I hope you enjoy.

Thank you!!!

So I'm excited. Palahniuk's new book, Snuff comes on Tuesday. And, how are you liking How I Got Published?

Hey, Laurie I just posted a story check it out when you get a chance

Tell me about it! At least you have some room to work with, around 250 words...

I had to try and fix my April Contest story... with only a margine of 3 words!

Laurie - Thanks for the gift! I'll send back your interview soon. Dagny of course would send something else your way, but she's fictional, so you don't have to worry about her.

(Says Dagny: "I HEARD THAT!"

Ryan

Aww, your gift and note made me smile! Thank you so much. It's only because you're such a great writer that I keep coming back for more. Also because you are an awesome person.

That is a great Obama quote!

Just enough time to say thanks for critiquing Sunset. You gave me much to think about. I hope to catch up with your FFF stories soon.
-Ben

I'm back. But I'll be in and out for the next couple weeks. Sorry. It's a busy time for me. After next week though I should be set to roll through the Summer.
-Ben

Thanks for the note on my April contest entry. The competition was tough. I cheated a little by pumping a story out quick and inviting many to read it at the beginning of the month. A little experiment on marketing. I guess it worked for me -heh, heh.

Hi, Laurie. I was wondering: what is the spotlight story for this week? And you can read my piece of flash fiction on the circle when you get the chance

That picture on your profile, do you know where it was taken? It's terribly pretty.

Don't kid yourself. You looooove me. Or something Besides, you won last month! Not so shabby! I'm taking a stab at iambic pentameter but I fear its shambolic. I'll probably post it anyway, because, well, I have no shame. Are you participating?

Hey! So what have you been up to? I have just sent a message to Ben on what went on and I have a surprise for the both of you!

Heya, Laurie? Are you gonna be ready for Friday. It is only 5 hours and 26 minutes away, so get ready!
P.S.Two things: Is Ben coming back tomorrow and try to guess the name of my story!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm three weeks late saying so. I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.

Ha! Uplifting people's nights is all in a day's work for me
But seriously, I didn't do anything: I just reacted to what you did. And I read your profile; you're cool peoples. Keep on keepin' on, darlin!

Hello, Laurie! The story that I plan on getting published is now 1897 words long and is 12 to 13 pages long. I hope that I informed you enough!

Hello, Laurie! I just got the first half of what I was doing! It is now 1045 words long. Phew!

So am I! I cannot wait for Friady to come and the story that I am putting on FFF is a story that I plan on getting published. P.S. I wish you luck on your novel! I look forward to your story this Fraiday. Take care!

Hiya! So whatcha doin this FridaY? I have a surprise for all of your on Flash Fiction Fridays! Just wait. What story are you gonna be writin? First you write about a man with a terrible itch, and then a clean, dead person. Ho, ho, your stories are brilliant. What will happen next?

LOL!!! Yeah, if the little one is anything like me, s/he would probably write stories such as The Poisoned Milk or something....

I am SO excited!!! And thank you for the bouquet of flowers!

Thank you