Hope you'll forgive the anon post. There are reasons.

If you found out someone you thought was your friend went around talking about you behind your back, what would you do about it?

Well, it would depend on who it was and what they were saying.

If it's someone I'm really close to and a relationship I care deeply about maintaining, then I'd bring it up and ask what's going on. Maybe it's a misunderstanding or someone is trying to start some drama by telling you.

If it's someone who is more of an acquaintance, I'd chalk it up to them being untrustworthy and do my best to disassociate from them.

Does that help any?

What do you do when a close writer-friend asks you to beta read a story/partial, and you hate everything about it? Not the writing itself--they may be a great writer--but the story, which stars a somewhat unbelievable premise and truly unlikeable hero and/or heroine. This person might expect line crits, but if you can't even get past the characters/premise...

To add to the previous... the writer in question is not a critique parter, but a chaptermate who wants to send said partial to an agent, so I do want to be as helpful as possible. Thanks.

Happy Wednesday, Annie! I don't really have a question at the moment - at least not today. Don't be shocked though if you get an email next week. LOL! That's a cool thing you're doing though - offering help. Just wanted to say that. Good karma to you. *thumbs up*

Anon 2:46, a couple things factor into how I'd handle that. First, reading is subjective. Characters you find unpalatable and a premise that strikes you as wildly implausible, someone else might love. How else do you explain some of the books that are on the market today?

However, I don't recommend blowing smoke up your chaptermate's ass. Depending on what your relationship is with this person, I'd probably say something like:

"Well, there's nothing wrong with the writing, but it didn't light my fire. Maybe the agent will feel differently, however."

That's always a possibility. It truly is. Miss Snark just posted a warning about listening to crit partners when it comes to ideas and not the quality of the writing itself. Unless you're a bestselling author (and maybe you are), you don't know a whole lot more about what editors will buy than your chaptermate. So maybe it's just not your thing.

On the other hand, it could be that this project is a stinker and your chaptermate will find that out when the agent says "not for me". Better for you to have been honest than to say something flattering but untrue. At the end of the day, that doesn't help anyone and might hurt your working relationship if she gives you more of this same crap to read, which you didn't enjoy in the first place.

Thanks, that does help actually.

And y'all have to listen to Annie, folks. She tells you when your dialogue tags make her want to hurl, when the opening chapters put her to sleep, and when the characters are self-absorbed pussies. She tells you when your stuff is nice but too quiet and won't grab many folks' attention.

If you live through that and stick with the process of writing, Annie might tell you other things. She might tell you when your stuff lights curtains on fire with hotness or when your WIP will be a big breakthough.

Maybe one day I'll tell her to come north and party, be-yotch, because I've sold too!

Oh, but when she tells you that Indiana Jones is not a cinematic god, ignore her -- for the sake of friendship harmony.

*hugs*

"Is this stupid?" she asked. "I mean, I know ending a sentence with a question mark, then tagging the dialog with 'asked' is redundant. But should it be avoided when the purpose is to differentiate between speakers in a multiple person conversation?"

Anon 1:57... talk to them. Maybe they feel betrayed by something you have done and feel like you won't listen to that. Maybe they can't tell you something. Maybe they're no good. Maybe it'll completely end things if you ask them. Maybe they'll come clean, you two can yell at each other, forgive each other and move on.

Hah, sorry, Carrie. Harrison was only so-so for me, even when he was Han Solo. And now he's just...old.

I have trouble with that too, Michele. Typically rather than tagging it, I come up with an action that fits the character.

"You okay with this?" Joan rummaged in her bag, looking for a stick of gum, anything to keep her mind off the fact that she'd missed lunch. Again.

"No." With a shake of his head, Roger sighed and headed for the door. "But it has to be done."

Joan heard the clang of the aluminum ladder hitting the house. She pocketed her lucky coin with a grin. One of these days, Roger would notice he always lost the toss when it came time to clean the gutters. Then again, she hadn't married him for his keen mind.

I do tag now and then; it's unavoidable. Mostly I just try to vary it, just like I vary sentence structure, so the writing doesn't become repetitive. I do NOT worry about that in the first go, though. That's what edits are for.

Not needing any help at the moment,I say "hello" instead. I believe in karma too,show some love,get love back.*g*
Hugs,
Danette

Dear Agony Aunt,

If you find out that your husband is having lustful thoughts about his sexy secretary--- how fucking cliche--- because he confesses it to you and tells you nothing has happened and nothing will happen, are you allowed to lust free-rein over the hot Hebrew Lit professor on campus?

Distress in California

I'm probably not the person to ask what's "moral", but as long as your husband's just looking, what's the harm? Sure, feel free to ogle your lit professor. Masturbate about him if you want (like people never fantasize). Look but don't touch is fine, but I'd be a mite nervous about that secretary. See if you can hire him a nice older lady with a big old beehive do and saddlebags.