%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
Good morning. The business I came here to do has been suddenly altered by real-life events. First, I have redesigned my blog, formerly The Darktale Tavern, to better reflect my new persona. It is now "Jack's Place"  . I had intended to then move on to review a short by Jeffrey Meyer  . I didn't remember until I checked out his portfolio that I gave him an awardicon in 2017 when my bag was steampunk, and I was a member here under the handle of Blimprider. However... As I was fiddling with my blog's personality, my wife was learning that one of her dear friends has throat and brain cancer, and has been given six months to a year to live. I don't know the lady well, but Bonnie does, and I suspect that she's going to need me more than you guys do for the next few days. Fortunately, tomorrow's blog post is finished, so I can put that up during a quiet moment, and Jeffrey Meyer , I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with you and your work. Shall we say no later than Friday? My advice: Live every moment like you mean it, because you never know. You guys are the best! Stay inspired, Jack...  |
| As promised, I've added a new entry to my blog, recently retitled "Jack's Place" : This week I'm taking a look at naming conventions, and my thoughts can be read at "What's in a Name?" I want to take a moment to thank those of you who took a moment to put all the Likes, Loves, and Cares on my announcement this morning. No one commented, and I didn't expect you to. There's nothing you can say in response to that kind of devastating news, and words most often sound hollow. But thanks for thinking about us; we can feel the love. You guys are the best! ~ |
| As you can see, I'm back. Youngest grandchild has graduated from high school, the party was fantastic, and I'm a broken wreck after three hours of sitting on the concrete bleachers at my age. At least grandma had her wheelchair to sit in; we may have matching sports models by next week if things don't get better! But, short version, a great time was had by all! As you can see by the subtle changes to my port and handle, I still am not clear on who I want to be here. I considered returning to the Phantom Reviewer, but that no longer seems to fit now that I'm writing again. Of course, that's a peripheral activity, too, so things will remain in flux for a while longer. Don't worry, I'll get it sorted, it just may take a while. I'm so thrilled to be writing again that I have little creative energy to spend on things like finding the perfect handle. I hope you're doing better than I am in that regard, and that the muse, whatever you consider that to be, never deserts you. Whatever you do, stay inspired, and I'll see you around the stacks!  |
| If your reviews seem stuck in flux, perhaps you just need a new capacitor. Doc Brown might have a spare, if you can track him down. Regarding your handle, having 'Jack' as the base unit opens up so many possibilities! You've surprised yourself with an interest in fantasy, so there's Beanstalk Jack; horror and mystery seem to haunt your keystrokes, so there's Ripper Jack; and, if you've occasionally prone to shuffling and distributing those colored pasteboards, there's One-Eyed Jack. |
| Good day, everyone. I know, it's Thursday. It's a little stressy around here, as we're preparing for our youngest grandson's high school graduation, and I let my login run into Thursday. Yeah, I already hid the MB, but as long as I'm here, I just wanted to drop a note that some of you may find helpful. This morning on my other blog, the shared one, one of our members dropped a most insightful essay on the difference between horror and the thriller. Should anyone be interested, here's the link. See you tomorrow! ~ Jack  |
| Good Monday morning, friends. My latest blog post is up, and I've gone back to the notion of talking about the methods and principles of writing. What a concept, eh? Join me to learn what I think is "Worth a Thousand Words" . And a little bonus awaits, a new activity for June. See you around the stacks... |
Congratulations to M  whose chilling story "Turned" won the "Phantom's Gold" Award for May. Well done, Melody! Enjoy your shiny new ribbon, and know that, while I gave a number of five-star reviews last month, I found your story to be the best of the best. Stay inspired, and keep writing!  |
| Good afternoon, friends and followers. I've been regaling you with tales of how I've lost the mojo and haven't been able to write for years. That's been true, but thanks in large part to socializing with the talented writers here at my home away from home, I think the drought is over. I had an idea come to me, not because I read a prompt two minutes ago or I've decided to adapt the synopsis of a TV show, but because it erupted behind my eyes with the force of a volcano. I wrote the first chapter, keeping it a secret, and sharing it with only two people. They gave me some wonderful suggestions and, let's face it, corrections that made it a better story. This makes me think that I might get even more suggestions if I open it up to the whole membership. That is in large part the point of a writers' group, so here it is. Only two chapters of a projected ten are complete, and it's basically a proofread first draft, but if anyone should be interested in a brand of fantasy that presents no elves, on dwarves, no orcs, and no hob halflings, allow me to extend an invitation to join me for what promises to be a ride. I'm not asking for reviews this early in the process, but I'm looking forward to seeing a few comments in my email folder. Please, be my guest. I can take it...
Jack... |
| I realize this isn't the day for strange or amazing stuff, but strange and amazing stuff doesn't always follow a schedule. I just read a news report of Indian archaeologists discovering a city off the coast of Gujurat in northwestern India. Using modern and reliable methods, they have dated the settlement as being 140,000 years old! Given that Sumer is currently considered humanity's oldest civilization at a maximum of 8,000 years, this is some find! Of course, it's early days yet and adjustments will almost certainly be made, but that would be quite an error if Sumer is able to hold the crown. The full story was carried by MSN, so if you go there, you can probably track it down with the search engine. Gotta be a story there somewhere, no? ~ Jack |
| Today I've added a special post to my blog, "special" in this case meaning not part of my scheduled activity. It concerns the "Return of the Muse" , and may include helpful suggestions for those who have been struggling with the Craft of late. See you there? ... |
| Hey, gang. Just dropping by to tell you that I'm jazzed! For the first time in at least five years, I find myself consumed with a burning need to write. I have started a fantasy novella, and my mind is on fire with the possibilities. I envision ten chapters right now, and one is complete (first draft, of course), and can be read on request. On a sadder note, I went looking for a fantasy group this morning, and after wading through 13 pages filtered by the Most Active First, only found a few entries, most of which haven't been serviced for a year or more. This suggests that fantasy isn't much of a thing here. Are there any active groups? ... |
Jack of Diamonds - Eh, a "goal" is sort of loose, nobody's requiring anybody to show receipts, it's more that that's how the advice is calibrated. I mostly recommend them because you seem to like my review style, and these are the folks who taught me to review that way. But I'm also able to host a forum, if dogpack saving 4premium+   doesn't want to spend the forum slot, or if they've just got too much going on. (I seem to remember they've got family they travel to see a lot?) Anyway, I've enjoyed interacting with all ya'll, so just let me know if you want me to put something together. |
Raven  - Don't set up anything around me until we know I have a viable project. You know my history better than anybody, so just keep it cool for now. I'll get back to everyone if this takes off on me... |
| Jack of Diamonds - The piece I was going to put up is a stalled novel anyway. (Fantasy "Tremors" with shapeshifters, more or less. Good concept yeah? But! stalled out at 40k. Thought the forum could be something like Fantasy Clinic. :) ) I'll chat with Viv and see what she'd like to do but no pressure on anything. It's not like there's a deadline. |
| Good morning, all. I've been prattling on here for days about how I've lost my mojo and can't write anymore. I've been up for about five hours now, and continue to be consumed by a burning need to write. I'm putting together a story simply called Hunter. It's a medieval-styled fantasy featuring a paladin and his very unusual companion who make it their business to right wrongs. I almost hesitate to say it, given my track record lately, but I have a chapter complete and am well into a second. Should anyone wish to sample to see whether it's to your liking, drop me a line, and I'll send the pertinent information. Raven is excused from this invitation; I've disappointed you enough already! ... |
| I've added a new entry to my blog, the first entry of a new era for me. Come to enjoy a hearty dish as I discuss why "The Grass is Always Greener..." Jack of Diamonds |
| To whom it may concern: I have been blessed to have a good number of folks here on the site who talk to me frequently. I don't know how many might read me or what they may be reading, so I'm posting this information for my friends and followers to use as they see fit: Due to reasons outlined in my last blog post, "Facing the Music" , I anticipate allowing my membership here to revert to Free status on my Anniversary date, October 17th. This places a ticking clock on my longer items, specifically "The Akuma Files" , a supernatural detective series, and "Broken English" , a Cold War police procedural. Anyone with an interest in those items, as well as a few others mentioned in the blog post, has about five months to read them. I don't recommend investing time in reviews as they'll be gone come fall, but if they seem like the sort of read you'd enjoy, they'll be available for a bit longer. This obviously isn't the outcome I was hoping for when I came here, but it would be silly to continue my membership at a level I no longer have any use for. You guys are all the best, and I wish you all the best, and I hope to be here reading and reviewing your fantastic stories for a long time to come! Stay inspired, Taylor...  |
| Good day, friends and followers, and I hope it finds you well. It finds me at a "Crossroads" of sufficient gravitas that I've written a blog post to compose my thoughts and lay out the alternatives for my future here on the site. Drop by when you have the odd moment and see what you think ... |
| Today on my blog, I invite you to join me to meet the fourth member of my personal Mount Rushmore, "The Agent" . In an unrelated matter, I declined to review a story this morning because the author listed her favorite link as ChatGPT. That almost seems to me like putting up a notice that says, "By the way, I don't write my own stories." Any opinions on this? Anyone...? ...  |
Egads, don't open that can of worms  the AI discussion gets pretty heated around here. I asked ChatGPT for advice on what fictional detectives do in certain situations, and now I'm wondering if I've broken my "No AI" promise even though I didn't use any of the suggestions because I was blasted with my own inspiration instead...  |
Amethyst Angel 💐  - Yeah, I've gone diving in that can of worms with some of the rest of you. HUGE red flag... |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
🐍
--Jeffrey