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[fromunderdreamingspires]

How just how does anyone do the required edits for publishing an article without smashing their computer into tiny little pieces??????????? The stupid, pointless haggling over every single word, all to make maybe a fraction of a percentage point of difference in the ultimate quality of the article, and often not even clearly making it better at all but arguably worse — what a colossal waste of time!!!! My time, the editor's time, everyone's time!!! It is so frustrating and maddening and so so so so much work!!! When we all have so many better things to do!!! In the days I've now spent arguing over swapping my "remarkably"s for "notably"s — what could I have achieved instead with all that time and energy?!??

[luninosity]

2020 fic round-up - original / published fic!

Time for the original fic overview, from this year! There’s a LOT, but some of that was written (at least mostly) last year, and only published this year. So let’s see...

Original Fic (at least mostly written and published in 2020) (Character Bleed, E, 254,099 words. **Pretty much all of this was written in 2019, so I'm not really counting it as 'new words' - but all the editing - and the publication!!!! - happened in 2020!** THIS STORY, YOU GUYS. I love it and these characters so much. It's  the  most ambitious thing I've ever tried to write, that whole  story-within-a-story, being about actors filming a  Regency-era gay love  story, and falling in love themselves. I'm just looking at it all...and  I'm in awe...and the response to this, oh wow. I've been so amazed and  so grateful and so thrilled - the art, the trailer, the comments, the  people thinking about these characters and loving them along with me -  I'm so lucky to have all of you. *hugs everyone* And now you can buy it! As three volumes - Seaworthy, Stalwart, and Steadfast! Available via JMS Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and everywhere!) Character Bleed Bonus Scenes,  E, 84,125 words, which means 58,428 new words! Also there're at least three special bonus scenes that *aren't* on AO3, only included with the published books! (Conversely, there're at least two bonus scenes that will only ever be on AO3, for all of you reading there!) So that's probably an extra, oh, let's say around 5k words. Cinnamon and Strawberries (A Character Bleed Story), E, 12,169 words. My Jason & Colby holiday novella! Full of celebrations, love, moving in together, and interesting uses for holiday ribbon... Cadence and the Pearl, E, 60,097 words, About 30k of it written in 2019/2018 (Was this really also published this year? I had FOUR novels out this year? Gosh.) I really love this one, honestly - historical, paranormal, pensive, ocean magic, a fairy tale. The Arch-Mage's Firebird, E, 11,220 words. A spin-off story in the Kitten & Witch universe! (I really ought to write the third part of the main story...) A runaway firebird, and an Arch-Mage in hiding, and a beachside town. One Night in London: Robert & Anthony, E, 29,247 words. My part of the fabulous collaborative three-part novel, with @turtletotem and @thebestpersonherelovesbucky ! <33333 You can buy the collected version here - they're more fun to read together, since our characters interact, but they can technically stand alone. Regency m/m romance, ballrooms, scandals... (I also wrote the prologue for the collected edition, so, + about 5k words!) Eventually there'll be a print version of the collected edition! We had so much fun - perhaps we'll do it again sometime... :D :D A Demon for Forever, E, 13,752 words - surprise! I thought I was done with the Demon for Midwinter  universe - but JMS did a submissions call for stories celebrating LGBTQ  marriage, and, well - I'd written the proposal story for Kris and  Justin, so...we should get to see the wedding, right? With Justin in a wedding dress. A sparkly one. This story is also available as part of the JMS Books 2020 Top Ten Anthology! The Demon's Choice, E, 19,365 words - extra surprise! I'd had to cut this whole subplot from an earlier Demon story, but I couldn't stop thinking about it, so...I finally wrote it as a bonus story! Hurt/comfort, Justin confronting his heritage, and of course a happy ending. Refuge at Clifftop, E, 17,262 words. Third in the Extraordinary superhero polyamory series! Lots of hurt/comfort in this one, near-death self-sacrifice, tons of heroic love! Leather and Tea in London, E, 20,909 words - the third  of the Leather and Tea stories! Written for the JMS Books BDSM  collection call. Simon's brother needs a favor. So Ben and Simon head to  London, bringing Ben's retired-spy skill set and also some fun toys for  enjoying themselves. This story is also available as part of the JMS Books Hurts So Good BDSM Trio Collection! A Penny for Your Thoughts, E (but mostly implied / discussed - those darn truth-telling coins!), 3,981 words. A original-fic rewrite of an Evanstan drabble, expanded somewhat - and I really love these characters! A magician, his hero, mutual pining, and love confessions. Of Starlit Balls and Starship Captains, T, 6,596 words. M/F, with bi/pan protagonists - my attempt at mixing space opera and Regency romance! Technically I'd written an earlier version of this a couple years ago for a contest, for which it was not chosen, so this isn't all new writing, but substantially so. Statuesque, E, 3,491 words - some lesbian erotica! Short and kinky - established Dom/sub relationship - and loving. Honey Witch, E, 4,032 words. More short lesbian erotica! A witch and her princess, finding each other. Original Fic (written/heavily revised in 2020, publication contracts signed but not yet published) A Sonnet for a Thunderstorm, M, 3,202 words. An expanded original-character version of a several-years-old Cherik drabble - 18th century historical, thunderstorms, a poet and his pirate. Probably out in April/May 2021. (Frost & Raine, expanded version - the version that's still on AO3, which I'll have to take down, is about 31k - the published version, coming in February 2021, is currently 40,020 words. So...8,141 new words!) Original Fic (written in 2020, not yet under contract or published other than on AO3) In Focus, which is the Character Bleed spin-off, Leo's story - still in progress! it's up  to 68,458 words, so that means...52,947 new words in 2020! Not bad. Whumptober 2020 - Original Fic Edition, E (overall; individual chapters vary), 13,271 words. All the Whumptober fics for my original fic - fanfic for myself! A couple of the Character Bleed-related ones might make it into publication, as well as the Jamie/Brendan story, eventually, I hope. Ember and Serenity,  E, 23,170 words currently - I added chapter 5 in 2020, so that's 2,418 new words! I do have plans for this one. Oh yes. My  librarian-magician and his book-thief...yes. And if you're wondering who  hired Serenity, well, there already has been a clue... :D Spells and Sensibility (working title), aka the Mystery Project I'm working on with @thebestpersonherelovesbucky  - which involves Regency-era magicians, and is currently 35,546 words!

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That’s a lot of words! I feel Accomplished. Looking forward to more words in 2021 - and sharing them all with all of you, without whom I’d’ve never had the courage to try to publish stories. Thank you - you’re why I do this. <3333

[qqueenofhades]

You have given such great advice to so many, so I want to ask you my strange question. I have to write a story . . . a long one . . . a memoir . . . about this terrible thing that happened, that was overcome by grit pretty much, and lead to changes for the better in society. I've been putting it off for 5 years now, and need to do it. For reasons. I already have an interested publisher but am hesitant to get into this world I know nothing about. Any advice? Any good memoirs out there you love?

Oh wow. First of all, that sounds like a lot, and good for you for tackling it. I’m not sure how much I can say to your situation specifically, but I’ll see what I can do?

First, and while this may be obvious: write it only if you feel like you can in fact really do it. If you feel like you should do it, but don’t want to, or are still not ready for it or whatever, then it will be a huge drag on you, and it won’t be as good as it could be, and it sounds like a project on this scale should be done when you’re ready to commit serious time and attention to it. Maybe you’re in fact ready but need a push to get going, in which case great! Consider yourself gently nudged and greatly encouraged. But I’m also a believer that things have their place and season, so if you need a little more time, even though it’s already been five years, you should take that. On the other hand, if you know you’re ready to do it but just are having trouble breaking the procrastinating cycle, then find some way to ease yourself in. You can’t think about writing the whole thing at once, it will probably go through many rounds of revisions and edits, and you’re not going to end up with a finished project on day one. As someone who just finished a PhD dissertation that took three years, still has some final stuff to be added, and underwent COUNTLESS rewrites/critiques/edits/reworkings along the way, I know what a slog it is. But you can’t think of The End Result on day 1. Write parts of it, or scenes, or ideas, or lines. Whatever you need to start moving yourself into that space and to make tangible progress on it.

Next, I have had my run-around with the traditional agent/editor/publisher thing, though in the realm of fiction rather than memoirs, and it’s really frustrating, takes forever, and seems to involve endless effort and submission for very little result. If you already have an interested publisher: great! That will save you a whole lot of time and struggle in terms of finding who is going to give a platform to this once you’re done. Is this someone you feel like you can work with? Do they understand the project and are they willing to commit to working with you (rather than over you or around you) for the time that it will take to tell the story? You should still ask yourself these questions, since they’re not your ONLY option. If it was a case where they’re an okay fit but maybe not the best, or you wanted things tweaked, or didn’t know if you would feel comfortable with the working relationship, or anything – you still have the right to shop around. That is, if you’re not already physically under contract/have a deadline/etc. Before you do sign anything, see if you can find a lawyer friend or family member, or someone with experience in that department, to read it for you. Read it yourself too, of course, but also get an expert eye on it if possible.

With memoirs, and especially ones which apparently deal with sensitive topics like this one, there’s also a question of ethics. Are you going to change/conceal the names of real people you write about? Are there personally identifiable details or situations you can’t disclose? Are there possible legal restrictions about what you can say and how? I am a scholar, so my approach to do things like this is by evidence and documentary and citations, but that might not be your style. Nonetheless, there will be a reasonable expectation on the part of your readers that you are presenting them with a factual account of things that happened. There have been several high-profile cases recently where best-selling memoirs were discovered to have been partly or entirely fictionalised. Which…. is fine, if you’re writing fiction, but if this is marketed as a memoir and contains a claim to biographical or factual accuracy, how are you going to organise and present the materials you are working with, even if just for your own benefit? Unlike in an academic monograph, you don’t have to give a list of citations at the end, but even if you’re writing from your own memory about things that happened to you (presumably), there are going to be things you don’t remember/don’t know about/etc. Is there a way to provide supporting evidence to your reader? Were there news articles written about it? Is there somewhere else they can go apart from you, in other words, to verify this account?

If you’re interviewing people or including substantial portions that represent the thoughts/words of others, you’ll also want to make that clear and have some kind of system for referencing. Journalists would also advise you to use audio recorders when interviewing in a formal context, so you can go back and check words later (and also have physical proof if there’s ever any question about what was said). You also have to provide your subjects with some assurance that their words and views will be represented accurately, which may necessitate some kind of brief legal document or waiver for them to sign to give you permission to do that (and once again, about having a paper trail for your own benefit and legal protection). Once again, if you have a lawyer you can consult about this somewhere, especially someone who’s used to this kind of work, that would be helpful. I am not one and therefore am not going to give any kind of legal advice, but I can say that it could be definitely something for you to look into, and might help you feel more confident about what can be used and how.

I’m trying to think if there’s anything else I can say off the top of my head. I obviously write a certain kind of rigorously researched nonfiction with my academic stuff, though that’s not the same as personal memoir. I do think organisation, preparation, and general attention to starting off on a solid foot will help you, and like I said, you’re not expected to have it all written immediately. Some drafts or notes or outlines of the whole thing, however rough and subject to revision, will also help you.

Good luck!

[paulbenedictblog]

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

News An officer allegedly showed off explicit photos of a woman later killed by her boyfriend - The Washington Post

News

Lauren McCluskey gave an officer say photos of herself within the hope that campus police would assist give protection to her from a one who changed into as soon as blackmailing her — the one who killed her a little extra than every week later in a tragedy that rocked the University of Utah.

Within the times leading to the 21-Three hundred and sixty five days-frail pupil-athlete’s demise in October 2018 — the tail discontinuance of a inaccurate response, in step with a overview — the officer she entrusted alongside with her photos allegedly confirmed them to a male colleague, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Sunday. James McConkie, an approved decent for McCluskey’s oldsters, echoed the allegation in a assertion Monday.

The officer, Miguel Deras, bragged about being in a suite to note at the photos he had downloaded to his internal most cell phone, McConkie alleged. A high Utah public security official educated the Tribune that Deras’s alleged handling of the photos most ceaselessly is a protection violation and outcome in actions towards his certification, or criminal prosecution.

“The particular particular individual that changed into as soon as speculated to provide police products and companies to Lauren as a change exploited her,” McCluskey’s mother, Jill McCluskey, acknowledged in a assertion. “I wish he had extinct his time to arrest Lauren’s killer as opposed to ogling at her image.”

The killing sparked an neutral overview of the college’s response after Lauren McCluskey educated campus police that she changed into as soon as anxious of her ex-boyfriend. She had broken up with him after she stumbled on that he changed into as soon as a registered intercourse culprit who had lied to her about his title, age and criminal file. McCluskey’s oldsters final Three hundred and sixty five days filed a $56 million lawsuit, which is put for mediation Tuesday and Wednesday.

Deras, who resigned from the college’s police pressure amid an uproar over the McCluskey case and moved to the Logan Metropolis Police Department, could most certainly per chance now not be reached for direct about the allegations towards him.

University spokesman Chris Nelson acknowledged in a assertion Sunday that the varsity’s police department done an interior investigation of the allegations in February and “stumbled on no evidence that a frail officer had ‘bragged’ or shared any image from the investigation that wasn’t thought to be as a legitimate law enforcement motive.”

No officers reported such behavior at the time it allegedly took put, Nelson acknowledged. He added that the police department has since revised its process for storing evidence.

On Monday, the college launched that it could most likely most certainly per chance commission an open air investigation of the allegations that Deras shared photos of McCluskey for an unofficial motive and bragged about being in a suite to note at them.

The college’s interior investigation, which changed into as soon as launched after the Tribune alerted administrators to the allegations, stumbled on that a photo of McCluskey changed into as soon as shared as fragment of a shift-change briefing, University Police Chief Rodney Chatman acknowledged in a assertion. He acknowledged he changed into as soon as ordering a brand restful probe because of the seriousness of the allegations, his issues about the thoroughness of the college’s initial file and his desire to steer certain of a perception of bias.

Chatman, who changed into as soon as employed in January, pledged to starting up the implications of the external investigation publicly and to make a choice any associated actions relating to his workers. The staff members who conducted the internal investigation are on administrative leave pending the restful probe, the executive acknowledged.

“Statements by the college all the map in which by the final 24 hours have leaned closely on the implications of the first interior overview,” Chatman wrote. “Nonetheless, if my police department is to bag credibility within the eyes of the community it serves, this restful overview could most certainly per chance also just restful be done all of a sudden and with appreciate for both the varsity students we assist and for Lauren McCluskey and her family.”

Logan Metropolis Police Chief Gary Jensen acknowledged in a assertion that he changed into as soon as blind to the allegations towards Deras except they seemed within the Tribune. Jensen wrote that the allegations are “advanced to read” and “very serious in nature,” nevertheless he entreated the public to do now not fail to take into accout that they are accusations.

“Please wait and see while we search the advice of with the University of Utah Police Department, who has reportedly already done an in-depth interior investigation, on this very voice, collectively with interviews of co-workers, workers and a forensic download of this officer’s phone,” he wrote. “Reportedly, for the length of their investigation, there changed into as soon as no evidence to substantiate any fragment of the voice.”

Jensen acknowledged that if his department finds evidence substantiating the allegations towards Deras, “we can pick appropriate action.”

McConkie, the McCluskeys’ approved decent, acknowledged at a news convention Monday that Deras could most certainly per chance also just restful now not be a Utah police officer.

“The officer could most certainly per chance have committed against the law, exhibiting without consent a non-public image,” McConkie acknowledged. “That’s a possibility, and it’s a serious matter.”

Hiss Secure. Andrew Stoddard (D) launched that in step with McCluskey’s case, he has supplied a bill that can most certainly per chance ban police from loading non-public photos onto their internal most phones. The bill would additionally prohibit sharing the photos with someone now not entertaining about the investigation.

At the time of her demise, Lauren McCluskey, of Pullman, Wash., changed into as soon as a communications critical and a music athlete. She changed into as soon as scheduled to graduate the next spring.

McCluskey began courting Melvin Rowland in September 2018, in step with the neutral overview of campus police’s actions that changed into as soon as commissioned by the college. After she broke up with Rowland the next month, his just exact friend despatched her textual affirm material messages urging her to atomize herself.

Over the following few days, the overview says, McCluskey purchased texts telling her that Rowland had been in an accident and changed into as soon as within the medical institution. She then received a message that Rowland changed into as soon as useless, and she called campus police to file that her ex-boyfriend’s chums had been trying to entice her into a entice. Police educated her to call them succor if the messages grew to alter into threatening.

McCluskey reported the next day that Rowland changed into as soon as stressful $1,000 and threatening that internal most photos of her would discontinuance up online if she didn’t comply. She paid the cash, in step with the overview.

The morning of Oct. 22, 2018, McCluskey received a fallacious textual affirm material message purportedly from the deputy police chief asking her to reach succor to the site. She reported it to police and didn't solution the textual affirm material.

About 8: 20 p.m., college police received a file of a imaginable abduction in a space corridor’s automobile parking situation. Students educated police they heard an argument after which gunshots.

Police stumbled on McCluskey’s physique round 1: 30 a.m. in a parked car reach Clinical Plaza, a residential corridor, and build the campus on lockdown while they hunted for Rowland, who changed into as soon as a suspect. Rowland, 37, died of a self-inflicted gunshot hurt in a Salt Lake Metropolis church.

The overview stumbled on that Rowland manipulated McCluskey to non-public cash and that he created the impression that both he and McCluskey had been being extorted, while he changed into as soon as actually the culprit.

“When Lauren refused to affiliate with his manipulation and reported his actions to the police, he stalked and killed her,” in step with the overview.

The overview flagged several disorders with the college’s handling of McCluskey’s case, collectively with that no officers checked Rowland’s culprit accumulate 22 situation, their contact with McCluskey changed into as soon as now not face-to-face, and so they had been now not sufficiently expert in responding to interpersonal violence.