[camidon] Lalalalalalalalalala
[camidon] Is it AOL tonight? Or is it here? Lalalalalala
[camidon] Testing. Lalalala
[camidon] Lalalala We shall wait and see for a short time, lalalala
[anneliese] Hi CM!
[camidon] Good Evening, Anneliese! How are you?
[anneliese] Good. You? Was just about to start humming
[camidon] Sleepy. Have to wake up early to get to new job. Nonetheless, that cannot keep me away from these chats (when I remember)
[anneliese] Hi bogwitch!
[anneliese] Hi Dave!
[DaveK] Hi guys.
[bogwitch64] Hey Anne
[camidon] testing color
[bogwitch64] Hey Dave and Cam
[anneliese] Terri, right?
[camidon] Evening Dave, bog!
[bogwitch64] yup
[anneliese] Or do you prefer bog?
[bogwitch64] Terri is me.
[anneliese] Or witch?
[bogwitch64] LOL
[bogwitch64] I'll answer to anything
[rcs] Hey
[anneliese] Well, I have AOL open in case someone wants to IM me, but I think this is our place tonight.
[anneliese] Hi rcs! Long time no see!
[camidon] Wow, nice crowd. Evening everyone
[anneliese] <-- apologizes for missing the last couple chats.
[bogwitch64] I'm so bad. I always forget, even with the reminders
[bogwitch64] d'oh
[DaveK] Are we going to keep this civil, or will this be another chat that we can't post?
[anneliese] It's hard for me to remember all the time too!
[anneliese] You tell me, Dave!
[camidon] I don't think anyone made last week <correct me if I'm wrong> I sure forgot, but it was a "holiday"
[bogwitch64] Let's see if that helps
[bogwitch64] whew
[DaveK] I signe in but no one was here. Then Bob signed in after I left.
[camidon] Well, Dave, with you me and Anneliese here, the probability of a nice, clean chat diminishes. But... Elizabeth is not to aggravate our aggressive imaginations.
[bogwitch64] My screen was blinking then it froze. I'm not used to mozilla
[Elizabeth] hello there!
[Elizabeth] I forgot about the chat Monday as well, CM.
[bogwitch64] Hey elizabeth
[anneliese] Hi Elizabeth!
[Elizabeth] There's nobody in the AOL chat room, so I think I avoided any major confusion.
[Elizabeth] I'll give AOL a few more minutes, then check out.
[bogwitch64] That whole thing with AOL sucks. Why the heck are they doing away with the hosted chats?
[anneliese] Sorry to hear that, Terri. I'm using Firefox...I think it's only messed up once for me.
[bogwitch64] I think I'm just not used to it, anneliese
[Elizabeth] I can't figure it out, Terri. Probably (I'm being cynical here) money related.
[camidon] Uh, oh, Dave, Elizabeth the instigator is here, so our imaginations made run wild again...
[bogwitch64] My husband's IT guy swears by it
[DaveK] BIggest turnout in a long time. Any special topic?
[bogwitch64] Elizabeth, that's what I'm hearing
[Elizabeth] Like when they let their freelancers go and started relying on "local experts" to provide blurbs on entertainment, shopping, etc. for free
[Elizabeth] After that point, of course, the local guides went downhill.
[bogwitch64] Too bad, really. Ah well
[camidon] Anneliese mentioned a potential "squid" chat in the email, but I'm open to anything.
[anneliese] AOL is getting farther and farther from the communities that it once fostered...don't know if that will turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing.
[Elizabeth] I still wonder why they did away with the Writers Club. That was one of the best online communities I've ever been in,
[DaveK] I think they are having monet problems, and with all the free e-mail online now it can't help.
[Elizabeth] and it had tons of helpful stuff on the boards, etc.
[Elizabeth] Personally, I think AOL is shooting itself in the foot.
[bogwitch64] That's usually the way it goes, Elizabeth, unfortunately. Everyone does the same thing thinking their results will somehow be miraculously different
[anneliese] They won't be the first to do that.
[anneliese] On the other hand, I rather like this chat group better
[bogwitch64] Ok, so now this chat is in here every Monday night?
[anneliese] We'll just have to look into advertising in other venues.
[DaveK] The advantage with AOL is that we can get new members.
[Elizabeth] True. No restrictions.
[bogwitch64] Whether the open chat or the crit chat?
[camidon] AOL, bah humbug. We've gone and created our own community! 6 people at a chat! That's starting to rival our old SFWW chat days with <cringe> protocol. Proto-what? yes, protocol.
[bogwitch64] lol
[anneliese] AOL will let us use the chat rooms, but not host any more, as I understand it.
[bogwitch64] I HATE protocol
[bogwitch64] So really, what will the difference be?
[bogwitch64] That's what I don't get
[camidon] I'm starting to show my "age" Don't mind me, though, I'm often lost in tangents.
[bogwitch64] The rooms are still open, everyone is still free to go including the 'hosts' under different names
[bogwitch64] So what's the hubub?
[anneliese] I don't know if the schedules will be kept up, though. I kind of doubt it.
[Elizabeth] It's going to be more of a free-for-all, IMHO.
[Elizabeth] Nobody will have a scheduled time.
[bogwitch64] Like Author's Lounge
[bogwitch64] gadzooks, what a zoo that is!
[anneliese] It will all be like the public chat rooms.
[Elizabeth] Which I avoid like the plague.
[anneliese] So, I think I'll stay here, thanks.
[bogwitch64] Technically, groups used to meeting at a specific place and a specific time can still do so
[DaveK] Bogwitch, rcs, how did you find SFWW?
[camidon] yes, this chatroom is very nice. Three cheers to Anneliese
[bogwitch64] Dave, how do I find it as in how do I like it? Or how do I physically find it?
[DaveK] Find it to join.
[anneliese] It's the folks in the chatroom that make it nice
[rcs] I was trying to find a way to waste time in a class and it came up in a search engine.
[bogwitch64] lol rcs
[bogwitch64] I actually followed a friend into the AOL chatroom and ended up joining this room
[DaveK] So 50% of our new members came from AOL. ???
[camidon] Hey, I googled SFWW, and our site came up first. First time it hasn't been buried, or behind the "dead" sfwwmoder site
[anneliese] More or less, Dave.
[Elizabeth] Our membership right now is about 50-50. Half on AOL, half on other Internet providers.
[anneliese] Cool! That's fantastic, CM! I had no idea!
[bogwitch64] I can't get to this room through AOL, though
[bogwitch64] have to come through mozilla firefox
[anneliese] I don't think the AOL browsers fully support php. (which is why the chatroom doesn't work under AOL)
[bogwitch64] The good thing about not using AOL is that I don't have people IMing me to death
[camidon] We're still a ways down if you search for "Science Fiction Writing Workshop" or some such iteration
[DaveK] I never got into the IM thing.
[bogwitch64] Dave, while my daughter was in college, it was awesome. Lower phone bills!
[anneliese] That is going to take some time, and probably require us to look at the website pages again, CM
[Elizabeth] Yeah, the chatter goes down a lot once you're off of AOL.
[Elizabeth] I have IM, but never turn it on. Otherwise my husband and sister-in-law see I'm online and start bombarding me with messages.
[anneliese] So, does anyone want to talk squid?
[DaveK] Squid squid squid
[Elizabeth] People just assume that if you're online, you're wanting to chat. Not always the case with me.
[Elizabeth] Sure. Calamari me!
[bogwitch64] on AOL, I can turn on my away message but then my daughter can't get to me either. LoL
[DaveK] Chris, what was in the dots?
[bogwitch64] squid it
[bogwitch64] squid?
[bogwitch64] anyone...anyone...Beuller...
[DaveK] I'm here.
[anneliese] Well, since all three authors are here...would one of you like to say something about the challenge first?
[camidon] In the dots? what do you mean, dave?
[DaveK] I missed the start of it, but it was fun.
[DaveK] Chris, At the end you say -- You mean ...
[DaveK] I couln't figure out who or what the squid queen was.
[Elizabeth] I enjoyed it, but looking at my contribution now, it's going to need a major rewrite.
[DaveK] Or do I have my authors mixed up?
[Elizabeth] I enjoyed CM's and Dave's stories. Thought Dave's interpretation of "date the squid" was particularly clevel.
[Elizabeth] clever...oops.
[bogwitch64] I wish I hadn't trashed mine. Then again, it wasn't sci-fi or fantasy, it was a small time mob thing
[Elizabeth] And I enjoyed the way George manipulates his way into a Crying Game date. LOL!
[anneliese] <--wishes Terri hadn't trashed hers either.
[bogwitch64]
[DaveK] Thanks, Elizabeth. I'v had time travel on the mind so date started me there.
[camidon] Not sure what you mean, dave. <no pun intended>
[Elizabeth] Yeah, I would have enjoyed it, Terri.
[bogwitch64] Chris, is that Chris as in Christofer or Christine?
[camidon] A statement of denial; I don't normally infest my characters with pornographic perversions, but after hanging out with Elizabeth and bantering about this whole date the squid thing, one thing led to another...
[anneliese] I liked all three. Especially as they were all totally different.
[bogwitch64] I figure Elizabeth and Anneliese are female and Dave's a guy but cam and rcs are mysteries to me
[camidon] That would be Christopher. I also sign my emails CM
[anneliese] Don't you have the little symbols by the chatters list?
[bogwitch64] That's my son's name--but with an f instead of a ph
[anneliese] rcs=ross
[bogwitch64] Thanks, Chris
[bogwitch64] ok, so rcs is a guy too
[DaveK] Chris, you say - "Iris Greeble doesn't have any daughters only. . ." Was she really a. . .
[bogwitch64] Now I feel better. Androgeny confuses me. :-D
[Elizabeth] sure, blame all of the depravity on me.
[DaveK] What are those last three dots.
[camidon] Terri, Dave and I had a chance to meet in person in CO, and he hadn't a clud to my gender either. I was his "blind" date and made his wife a little jealous. <just kidding>
[anneliese] <--- likes it with the dots.
[bogwitch64] hahahahaa!
[bogwitch64] that's hilarious!
[bogwitch64] Poor wife
[camidon] Ah, now I got ya, Dave.
[camidon] Was she really a... man.
[bogwitch64] Anyone else in here know one another in the real world?
[Elizabeth] Although, personally, I would have liked to see a flash of tentacle.
[anneliese] Elizabeth and I met once.
[bogwitch64] lol E
[Elizabeth] Long ago.
[camidon] Though a "Squid" interpretation works fine by me!
[anneliese] LOL, Elizabeth, that's what I was thinking!
[bogwitch64] Ah, that's nice
[Elizabeth] "What lovely...hair...you have. That is hair, isn't it?"
[bogwitch64] Being a Jersey Italian raised during those glorious Godfather years in the 1970's, I automatically thought "the Squid" as in a mob name
[bogwitch64] It's always THE before a nickname...makes it more dangerous sounding. LOL
[camidon] Maybe I'll slip my Georgie Boy a tentacle at the end. That craziness sure fits the rest of the story
[Elizabeth] LOL, CM, that would be perfect!
[anneliese] As we goofed around with the concept in another chat, that's how we saw "the Squid" also, Terri.
[Elizabeth] Benny the Squid.
[bogwitch64] :-D
[anneliese] Jerry the Squid.
[anneliese] (sorry)
[bogwitch64] I wondered how the topic came up
[Elizabeth] A big, slimy goomba enforcer who turns a very interesting shade of red when he's angry...
[DaveK] When my step son was a teen "squid" was the affection term of derision.
[bogwitch64] lol
[Elizabeth] I think we were discussing a story set in a post-energy-crisis world,
[anneliese] And the reason for the challenge was that Elizabeth and I were left alone in a chatroom one Monday evening...
[bogwitch64] West coast, Dave?
[Elizabeth] where people traveling on ships would have to contribute footpower to keep the ship moving.
[anneliese] Yea, Elizabeth, that was kind of how it started.
[DaveK] From PA near Scranton. But now in Fort Collins Co.
[camidon] Elizabeth, I haven't got any comments out to you (or Dave) but I liked your character's transformations. Sure, they were a little predictable, but you added some nice twists. I was into the characters, which says a lot for a silly assignment like this.
[Elizabeth] And slackers were threatened with "row/pedal harder or you'll date the squid".
[bogwitch64] Ah! I love it!
[Elizabeth] I think the story needs a little more development--the resolution was a little too quick.
[bogwitch64] Dave, ah, I thought squid was a west coast term
[Elizabeth] I might go darker on the rewrite. Have Brian go more squid like.
[anneliese] I loved how you did Brian's rages and color shifts.
[Elizabeth] submariners refer to squids--but I don't remember what they mean by it.
[bogwitch64] They were all good, especially given the short time in which they were written
[DaveK] Could be, Califonians come through here a lot.
[Elizabeth] thanks, Anneliese. :::blushes:::
[camidon] That's one heck of a round-about way for an idea to pop-up, but that's the nature or writing. The best ideas come from the strangest sources, including late-nite net chats.
[DaveK] Marines call navy people squids. Navy people call marines jar heads.
[bogwitch64] Marines ARE navy! LOL. That's funny
[DaveK] At some point I spouted off tha it was impossible to write a time travel story with any urgency in it. So I had to prove myself wrong.
[anneliese] Dave, I liked your cult of the squid...I'd love to see that aspect expanded.
[Elizabeth] yeah, but don't ever mention that to a Marine.
[camidon] E, if I were to offer a nit about your sub from my perspective, it's that you could develop Suze a little more.
[Elizabeth] yeah, I thought the cult of the squid was a great idea. I would love to see that developed.
[bogwitch64] LOL Elizabeth
[bogwitch64] you got that right
[Elizabeth] I'm thinking either Suze has to be a much tougher person to deal with Brian's metamorphosis, or she runs screaming.
[camidon] She was a little too much "stock" responses. Loving, leaving, Brian I love you, I want to helo you.
[Elizabeth] And doesn't return his phone calls, ever.
[camidon] Give her some quirks of her own (other than loving a squid)
[DaveK] I had to come up with some reason that a squid was important, and what easier reason for nonsensical behavior than reloigion.
[camidon] I'd go with the first one, make her tougher, but also give her some more interesting details. She doesn't need to match or top Brian, but she could probably come close.
[anneliese] I think it depends on how long the metamorphosis takes...if it is very sudden, or slow, will say a lot about her character.
[bogwitch64] Good thinking,Dave
[anneliese] And, CM that squid festival was just too fun!
[DaveK] I can see Fantasy ans SF getting three stories about squid at the same time. They'll think it is a cult.
[camidon] <tangent; I now work with a guy whose awfully Brian squid like, except he has huge, thick paper-weight glasses. Kind of a creepy coincidence>
[anneliese] Even funnier, Dave, if we could manage to send them 5 or 6.
[camidon] That would be great, Dave. We should all do that, send them in at once, if nothing else, for our own darn amusement!
[camidon] Absolutely Anneliese.
[DaveK] That would be fun. Is there a better mag?
[Elizabeth] lol! Squid attack!
[camidon] Thanks, A, I had a fun time just tossing in weird squid stuff into the festival. If I had had more time, I would have liked to write a scene where the reader actually was immersed in the actual festical games, rides carnival atmosphere in all its weirdness.
[bogwitch64] That would be some freak show, C
[camidon] We'd have to get Bob F to particpate, simply because he go that response from F and SF that said: "This is the strangest darn thing I've ever read!" from Gordon van Gelder himself.
[anneliese] I got such a great image of this small-town neighborhood street festival with rides, and everything, all with a squid theme. Loved it!
[bogwitch64] was that a good strangest thing or a bad strangest thing??
[DaveK] Did he ever post that story here?
[Elizabeth] I wonder.
[camidon] Yeah, Dave, It was a Moosah world story. Can't remember when
[camidon] Well, it was fom Gelder himself, so my take was good.
[camidon] It made it past Gelder's little minions to his desk.
[DaveK] Except he didn't buy it.
[bogwitch64] little minions. LOL
[bogwitch64] I love that word
[Elizabeth] Yeah, usually stories get rejected by Gelder's minion.
[bogwitch64] It says so much
[Elizabeth] So if Gordon read it, it at least got to the second round.
[camidon] Hey, thanks, again Anneliese. That's nice to know. <okay, okay, now where's the bad news! :P)
[Elizabeth] I've only gotten one response from Gordon (a rejection) out of the dozen or so stories I've sent to SF&F.
[anneliese] LOL! Does there have to be bad news?
[camidon] No, of course not, A! But we're writers! And we expect rejection!
[camidon] I think I may have gotten 2, E of the many...
[anneliese] (also loved the line, "gorgeous long legs--very squid like"
[bogwitch64] You know what would be a good (for everyone!) exercise? Do a crit wherein we ONLY pick out the good stuff and remark upon THAT.
[bogwitch64] LOL
[camidon] I think that would actually be a very good exercise, especially for me.
[bogwitch64] I know picking out the stuff that's 'wrong' is much more helpful but sometimes we forget to mention the good stuff. I know I'm a culprit myself! I'm brutal!!!
[anneliese] Same here...we should try that sometime.
[camidon] hehe, that one makes me chuckle still.
[anneliese] Naw, you're not that brutal! Besides, it's nice having someone in the group who nit-picks so well
[camidon] So who wants to volunteer for the "death by niceness" critique slot?
[bogwitch64] teehee, I do nit-pick
[bogwitch64] LOL Chris
[DaveK] We should do that to bogwitch.
[anneliese] It might be best to do a "death by niceness" to a challenge piece.
[bogwitch64] I think that's a great idea, A
[anneliese] Where there are at least several subs to compare and contrast.
[Elizabeth] Death By A Thousand Huggy-Bears.
[bogwitch64] lol
[anneliese] LOL
[DaveK] That might make me write so that finding the "good" parts would be hard.
[camidon] No worse than an editor, Terri. If a story's going to make it in the pros, it's got to make it here first.
[bogwitch64] I'm not ready to die!!!
[bogwitch64] Very true
[camidon] The Care-Bear critique.
[camidon] I agree, Anneliese, perhaps for the next challenge we decide to do. That would be a got time to do it.
[DaveK] A "write as bad as you can" with a only the good parts critique challange.
[bogwitch64] How's the crit list looking, E and A? I got an email saying it's kinda slim pickin's?
[bogwitch64] lol Dave
[anneliese] But I don't think we'll announce that it's a Care-Bear critique until AFTER the subs are received.
[bogwitch64] Ah! Anneliese! You're insidious!!! LOL, great idea!!!
[anneliese] Well, I try ::blushing::
[camidon] <pulling out the prod> Yes, Terri, feel free to jump into the critique slot queue.
[bogwitch64] I don't think I've done four yet...have I???
[camidon] To do that Dave, you just have to participate in NaNoWriMo.
[anneliese] Yes, do send something in...else you'll all be subjected to more Chrysalis.
[DaveK] Did you do any squid critiques?
[anneliese] I think you have...or you are very close, Terri.
[bogwitch64] I don't think I did the squid ones.
[bogwitch64] I know I did one for Bob and two for Juanita
[anneliese] and one for me.
[bogwitch64] ctually, I did three for Juanita but one was the first chapter she sent before I joined
[bogwitch64] Oh yeah! I did yours too!
[camidon] Bah, you made some chats, Terri. That counts in my eyes!
[anneliese] So, yes, you qualify.
[bogwitch64] LOL
[bogwitch64] Yay!
[bogwitch64] What's open?
[DaveK] Oh yeah, that Word one. Please use text.
[bogwitch64] Word what?
[anneliese] Pretty much everything. As soon as you can send Elizabeth something, she can put it in the queue.
[bogwitch64] Oh, that, yes
[DaveK] MS word. It always takes me a lot to read it.
[bogwitch64] I don't know how to use text
[Elizabeth] The critique you sent, Terri...it was the original story with your comments inserted. AOL compressed the file, which made reading it a bit difficult, especially for non-AOL users.
[anneliese] So a "save as"
[bogwitch64] I can send something anytime. Was anyone warned that I write fantasy, not sci-fi??
[bogwitch64] Ohhhhh! Well that was rude of me!!! Sorry, I had no idea.
[Elizabeth] For critiques, it's sometimes easier (and a space saver) to cut and paste the parts you want to correct into a new e-mail.
[Elizabeth] Our definition of SF is pretty loose, Terri. We've read a lot of fantasy and some horror as well.
[bogwitch64] I'm pretty computer illiterate. If it's not Word or AOL, I'm dead in the water!
[camidon] Consider us warned now. Besides E writes a lot or fantasy and runs this joint!
[DaveK] WHere do transgender squid fall?
[bogwitch64] Yay!
[anneliese] I'm afraid to guess, Dave, lol!
[bogwitch64] Ok, I'll work on it tomorrow and see what I can figure out.
[bogwitch64] A chapter OK?
[camidon] Dave, how about under the "Kafka" category
[DaveK] You can use word just cut and paste it into AOL.
[bogwitch64] right into the body of the email, right?
[Elizabeth] yes.
[DaveK] Yeap.
[bogwitch64] gotcha
[bogwitch64] Ok, I'm going to head out now. I gotta be up early with the kiddos
[bogwitch64] Thanks for an enjoyable hour, all!
[camidon] What about you, Ross, anything in your writing queue?
[DaveK] Bye.
[anneliese] Thanks for joining us, Terri.
[bogwitch64] sleep sweet!!
[anneliese] Niters.
[camidon] night Terri