The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[MrPixel]

Spare a thought for Rustyoz today. Temperature is set to rise to 42 Celsius in Melbourne and up to 46 further inland. Not sure what that is in Fahrenheit - but toasty!

108°F and 115°F respectively. Friggin' HOT!

 

[NotWise]

Broncos win ugly.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Spare a thought for Rustyoz today. Temperature is set to rise to 42 Celsius in Melbourne and up to 46 further inland. Not sure what that is in Fahrenheit - but toasty!

It's stinking hot right up the east coast. We are only getting to 34 here on the coast, but it was 26 at 8am. There's a very strong hot wind blowing from the north with possible thunderstorms later, which is making our fire fighters very nervous.

I think I might have an iced tea.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Broncos win ugly.

An ugly win is still a win.

 

[dmallord]

The morning pot of coffee is ready for those who it is morning for. There's a tin of shortbread cookies on the counter for those who dunk. The teapot is hot for those who enjoy a cuppa.

I'm over in the corner muttering invectives as I write. I did manage a couple of sentences yesterday and I hope to finish a paragraph or two today.

Progress then... you can count that as a good note.

I felt energetic enough today to pen a few words as well. I started the opening scene with what I want to be an entry for the Mike Hammer 2025 event. I've enjoyed that genre-writing event very much. Don't know for sure if I'll make it to the calendar mark in time, but better earlier than later, i guess.

Got six hundred words down over the last three days, with some back-and-forth editing on the fly. I used to try and not do that. The model was to write, write, and write some more. Then, when it was brain fog time, perhaps a little editing.

I've reached more brain fog sessions this last few months, so I seem to be staring at the screen and rereading it rather than pecking away. The scenes aren't writing themselves as the mental images of the character's actions are not 'streaming as well' any longer.
~~~~~
That doll had the joint eating out of her hand; she had every lascivious man’s eye peeling her dress off. I watched her mesmerize them from a discreet angle at the bar as she moved gracefully through the crowd.

“Hey, gorgeous! Aren’t you the bee’s knees! How’s your night going? Buy you a drink, Brandi?”

“Maybe later, darling, I’m looking for my date. You know, a man who can keep me in minks?” She flashed him her dazzling smile, then laughed, patting the elderly man’s arm as she kissed him on the cheek to smooth over the diss she gave him.
~~~~~
Anyways... thanks for those tending the pots and adding the pastries. Like Folger's saying, "Good to the last drop!"

 

[Rustyoznail]

Well, we visited mum and dad. Both are great dogs. Mum's a bit tired looking after 12(!)pups.
Bec chose the pale boy with the green collar.

 

[ChloeTzang]

108°F and 115°F respectively. Friggin' HOT!

Minus one Celsius here right now, and 6 inches of snow coming on Friday. I'll send some down LOL

 

[ChloeTzang]

And now....coffee and off to work in an hour or so.....going to have warm up the car and pack another hot coffee.....

The nice thing is I have 2 weeks off over Christmas. Use it or lose it vacation time so I am going to have a 2 week writing spree. Finish off a bunch of stuff and maybe even get something new started.....bliss

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I've got a fresh pot of coffee brewing for those who it is morning. I refuse to make any decaf because that's like eating vegan cheese. There are (real) cheese blintz on the counter for those not on a liquid diet and the teapot is hot if you want a cuppa.

I managed to forge a cease fire with my Muse and got a few paragraphs of conversation accomplished so I am not hurling invectives at the moment ...

 

[NotWise]

I've got a fresh pot of coffee brewing for those who it is morning. I refuse to make any decaf because that's like eating vegan cheese. There are (real) cheese blintz on the counter for those not on a liquid diet and the teapot is hot if you want a cuppa.

I managed to forge a cease fire with my Muse and got a few paragraphs of conversation accomplished so I not hurling invectives at the moment ...

I think I extended my story by one sentence yesterday, but I filled in a few words farther up. Then I took the day off. That wasn't my intent, but that's what happened.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I think I extended my story by one sentence yesterday, but I filled in a few words farther up. Then I took the day off. That wasn't my intent, but that's what happened.

I got nowhere yesterday with my rewrite and edit, but I got up early today and did a heap of edits before I headed off to work. Going to do more rewrites and edits after I get home tonight! A second version of my Winter Holidays story, hopefully vastly improved and way hotter.

 

[dmallord]

I got nowhere yesterday with my rewrite and edit, but I got up early today and did a heap of edits before I headed off to work. Going to do more rewrites and edits after I get home tonight! A second version of my Winter Holidays story, hopefully vastly improved and way hotter.

Seems to be a lot of this kind of writer malaise going on here. Hope it isn't catching, or soon there might not be any sex-laced Lit stories submitted. The HORRor of iT alL! Maybe it is just a Christmas spirit-afflicted thing?

 

[Candy_Kane54]

There's a fresh pot of coffee going and some cupcakes on the counter. The teapot is hot and I am over in the corner sipping on my Earl Grey as I get a few more words written down.

 

[NotWise]

I don't know about those cupcakes, CK. We have cookies on the dining table: thumbprints, chocolate chip, peanut butter, iced brownies, and rice krispy treats. There's at least three dozen of each, and some of those are for me. I might not have room.

I'm doing something typical for me. I couldn't find a good transition to the next scene, and I wrote three hundred words trying to get there. I typed the last sentence and realized that sentence was the only transition I needed. I deleted the three hundred words last night, and this morning I'm folding what little content they had into the next scene's dialogue.

This is why I'll never make money writing.

 

[MrPixel]

I couldn't find a good transition to the next scene,

Chapter break.

 

[MillieDynamite]

It's Tuesday, a week and a day before Christmas. We, Cat, son, and me, are doing fine—Jo's at work. I've been writing when I can and taking care of a rambunctious child and pet. Coffee time!

 

[NotWise]

Chapter break.

That's another option.

 

[Duleigh]

Seems to be a lot of this kind of writer malaise going on here. Hope it isn't catching, or soon there might not be any sex-laced Lit stories submitted. The HORRor of iT alL! Maybe it is just a Christmas spirit-afflicted thing?

No malaise here, working on two novels, just posted a story, and just got pounded with the worst troll infection I've ever seen

How can these people one bomb a story and yet no votes register on the story data? Am I getting trolled by @Laurel too?

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

There's a fresh pot of coffee going and some cupcakes on the counter. The teapot is hot and I am over in the corner sipping on my Earl Grey as I get a few more words written down.

I appreciate that you've been dealing, every day lately, with the needs of the shop/room and the folks who hang out (malinger?) here. You're keeping this a welcoming space. As we bury ourselves in the solitary vice of writing (yeah, the solitary vice that doesn't feel good), we may not look up and express our appreciation for someone who enables the welcome.

Having expressed, I'll slump back to finishing the fourth part of a series that may never end.

 

[NotWise]

No malaise here, working on two novels, just posted a story, and just got pounded with the worst troll infection I've ever seen

How can these people one bomb a story and yet no votes register on the story data? Am I getting trolled by @Laurel too?

What happened?

I know the scores dropped on a lot of the Romance top list. I hear that happened to the Lesbian Sex top list as well. I suspect the site altered the way they calculate scores and/or changed the fraud detection method is some way so that votes that were previously counted as frauds are now counted as valid.

 

[Duleigh]

What happened?

I know the scores dropped on a lot of the Romance top list. I hear that happened to the Lesbian Sex top list as well. I suspect the site altered the way they calculate scores and/or changed the fraud detection method is some way so that votes that were previously counted as frauds are now counted as valid.

Some troll went through and one-bombed entire series, but (oddly) the number of votes didn't change. Some stories haven't received a vote since 12/3. I download my story stats every day and move the CSV files into an Excel workbook that way I'll have an entire month of data. Just in case I'm not believed by those that "run" this site.

I generated a report on each story that was bombed and I sent a DM where I asked @Laurel and @Manu to look at how someone can nuke a story's score without casting a vote. They haven't acknowleged a single story report and my DM goes unanswered. Sadly their silence is deafening.

 

[NotWise]

Some troll went through and one-bombed entire series, but (oddly) the number of votes didn't change. Some stories haven't received a vote since 12/3. I download my story stats every day and move the CSV files into an Excel workbook that way I'll have an entire month of data. Just in case I'm not believed by those that "run" this site.

I generated a report on each story that was bombed and I sent a DM where I asked @Laurel and @Manu to look at how someone can nuke a story's score without casting a vote. They haven't acknowleged a single story report and my DM goes unanswered. Sadly their silence is deafening.

If they're a registered user who voted previously, then they can change their vote to a 1* without registering a new vote.

 

[Duleigh]

If they're a registered user who voted previously, then they can change their vote to a 1* without registering a new vote.

Interesting, yeah. that would work...

I want to thank @Laurel and @Manu who jumped on this right away (I think 15 reports from one source got their attention) and put things back to rights. Best of all my average score of 105 stories went back to 4.78 from last nights 4.76

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I had a lie in! No more work this year. Time to wrap presents, source a few more, take family to the theatre, possibly even a panto, and do a year's worth of DIY over the next fortnight, because that's our Christmas tradition. Currently have about 10 huge heavy cardboard boxes of flatpack and some already-assembled new bits of furniture.

I'm well chuffed - not only have I nearly finished the Radio Times Christmas Crossword already (buying the RT, which nowadays has all TV listings for the fortnight, and highlighting everything you want to watch or record, is a UK Christmas tradition), but 4 days ago I got a kudos on a niche fanfic I wrote in 2016 (it's had 400 hits in 8 years). Then yesterday I got another, on the sequel, and today a third one on the final part of my trilogy, which was the first filth I ever published for anyone else to read. I re-read it and it still stands up - but mostly incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't read the books.

In celebration, I'm putting on a pot of mulled wine. It should be thick and potent by this evening for you all!

 

[Candy_Kane54]

For those who are getting up for the day, I have a fresh pot of coffee brewing. There are some donuts and danishes on the counter and the teapot is hot for those who drink tea.

I got distracted by the drones yesterday and didn't get any words put together. Hopefully, I will get some today.