The Overlook Hotel

The last bit, with Sean instead of Nick - I had to go back to see if it was the same character or not. Maybe mention Sean somewhere earlier, could be he's a waiter or something?

I didn't worry about the length too much, if you have trouble bringing down to 500-ish words, I can give that a shot if you'd like.

KitFox

Maybe. Or maybe write Nick's name more. Or maybe make him nameless.

Neil Fein

Mentioning Nick's name more could work, too.

Probably the easier solution.

KitFox

3:10 AM

Am I scheduled for tomorrow?

Neil Fein

Either that or Tuesday, depends on when @MattЭллен finishes his. I think it's ready, just need his okay.

I am embracing the uncertainty!

Ooh, how about "sustenance" as a title?

KitFox

Hmm...

Neil Fein

@MattЭллен - How about "The Mind of a Pig"?

KitFox

There is a certain unsavoriness to it that I like.

Neil Fein

Okay, let's use that for now, it can always be changed if you get a better idea.

KitFox

3:14 AM

@NeilFein He'll be asleep at this hour. Bonus is, he'll probably be awake around 2 am local.

Neil Fein

I'll be asleep then, I hope, but he'll see it in the morning.

Where is he?

KitFox

UK.

I thought you knew.

Neil Fein

@MattЭллен - I'm putting down "What the Pig Saw" for now, just to have a title.

KitFox

I'm not sure "Sustenance" fits. I like it though. Still pondering.

Neil Fein

@KitFox - I probably did at one point. All you internet people live on the same planet.

KitFox

3:16 AM

Are you holding me to two stories this time?

Neil Fein

No, that'd just be a bonus.

KitFox

phew

Neil Fein

I mean, if you really want...

KitFox

So glad I could throw Matt under the bus on that.

Neil Fein

Pushing writers too hard results in unhappy writers and no posts.

He wrote a good story.

KitFox

3:17 AM

I could maybe write a second, but I don't think it would be very good. Not without a better immediate plan.

Neil Fein

Nah, I think I have a few more for the rest of the week. It's all good.

KitFox

This one isn't even done and I'm not sure it's very good.

Neil Fein

Sounds like mine. It's a piece of garbage and a mess.

KitFox

I'm having a crappy week again. Also, I'm beta reading for a friend.

@NeilFein Want to talk about it?

Neil Fein

Wrote it a few weeks ago, based on an exercise here, and kept adding to it and it became a sprawling mess.

I'll take a look tomorrow - it's been a week - and then ping you.

KitFox

3:19 AM

Want to compete over it? Sometimes that's fun and makes you feel better.

@NeilFein OK.

Neil Fein

This one is kinda close and personal, would rather not. But thanks!

:)

I think I'm gonna eat some oreos and watch TV.

Will leave this tab open if something comes up.

KitFox

OK. I'll make some edits and ping you.

Stack Exchange

3:33 AM

0

Q: Inserting truthful (derogatory) statements in text

If I am writing and know that somebody kind of famous did something illegal and horrible (it's a well known fact with this individual, but they were never charged), can it be put in writing or is that attacking their name (can't remember the word) and could lead to potential trouble? EDIT: Remem...

legal

KitFox

3:47 AM

Titled sufficiently. Down to 558. I'm sure I can winnow a bit more.

Neil Fein

Looking now.

KitFox

499.

Is yours about the death of a loved one? Because I was thinking of writing the flash fiction version of my story about that. Don't want to copy.

Neil Fein

@KitFox - That's much improved. You could probably trim a little off the first couple paras if you want.

KitFox

I'd have to add more in then.

Neil Fein

No, mine is character based, about two people making a cup of coffee.

It may not happen for this week.

KitFox

4:01 AM

Well, do you want me to try to write a second one?

Neil Fein

I think I have three more after you and Matt. Not gonna say no, but I don't want to be pushy.

Can we publish yours Monday morning? Does it feel ready to you?

KitFox

You think it still needs work?

I'm not sure that the implication in the first paragraph are clear.

> His shift was almost over, second of four for the weekend, and as he inhaled he silently cursed Jason for taking off with some tramp two months ago.

This is supposed to imply (when the reader gets to the end of the story) that Jason shared a similar fate with Nick.

Neil Fein

I think it's very clear.

The parallel at the end makes it work.

KitFox

Too clear?

I'm probably over-thinking it.

It's just a silly little bit of horror.

Yeah. OK. I can let it out into the wild.

Neil Fein

Cool

Scheduled.

Thanks!

KitFox

4:12 AM

Sure. Thank you.

Do you do editing for short stories/novellas, or are you strictly a novel-length guy?

Neil Fein

Whatever people want to hire me for, I'll work on.

I've done chapters for novels going to agents, not a short story on its own - yet.

KitFox

I don't have anything yet, but I will keep you in mind of you are interested.

Is it easier to do a few short stories together, or one at a time? What are projects like?

Neil Fein

I've mostly worked on novels, or pieces of novels. With those, it's always easiest to work on the entire project all in one go, so it all has the same style of editing.

Short stories can have different tones, so it's not so urgent. If were doing an anthology in pieces, I'd probably just stick to a style sheet for the project, then do a pass at the end for proofreading and cleanup.

KitFox

I'm thinking of submitting a short story to a theme issue of a literary magazine.

Neil Fein

They probably have their own editing style. Best to stick to that.

KitFox

4:20 AM

But I'm still debating whether it wouldn't be better to write several short stories for a future anthology.

I'm still making myself crazy over what to do next. All the while I am still not writing regularly.

Neil Fein

If you have the inspiration for the stories, flip a coin over which one is first and go.

Write what you have foremost in your mind at the moment.

KitFox

I feel like I do better with a prompt.

Part of me thinks I should find a prompt and write a bunch of stories on that theme.

And see what happens.

But wouldn't it be nicer to publish something in a literary magazine? But that could take me years.

But so could writing a bunch of stories.

And that doesn't mean they will any of them be any good.

Neil Fein

Found r/writingprompts yet?

Some pretty cool ones there.

KitFox

tinhouse.com/blog/35760/…

I was thinking this. Also thinking of reading Tin House for a while and maybe trying to submit there.

Neil Fein

Looks like fun!

KitFox

4:31 AM

This link looks extremely helpful. I think I might do this for writing my first short story. Well, not first, but first where I am trying to do it.

In which it brings me to the thing I think is actually the thing I need to work on, which is the clock. I've never heard of that idea before and it makes sense, and now I will have to think about it more.

RhysW

7:17 AM

@KitFox true, but its always finished by the time i get home! Besides, I have my ideas as scrawled notes on a page but I never seem to get further than that

Maybe I'm just too picky about how I start :P

Also, what you guys up to? some sort of organised writing thing?

Matt Эллен

7:44 AM

@NeilFein I had originally called it "Bloody Disappointment" but I wasn't sure if the use of bloody was a problem. "What the pig saw" is good enough for me :)

Neil Fein

11:57 AM

@MattЭллен Good morning! Will go with What the pig saw, then.

Current version look good to you?

@RhysW This: magnificentnose.com/2014/07/04/…

@KitFox - magnificentnose.com/2014/07/21/the-paradox-of-sustenance

3

KitFox

12:44 PM

@MattЭллен Oh, I like "Bloody Disappointment" as a title!

@NeilFein Thanks!

Matt Эллен

@NeilFein yes, thank you :)

KitFox

Hi Matt.

Matt Эллен

Hi!

How's your foot?

KitFox

It is sore and it itches.

Matt Эллен

:(

Jasper Loy

12:50 PM

@KitFox If it is eczema, you need some betamethasone cream.

KitFox

It have hydrocortizone cream, and that helps a little.

Jasper Loy

OK. Hydrocortisone is much weaker. I used it before as well.

Stack Exchange

1:29 PM

0

Q: How do I approach rewriting an entire user guide in an agile environment?

I'm tasked with rewriting an entire user guide that hasn't been updated for years at a company and I am the only technical writer on the team. Only release notes were sent out all these years. The company adopts the agile development process, and a sprint typically spans three weeks. I've been t...

technical-writing

Neil Fein

2:37 PM

Hydrocortizone is great, but a doctor warned me to not use it for more than a week at a time. After that, she said it makes your skin very thin.

KitFox

Interesting.

Neil Fein

I have eczema on my feet, nothing seems to get rid of it. Moisturizing and keeping my feet dry seems to be the best way to keep it at bay. (Wool cycling socks that wick away sweat are awesome for that. Or going barefoot.)

-1

Q: Janice T. Connell's book, Visions of the Children medjugorje

How many copies have been sold since the first edition?

non-fiction sales

Was gonna put that on hold since it's kinda barebones, but none of the close reasons fit. And the original user hasn't been back since asking. Any thoughts on how to handle this?

Matt Эллен

2:52 PM

"Unclear what you're asking" The answer to this question could change daily. without more details of why you want to know it's not possible to give a good answer

Neil Fein

Good thought, will do that. Thanks.

Matt Эллен

No probs :)

RhysW

6:40 PM

@NeilFein whats the nose?

KitFox

That's Neil's online publication.

RhysW

oh cool

nice entry by the way, just finished it

KitFox

Thank you.

RhysW

6:55 PM

so hows things going anyway? havent dropped in for a while

KitFox

Yeah, I know. But neither have I been as active as I had been.

On Writers anyway.

Things are OK. Busy. Lots of kerfuffle on EL&U.

RhysW

really? that sort of surprises me, what sort of kerfuffle?

KitFox

Have you been writing? Are you thinking about NaNoWriMo this year?

RhysW

Well, writing in its loosest loosest sense, still just ideas on a page in bullet points

KitFox

@RhysW Lots of "mod abuse" and "you're not doing it right" and such. We had an election.

So that always makes stuff crappy for a while.

RhysW

6:58 PM

ahh, its like that every where isnt it?

KitFox

Yeah, imagine so.

Everywhere else isn't my domain though.

RhysW

...Touché

KitFox

How is yours?

RhysW

honestly, ive sort of been hands off a lot recently, its quite small and quiet still, not a lot happens and the other two usually catch it before me, time zones and what not

KitFox

Well, that's not so bad.

RhysW

7:01 PM

still , makes me feel guilty, i think i went for a month or so without popping in

but yeah id like to do nano this year

KitFox

Gotta run. Later!

RhysW

cya!

Stack Exchange

10:59 PM

0

Q: How far does libel extend in writing?

Suppose I wrote a book. Suppose it had a normal modern fictional story about it. Suppose that the characters aren't based on real people and have no relation to anyone. Suppose in the background of the story I'd depict Tim Tebow shooting heroin in the bathroom (not to sound goofy; it's just an ex...

style

Jerenda

11:32 PM

Is there really only two people here?

KitFox

11:42 PM

Well, you and one ghost. Now me.

This room is inhabited infrequently in the evening of the East Coast.

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