Paula’s Comments (group member since Oct 28, 2015)

Paula’s comments from the Science Fiction Microstory Contest group.

It's a terrific-looking site, Jack.
Frankly, people, I don't see how a contest in which only "the top 3 entries" (in the opinions of the largest number of folks in the group) each month get public exposure or (if ever $) remuneration can work for any sense of group mutuality or solidarity. We can all remember (or those of us who were then in the group can) what a negative impact on group morale occurred when the second issue of The Future Is Short limited most participants to 2 stories each, with 3 or 4 stories each for those who'd "won" the most months' votes. If there were contest judges known for their literary and critiquing skills running the competition, then such allotment might make sense, but even then it definitely runs strongly counter to the spirit of a real writers group.

Nice work!Jack wrote: "Vote tallies are hidden until you vote on a story so you don't really know where things stand until the end."

Two questions re the Carrie contest--if any others here are interested & if asking this is not too off-topic, Jot, of course.
(1) Is the contest/publication for "[Monthly] Speculative Fiction Stories," or is it for all genres? (2) The vote tallying gets done even while some other stories may not yet be posted(?)--so folks can change their votes over time?
Good of you to have put together the site for Carrie's contest, Jack. (Btw, folks, Jack has done the pre-press production for a couple of books of mine; his work is highly professional and impressive-looking both on these and on Carrie's contest, imo.)
Jack wrote: "For any of you interested, Carrie has moved the Fiction Writers Group contest to Undertow Press. Stories can be of any genre and 1200 words. I put the site together a while ago but hadn't done anyt..."

Hoping you are feeling better very soon, Thaddeus.
Thaddeus wrote: "THIS MONTH WAS FIRE.

Y'all wrote some fabulous stories.

If I feel better I will write what I loved in these tempest-tossed tales of temporality.

That is all."

Oh no! I hope you can get it straightened out okay, Kalifer.

Paula wrote: "Wrote and sent a quick story, of sorts. Not sure it got under the wire on time; hors de competition is fine with me if it's too late.
J.F., thank you for all that information and the step-by-step i..."
----And Jack, I may just go ahead and do that, OTOH. I'm sure this stuff becomes easier and easier with practice, though.
Thank you guys so much for all the information and helps!

Wrote and sent a quick story, of sorts. Not sure it got under the wire on time; hors de competition is fine with me if it's too late.
J.F., thank you for all that information and the step-by-step instructions. Definitely should help, though I usually get stopped by any step that begins "Contact a Help operator" at Verizon [or at Microsoft, re its apps and equipment, of course], but perhaps this time. Thank you very much, J.F.

First do no harm.
Copyright 2022 by Paula Friedman

“First, Do No Harm, yet also first, Choose Life—and is this paradoxical (or will it turn out nonparadoxical?) priorities set clear to you, Rosser, Danamor, Billings? And you, Elano, Whigmire, all you other students way over in the back row? Do NO harm, you see—zero—nada. First and always, our priority . . . say it, say it with me now . . . our priority is--is . . .?”

And “No harm! NO harm! No harm!” all the experimental studies, clinical practice, and novel procedures students and faculty students in the Multilingual Research Amphitheater/Center called out with Prof. Deniyd, and called again.

“Yet ALSO first, Choose Life,” Deniyd cried, equally forcefully. And “Life! Choose life!” all the clinical practice, novel procedures, and experimental studies students in the Amphitheater/Center cried out even louder. “Life! Life! Life!” and one young great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor called the Hebrew equivalent, “L’chaim!” So that “L’chaim!” cried, also, every other student in the over 132 languages and dialects of Earth’s varied populaces.

Because, indeed, for something like five times eighteen revolutions of this globe about our sun, the Multiling Research Amphi/Center, or MulRAC as it has become affectionately known, has followed this two-pronged Sole Priority, allowing no deviation from those two simply worded and sometimes seeming-contradictory rules—to never do harm, and to prioritize saving human lives. And, though such rule-following must involve, amid such paradox as rises with the slightest contradiction, breaking rules, we have succeeded.

Of course, admittedly, we've sometimes nearly failed; there have been moments when a risk of doing or not doing, amidst our contradictions' poles, may have come close—have nearly swerved our voyage, like a nuclear-loaded rocket in the dark autumn of the Cuban Crisis, into a crash course smashing millions of human lives.

Yes, Elano, yes Rosser? Yes, exactly (and the rest of you, put your hands down for now. May be time for you to speak before the bell). Exactly, Rosser, Elano--that well-known moment someone, pulling change from his pocket to pay the pizza delivery, almost failed to seal the lab door fully, back in the fall of 2019.

[360 words]

Thanks, J.F. That all makes good sense--if one has any idea how to go about it, which I confess I don't. However, it is very very good to know it can be done.
Also to know that Credo still exists as a mobile carrier.

I suggest looking over the various author sites/groups/communities on Substack first. Are there many groups/authors involved, and are the authors/groups ones that some/all/few here feel like being in a community with? (I do not know--haven't yet looked--suggesting this as a factor to consider.) And HOW NEW is this site? (Framing this as "comfortable" vs. "risky" is probably not helpful n.b.). And of course we w0uld want to be *very* careful about what sites we, or some of us, might use as a publishing platform--what ope-in/opt-out options exist on it, what if any reviews/ratings it has, if any-- especially with Preditors & Editor, etc. Also, is the reason for this group's shrinking a matter of people not finding it, or of perhaps a sameness in the stories and/or in the winning stories--and, if so, would people here wish that to change? I'm sure others here can think of other questions. Another question, of course, is whether Substack requires any new software, complex password/other entry maneuvers, or the like--any of which will cut down number of interested participants. These are all questions to consider, and I'm sure others here have other questions as we go ahead and look further into this option.

Agreed re the critiquing. It is good to get a sense of how people are responding to, interpreting, understanding stories, and of course practice in critiquing others' tales sometimes is good for the critiquer's skills.
Justin wrote: "Tom wrote: "Jot wrote: "I think the criques are an amazing part of this contest and I apologize for not writing them myself hardly at all. Wish I had the time. Today mission is to keep my new job, ..."

Jot wrote: "I had bought it online, independent of Verizon. However, since you still pay for their service, they still need to support your usage of the plan. A great online store for fully refurbished iPhones..."

Thank you very much!

Greg, thank you. How does one do that? I figure one sticks a USB drive onto the plug on the end of the phone--but then what? (n.b., this phone no longer has any Net connection functions). Thank you for the good info. Also, is there a way to save one's phone numbers, messages, etc., too?Greg wrote: "I would recommend backing up any photos, audio files, etc., before transferring.

I took mine in (Galaxy S5 to A32) and they transferred most of my stuff but lost a few photos. Since I had a backup..."

Thanks, Jot.

Hi guys, this is off-topic, but have any of you knowledge of how one might replace one's (Samsung Galaxy S4) phone with a newer model, *without* having to go into a "Verizon store" (or possibly a T-mobile store) to get help putting in and checking/registering/(or whatever one has to do) a new phone card? Also, does the change affect one's Windows account or require changing *any* settings/functions/anything involving Windows (Windows 10, in this case)? --I'm very bright and I am, or was, very good in abstract math, but I'm not good at tech (soft- or hard-ware) stuff, and totally lost re the corporate interfaces/interactions with these. And I know some of you are experts in these areas.
Thank you so very much for any advice, especially if it can be step-by-step/detailed, with instructions of what problems or extra steps may arise and what to do if problems (in this time of rampant pandemic, limiting onsite interactions). Thank you.

Congrats, Tom!

Had a great idea for a story this month, kind of based on the old tale of that lady in ancient Troy who kept warning the city's defenses weren't up to heading off disaster and the guys in the Power seats would keep saying "Hey we got it licked, gal, hey everything's fine." That one. Brought up to modern times. Only, I realized that was just the news heads.

Kalifer, I felt the story was already clear without the last line being stated. Using the actual quote from the play might have worked, btw. But look, these are only my own opinions. Trust your own instincts on the story.

Fine story, Kalifer. Tighten the last paragraph or 2, though, and cut last sentence. imao.

Justin, that sounds like a very valuable book, and congratulations on being selected to narrate and produce it! Impressive.