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

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

C. wrote: "Paula,
I asked and got a very good editor with lots of prior sci fi editing experience. He was awesome."
Great!

I've not heard of Proofreadingpal.com, and no free time tonight to look them over, but (1) I wonder how much of the $20/750 words (3 "standard editing pages") their editors get. Generally, online content-editing mills don't pay professional rates, meaning you may get a good editor sensitive to your style, but you're as likely to get a rushed hack--though of course it's possible you'll get someone fairly new to editing, ready to put in lots of time to do the job well, and with a good editing sense. --But be wary. And, as Heather notes, for more experimental works, this can be especially risky.
Probably worth trying for one or two stories, though, and see how it goes. Also presumably everyone here has at least a copy of Strunk and White's Elements of Style, for basic grammar issues and the like, so you and the editor don't have to waste time or money on those basics and can actually edit the story issues.

Nice jobs, Jack and Chris. Impressive pieces.

Very good holiday(s) to all of you, and a peaceful, healthy, wonderful New Year!

Might do, Heather, sure--but otoh might be sometimes ones too difficult for me, especially where the google program's not done its job well, or where we're needing French slang equivalents of US slang, or etc. . . .etc.; there are a zillion problems can come up doing translations. If I can be of help, it'd be with the author also working on getting the translation right. And really, for work whose lanugage usage is not highly traditional, we''ll also want a person whose primary language is French, and uptodate French, to do the final.

I've done French-English translation in some jobs and was for a time bilingual, so if you need some help with reviewing some of the rocky places, maybe I can be a bit of help. But, as Heather noted, French and English do not translate one-on-one always.
Sounds like an interesting venue, in any case.

It can be done by volunteers, C.--if they have the major time available, which is rare in the present economy, and the enthusiasm.

That'd be up to them to decide, C. I'd not go phoning book bloggers, though. One might write p.r.'s for bloggers, one do a variant for s.f. journals and a variant for major media review persons, one get/make lists of whom to send to in a couple of these areas, one do lists of same for other types of media, one do . . ., etc. And then some of these do follow-up calls and/or emails, yeah. And one do photography and/or vids related to the book, one write ad copy, one do layout for ads, graphics for the vid, . . . and so on. For instance.

Book promotion of any money-making sort requires either a Big 5 publisher, a very large marketing/pr budget for print, broadcast. andsocial media, or hiring a $10,000+ pr company for a major marketing campaign. A fourth possibility--usually no more than a tenth as effective as these but still able to make back expenses and get several big reviews--is a very, very, very large effort by 10 or more experienced and/or enthusiastic volunteers with a day or two per week to give to the effort.

""they"" meaning the US Army (persons therein), Justin, or at least think that's who you said was running this. Anyhow, sounds like a fun contest, and could well enable some new developmental ideas.

Your doctor's/dentist's offices must have shorter wait times than most of ours, Kalifer!
Yes, and congrats on your prize. And dartboard. . .

Curious competition, that, Justin. I'd wonder--are they recruiting? trying to suss out potential terroristi? looking for free R&D? seeking to get a lock on possible competitors/ideas? on patent potentialities? Don't they have a whole "look to sf for likely future scenarios" division? or maybe a recruitment endeavour in fact. In any case, it's a whole little story in itself!

Jot, I think you need to check with Sharon re your pieces; I'm pretty sure they'd have got in on time, though.

Great theme, Jot!
Carrol--asap, for my part, I hope to get my edits done this week. We've all been work-swamped, I think. Sharon probably can tell you more. We thank you infinitely for this!

This is an award for voting the most like everyone else the most times? I'd like to give Kalifer an award for consistently writing solidly fine stories!

I've enjoyed this month's stories but am caught up in a very heavy (and overdue) editing job for a longterm client, so have to skip doing a story or voting on your--very fine, those I've had time to read yet--stories this month. Sorry.

Great story there, Heather. Comic genius.
Except--oh wait, didn't that just (no it couldn't possibly, could it) . . . happen?

Fine and charming story, Chris! Guess I'd expect a bit more a sense, at the end, of danger (amid those opened possibilities), but there's something fine in the subtlety and elegance of the ending, as it is. Nice job.

Congratulations, Chris!

Whatever that story may have been, J.F., I can imagine there'll be many inspired by this new one of yours. Super in all ways.