tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post6349110031432575578..comments2023-09-30T10:31:07.390-04:00Comments on Short Fiction. Write it. Sell it. : Appearing in issue #16, April 20, 2015Jody E. Lebelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-45233321244109429862015-04-23T15:02:39.147-04:002015-04-23T15:02:39.147-04:00@ Tamara.
"Curious about that". As you...@ Tamara.<br /><br />"Curious about that". As you should be. There's no clear direction from WW it seems. No consistency. And the next story, which I'll post tomorrow, has the same problem. It's all about what tickles Johnene's fancy these days. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-42666422908086621612015-04-23T14:40:53.187-04:002015-04-23T14:40:53.187-04:00My lip is stuck out a little. As I mentioned in an...My lip is stuck out a little. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I got a lecture from Johnene on one of my rejections about the necessity of including a clue in the story for the discerning reader to see. Yet, lately, I'm noticing that, increasingly, clues are placed in the solution box rather than in the story. Curious about this. Tamaranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-37943135709883499352015-04-22T15:02:13.239-04:002015-04-22T15:02:13.239-04:00Tracie Rae, sometimes it is hard to think of just ...Tracie Rae, sometimes it is hard to think of just the right phrase to offer a clue but not hit the reader in the face with it. I was thinking you might have said something about the victim's "glassy eyed stare" to hint at the contacts. I think mysteries are very hard to write. <br /><br />Good grief, what a robot question now. Soups on! Oh, now it is just numbers. Yiiiiiiiii!Mary Jonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-3840150515177705482015-04-21T07:23:30.466-04:002015-04-21T07:23:30.466-04:00@ Bettye
To be consistent and to avoid my personal...@ Bettye<br />To be consistent and to avoid my personal likes and dislikes, the stars are given out in five different areas: motive, police work, pacing/writing, character work, and clue. This story had four things working for it, but a missing/poor clue. So it got 4 out of the 5 stars. Once the star rating is given, then I take the liberty to dish out some snark if I feel like the story deserves it.Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-72522562409542964142015-04-21T04:22:37.275-04:002015-04-21T04:22:37.275-04:00If a glint goes out in someone's eye it's ...If a glint goes out in someone's eye it's either through disappointment, or the life leaving their body, not an indication that they wore contact lenses. Sorry, Tracie Rae but that's not a clue I could ever have drawn that conclusion from. Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-43217217361525706462015-04-21T03:48:38.933-04:002015-04-21T03:48:38.933-04:00This story was well written, but I don't like ...This story was well written, but I don't like mysteries where the solution comes out of left field and wasn't previously mentioned or even hinted at. As a reader, I felt cheated. I would definitely not give this one 4 stars. I'm surprised at everyone's generosity.<br />bettye griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04457387770524295498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-34168977274377018662015-04-20T22:31:40.678-04:002015-04-20T22:31:40.678-04:00@ Tracie Rae
Thanks for leaving us a post. I neve...@ Tracie Rae<br />Thanks for leaving us a post. I never would have thought of contacts as being the 'glint' though. Contacts don't die. If they did indeed produce a glint, it would still be there in the man's eyes. A 'glint going out' refers to life leaving the body, so I still wouldn't have gotten it. To me it would have been better for the police to find some contact lens fluid in his desk or some dry eye contact drops in his pocket. Other than that, it was a great story. :)<br /><br />Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-5123672320776743462015-04-20T21:43:35.537-04:002015-04-20T21:43:35.537-04:00Hi!
Not much was changed, but an important senten...Hi!<br /><br />Not much was changed, but an important sentence was left out.<br /><br />"He watched the glint go out in his victim's eyes." The glint was supposed to refer to the contacts.<br /><br />Keep writing, everyone!<br /><br />Tracie RaeTracie Raenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-3444614943633790952015-04-20T16:47:23.288-04:002015-04-20T16:47:23.288-04:00@ Berita Thanks for stopping by. Always enjoy c...@ Berita Thanks for stopping by. Always enjoy comments from my readers. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-48422145390367630112015-04-20T13:35:51.704-04:002015-04-20T13:35:51.704-04:00@Mary Ann
I hope Tracie Rae will drop by and tell...@Mary Ann<br /><br />I hope Tracie Rae will drop by and tell us what WW changed. I know she said they changed the title.Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-74977266396457051232015-04-20T13:13:53.102-04:002015-04-20T13:13:53.102-04:00I agree. There is no way for the reader to figure ...I agree. There is no way for the reader to figure this one out--and isn't that what a Solve-it-yourself mystery is all about? I liked the idea of the "double vision" as a giveaway, but felt cheated that I couldn't have guessed it from the text. Mary Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00947204195242982339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-83892981400730390562015-04-18T07:39:28.071-04:002015-04-18T07:39:28.071-04:00Nice to have a message of appreciation sometimes, ...Nice to have a message of appreciation sometimes, isn't it, Jody. Fingers crossed for Michael.<br /><br />I agree about this story, good pacing and decent plot, but like you I was also a bit peeved about those contacts. A hint about Ken having red, watery eyes that day, or Jackson noticing a recent optician's appointment in his diary or something, would have given us a clue that he had started wearing them. Ken having his reading glasses in his pocket didn't bother me, though, as a lot of people keep their glasses with them in case they need to take their lenses out for some reason. Otherwise, a pretty good story. <br /><br />Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-38178303719715005212015-04-17T10:29:21.081-04:002015-04-17T10:29:21.081-04:00Received this in my e-mail today. Always nice to h...Received this in my e-mail today. Always nice to hear from nice people. The return email address is from a different Michael than the one who drops by from time to time. <br /><br />"Hello Ms. Lebel, <br /><br />I found your blog a few months ago shortly after I had submitted a mini mystery to Woman’s World. I appreciate your blog for several reasons, but most importantly, it provides me an opportunity to view all of the stories that are being published along with your critique, which by the way, is very insightful. <br /><br />I find myself viewing your blog several times a month and it has truly helped me gain an understanding into the breakdown of the mini mysteries. I look forward to the day when I will see my stories (positive thinking here) published in Woman’s World, and then here for you and your followers to critique. <br /><br />Michael"Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.com