Dealing with critics.
Someone recently commented on my last blog post, and I started to write a reply. But then I thought about it. I didn’t want my reply to get buried as comment #63, so I decided to kick it to the top of the blog with a main post.
If you’d like, you can read the original comment. The whole thing is polite and well-written, but I disagree, obviously (or I wouldn’t be taking the time to reply… at length). Anyway, that’s probably enough preamble. Here’s my reply.
Hormes wrote:
You’re incredibly sensitive for somebody who posts to the internet under a pseudonym.
Not really. You don’t see a fraction of the bullshit I receive. I just ignore most of it. So calling me “incredibly sensitive” is pure hyperbole. I have fairly thick skin, but I’m also human. What you seem to forget is that I’m allowed to have emotions. But in reality, I don’t lose my temper very easily. It’s usually spectacular when I do, but it simply doesn’t happen all that often.
Hormes:
From what I can tell, you hold very firm to a philosophy of “if you don’t like how I do things, just don’t bother me because it’s all free anyway.”
No, I hold to the philosophy of “if your criticism isn’t constructive, then keep your fucking mouth shut.” More importantly, I have zero tolerance for complaints, precisely because I do this for free. In my real job, I have to put up with complaints all the time. Why? I get paid to put up with bullshit. That’s why they call it “work.”
Moving on… It sounds like you’re saying that I have to put up with 100% of the bullshit I receive, simply because I put myself in a public forum. Unfortunately, you couldn’t be more wrong. I have my limits, and they’re not unreasonable. You just happen to see when I snap. What you don’t see is the day-to-day low-level bullshit that I simply ignore as background noise.
Hormes:
I’ve also watched you eviscerate the poor bastards that dare to say anything negative against you. Wow. Shouting down opposing views in a forum full of people that, historically, always take your side. Way to go, Bill O’Reilly.
I go out of my way not to shout down opposing viewpoints. I think I do a pretty good job, too. For instance, this response to you. I’ve answered other critics with equal civility. A few others, not so much. I tend to ignore the true fuckwits (I didn’t respond to that comment… just wasn’t worth it). If you look at the critics and my responses, I tend to give what I get.
Hormes:
So now I’m writing to tell you that “I really enjoy your work. It’s well written and engaging. You act like a bratty little girl every time somebody criticizes you.”
I’m glad you enjoy my work, but I think you have a narrow and biased view of my reaction to criticism. Like I said, you don’t see even a small percentage of the bullshit I receive. I put up with more crap in a week than you have to endure in a year.
To put things into perspective for you, “routine” story feedback is 30-50 messages a week. A new chapter will draw 8 or 10 times as much. Most of that is positive, but a small percentage is not (~5%). Do the math. That’s about one complaint a week—even more when I post a chapter.
So, imagine what kind of whiner I’d be if I complained every time someone criticized me. You’d see a flaming blog post about once a week. Instead, you see one about once a year. Don’t believe me? Check the Wall of Shame here on the blog. When was my last flame? Yeah, that’s right—about a year ago.
That hardly qualifies as a bratty little girl. Sorry.
Hormes finished with:
I tried not to be “passive aggressive” here. Oh, and definitely denounce me in this forum so that all these other needy posters can continue with the emotional handjob.
I think you did a great job of not being P-A. You were polite, direct, and critical. Believe it or not, I appreciate that. I disagree with you, but I don’t think my disagreement counts as denouncing you. My apologies if you feel otherwise.
Last but not least, I don’t think readers who praise or defend me are giving me an “emotional handjob.” That’s like calling Democrats un-patriotic for questioning Bush. Both comparisons are self-serving and unfair, used more to score points than make a real argument.
You’ll have to do better than that, Mr. Hormes.
- Nick
When is Chapter 12 coming? You said a week like two weeks ago. I’m not trying to be a dick, I’m just wondering what the timeframe is.
Awesome first comment… *rolleyes*
@Glugory: I don’t think this is the right time to ask. If you’ve been here ever before, it’ll come when it comes. You learn to live with it; some even love it; and many (though sadly not all) appreciate it.
Nick: Thanks for the response, but ignore the fuckwits, enjoy the handjobs, and take your time. <3
Jeezus H Fucking Christ.
Nick, I don’t see how you haven’t killed someone yet. Posts like Glugory’s (personally, I think he’s trying to be funny and failing miserably), but posts like that piss ME off, and I can be an impatient fuckwit with the best of them, but I at least know when to keep his mouth shut.
*sigh*
Thank you for all you do Nick. Even as impatient as I get, I’ll gladly wait for the (near) perfection you put out. I’ve read stories that are rushed out, and the inconsistencies just piss me off.
I have at least modest sympathy for both sides in this current discussion.
I also feel the lag time between “episodes”, and it is slightly painful precisely because I really do care about the characters and the story. I miss hearing about them. And caring about the characters is my milestone for good writing. So cheers for writing really good work.
But I also think that part of this angst some readers feel may also stem at least in part from the way they are introduced to the story. Most readers, certainly me, have not been reading the whole story in installments over many years. I started reading just a couple years ago, and had a good body of work, the first couple books, to read all at once. So I read them like books instead of serials. Shifting to serials has drawn things out and delayed my gratification. And it’s all your fault Nick!
So thanks for giving us these engaging characters. Try to interpret as much of the bellyaching as you can as just the desire for MORE, NOW, PLEASE!!!
For those people who become overwhelmed by their desire for instant gratification, I would recommend they simply take a long vacation from the site, and come back (much) later and read really big chunks of work more like books than serial installments.
I want to add that you have put together a great site, that always offers entertainment value even when you don’t have a new installment ready.
So Nick, enjoy all the handjobs you can get, from your loyal readers or otherwise!!!
Nick,
I’ll keep it short & to the point.
Thanks
Levon
Hi Nick.
Hi Nick
I just had to reply to the last comment. I have been following these stories since the very beginning. I began when they were posted on ASSTR. There was no “body of work”, I think book one was up to chapter six when I discovered it. And yes the time lag between chapters can be painful, precisely because the writing is so good, the characters so thoughfully drawn, and the story engaging. Every time the time lag between chapters drags, I just tell myself that it is because the author wants the story to be as perfect in print as it is in his mind and that takes time. In the meantime, I’ve reread all the books, at least once maybe twice.
NMW, I’ll keep checking back.
Thanks for the novels.
Yeah, I’m another person who’s finally feeling the pain of waiting for a new chapter. I read Books 1 and 2 in their entirety (as PDFs) when Nick was just about finished with Book 3. So is it frustrating to wait weeks or months between chapters? Yeah, but the payoff is totally worth it. And in between, there’s plenty of other stuff out there to read, both on paper in our local libraries & bookstores, as well as the internet.
Among other things, I’m currently reading “Fear of Flying” (at long last; I bought it about a year ago!), which I became interested in thanks to Nick having Kendall and Gina discuss it all the way back in Book 2. Who says erotica can’t be educational? Thanks, Nick, for helping to broaden my mind. (I hope that won’t be interpreted as “giving the author a handjob”
)
It might be that the impatient readers out there would be better off waiting until the entire
book is finished.
One of the publications I read serializes novels and
novellas over the course of 3 to 5 issues. In the
past I would read each part as it came out and then
wait (very impatiently at times) for the next issue.
These days I save all the issues that the story is
serialized in and only read the story after I have
all of the parts.
Just a suggestion.
I’ve said it twice before, but I’ll say it again, Nick.
Thank you for writing the highest quality of literature/erotica I’ve ever read. I reread the stories frequently and enjoy them anew every time.
Thanks, nick.
-Ambush
Oh, and, I have to say, while the stories were amazing just as simple literotica, it helps that a good deal of the things that are happening in them, outside of the sex, have happened to some of us, if not most, my self included. If they haven’t, then something close enough to count has. Yet another reason I love your stories: they apply to my life.
Thanks again
Ambush
Coucou from Paris France !!
1)- It’s worth waiting
2)- I HATE waiting
3)- It is a VERY GOOD news to know that we might have, at this very delivery rythm, some more 10 or 12 years of Paul anf Gina …
4)- So just ENJOY it !!!
5)- Pleeeease, pretttttty please, Nick do not banned me for my remark….. lol…..
(sorry for the poor english…)
In answer to the “dealing with critics”, I agree with the vast majority of what you were saying. Most readers have to wait for a year or two to read the next book in a serieswhen they are buying the material because arthers cant’t crank out good work and make it fast. I am not into fast food reading material. You are doing your reading audiance a favour by giving them a chapter at a time rather than having us waite for the finished product. Thanks. If I have lost the tread of the work it is easy and also enlightening to go back a chapter and pick the line back up. I always get some extra insights that I missed the first time through. I read at least three to four books a month, depending on the length and not one of them is read in one sitting, therefor I usually have to back track a small portion when I have had to lay the reading aside for a bit. Also it may be of intrest that all my reading is aloud to my wife as she is doing other things such as driving or getting ready for bed ect. We both enjoy the sharing of such a rich experiance. I do beleave that your writing is good maybe even publishing good. Again thanks for not making us waite for the whole book.
Nick, I’ve waited over a decade for the next “Cyteen” book from C. J. Cherry; it’s now at the publisher’s. I can wait for you.
Steve.
As this has drifted to the topic of Nick’s posting schedule, it prompts a couple of points I haven’t noticed elsewhere:
1 As someone with very poor self-control, when I discovered the first couple of “Summer Camp” books, I gorged myself on them, taking the laptop to bed each night and reading two or three chapters (while my wife read her novels beside me!). The enforced wait between chapters is for me a blessed prop that eases me from this addiction back to the real world;
2 Serialised books are typically complete before the start of the serial publication (though maybe less often in this realm). For me, its quite a privelege to be able to read something before its complete. It’s even not inconceivable that one could influence the story by feedback to the author.
But also:
3 Alluding to the comment earlier about educational content, I just wish I had been able to read this story as a teenager. Bit late now, but maybe I’ll have a word with my grandchildren when they reach an appropriate age.
Keep it up, Nick. I admire the breadth of topics and the care you take to get it right.
Sorry. I think I just wet my self reading the first reply to this post.
Nick
Thanks for the great reading. Enjoy life to the fullest. as said above I have reread the three books several times and always pickup something I didn’t remember previously.
Thanks again
While I’m a long time fan, I mostly agree with the post you replied to.
You’re a fantastic writer, and I’ll keep reading your work regardless of the wait time between chapters. That said, the delay between chapters lowers the quality of your work.
When the delay between chapters is so long that I have to re-read 3 back chapters just to remember what’s going on with the characters, the slow schedule is hurting the quality of the book.
For a similar example, look to webcomics. There’s a number of examples of a well written webcomic that gains a lot of fans, only to have the artist fall into a pattern of late posting, missing comics, etc. They’ll often publicly denounce criticism from people complaining. Much like Nick, they’ll say they have no obligation to the reader, as they’re doing this for free, the author owes the reader nothing.
This always struck me as a closed minded attitude that doesn’t help the artist become a better artist. If this way a paid gig, would there still be inconsistent postings?
Summer camp used to be a weekly treat. Eventually that grew to monthly. The last year & a half has been all over the place. When I’m looking back at the “good old days” of a monthly story update, there’s something wrong.
I appreciate that you share the summer camp world with us. I love reading it. The extreme delays between chapters impacts the story negatively. I wish this story was being posted at Ruthie’s, where I could pay, and be assured that every other issue I’d have an update to Summer Camp. I subscribe to Ruthie’s every time there’s an active Nick Scipio or Al Steiner serial there.
The fuckwits have a point.
I like how you handled that with the Joska-ism. =)
Whether the criticism is deserved or not, it betrays some kind of messed up priorities on the part of the complainers. SC is fun to read, and life is better for having it, but we’re not talking about supreme court opinions here. If your life is materially worse because an erotic novel isn’t being serialized at the tempo you’d prefer, you should probably find another use of your time. Or, you know, check out the myriad links to other work that Nick so thoughtfully provided on the site.
Nick, don’t get me wrong, I’m not belittling your work (or at least not trying to)–I’ve been reading it as you write it for the last few years, at least, and it’s been a pleasure to see it unfold. I just find it amazing that people complain so much despite your making it CLEAR that you post at your own pace.
Nick, I don’t think the problem is the delay. It’s the perception of delay. And please don’t take this as criticism, it’s just observation, but when you work so hard to create such a stunningly visual web-world around your story, then say postings are coming, people tend to expect and get excited. Then again, isn’t that what we want as authors?
On the other hand, when real life gets in the way, delays come, you get busy, or just get sick of the story and don’t feel like writing–and believe me, I know EXACTLY what that feels like and no one can understand that like writers–then reader expectations get squashed which always leads to hurt feelings.
As for me, I like Wizards approach. He writes a half a book, doesn’t tell a soul, posts it, surprises readers, but doesn’t give any perception of when the next installment is coming so when it arrives it’s such a pleasant surprise.
As for the “Summer Camp” books, fantastic writing! Great story! And I have completely enjoyed your hard work and appreciate it.
Thanks!
Locke
Adune–
Perhaps Nick will post on this…
You are right in that a serial without a regular posting schedule will lose the interest of some of the readers. The problem is, as Nick and other authors have found out, the regular posting schedule can be a trap.
First, the only way a writer can guarantee a regular posting schedule is if the story is completed before the first chapter is posted. This means that no one sees it for many months or years while it’s in progress. None of us would have seen SC at all if Nick had chosen that route. In addition to the impact on the readers, it can be hard on the author. It’s very easy to abandon a work you haven’t shown anyone. But when you’ve gotten good feedback, it makes it easier.
When I was writing F&B, I hit the marathon pain stage Nick’s been in for a few months. The most productive writing periods were right after I’d posted a chapter. The ‘high’ of getting it out and getting feedback helped the juices flow enough to dive into the next chapter. If I’d waited until I was done, I would never have finished.
So Nick chose to not wait, because he recognized for him that he was better off releasing this mammoth work as he went than waiting the 6-7 years until it was done. I have no problem with that decision.
But one of the by-products is that it’s damn tough to maintain a posting schedule. Sure, it can be easy when real life isn’t intruding much and the euphoria is running pretty high. That describes SC B1 pretty well for Nick. But when family and career and other pressures show up… well, it’s just not possible to maintain that time and energy commitment. One can maintain a backlog to help tide through the rough spots, but even that can be tough when the muse isn’t there and the time needs to be spent with the family and kids.
This is, of course, where Nick’s comments about getting paid kick in. If writing were my career, it’d jump to number three in my priority list (behind health and family) instead of number eight or so. Nick gets frustrated at folks who feel that they, as complete strangers, are ‘owed’ by him and that he should put them number one in his life and get to work on that next chapter pronto. I don’t blame him. If they want him to realy put chapters out with that priority, he needs to be paid more than he makes in his day job, and I don’t see anyone stepping forward to offer him that kind of money.
So in addition to increasing the priority of writing (by getting paid or having no life off-line), the only other way I know for an author to guarantee that an on-going work is released on time is to reduce the quality. Nick’s tried that too. It really is unfortunately that too many readers weren’t around for the first ending to B2 to truly appreciate what happens when Nick puts his posting schedule ahead of the quality. Those chapters were, in my not so humble opinion, pretty poor in quality. You can see the same phenomena in the dead tree world as well. The most prolific writers tend to produce a lot of dreck. Me, I’d rather have two really good books from an author than ten that get sent to the used book store the moment I bother to finish them.
So… yeah, it’s unfortunate that Nick can’t maintain a regular posting schedule. And yes, that means that some readers will lose interest. But Nick has decided that the alternatives (finishing the whole thing in advance, putting writing ahead of other things in his life, putting out dreck) aren’t worth it. I, for one, agree.
There was a “first ending” to book 2? I only found Nick’s work after he put out the first few chapters of book 3. Where is this “first ending,” and is it still available for perusal? I think it would be cool to be able to go back and re-read book 2 with the “first ending” and again with the current one. Might take my mind off waiting for the next (assuredly AWESOME)chapter in book 4.
Even without an announced release schedule, I’m sure all regular authors see similar complaints. Nick has in the past dangled hope of weekly or monthly updates, and when that falls through some people get even more upset than usual. Nick can rant all he wants about how immature it is to complain about release schedules, but readers are only human. Some of them are always going to gripe no matter what, it’s true, but more will gripe if schedules slip or if an obviously-unfinished story goes an unusual amount of time with no status updates.
I don’t think anyone begrudges Nick’s refusal to put SC Book4 at the top of his priorities list. There may not be a perfect way to handle publishing a story like SC in parts, but there are certainly ok, not-so-good, and even worse ways of handling it.
Nick, please, for the love of all that is holy, stop posting complaints. Loyal readers already know your perspective. Please laugh off the complaints instead… or find some way to handle them psychically without posting them on your blog or on the mailing list. It doesn’t do much good, it stirs up bad blood, and inevitably your detractors will compare your complaints to the ones you receive. Responding publicly to 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000 complaints is not the same as ignoring them.
How would it be perceived if Stephen King took 5 years off and started publishing occasional responses to “When’s your next book due out?” whines — which I’m sure he gets even with his prolific release schedule?
Detractors, please chill out and find something else to do rather than complain to Nick. Barring catastrophe, we’ll get the rest of book 4 eventually. There’s a reason patience is considered a virtue.
Complainers,
Someone a few posts up mentioned “Wizard”. All the complainers go read his books if your so unhappy that Nick has a life other than writing us free stories.
Wizard’s “Trailer Park” books are extremely good. I’m not sure if it’s mentioned but start with year one or you’ll be lost. The books are great but Wizard isn’t great about reintroducing characters from previous books.
Another Great book is Magi’s “Pete”. It too is a work in progress, but at about 2 million words so far, it will take a while to read.
Then there’s Dark Vision’s “The Lottery” book 1, Book 2 is “Lady Guinevere”, book 3 is “Unique Adventures” it is still in progress, but well worth reading.
Last but not least is RealLifeDragon’s “Cammie Sue” He has written 3 full books all are complete.
If you like SC I’m sure you will enjoy the other books I listed.
Levon
Monetizing your Work!
Several bloggers make 6 figure earnings. Nick you should explore the option. Your PoD has regular visitors. Why not monetize that? I think you are dumb in not doing that.
Paid sites like Ruthie’s club is not the only option to monetize your work.
I am sure, lot of us would not mind non-intrusive advertisements on your website.
One of the things I enjoy most about the delays between chapters is the discussion. Whether it is speculation about the wife or Aunt D, when the next chapter will come out, or what will it take to set Nick off.
At times, I admit, I act like Gina. I want it now and I want it my way! Then again, we probably all do at times. I find that the power of Nick’s characters. It is very easy to see in Paul, Gina, Kendall, and the others things that we have in ourselves. Sometimes, things we wished we had in ourselves.
That Nick only sees a 5% fuckwit response rate, I see as healthy. It does show that majority respect him. Would I like Chapter 12 to be out now? Hell yes! And as soon as I finish it, I’ll want 13. Repeat as necessary through the Epilogue.
As for you, Nick: keep the good work coming! I’ll be around (Buddha willing) when the next chapter arrives.
Nick, whilst I really appreciate the work you (and all the other authors) do in putting out well written and engaging stories, that does NOT give you the right to flame people if they’re trying to make a point that differs from yours. If you don’t believe your reply was a flame, I suggest you go back and read it again, preferably with an open mind.
I’m afraid your rant *does* look very much like a little girl throwing a hissy fit, even if you can’t see it. Your point that “I’m not being paid for this – this isn’t work, so therefore I don’t have to put up with any bullshit” shows a complete disrespect for the opinions of other people, reasonable or otherwise and is a great way to loose friends and create enemies.
Will I keep reading? Probably. Will I be upset if you stop posting? Not really. Will your flames colour my views of your work? Unfortunately, yes.
There are plenty of other authors who are out there who find it hard to write on a regular basis. Hell – I understand and appreciate that, especially given that I’m not creative enough to write *anything*. However, I’ve never yet run into an author that chews through people the way you chewed through “Hormes” for a comment that even you admit was polite and well-written. Your reply was anything but polite and frankly, not all that well written.
It boils down to this. Try to treat people as you would like to be treated. The world is a lot easier to get through if you do. And if you hate writing as much as your comment seems to imply that you do, then *take* the option you have *because* your work is free – and STOP before it poisons you.
Hey! Is Paul gonna f@!k his sister or what? hehehe. Love the stories! Wish you well.
I gotta say it.. for all of you complaining about Nick’s attitude. Go find John Ringo’s website and read HIS comments. This is a paid professional writer with a very large body of respected work and an attitude that makes Nick look all warm and fuzzy when people piss Ringo off. You pick on anyone long enough they are gonna react so let it go.
I’m not fond of the gaps in his posting and there are other stories I wish he would continue as well. Thing is.. it’s HIS work and his world and it comes out when it does. For anyone who doesn’t know it.. writing is hard work and disciplined. It also absolutely requires that you be in that “head space” I’ve had long projects that appeared on the page with out effort and short ones that were more like trying to build the pyramids by myself bare handed. …
oh hell can’t we all just get along…
sorry had to say it.. dj
Ermm,
Completely off topic, but could I ask why there is no apparent link back to your main site Nick?
Regards
Alan
p.s … Levon.. where do I find those authors you mentioned I don’t recognize the names?
thanks
Shadow:
The authors listed can be found at Storiesonline – http://storiesonline.net/. I have read most of those stories listed, and for those of you waiting for Trailer Park year 5 part 2, I was assured that it would be posted a month ago, but I assume Wizard ran into some problems as well. It should be out shortly.
Thanks for posting the link to Storiesonline.
Another set of books I forgot about is Rev. Cotton Mather’s “Playing The Game”
Book 1 – Playing The Game
Book 2 – Playing The Game – Playing To Win
Book 3 – Playing The Game – The Competitive Edge
Book 3 is in progress but almost finished and also has Nicks SC character Erin, Pauls sister in it. She comes in, in chapter 22 & there is 48 chapters in Book 3
Levon
Nick,
I get enough value out of these blog endries, pod and humour links to make a visit to this site an almost daily thing. Is there anything we can do to help with the non writing aspects of this sites content?
Pul
As a beginning author I can see a little of both sides of this. Nick and his editors and others put a lot of effort into the final product. Most of us appreciate that when we read the stories. The professionalism comes through. Unfortunately most unpaid authors don’t have the luxury of that many people working on our stories. Many do a credible job with a couple of editors. All of this effort depends on not only Nick’s schedule but the schedule of many others. Nick obviously enjoys doing this or he wouldn’t have started but like any hobby there are times and aspects that seem more like work than fun. There is no solution to this other than patiently waiting.
Two other serials that readers of this site might enjoy are “Dance of a Lifetime” by Frank Downey and “Intemperence” by Al Steiner. The “Intemperance” series is up to two books and will have a third when finished. There are others and a good place to find them is at the SOL site where you can look at the home page and see what other readers enjoy because of the rating system.
JimWar
Again with all the bitching and moaning…I’m personally of the school of thought that says no one is holding a gun to your head and making you wait. As a Harry Potter fan, I’m used to waiting for the next book, and honestly, it makes it more fun for me. And allows me to have a life-when I started reading SC, all of books 1 and 2 and half of 3 were out, and I basically ignored my life for two weeks reading them straight through. I’ve thought about not checking the site every day, but there are other parts of Nick’s site that make it worthwhile, not the least of which is getting the opportunity to say “want some CHEESE with that whine?!” to some of the crybabies who get bent out of shape when Nick vents about the fuckwits. I thought that was the whole POINT of a blog? I know that I rarely post on my livejournal unless someone has royally pissed me off. And frankly, I like that Nick still blogs even when he doesn’t have a new chapter out, because whatever it is he’s blogging about, at least we know he still cares about the fandom, and hasn’t just completely blown it off. Because I’m a fan of some other online authors, and believe me, it happens. They get burned out, or they don’t have some way to react to the negative feedback, or they just lose the story….but they just never come back. At least Nick has the decency to acknowledge the fact that he has thousands of fans who are waiting with bated breath for his next installment. At least he has a way of dealing with the negative responses that doesn’t involve abandoning the story. If you don’t like it, don’t read that blog intry-you can usually tell where it’s going before clicking to read the whole post.
I don’t know what the median age is for Nick’s fandom, but I’m 22, and I have to say, I haven’t seen such a bunch of whining babies as this since I “hated” my best friend and would “never speak to her again” in the SEVENTH grade!
How about we all act our ages, not our shoe sizes, and do whatever it is we need to do to make the wait for the next chapter more bearable. AND stop criticizing Nick for doing what HE needs to do to deal with the “I’m entitled, you owe me” fuckwits who assuredly piss him off WAY more than he shares with us. I mean, how much of this garbage do you think he’ll take before he just says “fuck it?” He’s only human, how about you all at least PRETEND that you know and understand that. And suck it up and take it like a (insert gender here)and remember that Nick could, at any time, just abandon the story like so many others out there in the cyberverse have been.
Actually, we’re all a little afraid the universe will pull a Robert Jordan and kill the author before the final installment comes out. So, Don’t Die, OK?
Meanwhile I’ll sit here, read other stories, and wonder briefly if I’ll be compared to Hillary Clinton (a la RFK). Whatever.
So keep it up, I love reading the story, and thanks for doing what you do. But I’m not giving you a handjob.
Side note to some of the other commenters–one of the reasons Nick created the blog was so that he’d have a place to vent that *wasn’t* the Forum.
be287m
I just read F&B and I can see why it was painful to write sometimes. People who like SC should check it out. I don’t exactly think you were trying to plug it as it took me a little while to find it, but if people want to have something to read they should go and read it.
Several people have suggested either stories or sites that have stories. This is a good thing to do; look for something else until SC has a new chapter. And depending on what you’re looking for you can probably find it with a simple search. Start with Nick’s link page if nothing else. But broader searches are good too. I guess I’m saying again: do something useful.
Chapter 12 was great.
I have been reading Summer Camp since 2002, when you first posted the early chapters of Book 1 on asstr.org. Chapter 12 of Book 3 was among your best.
Please don’t take this as criticism. If Paul doesn’t fuck Erin in Chapter 13 he is a fuckwit.
Just finished Chapter 12 – FANTASTIC.
Thank you for providing us such entertaining erotic reading. And OH, BOY, another cliffhanger, LOL.
Looking forward to an erotic coupling of Paul and Erin.
thanks for posting chapter 12.
Long time lurker, first time poster. Love the story, hate the complainers, but a request, or some advice, or however you want to take it: don’t use the cliff-hanger device during a hot sex scene (or the build-up to it). The last two chapters have been build ups to hot sex, then a cliff hanger. For Chrissake, Nick, quit leaving me with blue balls. When the next chapter is posted, the heat is gone and the follow-through is less effective.
Yes, I know I can re-read the previous chapter to re-establish the heat, but a) that takes out the mystery of what’s coming up and b) BLUE BALLS NOW ARE MY ONLY CONCERN!
Thanks.
1. There is a new CJ Cherryh book in the Cyteen story at the publishers?!?! Woohoo!
2. People write for a reason. For some it is money, some have something they need to say, and some do it for the ego strokes. Nick isn’t doing this for money as far as I can tell. Unless Nick’s trying to convert us to the swingers way of life (lead on, brother!) I don’t think he has a message he’s trying to promulgate. So yes, I think he writes for the strokes of this and other forums.
3. Nick and Al Steiner write the best stuff I’ve read on StoriesOnline; I wish they’d write more faster, but I also wish gas cost less — they don’t and it doesn’t. Quit bitching about the pace of releases (no pun intended for you, Mr. Blueballs).
4. Dissenters, or those given to criticism that isn’t scrupulously sanitized are frequently subjected to ad-hominem attacks. That is uncalled for and unfortunate. If you don’t like it Nick, ignore it, but don’t shout it down.
5. Unless these forums become a hotbed of discussion of the *content* of the stories — the themes, characters, imagery, etc. — they will remain the repository of the unhappy triplets: sycophantic handjobs for Nick, gripes about posting rates, and ad-hominem attacks by the hand-jobbers aimed at the whining fuckwits.
6. Fuck this. I’ll keep reading the stories but these forums suck donkey dick.
You’re killing me, Smalls! You’re killing me!
Chapter 12 was great, but omg with the cliffhangers! You’re worse than Lost, lol.
*and by worse, I mean better, before anyone jumps down my throat.*
I would like to complain.
This new chapter has come to quickly. I have a project to finish by monday, but I’ll probably miss the deadline – because I can’t wait to read the new chapter in summer camp.
Really Nick, what kind of monster are you? Clearly this is all your fault, and not mine. Even though I can’t wait.
*too (sorry)
First off, thanks for the stories, nick. Don’t think I don’t appreciate them.
There are two types of comments that seem to send Nick off the edge.
1. “When is the next chapter / Faster please!” It goes without saying that nick can pack it in and stop writing if he feels like. Nobody is entitled to another chapter.
Does nick go overboard in reacting to this? Of course. I have no idea why he lets him bother him. But I personally find the nick scipio psychodrama (i.e. seeing paul’s flaws in nick, watching the sister-in-law fight play out) to be an entertaining diversion between chapters.
2. “The quality has fallen off / Why can’t Books 3 & 4 be like Books 1 & 2?”
There is no question that the level of erotica has fallen off. Books 1 & 2 were excellent. Books 3 & 4? To be honest, not so much. I continue to follow the stories because I have invested time in them, but I’d be lying if I said that Books 3 & 4 stand on their own.
My personal take is that nick should remember that he is writing EROTICA. Even great erotica. But this isn’t great literature. Am I curious to see how this present cliffhanger ends? Yes. Do I give a flying fuck what Paul’s class rank is or whether he and Joska exchange tearful goodbyes (or, more likely, knowing glances, raised eyebrows, and terse acknowledgments of mutual respect) when Paul graduates? NO.
That’s what made Books 1 & 2 good. It was a fantasy about a teenager getting laid. Do I want to read hundreds of words of Paul getting snippy because of girlfriend problems? Does that really need an answer?
My take is that nick has written himself into a corner. He needs to end the book with Paul and Christy getting married. Unfortunately, Christy isn’t a fully fleshed out character. She is more of theoretical ideal that Paul SHOULD end up with. but I don’t see nick being inspired to write about Christy. The truth is that Paul should be (at least for now) with Wren.
The writing about Wren has been the best. The scenes are the most interesting. Nick has said that he enjoys writing about that character. But instead of writing what we would all enjoy reading and what nick would enjoy writing, we are faced with the present circumstance: entire chapters about Paul moping, months between chapters, and an explosive tension between nick and his readers.
Personally, I wouldn’t care if nick took a year or two off if, when he came back, the writing was more inspired and, to be honest, entertaining. He’s taking a good series, like Star Wars, and Jar-Jar-Binksing the sequels.
Wow, let me be the first to call you a shallow, selfish, deluded shithead (other people can come up with their own names, however).
Yes, let’s all forgo the fantastic pacing and character development and just focus on the sex. Let’s turn this into the lame modern day porno and just have him fuck everyone. Let’s get rid of any realistic emotion and just have him be the cookie-cutter cocksure fucktard that’s in 96% of the stories on the internet. It’s just erotica after all. Go read the 29348029384 other substandard pieces of “erotic” fiction out there with their poor spelling, grammatcal mistakes, and oh-so obvious terrible grasp on reality.
What you’re asking for is a complete and fundamental shift in the author’s vision of the story and the structure and flow in which its presented in. And seriously, who the fuck do you think you are that you not only ask, but demand such a selfish, short-sided, and moronic idea. I hate to break this to you, but it’s not your fucking story! You don’t have any control over what other people want to write. All you have is the choice whether to read or not to read.
Oh yes, I guess you can also be a whiny selfish little bitch.
BTW, great chapter Nick. =D
Well said Travis. spc you are a first class twat.
first up, it’s up to the author of any story to direct it as they see fit. . . Did you get that? As _they_ see fit. It’s their story.
Sure, they’d like readers to enjoy it, but they are primarily writing for themselves. Particularly the unpaid internet authors, so do us all a favour and shut up with the moaning.
You want wall to wall fucking throughout the books? Well go and read something else then, cos this isn’t like that from what I can see. It’s a coming of age tale. That means characters develop, they change, things they once did now mean nothing to them and things once viewed as trivial take on significance. It’s a bit like real life. Who’d have thought! Author bases story on real life and writes it like real life, warts and all, dry spells and all, angst and all.
I do agree with you on one thing though, the writing with Wren has been outstanding, but I think the scenes with Joska are up there too.
As for your assertation that he _must_ end up marrying Christy. Why? I’d like him to, don’t get me wrong, but why _must_ he? The book is called Christy, which means he’ll have a significant relationship with her, we don’t know in what form this will manifest itself. And as for her not being fleshed out, her development as a character is as good if not better than Gina was at this stage in book 2.
So stop bleating about how it’s not what you want. The reason there is explosive tension between Nick and a few of the readers is ‘cos fuckwits like yourself are constanly on at him to “do it like this” or “do it like that”.
The bottom line is this. It is Nick’s story, it’ll get told at his pace, in his style, with his plot. If you don’t like that then go and don’t return. Simple.
Travis and blinddog:
I’m really not sure what the hostility is all about. I think you both need to relax.
I never said that nick must listen to me, follow, my suggestions, or alter his vision of the story. Nor did I ever express any entitlement to have nick writing on my schedule (or any schedule). I simply offered my opinion; stylistically and substantively Books 1 & 2 worked better than the last 2.
I also offered a theory as to why it is taking nick longer to write each episode; that he appears to be trying to write with a narrative destination in mind, rather than letting his passion for the characters take the story wherever it may lead. I could be wrong. Whatever.
I hardly thing that Books 1 & 2 lacked character development, simply had “wall to wall fucking,” or were “cookie cutter” stories. They won erotic writing awards for a reason. They were very, very good. Maybe nick cares that some of his readers feel there is a drop off in quality. Maybe he actually writes for an audience and wants readers to enjoy the stories.
Or maybe nick could not care less what I think (doesn’t hurt my feelings, if true). Make no mistake, nick and you are free to ignore my opinions (obviously. you don’t need my permission to do so).
Either way, I don’t know why you need to get all hysterical. Nick certainly doesn’t need you to protect him.
Amusing. spc thinks there’s not enough sex in the current chapters, while Harry M. was complaining in the Forum that there was too much sex.
spc
What you wrote could come across as a little dictatorial. It seems likely that Paul will end up with Christy, but we don’t that. Although, I have to admit I enjoyed the Jar-Jar Binks zing; I don’t think it’s accurate here. Where’s the “comic relief” in the story? Which character do you think is as annoying as Jar-Jar?
Also, why can’t erotica be great literature? I was referred here from a reader at ToMU; I think that author has is right; there is nothing mutually exclusive between sexual content and great writing. I think you might misunderstand the purpose of this story, but Nick is the one who should address that. He knows what he’s writing (his reason for writing and what type of story he’s trying to write); I’m only making an educated guess.
Travis and blinddog
When I look at spc’s entire post, I don’t think he’s completely off base. Maybe, just maybe, Nick should take some time off so he can come back refreshed (again, this is something that Nick has to decide). From what I read, spc was addressing some of the complaints that Nick has and giving his own opinion. If Nick doesn’t like something someone wrote, I’m sure he’ll tell them (which means I probably shouldn’t be bothering to write this right now). Not everybody who says something “bad” (”negative”) about Nick is trying to attack him. Some (however misguided they may or may not be) are trying to give suggestions on how Nick can improve his story/writing.
be287m
There ain’t no pleasin’ some people.
I personally want to see what happens with Joska, but understand that not everybody does. I also think that most of the people who are looking for “girl X hooks up with boy Y” will be sorely disappointed with this story. But most of them have probably come to that conclusion already and have stopped reading. Some of them are idiots who think they need to tell Nick he’s not writing his story right; that’s their problem. I don’t envy Nick that kind of stupidity. I may not always agree with how he responds, but I can definitely understand why. And honestly, I think I might respond similarly (against my better judgment) if I were in his position. Sometimes I even rant that “people are stupid” when I see a large amount of stupidity in a short amount of time.
Until next rant.
*know
we don’t know that
And sorry about the italics. Hopefully it’ll work this time
Also, after the smiley, not directed at anyone specifically.
Good chapter, Nick.
i’ll second that.
annoying:
Here is what we know. Nick doesn’t end up with Wren. The book is entitled “Christy”. We are 12(?) chapters into the book. At this point, it seems extremely unlikely that Nick doesn’t end up with Christy. Does that mean that it will happen? Of course not.
Let me also address the misguided argument that criticism = entitlement. As I have said before, I have no illusions that I am entitled to nick writing on a particular schedule. Nor am I entitled to have him follow my suggestions or incorporate my ideas into his works. Nick is correct. This is not his job (or if it is, I’m certainly not paying him). I have never debated that, nor would I ever debate that.
BUT, regardless of commercial motives, when an artist makes a work available to the public, he (or she) opens themselves up to criticism of the work. Period. I feel no reluctance to discuss nick’s work (even critically) simply because I have not paid for it. I would do the same of Hemmingway or Dickens or Shakespeare or Henry Miller. None of whom have ever seen a dime from me (And, I would add, are extremely unlikely to respond to my opinions).
Nor do I think that my relatively insignificant contribution of a few bucks is what permits me to offer my thoughts as to whether George Lucas screwed up the Star Wars franchise with the three most films, which colectively probably cost close to a billion dollars to make, market, and distribute.
The remaining question is whether this particular blog is the proper forum to express candid thoughts about nick’s writings. Well, unless an author expressly tells me that he does not want any negative discussion of his work on his blog (a request which I would honor), I am going to assume that the author respects the rights of his readers to express their views, even if he disagrees with them.
spc
First of all, I agree that Lucas messed up with Jar-Jar; I don’t see where Nick made a similar mistake. Please specify.
Second of all, if you look at my entire post, you will note I also took on Travis and blinddog (reread that part); I think they were attacking you beyond what you said. I didn’t reread the posts, but I remember thinking you had some valid points.
Third of all, yes, Nick seems ok with reasonable disagreements; he just doesn’t like “fuckwits”. You don’t seem to be one. Maybe a hothead… but you are hardly the only one.
Mostly, I was trying to address the fact that you guys seemed to be talking past each other. I’m not of the opinion that nobody should ever speak badly about “the author” (whoever that is depending on the conversation). Some people seem to think they need to bow down to TEH AUTHER and anyone who speaks ill speaks blasphemy. They can be vicious about it. And some people are contrary and must fight TEH AUTHER at every turn. You seem like neither; you seem more reasonable then others I’ve seen. I was trying to bridge a gap, and apparently ended up in the chasm. Oh well; live and learn; when tempers flare, reason flees. Sometimes I need to take a breath and calm down. Still, I probably won’t stop trying to bridge perceived gaps.
Finally, while I agree that it is likely (probable even) that Paul ends up with Christy, but I still maintain that we don’t know that.
Until next rant.
thanx to the person who recommended Tales of Mu.
=)
alex
You’re welcome; I’d only mentioned it because of the “great literature vs. erotica” debate, but I’m glad you like it. The author also writes other stories that you might want to check out. A couple of them are Void Dogs and More Tales of MU. In Void Dogs both science and magic work. More Tales of MU is fairly new and from the perspective of another student.
I LOVE THE INTERNET!! And I will now quote Arianna Huffingtons famous webby award speech: “Darlings, Make blogs, not war.”
I just don’t comprehend people complaining that someone is working for free too slow.
I understand even less someone not understanding the person working for free hammering the dink that complained.
People who feel entitled to anything they don’t work for or pay for are the cancer that are destroying this world. When you get something free you should feel lucky, grateful and humble.
[Quote]I’ve also watched you eviscerate the poor bastards that dare to say anything negative against you [/quote]
I Wonder how he explains Tphile in the Forum then.
Tphile dosen’t look too badly eviscerated.
And like my mama always said if you don’t want the answer don’t ask the question.
fades back in to the darkness
Phantom
I know it’s off topic, but about your WTF Friday picture, that takes courage.
Wow, you are still a whiny cunt.
Nice to see that some things don’t change.
stop trolling plz JoeMamma
Think this is the first time I have posted on this (Nick’s Blog), but then again, I rarely post in the forum either. I “have” been around for a long time though… I remember reading SC book 1 when it was coming out. I also remember the “macro-chapters” at the end of Book 2. To the person (or people) who wished they had seen them to compare, or whatever, they were re-written by Nick because they didn’t work…they were rushed and badly did not fit the story. If any good could be said of them, it would be that they were the perfect example of why rushing the end of a story or book just to get done with it already is an awful thing to do to a wonderful tale.
This blog commentary page doesn’t quite have the history of posts to allow it to express the background behind the Nick:Reader dialogs and I get the impression that at least some for the commenters here have not seen the forum or have not read the posts there in their entirety (I don’t blame you, someone joining now would have a horrible time trying to catch up from the beginning). Nick has stated, MANY times, that he is writing for himself first and posting is secondary. At one time, he posted almost as he wrote and started to allow the comments to color his writing… he gave that up because he didn’t like it. He started giving himself a buffer of so many chapters so he could post semi-regularly and still got people complaining about not getting it when or how they wanted. Over the years, Nick has had a steady flow of comments directed at him… mostly good I am assumeing, but a few bad or just obnoxious. When I first joined his forum, he let them go without comment publicly. Over the years though, he has slowly started to respond when they get to be too annoying. Think of it as a flat,hard plain with a river flowing thru it…it ignores the water, but eventually the water wears at it until we have the Grand Canyon. Some may call the people who defend Nick and praise his work “mental hand-jobbers”, but in reality, all we/they are is the people who enjoy the vision and are trying to make sure the nay-sayers don’t cause the sides to fall in and destroy the fun for the rest of us.
Yes, Nick could write this story any way he wants, he could write it as straight erotica (it has been suggested many times to him)…he can write it as straight fiction with no erotic details (also somewhat suggested I believe)… hell, he can jump the shark and add aliens and mind-control if he wanted to… but what he has stated and inferred and made comments to the effect of is that this is a semi-biographical, real-life, coming of age story that has a definite plan and an even more definitive end to it. All of it planned from the beginning of Book 1. If you are upset that something didn’t go the way you wanted in the story…too bad, write your own story and have them do it your way. Too much sex? Write your own with less. Too little? Write your own with more. Prefer previous books to the current ones? Re-read the first few that you enjoyed and pretend the later ones never happened because Nick ain’t going to change his vision to match yours. Nick has PROVED himself many times to be a very precise and complex author who fact-checks and double checks his every word before he posts a chapter. He, to my knowledge, has never written a word or introduced a situation that didn’t have a purpose to his master plan. No amount of wishing or complaining or whining or bitching is going to MAKE him change what he is writing… and it only serves to feed the trolls and annoy the regulars.
So, if you get “talked to” by someone else here who tells you that you sound like you are acting entitled…it is only because we have seen these same statements made before by those Nick has ranted at before as being such. Don’t take it personally, take it as a warning that we have seen this before and know where you are treading leads to a cliff.
As to Nick tearing someone a new one for daring to be negative to him, Nick is a teddybear compared to some. He will thoughtfully and intellectually comment on what he disagrees with in your statements. He doesn’t insult or bad-mouth you unless that is all you have done to him. The post this is started on is a great example… he even complements the person he is replying to. If Nick were as non-tolerent as some would portray him, he would ban or tear apart anyone who dared to defy him…he doesn’t. In fact, I believe he has only banned one person in the history of his forum (not Tphile…although I think he has put an ignore on all his posts…which just means that Nick doesn’t see them anymore, everyone else can see them).
I know this post won’t change any minds probably, but at least I have made some points I felt needed to be made. Have fun arguing about it.
“The devil is in the details…”
So, paul… how is Nick faring?
I hope this doesn’t annoy Nick, but how about an update? Not as much for the story, but I guess just to let your faithful(read stalker) fans know how your doing, and if your still kicking.
Someone is posting the POD – I use that as a sign Nick is still among us. Like the commercial for Paul Masson wine – We will post no stories before their time.
Patience Grasshopper
Back when the Paul Masson commercial was current, a liquor store in Reno called Ben’s Discount Liquors had a commercial that was a takeoff on that. It showed the owner reclining in a chair, just like Orson Welles in the Masson commercial, saying…
“At Ben’s, we will sell no wine before its time.”
“It’s time!”
For some reason, I never got tired of that commercial like I do most of them…
Oops, the comment mechanism stripped one line out of what I just posted — probably because I used angle brackets. Right between the two quote lines should have been…
(checks watch)
Micky’s comments are dead on. I have followed Nick’s stories for years, and have even commented and questioned some of his timelines.
He has replied to all my comments in a very courteous manner, and thanked me for raising the question.
I do a bit of editing at SOL, and it is not uncommon for there to be 5 – 6 versions of a chapter before publishing, and trust me, my editing is to Nick’s editors as is a candle to a bonfire.
His stories are tighter and more error-free than many of the best-selling authors from the major publishing houses.
Let’s thank our lucky stars that we have an author/editing team that is willing to devote so much time for our FREE enjoyment.
Thanks, Nick. Thanks, Team. (Note that Nick uses a TEAM rather than just an Editor!) It shows in the quality of his work.
Regrding the POD:
Ok, so I’m probably poking a wasps nest… but why does Nick(and so many americans) hate the french? Is it because they only went to afghanistan, and not iraq? Or is it something else?
I mean, france has it’s failings, but I dont get why so many americans dont like them. Especially since the two countries used to be really close and are actually very similar in attitude.
*just to clarify*
not trying to troll, just trying to understand. Please don’t shoot me.
This is a bit off topic and would probably be better as a forum post.
The short answer is a sense of ingratitude for kicking the Nazis out and protecting them from the Soviets. That is exemplified by policies like not letting us overfly France to bomb Libya and a mass of public and official criticism of many policies and actions that were generally accepted or supported by our other European (particularly NATO) allies. The active objection to action in Iraq as voiced in the U.N. was very “galling” at the time. To summarize the summary, the attitude is: French weakness gets Americans killed, and then they are snobs about it.
-Tim
All I can say is this is one more reason to hate fucking liberals. This ass sounds just like my inlaw. Politely insulting and annoying. I just love the Bill O’Reilly jab, it just screams “I love Hillary”.
@ Alex
Yes, the two countries share similarities. One of which is the ‘common citizen.’
Several years ago my wife visited France for a month. In many places outside of Paris, where there are those who still remember the Nazi occupation first-hand, she met people who treated her like gold. When she would tell them that she has a relative who died during the D-Day invasion and is buried at Normandy, they thanked her personally for their sacrifice.
@tim, jim:
Ah, ok. I get it.
Most french I know are quite respectful about WW2 and the US, although there are those who like to pretend they liberated the country themselves. They’re idiots, of course.
I’m afraid the Villepin UN Iraq speech (i presume it’s the one about inspections, al qaeda, and building the peace taking long) played a bit differently over here in my little(perhaps soon to fragment) country and it’s neighbours, so I’ll just shut up about that.
I find it funny how many folks want France to thank us for saving them in WWI and WWII, but nobody seems the least bit thankful for what France did for us in our War for Independence from Britain.
Without France’s aid we would have remained a British colony.
Remember that the next time you think of France’s snobbishness.
On the contrary, Dan, I think anyone with an education in American history appreciates the critical support of France during the Revolution. Lafayette is an important figure who’s memory was no small influence in WWI. Sadly, the relationship has been volatile, as with a temperamental mistress. Such are the vagueries of global politics.
So… Nick…
the bad news is, we – the readers (as seen by you) – are Professor Joska.
and I (we?) the reader, see the author as some-one who’s using the character Paul to articulate a mental crag.
Who wins in a show down. No one. We can’t read, and the author doesn’t enjoy the intermittent accolades of a well written/phrased chapter.
As an aside, I know that the people who staff theaters also have a hard time contending with (newspaper) critics. Those critics get paid by the word – and what the performers and set personnel don’t realize, is that – the word is printed to challenge them to a higher degree of achievement. The performers get their reward by audience applause, and shouldn’t unless very rarely ‘expect’ newspaper reviews to be congratulatory. No, the only news fit to print is the bad news.
I going off to pout now.
Huh?
@ D’Accord
pls, dont continue like this.
I dont know if your way to bliss
is less drugs or more
no matter what, carrying on this
way will do you harm, D’Accord?
thanks for the nspiration D’Accord
))
Wolffe, in case you´re wondering, I basically wanted to say “Huh?” but at times I´m having difficulties with conciseness
OFF TOPIC: your POD is adorable.
Just spent the better part of the day reading those chapters you have posted from book 4. I spent the time telling myself, just one more chapter, suddenly realised it was after 2am in the morning(at least in my timezone) and decided that the chapter I was reading at the time was the last one. And it is, I had read all twelve. When I last visited your site you’d just posted the first chapter of book 4. I had really forgotten how addictive your imaginary world is. Thanks for sharing – I look forward to the rest coming.
Has anyone noticed that since Nick responded to this insensate reader he has not added to his blog or added any chapters? Let us hope he is just busy with life or work or both and not ill or totally fed up with the critics. I am assuming that the POD is not time consuming and can be done easily. Thanks Nick for all the interesting POD and writing.
David
Nick, come back! We miss you! Please don’t let the bast… uh, idiots get you down!
Haha…yeah, let’s hope.
Anyway, in response to the French question…after much thought, I think the REAL reason Americans and the French don’t always get along is because we’re too similar. If opposites attract, lol. Basically, the French are the only other country of people who *both* match us in arrogance, and willingness to shout it from the rooftops like we do. Not saying the British or the Germans aren’t, because I’m pretty sure they are; they’re just more willing allow us to think they don’t think they’re better than we are. The French are having none of that-no sir, they will tell us to our faces what they really think. Personally, I admire them for not just bending over and taking it. I mean, yeah, we could take them if we had to, but at least they would put up a fight.
Regarding the French:
“but at least they would put up a fight.”
You can’t be serious.
More so of one than that of Britain or Germany. When I said “fight” I didn’t actually mean that it would be a fair fight, nor was I referring to actual conflict. I’m saying that in a war of words, at least they try to give as good as they get.
Great chapter Nick. Thanks for writing.
Love the Kitten/Sudoku PoD. Thanks for posting.
Very entertaining Blog responses…what the heck are you people (respondee’s) talking about? Jarjarbinks? France? Germany? Huh?
Anyway, kudos to you Nick for putting up with all this crappola (I just finished skimming through the latest blog responses….totally nuts)and still putting out quality work.
I really enjoy your writing.
Thanks again,
Ais
Writer’s block is such a bitch! Good luck.
I just wanted to see the comment counter hit 100…
…
kind of anticlimactic…
…
Back to your regularly scheduled comments.
And this makes 101. Wish Nick would give us an update or something.
I am still eagerly awaiting the chapter when Paul finally realizes his hardon beats only for Trip. Ever since he touched Trip’s bulging manhood he’s been wanting it bad…
Nick has given us an update, on the forum.
He said that he’s not got a buffer, that he’s part way through writing chapter 14 and that 13 will be going away to the editors for pre-publishing checking shortly.
—
All of us are eager to read, but I want to read quality, so it’s just a case of waiting. If you watch a movie franchise, the Narnia movies, say, you have to wait literally years between “episodes”.
If you’re the fan of certain musicians or bands you may have to wait years for a follow up album. It’s currently 12 years since my favourite bands last album, their new one is due for release imminently, so you see it’s just about sitting tight and waiting.
Wow, at least the poster is intelligent enough to communicate without profanity.
And now it’s over 2 months since your last post… If you wrote as much for SOL as you do in ranting in your blog, you would be done by now.
@hmmm
How to reply… how to reply…
Oh, I know!
Ahem… Go fuck yourself.
- Nick
That’s what I love about Nick… he always knows exactly the right words to use….LOL
Keep up the good work!
Nick,
I have stated it several times in the Forum, I know my own tolerances and I HATE reading a story and finding out later that it is not finished. Ticks me off to no end.
Let me state here that I started this story KNOWING it was not finished and after doing the math knew it was not a “few” chapters away. I willingly chose to read the story and have enjoyed all of it so far, (except that night). That fact has kept me reading.
You are perfectly justified in saying that you will post when it is ready. Those of us that enjoy it will be here. The rest can come back when you are done.
Enjoying the ride. Thanks again.