Issue XVI, Archived

Hello,

Welcome to The Newb Files, Issue XVI, Archived.

News

Zombies, a Novel is making good progress, 19337 words.

A thank you to my new subscribers. You have started with a rare newsletter, it is late. My apologies to all.

The past month has been unusually busy. I'm polishing up my first short story, Scream and Leapt for beta readers, to (hopefully) submit to the publisher in the new year; as well as repairing, patching, painting, and replacing the flooring for my new-to-me home office.

I blame the botched first coat of paint on the walls for the newsletter being late. OK, it was me.

Before and after pictures of my office spaces to follow in (hopefully) the December issue.

Monthly Newb Moment

MAC Newb III (Scrivener)

Scrivener on a MAC was not what I expected. After all the hype about making the Scrivener versions (PC and MAC) the same, it was a little surprising how different they are.

Of course they are different OS, and they had to aim the windows version at the windows users or all hell would have broken loose.

For example, on a windows machine "control-space bar" will check, and fix, multiple spaces. On a MAC it opens Spotlight (enhanced search command).

Some of the most important changes for a windows user, who is now using a MAC, to make are in Finder.

Under "View" on the menu bar, select "show status bar", and "show path bar".

I also select "show all file extensions".

Set the view to "columns", and it is better than windows file explorer. It does, as I have mentioned, take getting used to. ...

As mentioned before, deleting a highlighted word automatically deletes one of the spaces.

If your editor is split, and one is locked, selecting a different scene etc. will open it in the (unlocked) editor, without clicking in it first. Nice.

You can merge windows so your files are tabbed. I have three files open at any given time, so that works well for me.

More to come. ...

Book Review

The Cyborg Tinkerer

by Meg Latorre

I have delayed reviewing this book, as it was such a shock, such a disappointment. However, I feel as an author (unpublished or not), I should review books/authors that have been a part of my learning curve.

I certainly want honest reviews of my writing.

Meg Latorre was the first author YouTuber I watched in volume as I started to write. She also introduced me to Jenna Moreci. Between the two of them, they made up the bulk of my first introduction to all things authorie . ...

Still, I am a newb.

I am a newb, and so is Meg Latorre. A surprise considering her content on YouTube.

Only a newb not only "tells" instead of shows, but multiple times on a page. Over and over. ...

Only a newb has badly executed swearing every time you blink. Swearing that comes across as being uttered by a child who is repeatedly experiencing the taste of their first swear word.

Note, that watching her videos leading up to the release date, we were a part of her reactions to beta readers, critique partners, and other feed-back including the cover art reveal, etc. Every step of the way. So, in theory, she was following the process.

But, the people who read it, what were they thinking, and not saying? As opposed to what were they telling her? That is the key. ... if you are a famous author on YouTube, is it even possible to get honest feedback?

Repetitive sentences, info. dumping, plain bad writing, and poor character development are just the tip of the iceberg that sank my hopes for reading a self-published book that wasn't drivel.

The basic concept sounded great, not my usual read, but a new (to me) and interesting story, background, and characters.

She added the small amount of steampunk in the story, I suspect, when she got excited by the cover art.

Other reviews often mention that the story, the science", is not believable. Sure. But if she wrote it better, in a way that caught your imagination, you wouldn't notice that.

It is not the first story to have something in space instead of vacuum, that acted upon a vehicle (or person) in some manner.

For example: regarding Star Wars, George Lucas has said it never occurred to him at the time that there was no sound in space, and then they were stuck with it. Shit happens.

She sold the Cyborg Tinkerer, in part, as an inclusive, LGBT book. Including a main character that is bisexual.

Great, we need more of that. Except. ... the love interest(s) were handled so badly it just came across as fake and trivial. If only because, apparently, the whole universe wants to boink the MC.

Spoiler alert: even though I don't have experience with a threesome, I have to say, even circus people don't bend like that.

I am being generous in giving this book two stars. While I would make a point of buying a vacuum cleaner with a four, or five, star rating, in books or anything with a large personal preference factor, it doesn't matter that much.

Just know what you are getting into.

In fact, it is so bad, does it really matter if I rate it a half star or two stars?

I do not recommend it, except as a wonderful, terrible example of how not to do every step of writing, and the self-publishing process.

F.A.Q.

Future newsletters may have Frequently Asked Questions. Send your question(s) to: Eric.

That's all for this month!

Thanks,

Eric C Bailey, November 14, 2021

The Newb Files, Science Fiction and Fantasy

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