Brandon's picture
Brandon from KCMO is reading Made to Break January 27, 2013 - 6:33pm

Damn Carly, you edited out the thing I was replying to.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest January 27, 2013 - 7:24pm

Maybe I'm reading these posts wrong, but can't you just gauge what you want to listen to based on what the person says? Does having a particular badge really make a difference? I'm sure simple common sense and knowledge would tell you whether or not what the person is saying is relevant. If someone gave you a review and their comments were very helpful but they don't have a particular badge or haven't been published, would you dismiss what they've said? I've received reviews, or read posts, from published/established authors that weren't relevant or helpful at all.

fport's picture
fport from Canada is reading The World Until Yesterday - Jared Diamond January 27, 2013 - 9:03pm

Moon, dog, maybe different colors within badge classes and stripes, like sashes. No when you are new it all sounds good.How about threads that go past 100 posts, if you were making someone more special by simply commenting you would stop the dribble sooner. If everyone could tell who was giving good advice or was in the right place to receive it or if there was only one path then there wouldn't be umpty dump books on how to or so many sites. Besides everyone likes badges and accomplishments. Once you are published you move on to an entirely different set of ratings.

 

 

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest January 27, 2013 - 9:19pm

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm not here to collect badges. Sure, they're fun and all, but the idea here is to write. The problem with 'umpty dump' how to books and sites is that they're already here. They're always going to be around. My suggestion, if someone wants solid advice from people who are established and published, read the essays and the countless articles that have been posted. Just because someone has a badge doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to listen or agree with what they say. What might be good advice to one person may not be good advice to another. The writing world is very subjective. It was like the dialogue thread a few weeks ago. A lot of differing views and advice, but nonetheless, it was all decent. And, came from a wide variety of writers, both published and unpublished.

Devon Robbins's picture
Devon Robbins from Utah is reading The Least Of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones January 27, 2013 - 9:30pm

There is far too much dick measuring that goes on around here.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated January 27, 2013 - 10:12pm

Besides maybe a published badge, publishing X amount badges seem like a bad idea. There are folks who have only been published a time or two, but it was in nice respectable places that carry a lot of weight in my mind. Also, I don't think we have any here, but there are junk writers who have been published several times by spamming their work out to junk places. I guess now that I write this you could have badges for being published in specific places that are often considered awesome. 

Ben Freeman's picture
Ben Freeman from Charlottesville, Virginia is reading everything I can January 27, 2013 - 11:45pm

The whole point of a discussion is for people to explain their opinions about something. You learn from people being wrong as much as people being right. If you give some sort of arbitrary badges that dictate who's the "best writer" or whatever, then what's the point of discussion? Then that should just be a q and a with whichever person. You shouldn't just accept something as fact because someone "important" said it. I think "On Writing" by Stephen King is an amazing book. It's done a whole lot for my writing, but there are still parts of it I don't agree with. If someone has to point out who's opinion you should agree with, you're doing it wrong.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest January 28, 2013 - 1:02am

^ what he said

Carly Berg's picture
Carly Berg from USA is reading Story Prompts That Work by Carly Berg is now available at Amazon January 28, 2013 - 5:18am

Did someone say "dick measuring?"  :P

fport's picture
fport from Canada is reading The World Until Yesterday - Jared Diamond January 28, 2013 - 5:42am

There's always a certain amount of 'club house' out there at any given time.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest January 28, 2013 - 7:14am

There's already a 'dick measuring' thread.

Devon Robbins's picture
Devon Robbins from Utah is reading The Least Of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones January 28, 2013 - 7:28am

Does girth count?

Carly Berg's picture
Carly Berg from USA is reading Story Prompts That Work by Carly Berg is now available at Amazon January 28, 2013 - 7:30am

^ Oh, yeah. Girth counts most of all! :)

Deets999's picture
Deets999 from Connecticut is reading Adjustment Day January 28, 2013 - 8:35am

Is anyone getting tired of seeing that redhead on the home page covered in blood being dragged away to her iminent demise!?!?!

Cause I know I AM!!!!

Isn't the sci-fi challenge coming up?  Can we get a new j-peg, one that doesn't creep me out when I'm checking Lit Reactor at my job!

Devon Robbins's picture
Devon Robbins from Utah is reading The Least Of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones January 28, 2013 - 9:59am

The size of the boat does count.

Jack Campbell Jr.'s picture
Jack Campbell Jr. from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp Meyer January 28, 2013 - 2:52pm

Can we get a dick measuring badge?

I honestly can't remember ever looking at anyone's badges, so I'm not sure they matter that much to me.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated January 28, 2013 - 3:10pm

I used the badges to tell the difference between who is new and who has changed their name.

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz January 28, 2013 - 4:25pm

Ahem. I have various sports cars. Some are the color yellow. Some are the color red. I believe this means you should heed any and all advice I'm willing to bestow upon you.

(ok, I don't even currently have a car. But I have an old schwinn. It's kind of an aqua green type color. Totally masculine and exudes authority)

I don't need badges to learn whose advice to appreciate. I'm not down with separating Us from Them. It's super lame. The way I determine whose advice to appreciate is to spend time here, get to know the folks who frequent the forum and above all, read the advice/criticism given to me and determine if it's applicable to me. There are people here who have been published a lot who I appreciate and people here who are new to being published whose opinions I appreciate just the same.

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life January 28, 2013 - 5:22pm

Mine is long, wide in the middle, and tapered on both ends.

Now, what are we talking about in here? Batches? We don't need no steenken batches!

Devon Robbins's picture
Devon Robbins from Utah is reading The Least Of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones January 29, 2013 - 7:44am

^ With a beard like that, you've already won.

H.I.Marcuson's picture
H.I.Marcuson from Toulouse is reading a book on spelling January 29, 2013 - 12:34pm

Sierra Madre or Blazing saddles- we dont need em, But they're coool.