Brynn? There's nothing attached - just the email, no doc.

I edit a trifle differently when I know the whole story than when I don't. But both, I think, result in valuable thoughts. That's why I always pass through a story at least twice.

(Notice I've never betaed any novels....)

Deborah: That's bizarre.. I'll try again

edit: I re-sent it and it should all be there now.

Yup - this time, thre's an attachment. 59K.

I'll do a quick read through now, then my second checkover after Angel or in the morning. Will that be OK for you?

Deborah: At your convenience. Whenever you have time is fine. Thanks again.

That is bunk. I can't edit (other than line-edits) unless I have the whole picture in my head.

For me, a lot of that depends on the style of the writer.

For the Fic That Would Not Die, I have two beta-readers--one who is thoroughly spoiled, and another who's only spoiled on a couple of points (she's a sensitive sort, and needs a heads-up if something horrible is going to happen to a character she likes or if there will be extreme violence). It's been a great help, since the fic is essentially a mystery novel.

Erikaj - - chiming in late with a "woo hoo" - - and a thanks for the link. I know a few people who might be interested in that magazine.

You're welcome.

I've got steam coming out my ears, and need someone to remind me not to take things so personally.

I'd been donating books to troops stationed overseas through a program called Operation Paperback. It seemed like a good way to support the troops without supporting the government, and so was a gesture I felt good about making as someone opposed to the war, but from a family with strong military ties. Every few months, I'd ship 50 books or so overseas. Some would be romances because that's a big part of what I read, but I always made sure to have a good balance of genres and only to include romances if I was sure they were going to a unit likely to have a fairly large female contingent.

Anyway, apparently some donors didn't think as carefully and sent boxes of romances to units where there was no audience for them, so the folks who run the program mentioned it as a problem in the last newsletter. Fair enough, except they did it in an insulting way, calling series romance computer-generated drivel written for an adolescent market. And while I don't read or write contemporary series romance myself and admit to privately snickering over some of the cheesier virgin, cowboy, and baby titles, that made me angry. But I thought for sure they'd see the error of their ways and recant, especially since they've gotten a lot of support from romance authors and readers.

So I just got the latest newsletter in my inbox, which included the email they'd gotten over the flap. One was from an author of, as he put it, the very opposite of romance--blood & guts military sf--who said, basically, "You guys are PR idiots. If you'd had any clue at all, you'd have said this instead," and proceeded to explain why you shouldn't send a box of romance novels to an infantry unit while still showing respect for the genre. But they also included the following email:

I suppose all those indignant romance novel enthusiast think that the new genre of "Survivor" and "Millionaire" and "Get Married on T.V." shows are great drama too! Just because romance novels are popular, doesn't mean they are great or even valuable literature. The phrase "lowest common denominator" originated to describe this stuff!

I read that and have been spluttering with fury every since. Yes, many romance novels are crap. So are many novels of every genre. But I've also read so many that were well-written on all levels--character development, writing style, emotional resonance, plot, research--and I've met several romance authors online who are just wonderful people, intelligent and dedicated to doing the best work they can. And, I'm 2/3 through with my own first romance novel, and it just pisses me off that anyone would dismiss it as "lowest common denominator" just because of the genre it's in! It's just so sexist. No one would say that if I were writing a mystery or a fantasy novel.

I know this is just another donor, and he doesn't speak for Operation Paperback. But the fact they just printed both emails without comment, instead of admitting that the first guy was right and they'd made a mistake, is making me never want to send another book through them.

And not to put down our enlisted men, but more than a few of these folks are in the service, because they didn't go to college and hadn't cultivated a trade. They may not all be looking for the next great American Novel.