I think if you're referring to a guy it's "blond" and if it's a girl it's "blonde."

I know! But then again, spell check is an idiot. No matter how many times I add my name to the dictionary, it wants to correct it. It's J-E-N-N-I-F-F-E-R, not J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R. And the funny thing is my last name is just as awful but it refuses to correct that and takes my word when I type it out. But yes, back on topic, it is quite a wave of worry when you realize you've done something wrong. And although I fix my mistakes, I always find myself going "Oh God! I hope that one screw up doesn't completely destroy my reputation and throw my work down the drain!!"

But yes, back on topic, it is quite a wave of worry when you realize you've done something wrong. And although I fix my mistakes, I always find myself going "Oh God! I hope that one screw up doesn't completely destroy my reputation and throw my work down the drain!!" Breathe Breathe Breathe- it will be okay. At least people point out your mistakes, my readers let me go four chapters before it was pointed out I was using the wrong word

Oh yes, that sucks too. But hopefully it's just becuase they didn't notice until then and they weren't holding out on you.

My thing is that I'm developing my ability to read my own work critically. As that happens, I go back and look at some of my stuff from just a few months ago and -- gah! The errors! The run-on sentences! The hordes of unnecessary commas! How'd I ever think I should post this stuff? I've actually gone back and revised one fic that basically no one will ever read again. But it was making me nuts to have it out there in such flawed form. These days, I have a first-reader crew and that helps oh so much. But I've also learned a whole lot from being on Nightdog and Perspi's first-reader lists, because their other first readers are so insightful and so good at the whole concrit thing. I've picked up so much just from watching the process.

Well the person who pointed it out (Hi Sheep) said they waited because they thought it was just a mistake, until it was pretty clear I didn't know the difference.

Blackmare, I know how you feel. I look back at my stuff from a year ago and while the story line is good (for the most part) I want to spork my eyes out when it comes to the way I wrote and whatnot.

Mm, just to clarify: Blonde has an "e" when the person being described is female. Therefore, if you were to describe new Season Four Cameron, you would call her "blonde" or "a blonde." But Chase is a guy, not a girl (although one sometimes wonders if he is in the minds of some authors, what with all the whimpering, mewling, and sobbing) , so his hair is blond, and he is a blond (although now that veers off in the description tag direction.) :D

Thanks for the lesson aenissesthai! HHOW, a place where all can come to learn. ETA: Because I so thought of a funny slogan

:oops: Sorry - the blonde/blond thing, I can live with if I have to & will if the fics good, but poor fic gets tipped over into bad fic if I have to deal with the blonde thing on top of it. :lol:

I get it. Still, no need to be sorry, it taught me an important lesson. And I understand that "Final straw that broke the camels back" thing. Some stuff I'll let slide when I read a fic, but if the fic is already bad, then I just can't help but take everything into consideration.

What annoys me even more are folks with pretty looking ljs that have tiny, tiny fonts in weird pale colors on a pale background & no contrast Big fat crunchy word. My dear H/W!porn writers, you are god sent, but PLEASE, I can't enjoy your fics when they are displayed like this. It's hard to hyperventilate and squint at the same time :P

Regarding length, Namaste: Having posted 61 chapters, I find the best length for a non-slash chapter is 2000 words, give or take. Any longer, you get less readers, any shorter, and you can't get into the meat of the content. Slash chapters, it doesn't matter how long they are. People read them anyway ;) Mine tend to be roughly 5000ish.