In no particular order:
Lies
Lack of intelligence
Lack of sense of humour
Smoking
Lack of character/integrity
What does the memorial for the main synagogue in Munich have to do with anything you said?
I think BiMale73 has it right. If you offer goods or services to the public, you have to offer them to everyone without prejudice. A kosher butcher cannot be faulted for not offering bacon because he does not sell it to anyone. A hotel by definition offers accommodation to the public. They have no right to discriminate among their customers based on their religious beliefs, ethnicity, language, country of origin, or several other grounds including sexual orientation. Sexual orientation has the same status as other grounds in human rights legislation.
A good example of this clash is the county clerk who refused to issue marriage licences to gay couples after the law changed. Was she correct in upholding her religious views or was she imposing them on others? The legal view is that she was in the wrong. The US Constitution clearly separates church and state. It guarantees freedom of religion for all, but not the right to impose their religious values on others in carrying out civil duties.
So, Steph, I understand your being conflicted, but sexual orientation is no different in this context than nationality or other protected grounds. Discrimination is discrimination.
There are gift sets available of trial sizes several scents and a gift coupon for a full size of the one that you like best. That may be a good solution. Remember too that perfume changes with each person's body chemistry.
I like Lauren, Romance, and Flowerbomb. I occasionally wear Chloe and Allure.
If you don't find the tester set I suggested, I would opt for a light, fresh scent as she is not used to wearing perfume.
@ Ophelia
Congratulations. Just keep working at it, taking in any advice given to you by the mods. As well, remember that we all had to start with a first effort. Time and practice will improve your work and your instincts about it. Good for you for passing this first milestone.
@ LloydOxton
Several of the top writers on the site are dyslexic, so please don't let that hold you back. It is understandable if you have to put more time into your work, but please persevere. I was a senior story moderator for about three years and would be happy to offer you any advice you need. It may help to have some people that you can rely on to proofread and edit your work.
Annamagique, I think that you will find that most jurisdictions that have human rights legislation include sexual orientation as one of the grounds upon which one may not discriminate. What that means is that you cannot discriminate against people in the provision of goods and services if you own a business. You are not permitted to choose your clients or customers based on any of these parameters. It is no different from rejecting African-Americans based on skin colour before the Civil Rights Act outlawed such discrimination.
Arrows straight to my heart.
I don't think that this has already been suggested, and if so I apologize.
I would like to see the "like" in the comments section below stories change to another colour once you have clicked it so that you don't click it again when you return to your story at another time. It is not always easy to remember where you left off if you have posted several stories.
If your pizzeria has a wood fired oven it will have some burned bits like that one. I would leave the worst of it but eat it. I would rather have that than pizza with pineapple on it which is sacrilege.
I was happy to partner with Milik the first time we discussed it. Anyone who has read his work knows that he is more than capable of writing on his own. That this collaboration on "Legal Intrigue" would carry on with a five-part story, "Power Play", was unexpected. We seem to work effortlessly together. I am grateful for this experience and the stories that we created. We hoped to write something compelling, that would keep readers wondering what would happen next with both stories. I believe we succeeded. It would be my pleasure to collaborate with Milik again.
She basked in his radiating warmth, alabaster skin cool against him. His heat and her light in the darkness were as heady as a summer storm.
How about a "back to the top" button to eliminate a lot of scrolling?
RRs are given out by moderators to work that they think is exceptionally good, work that might not be noticed otherwise. The standard is the quality of the story or poem, not the author or whether they have received an RR or EP before. They are not meant to be handed out indiscriminately. Individual moderators may award them based on their own judgment.
EPs are awarded much less frequently and voted on by a panel composed of some of the site's best writers, not all of whom are moderators. There is also a Series award for a multi-part story that is exceptional. It is voted on by the same panel.
Given that any and all of these are awarded for excellence, it is not surprising that some of the talented writers here have more than one.
I think that Stephen's "by accident" reference was meant to communicate that he was surprised, and maybe that you cannot set out to win anything when you write it except perhaps for a competition entry.
Actually, you got the EP because you finally wrote something without using "all caps". Congratulations, Stephen.
In "Out of Africa", the scene where Redford takes Streep up in a plane with the lush beauty of Kenya below them and music to match. It is a two-seater and she reaches back to hold his hand as they soar through the clouds. Be still my heart.
Precision in language is important in my work and this carries over to my creative writing. I agonize to find exactly the right words to express what I want to say, and, with English being such a rich, nuanced language, there are always many choices. I try to write in a straightforward way without convoluted sentences or florid over-the-top language. I hope that all of this makes my work easily readable.
There are two other elements to my writing: character development and description. Characters should come across as believable people, not one-dimensional pawns moving about your story. Their traits can be revealed through the telling of the story rather than all in a single paragraph. Description,whether of a place, a meal, a painting, or anything else is paramount in capturing your reader's imagination. I generally write about things that I know and have experienced and use my sense memory to construct images and descriptions that (hopefully) bring the reader right there. Sometimes a phrase will come to you that encapsulates what you saw, felt, or heard and you know that it will resonate with your reader.
Editing carefully is crucial to readability as well. Other than catching typos and other errors, you can check for repetitive use of words, inconsistencies,and the flow of your story. Even dividing your prose into paragraphs of a reasonable length makes your story more readable.
In the end, other than expressing ourselves, captivating the reader is the goal when we write.
Would it be possible to have the "like" grey out once you have used it? This would allow you not to repeat likes and to know where you left off on a list of comments.
I second Etta James and Edith Piaf. I would add Ella Fitzgerald.
Edit: I should have included Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse.
Have a wonderful day and happiness always.
