LNH/REVIEW: The Tribuations of Kid Review #6

[Saxon Brenton]

On Tues 5/April/2011 Andrew Perron (pwerdna at gmail.com) wrote:
[...]
>  He scrolled through thoughtfully and landed on one. "...you know, I 
> wonder what would happen if..."
 
In my experience this phrase is an important starting point for many 
speculative fiction stories.  Thinking about it, I seem to recall it's 
also important (along with 'Hey, now that's strange...') in scientific 
discovery.
 
[...]
> "I have a theory that a big reason RACC is still going strong is because 
> of EoMR.  Note that the year before it started, 2003, had some of the 
> lowest posting numbers in the group's history; things started improving 
> in the latter half of 2004, and April 2006 was the highest month since 
> February 1998.  Feedback improves communities."
 
Oh wow.  Now there's a statement to stoke my ego with pleasure and needle 
my sense of responsibility with paranoia.
 
[...]
> "You know, you could skip a month, combine two months' reviews into 
> one post, and probably catch up handily..."
 
I could.  Certainly within the remit of what the EoMR is for ('force 
Saxon to read and comprehend the stories posted to RACC') that would be 
easy enough to do.
  
The problem is that I feel it would be a prededent for laziness.  Or 
perhaps another precedent for laziness.  The EoMR started out with the 
intention of being posted within the first week or so after the month 
it covers, but over time that has (as you've noted) slipped to being 
within one month - and even so that is more a psychological goad than 
a practical one since I tend to leave the writing until the last week 
(or even half week) anyway.  Also, the time where I jumped around some 
issues of _Limp-Asparagus Lad_ with the intention of coming back and 
filling them in later *and then never doing so* still sits in my memory 
as a warning on my ability to procrastinate. 
 
In short: I'm trying to be realistic about the nature of my 
writing/production flaws, and I do not want to build up a stockpile of 
'coping mechanisms' that would give me excuses for further procrastination.
 
[...]
> "These were great - indeed, the best part of the issue. Quirky 
> characterization in unexpected places is a major selling point of Tim's 
> style."
 
Ah, now there's a succinct phrase for the phenomenon.
 
[...]
>>                           Yet the brief nature of the story meant 
>> that Miss Cleo walked through events, displaying one ability after 
>> another without giving an indication of what - if any - limitations 
>> she might have.
>
> "In short: More Miss Cleo, please!"
More to the point, it's a factor I've been trying to use in _Remember To 
Vote Teamup_ #2 when I developed the magic null zones that the sasquatches use.
 
[...]
> "Never... do... another... meta-review." He fell over.
 
I shall take this as sage advice and try to heed it.
 
 
Also, Dave Van Domelen commented:
> RACC Will Eat Itself?
 
More like 'RACC will engage in some recursive and amazingly silly chaotic 
add-on antics, which is after all how the whole thing got started in the 
first place'
 
---
Saxon Brenton
"You draw an innocent little comic strip, you try to bring a dash of joy 
into people's lives in these troubled times, and before you know it folks 
are describing steam-powered copper wangs and using the term 'teledildonics.' 
Where did I go wrong in my life?"  - Shaenon Garrity, 16/Jan/2009