I'm basically a non-writer who may at some point in the future attempt to do so, anyway. My composition speed is on a par with glaciation.

I am old enough to remember watching Kennedy's inaugural speach and young enough (then) to wonder why my dad was making such a big deal about it.

I like many anime series, including primarily Ranma ½ and shoujo.

I enjoy most fanfiction, especially if the writer gives a clue to the character and story backgrounds for series that have not had wide distribution in the US. I am also a big supporter of writers who have a good working relationship with their local educational institution's English department. Incorrect word usage can totally disrupt the flow of the piece and destroy the "suspension of disbelief" necessary to enjoy a story by causing the reader to say "WTF" (pronounced "huh?").

Be assured that if I write a review of your story and tear into your word usage, grammer or syntax, it means that I thought enough of your story creation ability to say something. It is my contention that in writing a story, there are three areas that need to be addressed: language skills, story telling skills, and the art of story/idea creation. The last one is the only one almost totally dependant on talent. The other two are addressable through repeated, critiqued effort; talent may ease the learning process, but almost anybody can pick up the skills... me, for example. By way of illustration, one author in the Ranma area had an excellent story idea, but a lack of story telling skill led him (her?) to compress the experience of a year learning a new version of the Art to just one short sentence, followed by two major life-decision changes in one more sentence. What resulted was a bad, non-memorable story other than its wrongness.

My basic request is that ewe dub bull Czech yore whirred yew sage. The rendition of "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut"
was funny, but it was also intentional. The garbage resulting from implicitely trusting the spelling/grammer checker suggestion is neither. The poem at

is also very enlightening for anybody who thinks that English is easy enough to just fake it. Good readers do not "sound out" the text as they read, leading to some very strange mental images not intended by the writer when, say, feint is used for faint, etc. Sometimes, several sentences can go by before one realises that what was typed was not what was meant, and a re-read is necessary.

My "beef" is not with English-as-a-second-language writers. It is with the writers of all backgrounds who don't want to improve their language skills and get upset if those skills are pointed out as being less than stellar.

Now, if we can just get Real Life to quit disrupting the muses of some of the better authors and/or have more authors with talent improve their skill levels, I will be quite happy. Actually, I would settle for authors of all talents improving their skill levels even just a little bit.

Good luck and thanks for all the stories.

Moose Breath