| mel
boring |
The Tuesday afternoon
"Open Forum" will begin promptly at 4 Atlantic/CANADA, 3 p.m.
Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain, and noon Pacific. While
you wait for the "Open Forum" to start, feel free to use your ASK A
QUESTION button RIGHT BETWEEN THE YELLOW "MAP" AND THE RED QUESTION
MARK IN ICHAT to post some questions for the discussion group-two
minutes from now.
|
| mel
boring |
Good afternoon! Welcome
to this Tuesday afternoon's "Open Forum" session. I'm your
moderator, Mel Boring, and the Web Editor for this site. We're back
for an informal time of answering any questions you might like to
ask, on any subject. So feel free to ask what's on your mind--and
I'll tell you what's on mine! First, please read these
announcements, then we'll get started.
|
| mel
boring |
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
Send questions you'd like answered or discussed by using your "Ask a
Question" icon/button. (It looks like a thought bubble icon, RIGHT
NEXT TO THE RED QUESTION MARK.) The moderator (me, Mel Boring) will
post the questions one at a time in the chat room and do my best to
answer them. Also note: If you want to make it possible to ask the
longest question you can, first type "/ask" (without the quotation
marks), then leave one space after the end of "ask", then type as
many characters of your question as you can. If your question is not
complete, send the second part next, then if necessary the third,
etc.
|
| mel
boring |
WARNING: If you don't
post anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in
15 minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to
the moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay
active and remain online.
|
| mel
boring |
HAPPY TUESDAY to you,
friends!...
|
| mel
boring |
Here is some GOOD NEWS
for a GOOD start:...
|
| mel
boring |
Lynne Lepley sent us
this GOOD NEWS: I'm pleased to report that my book, THREE IN ONE: A
BOOK ABOUT GOD (Abingdon Press) which came out in June, is now in
its second printing.
|
|
|
| mel
boring |
For a book to be in its
SECOND printing only FIVE months after the first...
|
| mel
boring |
is a GOOD sign! It
means all they printed up, and thought might sell in a year, sold in
less than HALF a year!...
|
| mel
boring |
CONGRATULATIONS from us
all, Lynne! And MANY HAPPY RETURNS (to future
printings)!
|
| mel
boring |
GOOD NEWS from Shari
Barr: I have good news to share. I recently received a nice
assignment from Davey and Goliath devotions from Augsburg Fortress
Publishers. I will be writing the quarterly devotions (Sept.-Nov.)
for next fall which is a 64 page magazine. Yikes! (But, I'm also
thrilled.) Happy writing!
|
| mel
boring |
Shari has been
published on our ICL Web Site, so her name is prolly familiar to
you!...
|
| mel
boring |
WARM CONGRATULATIONS to
you, Shari! An ASSIGNMENT from a magazine is a real step-UP for a
writer....
|
| mel
boring |
It means the editor(s)
recognize a succession of strong submissions, and "gave you a job"!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
|
| mel
boring |
Pam Kessler, an often
contributor to our web site sent this GOOD NEWS: Today, November 5,
I got a contract from BIBLE PATHWAYS FOR KIDS for another story and
recipe they had been holding for several months. This has been a
great writer's weekend!
|
| mel
boring |
After a wait of SEVERAL
MONTHS, you must have been very relieved, Pam!...
|
| mel
boring |
CONGRATULATIONS on
ANOTHER publication in BIBLE PATHWAYS FOR KIDS!,...
|
| mel
boring |
and we wish you MANY
MORE, friend!
|
| mel
boring |
AS needed to know for
last Friday: I'll interview someone this Friday for an article that
I want to write. I'm planning to take pictures of this person and
his work. I believe I have to ask his permission to use the photos
for my article. Am I right? If yes, should this be in
writing?
|
| mel
boring |
Sorry to be late on
this one!...
|
| mel
boring |
But YES, you should ask
permission to both TAKE and USE the photos for the article,
AS....
|
| mel
boring |
And yes, you should get
it in writing....
|
| mel
boring |
It needn't be a
complicated agreement....
|
| mel
boring |
You could write: "I
give ____ _____ permission to use pictures of me, _____ _____, in
the article I was interviewed for on _____ __,
2004."...
|
| mel
boring |
Then make a line for
the interviewee's signature, and one for the date. That's
all!
|
| mythchild |
I received info for the
Advanced course last week
|
| mel
boring |
I'm GLAD to year that,
mythchild! Hope you get to take it!
|
| george
kulz |
I have some news and a
question. I have the edited copy of my story back from Spider. They
asked me to proof it and give my opinion of it. What should I write
in my letter back to them? I want to get it right I
guess.
|
| mel
boring |
How EXCITING is that,
george!...
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS for letting us
know!...
|
| mel
boring |
What SPIDER wants is to
know if you see any typos, or mistakes that have been made otherwise
in your story....
|
| mel
boring |
And if they ask you
your opinion--did they use that word?--tell them how you feel about
their editing job....
|
| mel
boring |
Most of the time,
articles are fine-edited for space, as well as the editing of the
content....
|
| mel
boring |
They want your
assurance, george. Consider it an HONOR they asked your opinion,
Sir! Our writing hats are off to you for your accomplishment,
friend!
|
| craig |
how does one handle
racial slurs in stories and books especially if they are factual. I
am writing writing a factual story about a mixed race relationship
and some racial slurs were in it how do I write them in the
story
|
| mel
boring |
The best way to write
them is to quote THEM in dialogue in the story,
craig....
|
| mel
boring |
That says that it's not
the AUTHOR saying those things, but that characters in the
story...
|
| mel
boring |
have said them. Racial
slurs are never "pretty," in any story,...
|
| mel
boring |
but if they can be put
in the dialogue of an actual character in the story, they can be
read with more ease, friend. By the way, GOOD to "see you,"
craig!
|
| mel
boring |
iamnina has these
questions in follow-up to last Tuesday: Now I know that I can
approach another published author with a request for
|
| That leads me to
two other questions: I imagine one would pay for |
|
| would be a
ballparkish figure for that? And also, |
|
| (or yourself)
allowed to continue (or have) a private editorial relationship with
students after courses are completed, or do you have some sort of do
not compete agreement |
|
| mel
boring |
You would USUALLY NOT
pay for talking to a published author at a conference,
iamnina....
|
| mel
boring |
UNLESS they were there
as a manuscript critiquer....
|
| mel
boring |
In THAT case, the
conference holders would TELL you what the charge would
be....
|
| mel
boring |
For example, I've been
at SCBWI conferences where the speakers/presenters also critiqued
manuscripts submitted to them by the
participants....
|
| mel
boring |
And they might charge
twenty-five dollars, maybe thirty-five, for a critique
session....
|
| mel
boring |
BUT if you see the
famous author just there at large in the conference, you allowed to
go up and talk with them....
|
| mel
boring |
As for ICL instructors
and private editorial relationships with students AFTER the
course,...
|
| mel
boring |
some do and some don't.
You'd just have to ask your instructor near the end of the course if
they would....
|
| mel
boring |
There is no agreement
that I know of that prevents any instructor from a private editorial
relationship...
|
| mel
boring |
after the course,
iamnina. It's up to the individual instructor.
|
| kidscanwrite |
Finally had my first book
published (yippee). BUT...after
|
| kidscanwrite |
3 months...the publishing
company is folding...what do I do?
|
| mel
boring |
Hi, kidscanwrite, I'm
SORRY to hear that the company has folded!...
|
| mel
boring |
What to do is write to
them right away,...
|
| mel
boring |
and make sure you get
any rights they might've used BACK....
|
| mel
boring |
Then you can re-sell
the book....
|
| mel
boring |
There shouldn't be any
problems doing that....
|
| mel
boring |
I have even gotten
rights back to a book after the publisher stopped printing it,
rather than folding....
|
| mel
boring |
So write to them right
away, and make sure YOU still RETAIN all rights!
|
| mel
boring |
TS asks: I wrote a poem
titled "Freedom Fighter." My daughter used the poem for an art
assignment-she drew a picture basically to go with the poem. The
school loved the poem and wish to print it in the church bulletin.
Also my daughter's teacher wants to send the art and poem into a
Flags for Freedom Contest. Should I put a copyright on this poem or
how do I ensure that this poem is mine so that it doesn't get mass
produced somewhere without me getting credit for it. I know someone
told me to write the poem on a piece of paper and send it to
myself-that that does ensure it is mine. But I would like to try to
print this poem in other magazines and heard that editiors do not
like to see copyrighted material because they like to take care of
things like that.
|
| mel
boring |
First of
all,...
|
| mel
boring |
at the time you WRITE
any piece, it is automatically copyrighted to YOU,
TS....
|
| mel
boring |
So unless you SOLD the
copyright to the school or the church, you still own the
copyright....
|
| mel
boring |
It can be used for the
contest with no problem, UNLESS the contest rules say they GET the
copyright with it....
|
| mel
boring |
You CAN put the
c-in-a-circle followed by your name and the year,..
|
| mel
boring |
but yes, editors DO
consider that rather amateurish; they not only LIKE to take care of
that,...
|
| mel
boring |
it is part of their job
in publishing your writing, usually part of the contract you
sign....
|
| mel
boring |
Copyrighting your work
for a publisher is a little like selling your house for the
realtor....
|
| mel
boring |
The realtor does the
selling.
|
| grandy1983 |
Good afternoon, Mel. I am
writing a novel in which the elderly, secondary character transforms
into a young child 20 years at a time every 24 hours and this goes
on for a week until she eventually is an infant and likely to
disappear unless the main character finds a solution QUICKLY. My
instructor loved my idea, but the time period is one week. At the
end when the protagonist comes up with a solution to save his
elderly friend from disappearing into nothing, she transforms
overnight, but we don't SEE the transformation. All we know is HOW
and WHY she transformed. I do not think I had her transformed too
fast, but some people have suggested that I show her from changing
into an adult and repeating the same process. This would take
entirely too long, especially since I am limited to 25,000 words. My
instructor also said I had a very funny premise, and I just want to
make sure that I do everything I can to make this novel a success.
Your feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Mel.
|
| mel
boring |
Hi, grandy1983! (I've
answered your private question privately, my
friend.)...
|
| mel
boring |
Your novel plot sounds
refreshingly FRESH!...
|
| mel
boring |
I must admit, however,
that looking over your loooooong question here on the
screen,...
|
| mel
boring |
I'm not sure I
understand it. Do you mean she transforms every 24 hours at first,
then takes a week? Clarify it with another message, will you,
please?
|
| gladys1 |
Mel what would be the
going cost of an editor critiquing a manuscript?
|
| mel
boring |
That's a very wide-open
and difficult question to answer, gladys1....
|
| mel
boring |
Do you mean at a
conference--for which already gave figure
|
| mel
boring |
or do you mean
privately, or how did you mean the editor would be approached? Give
me some clarification, please.
|
| mel
boring |
SB has this question
about titles: I write many nonfiction pieces, most of which start as
outlines and query letters. I have no problem finding interesting
content, but I always bog down when it comes time to title my work.
Are there any tips/hints/tricks of the trade that could help me
create catchy titles?
|
| mel
boring |
I'm GLAD you asked that
question, SB,...
|
| mel
boring |
because I LOVE
titling!...
|
| mel
boring |
The BEST way to give a
title to an article OR story, SB,...
|
| mel
boring |
is to wait and title it
AFTER it is written.....
|
| mel
boring |
Usually the BEST titles
come out of the story or article itself....
|
| mel
boring |
So if you need to title
the piece BEFORE it's written,...
|
| mel
boring |
you'll be working at a
disadvantage, I'm afraid....
|
| mel
boring |
I would suggest to you,
since titles are important to editors, too,...
|
| mel
boring |
that you begin writing
the article or story BEFORE you submit the
outline,...
|
| mel
boring |
to see what title might
emerge out of the writing....
|
| mel
boring |
There have been times
when the TITLE was the FIRST thing I came up with for a story or
article,...
|
| mel
boring |
but those times are
RARE. The best titles come after the writing is underway or
finished.
|
| gladys1 |
I mean an editor or agent
you find on the net or from a book and you send your manussript to
them for critiquing
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS, gladys1, for
that clarification!...
|
| mel
boring |
If you sent your
manuscript to the editor of a PUBLISHED book,...
|
| mel
boring |
chances are very slim
that they would critique it for you....
|
| mel
boring |
They are not in the
critiquing business, gladys1....
|
| mel
boring |
Agents are not in the
critiquing business, either, so...
|
| mel
boring |
you can't expect to
send then a manuscript and have them critique
it....
|
| mel
boring |
The BEST way to get a
critique is to submit the manuscript to a magazine or a book
publisher,...
|
| mel
boring |
and you may get
rejections that way,...
|
| mel
boring |
but here or there among
the rejections,...
|
| mel
boring |
you might get an
encouraging NOTE on the rejection from an
editor,...
|
| mel
boring |
which means you're
doing well, even though not well enough for them to publish it
yet....
|
| mel
boring |
But I don't know of a
single book publisher editor, or a magazine editor, or an agent,
that is in the business of critiquing manuscripts.
|
| delima-e |
I did submit a poem,
however, the waiting part is longest
|
| mel
boring |
CONGRATULATIONS on that
submisssion, delima-e!!!...
|
| mel
boring |
It is not easy to
submit, and yes, the waiting is the MOST DIFFICULT, and
longest....
|
| mel
boring |
I well know, because
I've just re-re-resubmitted a book I've been writing for 28
years!...
|
| mel
boring |
and I STILL don't know
if this revision will be accepted!...
|
| mel
boring |
The business of writing
takes great PATIENCE, I'm afraid....
|
| mel
boring |
But today's writers'
situation is DOUBLY difficult in regard to that....
|
| mel
boring |
First of all, NONE of
us likes to WAIT....
|
| mel
boring |
And our society is
doing all it can to give us "fast food," "fast reads" and fast
everything....
|
| mel
boring |
But with publishing
there is NO way to do that,...
|
| mel
boring |
unless you just go
ahead and publish your book totally on your own....
|
| mel
boring |
It STILL takes
publishers a loooooong time to make a book....
|
| mel
boring |
And part of that is
that it takes them a loooooong time to even just...
|
| mel
boring |
CONSIDER a book, before
even rejecting it....
|
| mel
boring |
So if you are used to
fast food, and can't stand any waiting, writing and publishing
probably isn't for you....
|
| mel
boring |
That's why I'm GLAD to
see your patience in waiting, delima-e--it WILL PAY OFF, my friend,
in time!
|
| grandy1983 |
Mel For example, Ms.
Murdoch starts as a solid 70-year-old. After eating some magic fudge
that was given to her out of resent and bitterness, she becomes 50
years old the next morning, the next day she is 30, then she is 10,
and finally, she is an infant. If Preston (the main character) does
NOT find a solution, she will disappear into nothing. See, I made
sure the candy shop owner at Wicky Wacky Fudge (Stan) at the mall
had good motivations for doing what he did, and that is, giving Ms.
Murdoch the magic fudge that transforms her. Preston has TWO
opponents -- his difficulties with Ms. Murdoch getting younger by
the day and Stan (the candy shop owner and manager). Preston's
mother is out of town and does not know when she will return, so he
is on his own. He has a lot of choices to make and the choices he
DOES make will affect the outcome of what happens next. I hope this
clarifies some, Mel.
|
| mel
boring |
No matter how LONG or
SHORT the transformation then, grandy1983,...
|
| mel
boring |
Preston MUST find a
solution, as the main young character....
|
| mel
boring |
It SOUNDS like Ms.
Murdoch will go from an infant to NOTHING in ONE
DAY....
|
| mel
boring |
IF I Understand you
right. If so, then Preston will have that ONE DAY, at least, to find
a solution. DOes this help?
|
| dianna |
Bit of good news to share
rearding a book written by ccollier:
|
| dianna |
It is on display at our
local library as a 'books in demand' & suggested reading. it
will be on display for 3 months!
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS for sharing that
GOOD NEWS, dianna!...
|
| mel
boring |
Christine Collier is
very familiar to us as a writer...
|
| mel
boring |
who has contributed
many articles to our ICL Web Site....
|
| mel
boring |
CONGRATULATIONS to
Christine on her "books in demand" book!!!
|
| grandy1983 |
One more thing. When I
said that the transformation should not take place again, I meant
would I have to SHOW the readers Ms. Murdoch changing into an adult
just the same way I did before? That would take too long because I
am limited to 25,000 words. I have shown Preston at the end SOLVING
the conflict and we know HOW Ms. Murdoch will be changing back, so
when he wakes up the next morning, she is back to
normal.
|
| mel
boring |
You will have to SHOW
readers how that final transformation back into an adult,
grandy1983,...
|
| mel
boring |
but it needn't take so
many words, I think....
|
| mel
boring |
Since you have already
shown how the transformation has taken place in her getting down to
an infant,...
|
| mel
boring |
won't the process
simply be reversed to make her an adult again?....
|
| mel
boring |
It doesn't seem to me
that that would need to take so many words,...
|
| mel
boring |
because you've already
well established the basic way the transformation takes place,
friend.
|
| arnalda |
Hi, Mel! If I have a
rebus and illustrations that I'd like
|
| arnalda |
to submit together to
WeeOnes, how do I go about it?
|
| arnalda |
Should I submit the
written work first and mention that I
|
| arnalda |
have illustrations? Or do
I send b/w or color copies
|
| arnalda |
at the same time? Thanks
in advance for your answer! :-)
|
| mel
boring |
First submit just the
rebus, arnalda....
|
| mel
boring |
and in your cover
letter, tell the editor...
|
| mel
boring |
that you have
illustrations....
|
| mel
boring |
Since the magazines
usually like to provide their own art,...
|
| mel
boring |
this is the best way.
THen if they ASK you to send your illustrations, all well and
good...
|
| mel
boring |
Magazines USUALLY don't
want art with it because they can get so MUCH untalented art, and
they want to avoid that....
|
| mel
boring |
So ask them first,
before sending the illustrations!
|
| tkat_2 |
I have yet to develop the
virtue of patience.
|
| mel
boring |
WELL said,
tkat_2!...
|
| mel
boring |
MOST of us haven't
developed patience to much of a virtue....
|
| mel
boring |
PARTLY, I think
"patience" can come with submissions by your going ON to OTHER
projects,...
|
| mel
boring |
so as to fill up the
waiting time....
|
| mel
boring |
I've found that when I
go ahead with other projects,....
|
| mel
boring |
I am sometimes
SURPRISED to hear about a submission that would seem to have taken
MUCH More time if I wasnt' busy on other projects!
|
| grandy1983 |
Mel Yes, that is correct,
but is it okay to do it this way? He has been going through so many
problems, and he is very pressed for time.
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, it's OK,
grandy1983, because you have already established the basics of how
the transformation happens!
|
| spotslover2 |
What's the name of
Christine's book?
|
| mel
boring |
I don't know,
spotslover2, but I will ask Diane to let me know so I can let you
know! Diane?
|
| mel
boring |
Sam Scratch asks: I am
writing a story of a girl with psoriasis. It is a fiction story with
a lot of medical facts. Is it as story or article?
|
| mel
boring |
It used to be called
"faction," Sam Scratch,...
|
| mel
boring |
but such story-articles
don't seem to have much appeal today....
|
| mel
boring |
My STRONG suggestion is
that you JUST write NONfiction, about psoriasis,...
|
| mel
boring |
and NOT try to make a
story about it to show the facts....
|
| mel
boring |
Such "stories" usually
prove to be "setups" just to get the facts
across...
|
| mel
boring |
BETTER to just write a
zippy, attractive article, than to try to make a
story.
|
| mel
boring |
Spotslover2 e-mails,
wondering: Can my regular golf results article in the local paper be
used as a clip even though I don't get a byline?
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, Spotslover2, IF
there is more to the article than just scores....
|
| mel
boring |
If you have written
words about the golf matches or meets,...
|
| mel
boring |
then it would make a
good clip. And I presume you write MORE than just the
SCORE.
|
| mel
boring |
remus asked this
question: I submitted a query letter with SASE to SIMON AND SCHUSTER
4 months ago. The response time is supposed to be 2 months. After 2
months I sent a follow-up letter asking politely about the status of
my manuscript. However, they never responded. After 3 months I sent
them an email (since it is mentioned the the BOOK MARKET 2004 that
it is okay to query via email) but I didn't get a response either.
|
| OF WONDER. They
sent back a rejection letter but didn't include my sample chapters
and all other information. After sending them another SASE and
asking them to return the materials they never responded and I never
received my work back. What else can an author do when a publisher
keeps ignoring the author's requests? How trustable is a publisher
when he can't even handle the return of material |
|
| mel
boring |
I'm afraid there is
NOthing we can do to get an answer when a publisher won't answer,
remus....
|
| mel
boring |
It is SAD, isn't it.
ALL I can suggest is that you write the publisher a REGISTERED
letter,...
|
| mel
boring |
so that you get a
receipt back signed by someone saying they received your
letter....
|
| mel
boring |
Other than that, just
not submitting to that publisher ever again is the best
way....
|
| mel
boring |
When publishers just
DON'T answer, it usually is a rejection; they don't bother with
"formalizing" it in a letter....
|
| mel
boring |
It is MOST sad they did
not send back your SAMPLES.
|
| mel
boring |
remus also asks this
good question: Is there a specific time during the year that
publishers tend to need more urgently manuscripts? And is there a
time (for example, maybe like Christmas) that they are overloaded
with material and tend to reject
|
|
|
| mel
boring |
I'm glad I can have a
more positive answer to this one, remus!...
|
| mel
boring |
The times when things
get bogged down, usually, at a publisher,...
|
| mel
boring |
are when there are
vacations....
|
| mel
boring |
Publishers ALWAYS need
manuscripts, but at vacation times, their handling is slowed way
down....
|
| mel
boring |
like summer and at
Christmas....
|
| mel
boring |
That's when people are
out on holiday, and things slow down....
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| mel
boring |
It usually doesn't mean
they are OVERLOADED, but just UNDERSTAFFED at certain
times.
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| mel
boring |
MM has this question
about credits: I have credits for adult poetry and fiction from
|
| and was awarded a
provincial Arts Grant, but I'm brand-new to children's writing and
to submitting to U.S. markets. Is it worthwhile to mention credits
like these in a cover |
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| U.S. editor? It
seems unlikely that she or he would have heard of even EVENT or
FIDDLEHEAD, for example, even though both are considered coups among
Canadian poets. |
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|
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| mel
boring |
ANY credit is a WRITING
CREDIT to ANY editor, MM!...
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| mel
boring |
You might be SURPRISED
to find that a U.S. editor HAS HEARD OF EVENT or
FIDDLEHEAD!...
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| mel
boring |
But DO mention ANY
credits--they will help!
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| mel
boring |
KK needs to know: I am
writing a nonfiction article and it is on a person from
Revolutionary times. There are very few primary sources on my
subject. Many periodicals are strict in their request for primary
sources. What other kinds of things can be used
instead?
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| mel
boring |
Primary sources are
sources DIRECTLY attributed to the person the article is about,
KK....
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| mel
boring |
So any DIARIES, any
BOOKS written about the person, any ARTICLES written by the subject,
are primary sources....
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| mel
boring |
So all you can do is
come up with ALL the primary sources you can....
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| mel
boring |
But make sure you have
THOROUGHLY and PATIENTLY searched EVERYWHERE for those primary
sources.
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| mel
boring |
I should have stopped
minutes ago--YIKES!!!...
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| mel
boring |
THANK YOU for being
here, and I'll hope to see you next
Tuesday!
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