What Stories Will Stay or Deleted

Chao- Been looking over what stories have been published. Made a list of which ones are in progress and what may come around in Yu-Gi-Oh!!, Phineas and Ferb, and even Cats Don't Dance. One goal for this summer is to complete stories that are in progress. Thought Chao would like to let people know that there are possibilities for some stories in progress may get deleted.

YChao- What about putting up any stories for adoption?

Chao- Eh, not too crazy about that. But! Chao isn't against users who do do that. If nothing happens with some stories between now and the beginning of August, Chao will make an announcement for that. And by "nothing happens," this author means with working on chapters, not what gets published. But as of right now, Chao is hoping to post two Yu-Gi-Oh!! one shots very soon. Hope to hear from you all soon!

Average Teen meme!

What do you have:

[X] Mother

[X] Father

[  ] Step-Father

[  ] Step-Mother

[  ] Step Sister(s)

[  ] Step Brother(s)

[  ] Brother(s)

[  ] Brother In Law

[X] Sister(s) 

[X] Sister In Law

[  ] Half sister(s)

[  ] Half brother(s)

[  ] Nephew(s)

[  ] Niece(s)

[  ] Boyfriend/Girlfriend

[X] Mobile phone

[  ] Own bathroom

[X] Own room

[X] Have/had a swimming pool

[  ] Have/had a hot tub 

[X] Guest room 

[X] Living Room

[  ] Own computer

[X] Own TV

[  ] Flatscreen TV 

[  ] There is some big carpet at your house

Total so far: 10

[  ] Full size/Queen bed.

[  ] More than 8 pairs of shoes 

[X] MP3 Player/iPod 

[  ] PS2/3 

[  ] Nintendo DS or PSP

[  ] Gameboy/Advance

[  ] Gamecube

[  ] Xbox/Xbox 360

[X] Wii

[X] Your Own Laptop

Total so far: 13

[  ] Basketball net/hoop

[  ] Air hockey table

[  ] Pool table

[  ] Ping pong table

[  ] Football table

[X] Sports gear

Total so far: 14

[  ] Night stand

[  ] Stereo in bedroom 

[  ] Surround system

[X] DVD player in bedroom/portable

Total so far: 15

[  ] Go shopping at least once a week

[  ] Expensive cologne/perfume 

[  ] AIM/MSN

[X] Camera on phone

Total so far: 16

[  ] Go Cart/car/quad

[  ] Guitar/drums/bass guitar

[X] Piano/Keyboard

[X] Any other instrument

[  ] Been on a cruise

[  ] Traveled out of the country 

[  ] Traveled out of the continent 

[  ] Had a personal trainer

[  ] Expensive jewelry

[  ] Met one or several celebrities

Total so far: 18

[  ] Straightener/curling iron

[  ] Have been to a batting cage

[  ] Have $100 on you right now in your pocket/wallet 

[X] Credit card or ATM card or debit card or bank card

[X] Have a TV in your room

[  ] Mirror in your room

Total so far: 20

[X] Window in your room

[  ] Been to Paris 

[  ] Been to Rome 

[  ] Been to Australia 

[  ] Been to Switzerland 

[  ] Been to Dubai 

[  ] Been to Germany 

[  ] Been to a place written in 7 wonders 

Total so far: 21

[X] Parents have a car

[  ] Have owned or own a Jet ski/boat

[X] Had/have camped 

[  ] Been to 3+ states/countries/provinces

[  ] 80+ buddies on facebook/myspace

Total so far: 23

[X] Home cooked meal almost everyday

[X] Been in a limo

[  ] Been in a helicopter

[X] Own a camera/camcorder

[X] Have been to Disneyland/World more than 2 times

Total: 27

Post As:

1-25 = Ghetto!

26-40 = Average Teen!

41-50 = Spoiled Teen!

51+ = Upper Class Snob!

Chao- Pretty fun meme, but Chao wonders if people review these quizzes before posting them online for other users.

Authors and Editors: Advice for Beta Readers and Beta Reading

Chao- It's pretty cool that FF.net and FP.com have been operating a program that allows users to exchange documents for editing and/or proofreading and/or author collaberation. Writing is fun, but sometimes it's good to have a little extra help. And when authors look for help, they find beta readers. A previous entry had been done for authors looking for beta readers; this entry is for those who are or would like to be beta readers.

Reasons Why Authors Hire Beta Readers:

• You list ourselves through a Beta profile
• You have experience writing fan fics
• They enjoy speaking with you
• They trust your judgement

Chao- Understand that sometimes it's not easy to for writers to seek beta readers. Some of us can get defensive about our writing; some writers see plots and characters as children while others spend a great amount of time on the art. And some people take criticism a little too much. While it is important to give honest opinions and critiques, there are ways to upset your clients.

Reasons Beta Readers Lose Business:

• You had enforced your own writing style over the authors'
• You took too long to write back to your authors
• You forgot about them
• What you provided was weak, poor, contradictory or inconsistent edits
• You wrote mean comments to the author
• You have a personal issue with the author or vice versa

Chao- Like with any collaborate projects, stuff happens. You may lose Internet connection; you second guess yourself for a basic edit; you question if characters are OOC or not. It can be OK to stop beta reading for an author.

Reasons for Beta Readers to Quit:

• An author has asked for help but ignored your Beta profile
• An author wants you to review a fan fic with a story and/or characters you are unfamiliar with
• You are asked with a subject you are uncomfortable with

Chao- All and all, remember to use online or printed grammar books or style guides. Read your given piece once just for reading, and then go back another time for grammar edits and another for story edits. And remember to keep in touch with your clients. Hope this helped those looking to be beta readers!

Mentally Unstable Meme

[x] You have yelled at an inanimate object for 'hurting you.'
[x] You have ran into a glass/screen door
[x] You have jumped out of a moving vehicle
[x] You have thought of something funny and laughed, and then people gave you weird looks.
[ ] You have run into a tree/bush.
[ ] You have been called a blonde.
TOTAL: 4

[ ] You know that it IS possible to lick your elbow.
[ ] You just tried to lick your elbow.
[ ] You never knew the Alphabet and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star has the same melody. (Chao- So does Baa Baa Black Sheep.)
[ ] You just sang them to make sure.
[x] You have tripped on your own feet and fallen.
[x]You have choked on your own spit.
TOTAL: 2

[ ] You have seen The Matrix and still don't get it. (Chao- Never saw the movies. Sorry!)
[ ] You type with three fingers or less.
[x] You have accidentally caught something on fire. (Chao- Accidentally? ;))
[x] You tried to drink out of a straw, but it went into your nose.
[x] You have caught yourself drooling.
TOTAL: 3

[x] You have fallen asleep in class.
[x] Sometimes you can't stop thinking.
[x] Sometimes when you are telling a story, you forget what you are talking about.
[ ] People often shake their heads and walk away from you.
[x] You are often told to use your 'inside voice.'
TOTAL: 4

[x] You use your fingers to do simple math.
[ ] You have eaten a bug accidentally.
[x] You are taking this test when you should be doing something important.
[/] You have put your clothes on backwards or inside out, and didn't realize it.
[x] You've looked all over for something and realized it was in your hand/pocket the whole time.
TOTAL: 3.5

[ ] You have posted bulletins because you are scared that what they say will happen if you don't.
[ ] You break a lot of things.
[ ] You slightly tilt your head when you're confused.
[x] You have fallen out of your chair before.
[x] When you're lying in bed, you try to find pictures in the texture of the ceiling.
[ ] The word "um" is used frequently.
[ ] You don't know what "um" means.
[ ] You say "what" and "huh" a lot.
[ ] You plan to use a calculator to multiply your score for this bulletin.
TOTAL: 2

OVERALL TOTAL: 18.5
Take your total, and multiply it by 4, and put the title as: I'm __% mentally unstable.

Chao- Chao is 74% mentally unstable!
YChao- Really? I thought the number would have been higher than that.
Chao- Yeah, you'd think so.

Updates for May

Chao- You know what Chao has a bad habit of? Reading a chapter fic and not leaving reviews after the final chapter has been posted. Chao leaves reviews for nearly all the chapters as the story moves along, yet sometimes the second to last or the last chapter isn't reviewed. So sorry about that! Not to give an excuse, but Chao is someone who likes to take time to write a good review, and sometimes a lot of time just flies by without Chao even realizing it. Chao likes to address some issues and give praise where needed, and that takes time.

YChao- So why not just write everything when it's fresh? You know, get it outta the way?

Chao- Because, Chao likes to make sure everything has been brought up since there's no edit button or delete button. A lot people just leave "luv teh story!" A little boring, right? Chao wants to leave something that the authors can enjoy upon reading past reviews. It just means a lot to writers. So maybe Chao will spend this month just reading. Nothing too important to report this month.