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16 votes
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Lisica - A Scientist Soap Opera ... Looking for beta readers for the first draft of my four volume series!
As an author who normally writes a lot of thrillers with dark subjects, I found at the outset of last year that I just couldn't add any more darkness to the world. Lisica is a story I've been...
As an author who normally writes a lot of thrillers with dark subjects, I found at the outset of last year that I just couldn't add any more darkness to the world. Lisica is a story I've been incubating for over 20 years, about a fictional island 1600 km off the coast of Oregon in the middle of the Pacific. I've just finished the series and it needs a new set of eyes to take it to the next level.
It is pure escapism, a love story about eleven researchers who are sent to Lisica for eight weeks to categorize the island's life before a new global satellite agreement comes into force and the USAF has to reveal the island to the wider world. The novels are equal parts scientific discovery, (with special emphases on data science, field biology, geology, meteorology, marine science, archaeology, and linguistics) and equal parts torrid romance between all these beautiful people. In many ways it is a utopian story, about people in paradise doing valuable work who can also love without hurting others. There is no toxic masculinity or bullying on this island, no sophomoric communication problems, no jealousy nor regret. It is my belief that natural challenges such as storms and cliffs and the mystery of the unknown is enough. This isn't Lost. There is magical realism here but it is more realism than magic.
I'm hoping to find a few qualified beta readers who have a background in these sciences, to help me make sure I present them correctly. But it's a lot to ask, for sure. Each of the four volumes is 15 chapters of exactly 26 pages each. 1560 pages in all. 425,000 words. If anyone knows a retired biology teacher with plenty of time on their hands, that's basically who I need at this stage.
My next step is to turn each chapter into audio episodes. As well as an author, I'm an Audible narrator and professional character actor. It is why each chapter is exactly 26 pages long. They make for sixty 42 minute audio episodes. I will eventually release the series week by week for free on my literary podcast over the next year.
Hopefully, this scratches someone's itch. Thanks for reading!
11 votes -
What's the difference between ~news and ~misc?
The sidebar description of ~news says All the world's current events, including politics as well as analysis or opinion pieces. But most politics articles are moved to ~misc. I've even seen people...
The sidebar description of ~news says
All the world's current events, including politics as well as analysis or opinion pieces.
But most politics articles are moved to ~misc. I've even seen people say that ~news is not for politics. So what determines if news stories aren't good enough for ~news? I get that an article about the estimated 20,000 deaths from a flood in Libya is news. But what's the line for politics and other similar categories? And why not have ~news.politics? I'm sure that must have been discussed before, but I'm not sure if it has been discussed in the context of the sidebar.
Basically, we need to either change how articles get categorized or change that sidebar description.
11 votes -
Your NFTs are actually — finally — totally worthless
46 votes -
Nearly 400 primate skulls headed for US collectors seized in "staggering" discovery at French airport
10 votes -
Yelp has a wall of shame for businesses caught paying for fake reviews
19 votes -
Clarence Thomas secretly participated in Koch Network donor events
34 votes -
Queensland neighbours show how Voice to Parliament is splitting Australia
2 votes -
Inside ShadowDragon, the tool that lets ICE monitor pregnancy tracking sites and Fortnite players
23 votes -
Experiences with low FODMAP diets
Hello! As I've been diagnosed with IBS, I've been looking at ways to reduce my symptoms and one of the options I've been told about is a low FODMAP diet. I am still looking into this, and so far...
Hello!
As I've been diagnosed with IBS, I've been looking at ways to reduce my symptoms and one of the options I've been told about is a low FODMAP diet.
I am still looking into this, and so far I've only read a bunch of confusing or incomplete/surface level information.
This made me curious about the experience that other people have had any recommendations or stories someone might have.
Also if you know of any good apps for tracking what you ate and how you've felt throughout the day, please let me know.
Thanks!
16 votes -
Ole Gunnar Solskjær has criticised the behaviour of some players during his time as Manchester United manager, saying they were not as good as they thought they were
4 votes -
Suggestion: Tag raising
It is currently possible to block unwanted tags on Tildes. It would be great to also have a feature that allows users to raise tags they're more interested in. Posts with raised tags will get a...
It is currently possible to block unwanted tags on Tildes. It would be great to also have a feature that allows users to raise tags they're more interested in. Posts with raised tags will get a score multiplier for the user that raised them, in the same way as Exemplary comments get a score multiplier.
An example of a website that implements this really well is https://lesswrong.com, where you can give score multipliers to different tags to raise or lower them on your homepage.
35 votes -
Meeting bloat has taken over corporate America. Can it be stopped?
46 votes -
X announces it’s shutting down ‘Circles’ as of October 31st
15 votes -
Thoughts on creating a positive ~urbanism group
This would be a great positive mindset gathering place for folks who want to have more productive and less alienating discussions than what fuckcars etc provided. The urbanism movement talks about...
This would be a great positive mindset gathering place for folks who want to have more productive and less alienating discussions than what fuckcars etc provided.
The urbanism movement talks about solutions and work being done at the larger governmental scale, down to the local "tactical" or grassroots scale. These ideas are how to work to improve the housing affordability crisis, pedestrian safety, and generally help make more people friendly municipalities & communities that can become financially more sustainable. There is overlap with permaculture and environmentalism.If you're unfamiliar with this movement, some great places to start are books by Jane Jacobs, Strong Towns by Charles L Marohn, Bowling Alone, by Robert D. Putnam, and countless YouTube channels like Not Just Bikes, Oh the Urbanity and many others.
15 votes -
US Federal Trade Commission sues private equity firm for price fixing anesthesia services in Texas
8 votes -
Google US antitrust trial - judge ordered trial exhibits removed from the web - the Verge responds by publishing them
24 votes -
The battle to make Nirvana’s ‘unlistenable’ final album
20 votes -
Sweden's minority-run coalition announced on Wednesday it would be cutting funding for climate and environmental measures next year
10 votes -
Matrix 2.0: The future of Matrix
12 votes -
Denmark's parliament to introduce interpreters – Aki-Matilda Hoegh-Dam spoke and answered questions in Greenlandic, causing protests from some lawmakers
12 votes -
What games do you most wish had a remake, or a sequel or both?
Personally I would love a remake of Eternal Darkness or Jet Force Gemini.
59 votes -
Prince William warns against 'doom and gloom' in eco-debates
15 votes -
Who are your favorite Tiny Desk concert musicians? Bob Boilen - Tiny Desk founder is leaving National Public Radio
51 votes -
Sufjan Stevens is relearning to walk after Guillain-Barré Syndrome left him immobile, hospitalized
34 votes -
Incomplete disclosures by Apple and Google create “huge blindspot” for 0-day hunters
13 votes -
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives ‘favoured certain developers’ in controversial Greenbelt plan, auditor general finds in scathing report
27 votes -
Intel's next-gen Meteor Lake CPUs: A game-changing 40-year architectural shift to rival Apple
33 votes -
NASA’s Webb finds carbon source on surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa
24 votes -
A24 partners with AMC Theatres for ‘Thrills & Chills’ film series
7 votes -
Europe talks to itself in many languages. That’s why English is vital to its democracy
17 votes -
First private US passenger rail line in 100 years is about to link Miami and Orlando at high speed
38 votes -
There's a belief that some form of cider was made by Vikings in Norway, and today, its growing popularity has people convinced it's the country's national drink
13 votes -
Earth, Wind & Fire - September (1978)
24 votes -
Strike and Robin return – but JK Rowling really needs an editor
6 votes -
I drive the Microlino for the first time. A reimagined electric Isetta.
7 votes -
Opinion by Brian Merchant: I’ve always loved tech. Now, I’m a Luddite. You should be one, too.
69 votes -
PostmodernJukebox ft. Tatum Langley - Die For You (The Weeknd cover, 2023)
7 votes -
Building the world's largest cruise ship 'Icon of the Seas' in Turku, Finland
6 votes -
Three die in South Africa navy submarine tragedy
5 votes -
French government defends arrest of teen in classroom over transgender bullying claims
16 votes -
Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp
44 votes -
When using the wrong shell causes weird bug reports
26 votes -
Hakeem Olajuwon charges $50K to teach what cannot be taught — good for him
8 votes -
Checkmate in Nagorno-Karabakh? How Azerbaijan got Armenia to back down.
8 votes -
Prehistoric fish fills 100 million year gap in evolution of the skull
8 votes -
This is the first crash test dummy modelled on the female body. Will it make cars safer for women?
42 votes -
Linux gives up on 6-year LTS kernels, says they’re too much work. This maybe fine for PCs but could be bad for android.
26 votes -
US offers nearly half-a-million Venezuelan migrants legal status and work permits following demands from strained cities
16 votes -
Sweden is leading in a battle to be the first European space base outside Russia to launch a satellite into orbit
12 votes