A few days ago, I posted a blog in which I whined horribly about petty grievances.

I announced, quite pathetically, that I was going to take my ball and go home.

Over the next few days, I received about three dozen comments, PMs, and emails. They were almost universally encouraging and sympathetic. Some rightly called me out for the shortcomings I displayed.

Embarrassingly, I can’t even claim that I had acted out of passion, because I wrote the blog and let it sit for a number of days before posting it.

John Stockton was an excellent basketball player.

He was NOT a prolific scorer.

By NBA standards he was far too small and did not get a tremendous number of rebounds.

What he did, better than any other person who played professional basketball, was hand out assists.

An “assist” is a pass that leads directly to that player scoring a basket.

Stockton made nearly 16,000 assists during his career, which is almost 4,000 more than the next best player’s assist total.

I need you to give me an assist. Please!

Those of us who have been with Big Closet for over two decades have seen a lot of change. (I know my profile says I’ve only been here fifteen years, but that is because I left for a year when a reader said she was going to commit suicide because one of my stories made her feel so badly abut her life. She said the loving family I depicted in one of my stories was in stark contrast to hers.)

Last November, I watched a documentary called The Game Changers. It convinced me to try a vegan diet, mainly due to the adverse impact the meat industry has on the environment. I'm not radical, in that I'll share an occasional hamburger with fries with my spouse, but for all practical purposes I'm eating a plant-based diet and enjoying it. I rarely eat the psuedo meat because it is so highly processed but live three blocks from a Burger King and will eat the occasional impossible-burger.

Do NOT follow this link, if for some strange reason the president's actions surrounding his recommendation to do a scientific study of injecting bleach didn't bother you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkU1ob_lHCw

Jill

Imagine your over-served roommate, Teddy, announcing to that braying jackass in the bar, “You need a good slap.”

Now slur those words and add in five salient facts: 1.) Your roommate is built like a fireplug, 2.) he boxed Golden Gloves too many years, 3.) his face is right out of Guys and Dolls, 4.) his childhood would have shocked Dickens, and 5.) recently when his girlfriend had the gall to break up with him, he painted her car – with a broom and gallon of red enamel.

I’m a prisoner in my home with time on my hands.

Over the years, I’ve made the statement many times that there is very little correlation between the quality of writing and the number of hits, quotes, and kudos.

To test this -- I took the last ten stories I’ve posted on BC. . .that still are posted as free stories and listed them in order of the best to worst. They’re my stories, I can do that. Unlike kids, having a favorite story is allowed.

The other day Erin made a comment about Big Closet being open to a very eclectic group of people.

She has made this statement hundreds of times. She lives this statement every day.

Running a site that is opened to a huge variety of ideas is a recipe for disaster. Asking people who don't unanimously agree on everything to feel welcome under her tent is like begging for dispute, especially in today's world.

Erin knew this the day she opened her doors. She had watched the debacles in the mosh pit on another similar site.

Due to a recent comment, I’ve been thinking about writing rules.

My main writing rule is this – I keep writing and re-writing a story until I think it’s the best story I’ve ever written.

For your friendly, neighborhood narcissist, abiding by this rule can be a daunting task. . .but I try.

I’d be curious to hear what “writing rules” other BC authors have.

Your beloved "rule-r,

Jill

I'm a big fan of showing the angst involved in a transformation.

The latest edition of Wildcats is a primer in telling a heck of a story while exploring the protagonist's self-search.

Can't wait for Ellen's appearance.

Jill

Have you ever heard the story about how AARP got started?

Here's a recap. https://states.aarp.org/chicken-coop-unlikely-birthplace-aarp/

One night, about a decade ago, I was having an enjoyable dinner out with another insurance executive. He was the founder of several large insurance organizations including two large reinsurance companies. He was a serious-minded person who had a solid reputation.

The Lee C. cheerleader series has grown through nine books.

"Grown" in that each book seems better than the last.

The latest in the series had me in tears of joy several times.

https://www.amazon.com/Cheerleader-Now-College-Sophomores-Co...

Big Closet is a silly place.

At times it seems to lack common sense.

In a world where its users are under harsh political attack Big Closet steadfastly refuses to engage. The logic behind that decision is anything but foolish.

Yet this is a silly place. Defying all economic logic – Big Closet continues to try to exist on donations, knowing full well that a large share of its users are indigent. Big Closet knows that BECAUSE a large share of its users are indigent it MUST exist on donations because a fee-based site would not be able to serve them.

Over the last few days, there has been some discussion about Hits, Comments, and Kudos.

Years ago, a few authors did an extensive study on Fictionmania about what s seemed to make a story more popular.

They concluded that the single most important factor was story length.

It was suggested in a recent BS blog that there’s a formula of x% of hits for comments and x% of hits for kudos.

Melanie (Rasufelle) has announced a contest to start next week.

It is a serial story contest.

I don't write serials but thought I'd give it a try.

Could someone please tell me the basic mechanics for posting a serial story, versus a standalone story.

For example, how do you get the links set at the end of a part so that the reader can easily go on to the next installment?

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Jill

No . . . this site should never change its mission. But Erin needs help and I thought that blog title would get you to open this.

A few days ago, I posted a blog that suggested people could support Big Closet by serving on committees to help the site.

Okay . . . so people either don’t like committees (which proves they’re sane) or they didn’t care for the ideas I presented. The response was lukewarm, maybe even COLD!

But . . . out of that blog came a PM from Melanie that got me thinking that maybe the better answer is to concentrate on one area.

Every month it’s the same thing.

Erin sitting on her stoop with a cup trying to keep this site open.

Every month I go through the same emotions.

1.) I Feel bad she has to do that.
2.) I get upset about having to shoulder the load for a lot of free-loaders.

Then I face reality.

You suffer through putting your heart into digital form for everyone to see by posting a story.

A day later you check the comments and kudos.

Whoa -- not everyone loves it. In fact, a couple of people say things that leave you wondering if you have any personal value.

What should you do about it?

A while back I asked for help finding software for writing a script.

I poured myself into what will become a seven-minute film.

Big Closet is true to its mission to be A friendly place to read, write and discuss Transgender Fiction. However, in order to execute that mission, Big Closet must fiscally sound.

Every month Erin sounds the alarm – and every month the same small group gives financial support. Relying on so few for so much is a recipe for disaster.

Nothing is going to change, unless change is provoked.

I know how crazy this is going to sound, but maybe it’s time to start charging people to post their fiction.

In the near future, DOPPLERPRESS will publish Baseball Annie.

This will be the fiftieth title published by DOPPLERPRESS.

Baseball Annie will be the sixth book they have published that I’ve authored. Only two other authors have had more books published by them than I have, which means I have an opinion based on multiple interractions.

As you might expect from an Erin-driven operation, DOPPLERPRESS has been extremely author-friendly. I’m especially pleased by the covers they’ve created for my novels.

I saw your comment on Amazon about the “book” that I wrote. “Swifter, Higher, Stronger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CV4HFYJ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=...

You stated, “This is an excellent story by Angela that wastes a lot of potential by not giving us even more. We get vignettes of the protagonist's life when we could have had stories. What's here is very good. What's missing would have made this book gold medal quality.”