EVIL CHERRIES!!!

So... I take it that my request is not possible...

Nothing is impossible, if only you believe.

Hmm... I'm coming back *briefly* to state, in case anyone was worried, that I did not leave the site! Even though I would still like to see an option for ABCtalers to drop-the-cherry (...only if perhaps I'm the only one who would benefit from it...), this is something that I'm going to have to get over with (...even though I've been trying to shake it for the past two years...) And now for a little bragging: I am going off to Chicago tomorrow morning only to see the 57-year oldie (David Bowie) wiggle his tush ... wish me luck driving down there!

I wouldn't cross the road to see him.

I'd run away if he wiggled his tush at me. Kansas to Chicago, that's like someone in Liverpool driving to ...oh i don't know, but it's a very long way to drive for a naff concert on a tuesday in January.

I think we should honour Don's plea. He's right - however much we tell ourselves it's just a bit of fun or whatever, it's hard to change your initial feeling. Good going to those who aren't at all bothered, but I know I used to react in a similar way to Don - even though it annoyed the reasoning part of my brain, the lack of a cherry on a piece I felt confident in caused me to lose faith in it. "I've made an error of judgement!" you say to yourself. And then some part of you begins plotting how to get a cherry every time - how to hit that magic formula. Which is silly, because it only represents one person's reaction. I've long since put that behind me, probably because I put a lot more trust in my own judgement now, and my philosophy towards work allows for other people to judge differently. But at the time it did affect the way I wrote, and I can see how it would lead to being actively discouraged. I mean, we all like to feel we're in charge of our own work, right? But if there's a system of almost faceless plauditing going on, it makes you feel like its success is our of your hands. Hence, you feel much happier with cherries once you know the people who're dishing them out - we can deal with people's opinions, but not with a mysterious sign from the gods! And Don's not alone. We know the cherry-chasing bug afflicts lots of new users - and we always tend to dish out the same advice. *Good* advice, I might add, but how often does that reason overcome the feeling? How many of these users who we advise and chastise for overrating cherries linger on? I worry that there are too many names that come and go.

I think that you are right. Absolutely - the cherry system has always only been an opinion of the editor who reads it - maybe another one would cherry it if they read it, but they dont. But whats the alternative? How else do we show how people think this is a really great piece? You may say (and i may agree) that the editors opinion is no more valid than anyone elses, but how else do visitors to the site have the option of picking something that someone (who is impartial - and here is the real crux of it) has picked? You can do as thoughtcafe did, and have fave authors, fave picks, and as UKA do, and have "great reads" selected by other users, but I feel the system is really open to abuse there. No offence to bona fide picks, but the amount of picks done by "mates" is definitely high. As an editor, i *know* that i dont allow anything other than the fact that i think that something is fab, to cloud whether i cherry it or not. I really wish people would use the "discuss writing from abc" forum more. Its a brilliant system for feedback and backslapping of the very best kind.

Sorry, L, much as I luv ya, I have to correct you on that. UKA 'picks' are...er...picked in much the same way as ABC 'cherries' and not by other users. It's the anthology nominations that are selected by members and, even then, that's only the first stage of the process. Voting (which takes 3 months) comes next, making the whole process as democratic as poss. As you intimate, no system is foolproof though, and there's no pleasing all of the people. Keep your eye on those IP's, girl :-)

Ha!! Nice one A... you check the matey nominations then? Cool!!! How are the "great reads" picked then?

Andi picks the prose i think and is Richard the one for the poems and Dylan picks the opj's and Sabelle just picks on me.

ah i see.. well thats good. i am sure that i was picked as a great read there by another member... cant be sure. im dim and old :o)

A lot of my associates accuse me of picking my nose when actually I'm just trying to remove nasal hairs. I so hate nasal hair..... ..... hello? sneak isn't it dependant on the number of calls placed?

I'm pretty sure Andi picks the prose by herself, i think she will listen to views from others if they think something is good. I'm not sure about poetry because she admits to not being an expert? So i assume Richard (is he a poet?) selects these. You can be picked as a hot author by another member and you can have one of your stories or poems picked as favourite piece by another member, in each instance you are notified by email. Very nice it is too. 'Dim and old,' nonsense wait until you're forty one.

...Oh ... I just can't help myself ...

... Before I leave it at that, I'll add that seeing David Bowie is one of the things on the "Things to do before I die" list. However, I had to give this one a high priority, because he'll probably die before I do. Considering that this concert is during a time in which I won't miss my classes (I'm currently on Winter Break) and it is in the general vicinity of the Mid West, I simply *had* to jump at the opportunity! (...Just to justify my going, I'm planning on visiting the Natural History Museum ... I'm a geology major! It's an educational trip!) I'll see you all when I get back!

Hot author and fave piece, theyre the kiddies. Cheers Flash.. and yes, it does feel sweet.

>> I'm a geology major! It's an educational trip! << In which case the Bowie show will fit in nicely as it will be about an old rock.

To leverage the value of the 30, 000 odd pieces on the site.... Create a network! (that is the internet way after all) And now that we have html in stories, it does not have to cost anything! Here is how it could work: For every piece you submit, right at the bottom, you could have a list of one or more linked pieces, if you like, preceded with a short description e.g. Linked Pieces: 1) Got the seed of the idea after reading this, 2)Another Ghost Story with a twist, 3).... Of course, you could leave your piece as a potential cul-de-sac if thats what you wished. There would have to be some sort of minimal guidelines eg a limit to the no of links, suggested format so that it is consistent across the site etc But as nothing beyond that is proscribed this could take a creative life of its own... the rules could even allow links outside of ABC! There is nothing to prevent you from going back to edit these links e.g if you change your mind, new works turn up that you wish to link to or even to link a set of diary entries together! Another suggestion is for each person (who is so inclined) would be to create an ABC set entitled Favourites. Entries such as Favourite ABC pieces, Favourite ABC Authors, Favourite Websites etc would have lists of links that direct you to your selections. Encouraging 'Favourite' sets would have the following benefits: 1)Collects all your favourite pieces in one place for easy access if you wish to reread them. 2)If I am interested in anothers authors work, I would be curious as to what meets with his/her approval. 3) The equivalent of everyone having cherrying capability... except you get to choose your own editors! So eg I set great store by Liana's recommendations so would her go to her Favourites set to see whats new.. this then leads me on to another Author and his/her favourites etc ad infinitum... The upshot of this is that more peoples work would get read, and one would not purely have to rely on ABC editors choices (excellent though that they are) to source new reading material...

Have answered this on the thread you started above Leg, but i think its a great idea, if its workable.

well really don.... what a big paddy!!!!! All you have to do is mail you know, and your cherries would be replaced... you dont have to mail the original eds either. Cor blimey mate!

NOOOOO!!! I don't want anymore cherries!! I don't even want my old ones! I'm not trying to be demanding or anything, but it would be really great if I could just never receive a cherry ever again.

...it would make me happy, even! I wrote an essay about this once about a year and a half ago about how getting cherries discourage me from writing ... and it got cherried! (I thought that was particualrly ironic!) But nope ... I want nothing to do with them ever again.

Get back in your pram and stop behaving like a petulant child fer chrissakes. All you have done is show how important the poxy things are to you.

Can i have Dons Cherries?

The point is that they are *too* important to me. (It's just a simple request, dangit ...)

Alternatively, you could cherry all of Don's pieces.....

Cherries are out of season here at the moment but if you let me have your address I'll send over a couple of pounds of Brussels sprouts if they'll make you feel any better.

...I suppose I wouldn't mind if you sent me over some Brussels sprouts. (Really! I'm serious! Is there any way that this could be done?)

Are sprouts merely baby cabbages? I've always been too embarrassed to ask anyone before now. I'm relatively anonymous here, and most of you are insane, so I feel that this is the right time and place to ask. They certainly look like baby cabbages don't they? Hello? sneak noodle isn't it eradicated? As for your cherry mate? I've not been plucked for ages. I often revisit my cherried pieces just to salivate over them. We laugh, we cry, we talk about the past and drink to the future. I always try to leave without looking back but the temptation to do so is always far too great. The cruelty of cherry neglect is not lost on me. These editors know what they are doing. They ply you with cherries until you're hooked and then, slowly and savagely, they withdraw the supply until your body is screaming 'GIVE ME A FU*KIN' CHERRY YA B@$TARD!' ....That's me fu*k£d for another few months then (-: That's all you need to do doniosmand. Tell em they're all to$$er$ or something and continue posting. Alternatively, write a great piece and add a **** ending. Here's one I shat earlier '....She closed the door, and in so doing, closed the final chapter of her tragic life. Now that's pants. No way would that get cherried. You can have it if you like? Anyway, I ramble and the night grows cold, as does my love the girl by my side.... Jeezus, I'm full of **** tonight - Get these down Doniosmond - They're gold dust so far as cherry slaughtering goes (-; I would hang around but to do so would only cause you all further misery. boiled sneak isn't it expensive?

my dad told me they were fairy cabbages when i was a little girl... "the fairies can keep 'em then" i said. Sneak, you are exaggerating. I saw your cherry the other day... (no, dont say it)

They're a natural mutation of cabbage, I think.

Well cherries are a natural mutation of bad judgement so forget 'em.

Are they really!? That's so cool. I actually like sprouts. To think, all these years I've been enjoying mutants! I like that. Thanks doniOsmand, you don't know how long I have laid awake at night worrying about this. In my teenage years, rather than worrying about girls and sex and drugs and exams, I would spend sleepless nights fretting about the baby orphan cabbages in the kitchen. Liana, I don't know what you mean. I have not received a cherry for a good while.... are you being rude? Do you still have those pics? lol er... right, I'm off then. It's late for a sneak and I have work in the morning. ...Mutant cabbages, that's so cool. I love sprouts even more now. So much hardship in their lives and yet still they soldier on. You have to respect that. ...Have I done it again by the way? Completely fu*k£d up someone’s thread with verbal bollo*k$? Sorry. It was that Mrs. Sippi's fault for mentioning sprouts. sneak pudding and mash potatoes. isn't it a bar graph?

oh.. maybe i am mistaken... i thought i saw one recently.. no not being rude. Yes, I still have those pics... I am snipping out individual letters from newspapers as we speak...

No, not one of mine Liana. I'm cherry-less and extremely tedious (-; sneak and vinegar isn't it tedious?

I know abc has its problems at the moment but do you think that Elf bloke would mind changing the cherry icons to sprouts? With xmas out of the way he should have plenty of time. sneak kebab isn't it a staple gun?

Neneh Cherry Cherry Blair

I can only speak for Rudy and myself, Shack, but we would much prefer sprouts over cherries. I don't want to appear ungrateful. Cherries are just more aesthetically pleasing I guess? That Freda women once suggested sausages! She's just deranged. If people are going to make suggestions they could at least make them sensible. sneak pudding isn't it 2000Kw?