Writer’s Tip- Alt-Said Terms- Recap

Here is a recap of the alternatives to said to help your writing have more sizzle…

 

Synonyms For Said – Reporting

 

added advised called complained congratulated continued stated announced asserted commented declared informed lied observed offered mentioned protested quoted recalled related reminded remarked remembered repeated replied reported reassured revealed taunted teased tempted

to enhance an argument to warn, to offer help to capture attention by increased volume to express dislike or disagreement to give wishes; to acknowledge an action or deed to further or add to an earlier point to say or paraphrase from official documents to declare formally and or publicly to state positively but having no proof to explain, interpret, or criticize – to make a remark to make known clearly and openly to give information, to make known; declare to not speak truthfully to mention casually to suggest; to state to state briefly; to bring up in conversation to formally or openly disagree to repeat words of others; to cite a source to remember or bring up to make connection; to say allegorically to remember; to mention so as not to forget to make a brief, casual statement of an opinion to recall to say again; to restate to answer; to say in response to give a formal statement; to give an account of to give additional comfort, support, or evidence to make known; to publish to cruelly tease in a mocking or insulting manner to annoy or pester; vex to cause to consider (usually) something bad

Synonyms For Said – Explaining

 

addressed answered asserted assured broke in cautioned claimed concluded confided described explained finished quipped implied noted promised puzzled reckoned rejoined replied responded retorted returned speculated surmised

to speak directly to sme, respond or answer to respond to a question to add or offer additional information to soothe, comfort, calm to interrupt, supplying additional information to warn or advise; strongly suggest to assert or maintain; to state as fact to finish or draw to a close; to understand to let in on a secret; to disclose to give additional information to make or offer an explanation to conclude or complete to say ironically or unemotionally to suggest, hint, or say without saying to make mention; to acknowledge to give word or make a vow to say with doubt or ambiguity to add or submit; to figure or believe to answer an objection to answer a question or comment to reply or answer a question or comment to reply to criticism in a sharp, witty way to answer an objection; to reply to a criticism or charge to guess using information available to conclude or deduce

Synonyms For Said – Arguing

 

accused agreed argued commanded contended convinced countered chided disagreed emphasized exclaimed interjected interrupted maintained objected pleaded proclaimed proposed reasoned sassed screamed threatened warned yelled

to charge, slander to concur, to be in harmony defend position, disagree or dispute lead; overwhelm opposition to argue, dispute, disagree persuaded; remove all doubt, win over to dispute, question to scold mildly; to goad into action to be at odds; to not agree to stress to speak suddenly, loudly with surprise to add or assert; to interrupt to cut off or disrupt; to interject out of turn to assert, to support by argument, to affirm to disagree; be in oppostion to to implore or beg; to speak desperately to announce officially; support publicly to set forth a design or plan to state calmly and with logic to speak back to authority figure; rebel to use high pitch loud voice to say in menacing manner to make aware in advance of harm, danger, or evil to shout or use loud voice; scream

 

Synonyms For Said – Suggesting

 

chimed in coaxed dared hinted implied insinuated intimated pondered suggested urged

to add (usually) unwanted advice to convince against someone’s will; change mind challenge, question implies suggestion similar to suggest – indicates a definite idea to convey sth unpleasant in a sly, sneaky way to say without saying, stresses delicacy of situation to consider; to weigh all options to propose as a possibility, to imply To entreat earnestly and often repeatedly; exhort

 

Synonyms For Said – Questioning

 

asked begged blurted bugged demanded guessed hypothesized implored inquired insisted pleaded questioned requested wondered worried

to question or solicit to ask in a humble manner earnestly to interrupt or interject, to ask all together to ask repetitively; difficult or unwanted questions to ask for urgently and boldly to infer; to ask without evidence to guess, infer to ask with fervor, implying desperation or distress to ask, seek information to demand strongly, to declare firmly to answer a legal charge, to lovingly implore to ask, doubt, or dispute to ask (sometimes) formally to say with puzzlement or doubt to cause to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled

 

Said Synonyms – Acknowledging

 

acknowledged admitted affirmed alleged approved avowed boasted bragged conceded confessed corrected denied disclosed divulged fretted greeted imitated jested marveled nodded praised revealed uttered volunteered

reluctant disclosure of something perhaps a secret reluctance to disclose or concede facts implies deep conviction, little chance of contradiction to assert or declare, especially without proof to consent or agree boldly declaring, often in the face of opposition to take pride in, brag or overstate to boast or overstate; be prideful similar to acknowledge and admit an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt to instruct more correctly; remove misconception not accepted; unused, refused to reveal something previously concealed to reveal sth that should have remained secret to needlessly worry about small details to acknowledge presence; salute, salutation to copy, mimic or simulate to make fun of, tease to speak with wonderment or amazement to move head up and down in agreement to speak of with honor; to speak highly of someone to make known that which had been secret or hidden to articulate; pronounce or speak to give or offer to give voluntarily

 

Synonyms For Said – Tone

 

barked bawled beamed bellowed bleated boomed cackled chattered cheered choked clucked cried croaked crowed declaimed drawled groaned grumbled grunted jeered joked laughed mimicked mumbled murmured muttered nagged ordered ranted roared scolded shouted shrieked smiled smirked snapped snarled sneered squeaked wailed whispered

to speak sharply or loudly; shout to cry loudly to glow, shine, radiate to roar, to cry out in anger or fear to repeat same sound (cry) again and again to speak with loud, deep, voice; a thunderous sound to laugh cynically – implies sinister intent; sneer to speak noisily about something unimportant; small talk to yell loudly; to give a shout to speak with great difficulty due to emotion noise made using tongue against bottom of mouth to call for help, to shout, to weep, to sob to make a sound like a frog; hoarse voice to speak in a self satisfied way; to boast to speak in a pompous way to speak in a way that prolongs the vowels to make noise in chest or throat to speak under one’s breath; to show disapproval to make unintelligible low sounds to speak or shout derisively; to mock to make a joke or speak in funny manner to say in fun, joking manner to say by copying another; to make fun of by imitating to utter inarticulate or almost inaudible sounds to speak in a low, indistinct voice to speak in a low, indistinct voice; inarticulate to badger; to continually remind to speak demandingly, with authority to make short, angry monologue or speech to utter a loud, deep sound; animalistic to find fault; speak angrily to make a loud cry or call to make a loud, piercing cry or sound to say good naturedly, kindly; in a kind manner to say with contempt to say suddenly and angrily to say with a hateful rage to say in scornful manner to say with tiny high pitched voice to express grief or pain through long, loud cries to speak softly to avoid being overheard

 

Synonyms For Said – Sounds & Misc.

 

babbled bubbled chatted chortled chorused chuckled coughed decided echoed gasped giggled growled gulped gurgled hissed hollered lisped panted piped quavered shrilled sighed snickered sniffed snorted sobbed sputtered stammered stuttered vowed wept whimpered whine

to speak incoherently; gibberish, like baby talk to speak lively and expressively; with joy to speak informally as to a friend to chuckle gleefully; short laugh of joy to speak simultaneously, together short, soft laugh; usually to one’s self short, strong expulsion of air from lungs finished, set repeated sound heavy breath after scare or physical exertion short, high-pitched laugh from fear or nervousness rough, threatening manner to speak taking in large amounts of air as if drinking to speak with fluid in the throat to speak in evil threatening manner to shout usually to someone at a distance to speak unclearly substituting sounds especially ‘th’ to speak as if out of breath to speak suddenly and loudly to speak emotionally with faltering voice high pitched shriek to speak with difficulty as if bored to say derisively with a laugh to say as if about to cry to say with contempt and a short burst of breath to cry uncontrollably to speak with difficulty perhaps from impediment repeating words and sounds while missing others to repeat certain sounds multiple times to promise solemnly; pledge to cry softly, quietly to cry or sob with soft intermittent sounds; whine to complain or protest in a childish fashion

 

Writer’s Tip- Alt-Said Terms Pt4

Here’s a fourth list of alternate terms to said, to help spice up arguments.

 

accused agreed argued commanded contended convinced countered chided disagreed emphasized exclaimed interjected interrupted maintained objected pleaded proclaimed proposed reasoned sassed screamed threatened warned yelled

to charge, slander to concur, to be in harmony defend position, disagree or dispute lead; overwhelm opposition to argue, dispute, disagree persuaded; remove all doubt, win over to dispute, question to scold mildly; to goad into action to be at odds; to not agree to stress to speak suddenly, loudly with surprise to add or assert; to interrupt to cut off or disrupt; to interject out of turn to assert, to support by argument, to affirm to disagree; be in oppostion to to implore or beg; to speak desperately to announce officially; support publicly to set forth a design or plan to state calmly and with logic to speak back to authority figure; rebel to use high pitch loud voice to say in menacing manner to make aware in advance of harm, danger, or evil to shout or use loud voice; scream

 

Snow White & The Huntsman – Review

“Snow White and the Huntsman” stars Kristen Stewart (“Twilight”) and Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”, “The Avengers”) as the titular characters, with Charlize Theron (“Monster”, “Hancock”) portraying the evil queen Ravenna.   The film is a refreshing take on the fairytale, far more in line with the original Grimm version than the Disney-fied versions that are the current norm.  The dwarves, for example, are not slapstick props nor one-dimensional; they were distinct from each other with some depth and not to be trifled with.  On top of that, the women are more than mere set decoration- both Ravenna and Snow are helped by men, but helped only- they are the main characters and they are in control.

Prior the release of “Snow White”, one of the more vocal concerns that had been raised is about casting Kristen Stewart in the lead role due to her work in the “Twilight” saga.  The worry was misplaced as Ms. Stewart plays both Snow wonderfully.  She has a more reserved nature for most of the movie- which make sense in character given her imprisonment during adolescence and the effect that would have.  Then, after her character’s transformative moment, she acts as a renewed person on a crusade.  Setting aside her accent, which was a little weak, this was a solid casting decision.

Visually, “Snow White” delivers in spades.  The stunning imagery works to show the stark contrast of the good lands of Snow White and her father and the (super)natural realms, as opposed to the dark and decaying kingdom of the evil Ravenna.  Much of the magic of the film is shown as wet- from the milk baths to the transformation residue to the liquid metal Magic Mirror.  This gives the film a raw, grittier feel than the clean magic styles depicted in “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the Rings”.  The faerie forest comes across as otherworldly, as it should.  And finally, the attack on the castle has a superb feel, bringing to mind the Arthurian legends.  All of these play magnificently onscreen.

Unfortunately, the film does rely on the visuals too much.  This reviewer really wanted to learn more of the back story of Ravenna, especially the relationship between her and her brother Finn (Sam Spruell).  Not only does the relationship have the whiff of incest, but how they are linked magically was left frustratingly unsaid.  Likewise, the story does seem to gloss over some details, such as the queen’s other kingdoms, the ease of Snow White’s escape, the nature of Snow’s innate magic and how or why she has this power.  Moreover, does this take place on Earth?  Before her escape near the beginning of the film, Snow White recites the Lord’s Prayer- which says that she’s a Christian- in this world of faeries and trolls and magical queens.  (Admittedly, other instances of out of place Christian utterances- Tigh’s “Jesus” in the Battlestar Galactica pilot comes to mind- happen, but recitation of a prayer as opposed to an utterance takes a different level of involvement.)  This indicates that the film took place in Europe somewhere in the Dark or Middle Ages, or that Christianity is known and practiced by some people in this world.

“Snow White” is a relatively marvelous summer movie.  The story moves a little fast to fill in some narrative points, but it is a compelling one.  Having two strong female leads, with men in the secondary roles, is refreshing for an action movie of this type.  Superb visuals tie the film well- enhancing the film and drawing the viewers into the story.  I would strongly suggest going to see “Snow White and the Huntsman”- and guys, it’s a good date movie you’ll enjoy too.

 

 

*** SPOILER ***

 

Lastly, this reviewer cannot say how great it is the movie didn’t end with a wedding- I am not a fan of that trope.  Snow being the Queen without a king or even a consort rocked.  After all, she can get one later if she wants.

Writer’s Tip- Alt-Said Terms Pt3

Here’s a third list of alternate terms to said, focusing on setting for tone.

 

barked bawled beamed bellowed bleated boomed cackled chattered cheered choked clucked cried croaked crowed declaimed drawled groaned grumbled grunted jeered joked laughed mimicked mumbled murmured muttered nagged ordered ranted roared scolded shouted shrieked smiled smirked snapped snarled sneered squeaked wailed whispered

to speak sharply or loudly; shout to cry loudly to glow, shine, radiate to roar, to cry out in anger or fear to repeat same sound (cry) again and again to speak with loud, deep, voice; a thunderous sound to laugh cynically – implies sinister intent; sneer to speak noisily about something unimportant; small talk to yell loudly; to give a shout to speak with great difficulty due to emotion noise made using tongue against bottom of mouth to call for help, to shout, to weep, to sob to make a sound like a frog; hoarse voice to speak in a self satisfied way; to boast to speak in a pompous way to speak in a way that prolongs the vowels to make noise in chest or throat to speak under one’s breath; to show disapproval to make unintelligible low sounds to speak or shout derisively; to mock to make a joke or speak in funny manner to say in fun, joking manner to say by copying another; to make fun of by imitating to utter inarticulate or almost inaudible sounds to speak in a low, indistinct voice to speak in a low, indistinct voice; inarticulate to badger; to continually remind to speak demandingly, with authority to make short, angry monologue or speech to utter a loud, deep sound; animalistic to find fault; speak angrily to make a loud cry or call to make a loud, piercing cry or sound to say good naturedly, kindly; in a kind manner to say with contempt to say suddenly and angrily to say with a hateful rage to say in scornful manner to say with tiny high pitched voice to express grief or pain through long, loud cries to speak softly to avoid being overheard

 

Writer’s Tip- Alt-Said Terms

As a writer, one of the problems that can come up is how to say “said” without using that word.  After the first few chapters, you need to have a different way to explain characters talking- here’s a list to give you a hand.

 

added advised called complained congratulated continued stated announced asserted commented declared informed lied observed offered mentioned protested quoted recalled related reminded remarked remembered repeated replied reported reassured revealed taunted teased tempted

to enhance an argument to warn, to offer help to capture attention by increased volume to express dislike or disagreement to give wishes; to acknowledge an action or deed to further or add to an earlier point to say or paraphrase from official documents to declare formally and or publicly to state positively but having no proof to explain, interpret, or criticize – to make a remark to make known clearly and openly to give information, to make known; declare to not speak truthfully to mention casually to suggest; to state to state briefly; to bring up in conversation to formally or openly disagree to repeat words of others; to cite a source to remember or bring up to make connection; to say allegorically to remember; to mention so as not to forget to make a brief, casual statement of an opinion to recall to say again; to restate to answer; to say in response to give a formal statement; to give an account of to give additional comfort, support, or evidence to make known; to publish to cruelly tease in a mocking or insulting manner to annoy or pester; vex to cause to consider (usually) something bad

 

20 Top Rules for Writers – from Stephen King

Stephen King- look, you know who he is, so I’m not going to insult you by giving an overview.  That said, below are his top 20 rules for writers.  Setting aside if you’re a fan of his, one must admit he knows a thing or three about the craft of writing, so I would listen up (or whatever the reading version of that is- read up?  Word up?)  Learn them, live them.

1. First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience. “When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that arenot the story.”

2. Don’t use passive voice. “Timid writers like passive verbs for the same reason that timid lovers like passive partners. The passive voice is safe.”

3. Avoid adverbs. “The adverb is not your friend.”

4. Avoid adverbs, especially after “he said” and “she said.”

5. But don’t obsess over perfect grammar. “The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story.”

6. The magic is in you. “I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.”

7. Read, read, read. ”If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”

8. Don’t worry about making other people happy. “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”

9. Turn off the TV. “TV—while working out or anywhere else—really is about the last thing an aspiring writer needs.”

10. You have three months. “The first draft of a book—even a long one—should take no more than three months, the length of a season.”

11. There are two secrets to success. “I stayed physical healthy, and I stayed married.”

12. Write one word at a time. “Whether it’s a vignette of a single page or an epic trilogy like ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ the work is always accomplished one word at a time.”

13. Eliminate distraction. “There’s should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with.”

14. Stick to your own style. “One cannot imitate a writer’s approach to a particular genre, no matter how simple what that writer is doing may seem.”

15. Dig. “Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world. The writer’s job is to use the tools in his or her toolbox to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible.”

16. Take a break. “You’ll find reading your book over after a six-week layoff to be a strange, often exhilarating experience.”

17. Leave out the boring parts and kill your darlings. “(kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.)”

18. The research shouldn’t overshadow the story.“Remember that word back. That’s where the research belongs: as far in the background and the back story as you can get it.”

19. You become a writer simply by reading and writing.“You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”

20. Writing is about getting happy. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. Writing is magic, as much as the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”

5 basic writing tips- because English 101 was a long time ago…

Let’s be honest- the internet and the like has made us lazy when it comes to writing.  We forget typos, and then are offended when the Grammar Nazis swoop in to chide us- (online though, its as likely as not that they are going on about grammar to avoid making a counterpoint).

So, let’s take a quick glance at five easily corrected mistakes to keep an eye out for.

1) Interchangnig homophones- You remember homophones, right?  The words that sound the same but are spelled different, and have different meanings.  The two big parings are:

a) You’re and Your

and

b) There, Their & They’re

Remember, you can quickly check for the contraction versions by using the full versions- if “you are” or “they are” doesn’t work in context, they don’t work as contractions.  Which leaves the there/their possibility- is it a location or a possessive?  Boom, done, next.

2) Getting “than” and “then” curfuddled- Its problematic, especially since there are times when you can interchange the words and the sentence still works- though the thought it conveys would be different.

Than is comparative, as in “I  would  rather be writing my novel than writing this email,” or “My house is smaller than hers.”

Then deals with time, as in, “I  ate my lunch then I  played World of Warcraft.”

3) Another pair of similar sounding ones- “affect” and “effect”- can cause problems.  Again, meaning is key: “Affect” is a verb, used to denote action, as  in “The injury affected my soccer game” or, “I often affect a British accent to sound more intelligent.” “Effect” is a noun, and is generally the  result of something being affected, (adding to the confusion), as in, “Because the cellphone keeps ringing, the effect of the disruption made it harder to concentrate.”

Certain punctuation can be extremely pesky, dotting the page with  misused  commas or semi-colons. A few rules of thumb to remember:

4) When to use semi-colons (“;”) ?Semi-colons are punctuation marks that separate two complete sentences, (aka, independent clauses), and help tie your writing together nicely; they  help with the flow of writing while helping you avoid choppy sentences.  Also, semi-colons should be used to  separate items that have commas in their names, such as, “I lived in  Tongduchŏn, South Korea; Los Angeles, California; and Blue Hill, Maine.”

5) Overusing commas- The basics of comma usage are to denote a natural pause in writing, or to separate two or more  things. Go back  and read your writing outloud, count the commas, and if you have too many, rewrite the  sentence or separate into another sentence.

Writing Tips from Joss Whedon

Okay, if you’re reading this, you know who Joss Whedon is…  So, without further ado, his top ten tips for Hollywood writers (and, frankly, authors in general).

1. FINISH IT

Actually finishing it is what I’m gonna put in as step one. You may laugh at this, but it’s true. I have so many friends who have written two-thirds of a screenplay, and then re-written it for about three years. Finishing a screenplay is first of all truly difficult, and secondly really liberating. Even if it’s not perfect, even if you know you’re gonna have to go back into it, type to the end. You have to have a little closure.

2. STRUCTURE

Structure means knowing where you’re going ; making sure you don’t meander about. Some great films have been made by meandering people, like Terrence Malick and Robert Altman, but it’s not as well done today and I don’t recommend it. I’m a structure nut. I actually make charts. Where are the jokes ? The thrills ? The romance ? Who knows what, and when ? You need these things to happen at the right times, and that’s what you build your structure around : the way you want your audience to feel. Charts, graphs, coloured pens, anything that means you don’t go in blind is useful.

3. HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY

This really should be number one. Even if you’re writing a Die Hard rip-off, have something to say about Die Hard rip-offs. The number of movies that are not about what they purport to be about is staggering. It’s rare, especially in genres, to find a movie with an idea and not just, ‘This’ll lead to many fine set-pieces’. The Island evolves into a car-chase movie, and the moments of joy are when they have clone moments and you say, ‘What does it feel like to be those guys ?’

4. EVERYBODY HAS A REASON TO LIVE

Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene, including the thug flanking your bad guy, has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history. If anyone speaks in such a way that they’re just setting up the next person’s lines, then you don’t get dialogue : you get soundbites. Not everybody has to be funny ; not everybody has to be cute ; not everybody has to be delightful, and not everybody has to speak, but if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.

5. CUT WHAT YOU LOVE

Here’s one trick that I learned early on. If something isn’t working, if you have a story that you’ve built and it’s blocked and you can’t figure it out, take your favourite scene, or your very best idea or set-piece, and cut it. It’s brutal, but sometimes inevitable. That thing may find its way back in, but cutting it is usually an enormously freeing exercise.

6. LISTEN

When I’ve been hired as a script doctor, it’s usually because someone else can’t get it through to the next level. It’s true that writers are replaced when executives don’t know what else to do, and that’s terrible, but the fact of the matter is that for most of the screenplays I’ve worked on, I’ve been needed, whether or not I’ve been allowed to do anything good. Often someone’s just got locked, they’ve ossified, they’re so stuck in their heads that they can’t see the people around them. It’s very important to know when to stick to your guns, but it’s also very important to listen to absolutely everybody. The stupidest person in the room might have the best idea.

7. TRACK THE AUDIENCE MOOD

You have one goal : to connect with your audience. Therefore, you must track what your audience is feeling at all times. One of the biggest problems I face when watching other people’s movies is I’ll say, ‘This part confuses me’, or whatever, and they’ll say, ‘What I’m intending to say is this’, and they’ll go on about their intentions. None of this has anything to do with my experience as an audience member. Think in terms of what audiences think. They go to the theatre, and they either notice that their butts are numb, or they don’t. If you’re doing your job right, they don’t. People think of studio test screenings as terrible, and that’s because a lot of studios are pretty stupid about it. They panic and re-shoot, or they go, ‘Gee, Brazil can’t have an unhappy ending,’ and that’s the horror story. But it can make a lot of sense.

8. WRITE LIKE A MOVIE

Write the movie as much as you can. If something is lush and extensive, you can describe it glowingly ; if something isn’t that important, just get past it tersely. Let the read feel like the movie ; it does a lot of the work for you, for the director, and for the executives who go, ‘What will this be like when we put it on its feet ?’

9. DON’T LISTEN

Having given the advice about listening, I have to give the opposite advice, because ultimately the best work comes when somebody’s fucked the system ; done the unexpected and let their own personal voice into the machine that is moviemaking. Choose your battles. You wouldn’t get Paul Thomas Anderson, or Wes Anderson, or any of these guys if all moviemaking was completely cookie-cutter. But the process drives you in that direction ; it’s a homogenising process, and you have to fight that a bit. There was a point while we were making Firefly when I asked the network not to pick it up : they’d started talking about a different show.

10. DON’T SELL OUT

The first penny I ever earned, I saved. Then I made sure that I never had to take a job just because I needed to. I still needed jobs of course, but I was able to take ones that I loved. When I say that includes Waterworld, people scratch their heads, but it’s a wonderful idea for a movie. Anything can be good. Even Last Action Hero could’ve been good. There’s an idea somewhere in almost any movie : if you can find something that you love, then you can do it. If you can’t, it doesn’t matter how skilful you are : that’s called whoring.”

Reviewster!

One of the things I am doing now is professionally reviewing various television shows/episodes and movies.  Currently, most of the reviews are hosted at PopDecay, “a leading online news, politics and entertainment information delivery service.”  The reviews that go up there are the Streamlined reviews, whereas the ones I post here will be the Robust reviews.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think- civilly, of course.