Lisa

I'm doing some research for a story and I need answers from people who have worked on cruise ships before.

And please don't give me rubbish about only writing what I know because I've heard it all before and I'm sick of hearing it. Writers research what they don't know, which is exactly what I'm doing. Just getting in early before anyone has a go at me. :)

Anyway, what I really want to know is:

- Is the first day on the job the first day of the cruise? If so, where would you normally meet up for induction or to start work?

- Do your daily tasks vary from day to day? Or are you given one job you do the entire cruise?

- Is there a strict 'no sex with passengers' policy? If so, have staff been known to ignore it? Yes I did just ask that. I'm writing a romance story after all. ;)

- Do you get time off to do what you want on the cruise?

- Where do you 'live' while on the cruise?

- Any other useful information would be great.

Thanks everyone. :)

I need correct and up to date Australian information for a novel I'm writing. I'm having trouble finding the answer.

This is the situation. A woman is in an abusive relationship and she falls pregnant to her husband (the abuser). When she's 7 months pregnant her partner abuses her so badly the baby dies. What sort of sentence would this guy get? Keep in mind the following:

- he abused his wife constantly

- this particular moment in time he abused her with the intent on killing her (but she survives)

- the baby dies as a result of his abuse

Thanks in advance for your help.

This may seem like a weird question but I'm a writer and I need to know where the engine is located on a fire truck. Is it the front or back? Also, what is the engine protected by? Is it a bonnet? A hatch? A door?

If I have a scene where someone is standing up from servicing the engine, I need to show what he does. Does he slam the bonnet shut? Does he close the hatch? I have no idea.

I'm not sure if fire trucks are different in each country, if so I'm in Australia so would prefer details for an Australian fire truck.

I've tried google but I can't seem to get the answers I need. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Firstly just so you know, my novel is completed but my critique partner recently noticed a big gaping plot hole I accidentally missed. So I'm trying to fix it and I've got to the point where I've thought about it too much and can't think of how to fix it. That's why I'm here. It'll be great to get suggestions from other people.

The characters are:

Shannon - a 15 year old girl

John - Shannon's father

Nathan - a 15 year old boy and Shannon's best friend.

Brian - a 17 year old boy and Shannon's boyfriend.

Here is a brief outline of what the scene and what problem is.

Shannon's mother dies in a fire. But this is the catch... she doesn't know she's dead because a week after the accident she wakes up in hospital after being in a coma and has no recollection of what happened. John lies to her and tells her they've fallen out and are going to divorce. He doesn't want to tell her the truth because it was her fault for starting the fire in the first case. Totally by accident I might add.

Now this is where I'm a little stuck. They live in a small town, something like that would be all over the news, in the paper etc. I've already worked out how Shannon won't know but her Brian and Nathan don't know either. Now they were around at the time and know about the fire but not about the death. Her father doesn't want them to know and have told them the same lie because he doesn't want them to tell her. Confused yet?

So my question is this: what is a good enough reason for her Brian and Nathan not to know? So far I've made John into a manipulative piece of work... he's kept them busy by asking them to stay by Shannon's side while she was in the coma, he's got them to help him set up in a new house, stuff like that to keep them away from the public and away from TV and newspapers. But somewhere along the line it's likely they might hear about it through acquaintances or family. So how can I make it that they never hear about it? At the end the Shannon remembers and it all comes out but until then they can't know.

Would it be believable to have it that because they're teenagers people wouldn't mention it to them?

I hope this makes sense and I would appreciate any ideas.

If you need any clarification let me know. :)

Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't usually ask this sort of question. It's a little embarrassing for me but I guess I want to know there are other people who suffer from this. I don't know many people with it so it would be nice to know there are others.

You see, I was diagnosed with PCOS earlier this year. I'm 31 and for most of my life my periods haven't been very regular and when I had them, they were really heavy. My body in general has been doing really weird things. I've suffered quite badly from facial hair, which is very embarrassing, and I've also gained a lot of weight. Hair removal is expensive so I couldn't do much on that front as I couldn't afford it, and there was no guarantees it would work anyway. Now I shave. As for weight loss, it was next to impossible to lose weight. Every time I tried it was just so hard and I wouldn't lose much or keep it off for that matter.

The only reason I was diagnosed was because I had my period for 5 weeks at one point and I started to freak out. My doctor changed my pill but didn't pick up the syndrome. It was actually my skin specialist in the end who thought I might have it. I was diagnosed a couple of months later.

After being diagnosed I found out weight gain was a key sign of PCOS and trying to lose was hard as the ovaries have to work harder to provide insulin. I also found out that facial hair is also a key sign of this syndrome. After a lot of appointments I was soon put on Metformin (I'm not diabetic, I am on a low dosage to help my insulin levels) and Sporactin. Since being on them my facial hair has reduced and the dark hairs have turned blonde. As for weight loss, I've lost about 12 kilos in ten months without really trying.

It's nice to finally be getting somewhere with this but it's not going away any time soon. So I suppose I want to know who else suffers from this. Then I know I'm not alone. :)

Well that's pretty much it... what happened to the illegal KGB agents after the disbandment of the KGB?

Were they sought out and returned to Russia? Did they just continue their lives in whatever country they were sent to?

This information is required for a novel I'm writing. What's really frustrating is I only need it for one page (maybe even less) of my novel. It's just some background information I need which will tie in later in the novel.

I've done so much research on the KGB, what they did, their disbandment etc. but I can't for the life of me find anything about what happened to those agents after 1991.

I hope someone can help. I'm happy to research it, I just need to know where to look.

Thanks.

This is a very strange question, I realise that! But it's a serious question, I promise.

You see, I'm writing a novel and I'm trying to explain that unique smell that gets right up your nose the moment you walk into a photo developing store. Do you know what I mean? What is it? Is it the film? Is it developing fluid? How does one describe that smell?

Obviously I'm no photographer, hence the question! Only serious answers please.

Thanks in advance.

I'm writing a novel that includes a couple of flashbacks to tie the story together. Initially I wrote it in such a way to make it obvious the person was thinking back in time. However, I was recently advised that when you start a flash back, you start a new line, enter *** then on another new line, write the flash back then enter *** on another line to end the flashback.

So for example it would be something like:

Her thoughts drifted back to that moment in time.

***

enter flashback scene here

***

Continue story.

I'm really not sure if this is correct or not. I can't seem to find any formatting rules anywhere on writing flashbacks. Any ideas from fellow writers? Can you give me any idea where I can find this information? I know it will help a fellow writer I know.

Thanks!

I feel a little silly asking this but I hope there are some experienced writers out there who can help.

I've finished a novel I intend to send off for publishing. It's just over 122,000 words long. My question is, is there a limit to how many words I should have written? Is what I've done too much? It's not fantasy, it's just fiction. I've read & heard so many conflicting arguments. Most saying it doesn't matter, others saying it shouldn't be over 100k.

Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks in advance.

I am an aspiring author and am attempting to get my first book published in 2013. There is a writing course in Fiji in March which is $1650 which I feel will benefit me greatly. I do not have the funds for this because in order to support myself and my husband, I have to work full time and money is tight. Does anyone know of ways to get funded for this sort of trip?

I am in Australia, so only local suggestions please. I know it's probably not possible but I figured there was no harm in asking. :)

Thanks and only serious answers please!

It's that simple - what is he wearing? How do you describe his costume? I need it for a piece I'm writing & am having trouble describing it.

Thank you!

I'm trying to get genesect on Pokemon black & white 2 (yes I have both games!) & am confused with how to do it! I know I have to be connected to wifi which I am. I just don't know where to go from there.

Can anyone help? Thanks!

I saw terrakion on route 22 & went into battle with it. I accidentally chose 'run' at one point & ran from battle. I wanted to catch it! I was so annoyed!! Anyway I was wondering will I see him again later and have another chance at catching him?

This is for Pokemon white 2 - thanks!! :)

Ok this is a bizzare question but I'm going to ask it first then I'll explain why.

Can a teacher go to jail for having sexual intercourse with a 17 year old student? So for example, a 22 year old male teacher having intercourse with a 17 year old female student. I know that the legal age of consent is 17 (in South Australia) and I also know it's wrong in general for teachers to have relations with their students but is it illegal to the extent of going to jail? Or is it just a case of losing their job and most likely their teachers qualification?

The reason for the question is I am writing a novel where I need this information and I want it to be correct.

I am in South Australia so only Australian law please!

I've been contemplating going through create space to self publish my first book. What does everyone think? Is it worth the risk when there's no guarantees it'll take off? Or should I just be patient & find an actual publisher? I know it's my decision but sometimes people have better ideas.

Thanks!

I haven't been at school for a long time. What are some nasty things kids (bullies) do to the outcasts in primary school and high school?

I'm writing a novel about a girl who was bullied a lot in school. It will be going back in time, probably about 1986ish. I need some ideas of things that happen that are realistic & relevant to the 80's.

Thanks!

In a nutshell this is the storyline:

A girl is very city-like, loves to party & sleep around. One day she falls in love, something that never happens to her, and she decides to give the relationship a go. A month later she falls pregnant. Her boyfriend refuses to be a father & gives her an ultimatum:

Abort the baby & stay with him or keep the baby & the relationship will be over.

She doesn't want to abort the baby so the relationship ends. She decides to start a new life by moving to the country after hearing how wonderful the country life is. When she moves though it does not turn out as she thought it would.

That's the crux of it. I know it's sketchy but you get the gist of it. Then I'll expand the story by talking about her life in the country, things that happen & how she adapts to the new life.

Honest thoughts? No wisecracks please....

I recently updated my iPhone 3GS to version 5.1. In this update multiple changes were made & afterwards I noticed my emoji icons stopped working.

I can still download the app & include them in my messges but the people I send them to can't see them. Yes these people all have iPhones before anyone asks.

If anyone can help I'd appreciate it greatly!

I've looked in supermarkets but they don't sell fresh or frozen ones. Where are some fresh food places I can look?

My laptop froze today and I had to force shut it down. When I turn it on it works fine but my keyboard and mouse pad don't work. If I plug in a mouse it'll work but not the keyboard. Does anyone have any idea how

I can fix it? I have a compaq presario CQ60