Welcome to the CSR Discussion day for Totallyy's shorts. I hope you all enjoyed diving into them this month. I asked Totallyy a few probing questions in an Author interview for his Discussion day feature, and he has also agreed to come do a 'live' Q&A from 9 to 10 PM, Eastern Standard Time. If you can't make it, simply add your questions or comments to the blog comment area and Totallyy will answer them as he can, or during his life chat. If you haven't read any of his stories yet, go check some out through this link. They're several you could read in just a few minutes!

We’ll start with a bit about you…
So, what do you do in ‘life’?
I’m in University, finishing off my freshman year. Barely 3 more months till I’m done with my first year and it is freaking me out a little. Yikes.

Single people tend to write more… so, you single?
Hahahahhaha. I have most recently become attached. So, no, I’m not single for now, though I had been for a long time. Lol. He’s my first real relationship, so I guess we’ll see if my pens start drying up.

Do you eat your fruits and vegetables?
Yes and yes, though I thoroughly believe in having my vegetables cooked first. I can barely stomach salads. I’m trying to cut junk out from my life but sugar-cravings are hard to resist. Fruits and veges help quell the guilt.

So, make your bed or leave it messy?
Why put in that much effort into tidying up something that’s going to be messed up in a couple hours anyways? Although, I must say that making my bed might deter me from taking as many naps as I do. Lol.

And finally… and you must be honest… What are you wearing?
My University Hoodie, University sweatpants [YAY! SCHOOL SPIRIT!], my nerdy glasses and fuzzy fuzzy socks. It’s -20degC tonight. Of course, true to form as a gay guy, I’m also wearing the mandatory uniform: cute underwear under all that!

Ooh, la la! On to other things, now that we know that, lol!

What brought you to GA?
I started reading later than most, when I was about 10. I really got into fiction and I’ve never stopped since. But somewhere in my teens, I started to feel a disconnect with the stories I was reading because of my burgeoning sexual awareness. I craved to be validated and assured that “people like me” could be protagonists of our own stories instead of the odd supporting character. I started looking, at first in bookstores, then on the Internet and finally arrived here. It did take me 7 years before I joined as a member though and put up my own work. Hahahhaha.

What’s your favorite part of the site?
I think it’s the accessibility. There are literally no barriers to entry. Its simplicity makes it easy for tech-idiots [Can I say idiot?] like me to start posting. I did survey some other places when I started getting interested in putting up my work. Needless to say, laziness is my greatest hurdle.
Also, I doubt I would have written as much as I have if not for the great feedback from the community of readers and fellow authors. I’ve never had so many people read my work and to have heard only genuinely sincere and constructive feedback is probably one of the most heartwarming things I’ve ever experienced.

When did you begin writing?
I started writing when I was 13/14, I think, if you can count horribly sappy poems as real writing. It was an outlet. I coded my very potent emotions into labyrinths of words and rhyme, which only those whom I chose to give the cipher to could decode. Looking back, it was my way of coping, of rebelling quietly against the pressures that told me I had to keep my sexuality a secret. The voices that told me I couldn’t run around proclaiming the schoolboy crushes I had and drooling openly over f-abs-ulous guys. Hahahahah.

So, why short stories?
I like capturing moments in time. We read stories; novels, shorts, whatever you will, to feel connected to other people. Perhaps it is to relate to another person, to not feel so alone, maybe it is to experience a life we would never be able to live, or explore the crossroads of what-ifs we’ve left behind somewhere. But I find that I most often feel pangs of recognition at certain moments, seldom lasting more than a page, in which I feel kinship with the characters. I believe that these moments are universal, and can stand alone with neither introduction nor resolution, because they’re about common human experience. So, I try my best to write about them.
Also, did I mention I was a lazy college student? The time-commitment required for something of novel length that I was satisfied with enough to put up will consume my life. Besides, some of the works I’ve posted have been with great hesitation because it didn’t really feel ready. Hahahahahah.

Do you have a favorite? Why?
Oh gosh, this is hard. I had to go back and look at all the things I wrote for this one. I couldn’t pick one favourite but I will say which few I’ve gone back and read over and over again.
First Snow makes me feel dreamy and pensive. This Is How I Speak is essentially my fear, that my constant fumbling with words and thoughts will ruin the beautiful things in my life, crystallising.
The “essay” Growth from Feelings I Don’t Know How to Say Otherwise is probably one that I turn over and over again in my mind quite often. The funniest part about that one though, is that I literally started typing it up after a conversation with the person who inspired it. It was special even though it was really short. The person is a friend that was and is of great importance in my life.
Oh wow, this is harder than I thought it would be. Looking at my writing, I feel like I’ve littered pieces of myself in the spaces between the words. It’s so painful to choose! I Am Fine, Tomorrow, I Promise & Wedding Jitters probably come close to being next.

Okay, now for the most important question of all… it’s vital that we know this answer… Tom or Jerry?
Tom! Tom! Tom! I’ve never understood the Jerry-sympathisers. In my opinion, Jerry’s kind of an ass, constantly gloating and making life difficult for the poor cat. As if life isn’t hard enough without the fact that you’re a big failure in your niche being rubbed in your face constantly.

I guess we know which you’d root for, the coyote or the roadrunner! LOL Thanks so much for taking part in the interview, Totallyy!

Okay, now it's time for you to share your thoughts! Do you want to share a review you left or wanted to leave? Do you have a favorite? Don't forget to come back for Totallyy's live chat from 9-10 PM, EST!