Has this site changed your life? How?

[ricky]

Few sites on the internet change lives. This one certainly does. Or at least it has changed mine.

 

Through it I have met people who have become dear to me, allowed me to help gaylings to be ok with themselves and increased my family in ways that I hold most dear. I know it has allowed me to make a difference in other's lives as well.

 

So I am asking you to share how this site has changed YOUR life.

 

 

Having said that, Thanks to the creators and those who staff it and keep it sane. You change lives.

 

r.

[Marzipan]

Yes, GA has definitely changed my life

 

I joined in by a fluke of fate and parked right in. I had opressed a lot of things inside of myself for years and years then I stumbled in here. For me it was the right timing. I found lots of great friends and people who think like me, love like me... I consider many people here as close as real family. I can be me here and that is so liberating.

 

I started writing after joining and eventually went back to do some artwork too. I have never felt this creative before. I get to challenge myself all the time. And there is an endless list of great stories to read. Never have to go to bed without something to expect (pun intented).

 

What else... I am happier because I found GA and the heart of it: the people here.

[Nephylim]

I have written stories all my life but, until I joined this site, no one had ever read any of them. It felt as if I had given birth to children who had been kept in a drawer. (anyone knowing of the Brittas Empire will giggle here)

 

Not only have I been able to post my stories and have people read them but... oh my GOD, I've had people say they actually like them... AND discuss them. Believe it, or not, that has been A huge huge thing for me. That in intself has changed me and changed my life.

 

And then I have met so many incredible people. Many of them have become friends and, as Maria has said, some of them feel more like family. There are my adopted kids, and Rush, my virtual fiancee and my crushes and people I feel I can rely on and be totally secure in opening my heart to.

 

Like Maria, I have been inspired to start to paint again, with some pretty surprising results. Having my characters brought to life by the discussions, I have been inspired to paint them and make them even more real. So I have friends hanging on my walls as well as on the computer screen.

 

I feel that I have been able to play a small part in helping others to feel better about themselves.

 

All in all this site has changed my life in so many ways it's impossible to describe without going into a serious rant.

 

And I would also like to offer my thanks to Myr and all the admins, mods and support workers who work so hard to make this site the best it can possibly be.

[ricky]

I have written stories all my life but, until I joined this site, no one had ever read any of them. It felt as if I had given birth to children who had been kept in a drawer. (anyone knowing of the Brittas Empire will giggle here)

 

Not only have I been able to post my stories and have people read them but... oh my GOD, I've had people say they actually like them... AND discuss them. Believe it, or not, that has been A huge huge thing for me. That in intself has changed me and changed my life.

 

And then I have met so many incredible people. Many of them have become friends and, as Maria has said, some of them feel more like family. There are my adopted kids, and Rush, my virtual fiancee and my crushes and people I feel I can rely on and be totally secure in opening my heart to.

 

Like Maria, I have been inspired to start to paint again, with some pretty surprising results. Having my characters brought to life by the discussions, I have been inspired to paint them and make them even more real. So I have friends hanging on my walls as well as on the computer screen.

 

I feel that I have been able to play a small part in helping others to feel better about themselves.

 

All in all this site has changed my life in so many ways it's impossible to describe without going into a serious rant.

 

And I would also like to offer my thanks to Myr and all the admins, mods and support workers who work so hard to make this site the best it can possibly be.

 

Nephy you said you help people in a small way. That's not true at all. I know better. You help people a LOT. You have helped a lot of youngsters through some difficult times. Helping them to find acceptance and encouragement. You've stood by me and mentored me with your sage council when I was so frustrated I wanted to just pack it all in. Had you not helped me to continue I would not have been able to help a lot of youngsters to choose to stay alive. So indirectly you are responsible for saving each of their lives as much as I am and you can feel really good about that. I know I do. If you can save just one gayling you have changed all the tomorrows of the world.

 

You have changed MY life Nephy and I'm proud to call you my dear friend.

 

And your stories are awesome.

 

And ya, because this site fostered this relationship, they too are responsible for saving lives. Often we don't know how we affect others when we touch their lives. But more and more I can see examples of how one little thing has changed the world. The Butterfly Effect? Perhaps. Just one more example of how the ripples in the pond of life move things where ever it touches.

 

Pretty cool eh Myr? I'll bet you had no idea when you started this that you would have such an effect on so many lives.

Cheers,

r

[Johnathan Colourfield]

I have written stories all my life but, until I joined this site, no one had ever read any of them. It felt as if I had given birth to children who had been kept in a drawer. (anyone knowing of the Brittas Empire will giggle here)...

And I would also like to offer my thanks to Myr and all the admins, mods and support workers who work so hard to make this site the best it can possibly be.

 

 

I had the same feeling when i first joined. I had always written little things but i have never really got through to actual readers. When i joined here i started to post about a year after and i was happy with the response. Mostly positive and one or two critical comments

 

Then I met some wonderful people like Lugh, Demetz, Tiger, Myr etc. after joining and then the new people just kept falling in like yourself, the mini you that is Maria and the darling that is Cia. I couldn't believe that I had made so many amazing friends.

 

GA has changed my life, before GA i was shy, quiet and i wouldn't speak to anybody. Now i feel so emotionally and physically liberated its amazing.

 

I also through this place learnt what it was to love. If you read my story 'Scars Upon Your Heart' it is the tale of when i first joined and the boy i first had a crush on. I love this place It is like a second home.

 

I've made so many friends and i have so many more to make.

 

I'm so excited to finally meet a few of my good friends in August and to see the faces behind the screen.

 

Especially Yours Nephy!

 

Thank you everyone on the moderation team who keep this place together.

 

Without it, I wouldn't be the person I am today

[Anya]

Apart from the fact that I'm spending most of my free time here lol, I've met a lot of great people that have changed my life in many ways

[Tejun]

This site has changed my life because now I check it and watch it and read in it. I am not sure how much time I spend logged into this site, but it is way more than before I found it. It is fun to see people like I use to be, young and writing with the speed of youth and the fury of purpose. My writing has morphed and evolved over 33 years, but it is still me. We are all changing always moving, like water and somehow my stream has brought me here with all of you, to mingle our waters...sounded weird lol... anyways I am very happy to be here, thank you to the creators and managers of such a site, but most of all thank you to the contributes because without you, there would be a void here with wind blowing through empty forums and dusty posts... peace.

[Cia]

Has GA been life changing for me? Oh yes. I read everything I could on the site almost 2 years ago and then a lifelong love of reading turned into...well, maybe I can write too. Lugh, Nephy, and Paya were the first to encourage me and help me along and now I like to do the same for others as often as possible. In life I appear to be the most "normal" of women, a wife of nearly 11 years and stay at home mom to a girl and boy. On the inside... I'm way more than that.

 

I never had the outlet before GA and somewhere along the way I lost a good part of me. I didn't think I would be accepted here as a woman but as I browsed the site I found that wasn't the case and when I joined I found acceptance, friendship, and people who didn't think I was a freak, no matter how weird I can be. I found the bits of me that could reach out to people, the part that liked trying new things and being creative. I found new friends who I would be less without and because of this site I have even gotten published. That's a dream I never had the confidence in myself to reach for and now... I do. The support and acceptance I found on this site is a gift, one I'll treasure more each time I can pass it along to someone else, on GA and off.

[Palantir]

Ricky, thanks for starting this topic. It gives recognition where recognition is due.

As far as I'm concerned, if all the work and time that goes into GA helps just one young person with developing confidence, self-esteem, understanding of themself etc, then GA has something to be proud of.

That kind of help is an enriching gift which lasts a lifetime.

I'm not really limiting that to just young people. I'm thinking back to the pre-internet days when people with questions about themselves had nowhere to go for understanding and support and young people in particular were bound by the ways of their local culture.

Beyond the helping of people with reading and writing, this avenue of communication and nurture is a special service provided by GA.

[TetRefine]

Well, GA has definitely had a huge impact on me. If it weren't for meeting my boyfriend through this site, I'd have followed through with my plans to enlist in the Army (which I would have been happy with anyway). Instead I'm in college, which I'm very happy with. It also proved that there were other gay people out there, and it gave me an outlet to put out in when I was 17 and stuck in the oh so miserable years of high school. Basically, this site changed my entire life plans, and its worked out pretty well (mostly) so far. So thanks GA.

[Dannsar]

Changed my life? Nah! Well, except that now not only do I read a lot, I also write. So, yes, it's changed my life ... I now have even less time. Thanks a bundle ppl!

 

But, seriously, I love it.

[Camilo]

It has nudged it here and there .

[Bumblebee]

I've meet some brilliant, nice, funny and just all round awesome people on GA. everyone here has made me realise that i might like the company of actual humans.. just a teeny tiny smidgen

[Myr]

People have asked me many, many times over the years why I keep going with the site every day. They ask me how I do it. Next month, Gay Authors will be 9 years old.

The answer to the question of why I keep pushing myself and how I keep doing it is above.

 

Thanks folks.

[MarkSen]

I've only been on GA for a few months, and it has already changed my life. I've written many stories but I've never shared them with anyone, and that made me pretty sad. Simply because, there wasn't anywhere else I could post them. Now that I have GA, I have some people reading my stories now and it's pretty awesome finally having people read and comment on them at all, whether it's with praise or constructive criticism! I also feel much more open here. So, in conclusion, GA has definitely changed my life, especially on how I view my own writing as now other people can appreciate my stories.

[Sara Alva]

I was always told that writing was a pipe-dream, and subsequently gave it up for many years. When I decided to give it another stab, I thought GA was just going to be "a place to post."

 

Well, as others have said, it turned out to be a lot more. I met amazing people who were willing to donate their time to beta-reading, encouraging, and inspiring. I received feedback and actual thanks for writing my stories, fulfilling my childhood pipe-dream

 

It hasn't even been a year yet, and I feel I've made lasting friendships that extend beyond the GA context into real life.

 

Thanks to all those who keep the cogs turning

[Dannsar]

Thanks to all those who keep the cogs turning

Cogs? There's cogs? And there was us all thinking it just tumbled out of you in one easy stream.

 

Ah, well, bang goes another fecking illusion! This site is getting right bad for my innocence.

[AnytaSunday]

Met one of my best friends here.

One of the biggest and best things of my life.

Thank you.

 

Enough said.

[Lugh]

No

 

I've not changed at all.

[phana14]

No one should ever doubt how much I needed this site when I found it through IOMFATS-then through Comicallity's "Shack Out Back". A life awakening discovery.

 

And then we have Ricky.

 

I don't know of anyone else who has put as much effort into making all of us aware of the needs of that fragile section of our society who are so often tossed aside, as if they are dispensible trinkets. It seems that every day there is another example in the news about someone who most of us would be happy to mentor-ah-but now it's too late. We just didn't 'see' the need in time. I have been guilty of this myself.

 

This quote from one of Elsa Morante's stories really sums up my feelings:

"...I want to save you from the havoc that steals you and take you back to sleep in your tiny bed."

 

Who here will say that a troubled teenager at times doesn't need that "tiny bed"?

 

Love you, Ricky.

[NightOwl88]

That would be a big yes lol.

 

Coming to GA has given me a boost in my confidence, sharing my stories here and getting the reception that I did ( and still do with them) has made me realize that there is something out there that I might actually be good at, other than taking care of people and heavy lifitng lol.

 

I've met a lot fo truely good people here, made several great friends and even a few adopted relatives (you know who you are). A lot of the feed back I've gotten has helped me work on my skill as a writer which I find invaluable.

 

Well best Yall,

Owl

[ricky]

No one should ever doubt how much I needed this site when I found it through IOMFATS-then through Comicallity's "Shack Out Back". A life awakening discovery.

 

And then we have Ricky.

 

I don't know of anyone else who has put as much effort into making all of us aware of the needs of that fragile section of our society who are so often tossed aside, as if they are dispensible trinkets. It seems that every day there is another example in the news about someone who most of us would be happy to mentor-ah-but now it's too late. We just didn't 'see' the need in time. I have been guilty of this myself.

 

This quote from one of Elsa Morante's stories really sums up my feelings:

"...I want to save you from the havoc that steals you and take you back to sleep in your tiny bed."

 

Who here will say that a troubled teenager at times doesn't need that "tiny bed"?

 

Love you, Ricky.

 

Ah shucks thanks Phana. But there are a lot of us working towards the same goal. Changing the world one person at a time, each of us. That doesn't mean we have it covered though. So just keep listening, hearing, loving and writing. It's all about hope. And there are a lot of really great people who help that don't shoot rockets off to let people know.

 

That's what really makes this more than a site. It's a community.

A community of really great caring people. And one that I'm really proud, just to be part of.

But thanks for the flowers Phana. I love you too.

r

[Cyhort]

Honestly, not really. I pretty much dealt with all my major problems before ever finding this site but if I didn't I'm sure one of you guys would have helped me figure some stuff out a LOT faster than my lazy ass ever did, lol. This site did expose me to some really great writers and stories though so, while that isn't as life changing as most of the other stories posted here, it did make me think a bit differently about what makes up a good story.

[Benji]

I have tried to post a comment here 4 times already and erased it. This site was a blessing to me and a bit of a curse, I caused the CURSE. I finally felt a bit free and loved reading the stories and the exchange with people on here and on other sites. I think a friend gave me Comsie's site that led me here, been awhile I'm pretty sure though. I do not regret being here at all, I made the mistake of trying to answer on some stories and some how or another they made it back to my workplace computer, I never sent it to my my workplace back then, but it showed up just the same. I guess I wasn't witty enough to realize that this could happen, but it did. I was forced to retire as some of the stories had garnered enough interest to think them vulgar enough to warrent my expulsion. Truth be told the nasty ass director was in a bind over her budget and wanted to get rid of me as it fitted her mold of 'papered kids'. I was there for over 20 years, never been written up nor late and received many commendations on my work. BTW, those so called stories that went threw the system, the only thing I could see was a 'single' word of the word 'f**k' in it that was against policy. Retribution is great, they finally fired her ass last January. All in all I have never regretted joining this group, as I said before this site was a blessing to me and a self-made curse.