Cia

Thanks, Jmgal. Not sure if I'll write more, but there's always a chance I'll expand this plot later!

I did do a somewhat traditional take by having him knocking himself unconscious, but yeah, I wanted to do the opposite that occurs in a ship/plane that is accelerating down rather than up. Glad you liked it!

Death by being crushed or crunched or go out without ever knowing how? Definitely a possibility. But whose to say if the end coming is the end the character expects? That's the true question tripping everyone up, lol. Thanks for reviewing, Cole!

You never know! I have other pieces that are really short like this one that have translated into longer stories or even novels. I'm glad you liked it, ninecila!

LOL! And look how many people agreed with you.

Thanks, Miles! I was hoping it would still read as a complete little tale, even though most people want more.

Well you can hope... I'm not sure. Renee told me to write more, but I just couldn't get into it before the deadline. So maybe more will come with the next anthology? We'll see!

Clearly everyone agrees with you! Thanks, Metajinx.

LOL, you know, I have a lot of past anthologies where readers tell me they think I should write more. It always seems like I come up with worlds that I can explore, no matter what the length they begin as, because it's so much fun to visualize new places and beings to share with readers. I'm glad it hooked you, but I'm not sure I'll write more. I guess we'll both have to wait and see!

While many of the stories playing with this theme featured dark tones, yours felt much lighter. Even when your main character is wrestling the possibility of leaving his David behind, I had confidence in him. Well done.

OMG the diner sounded soooo gross. I was picking up on something nefarious, but so didn't expect a ghost either. I wonder where they will move on to... being criminals, do they get to go to hell? Or were they already there, separated like that? Interesting take on the theme!

I like how you incorporated the theme, and the way you translated the raw power of nature through the storm into the intimate scene with the three men. Great job also balancing that with the surrounding plot. I wonder how the dynamic on the station will change with the new arrivals?

I have to say, as a helicopter parent, I would've been all over that, especially when they lower their voices. Kids don't know enough to keep themselves safe, it seems, but sometimes we can go overboard keeping an eye on them. I liked the humorous way you did this. The story was really well written, too, other than a head hop.

Let me tell you, this creeped me out! You did a great job creating tension, and the use of several highly recognizable horror elements like the asylum and the markings, as well as the disembodied voice instructing the main character on what to do to stay alive, worked very well. I could tell this felt like a set up, but the fact Eric had no memory seemed really iffy. It would definitely be fun to see where the story goes next, but the idea of not knowing if the bad guys are just super effective con artists or super good at getting away with murder really adds to this, so if you don't continue, that's okay too!

I like that your story involved two friends who didn't have to be the same in order to be really close. You used a lot of details to make the story come alive, but some of the dialogue felt stilted so I'd recommend you work on that, as well as the punctuation. Try reading your work aloud to see how natural it sounds, especially in back and forth exchanges.

Aww, that was sweet! You incorporated the theme really well into the story, and I loved the eclectic marketplace being used to make the story relatable, even though it's a science fiction piece sent in the future/alternate future.

I always say romance is crap. I'm touched far more when my hubby comes home with 3 kinds of juice, crackers, and medicine to make me feel better when I'm ill. I love that your romance story focused on the little things; love stories don't always have to be all about the epic gestures.

This was a great example of real life events--not everything wraps up in a neat bow. Sure, in an ideal world, Romeo would get his memory back of all the time he lost with Julian, but reality is very seldom ideal. I really enjoyed how you shared the little flashes that led Romeo to at least be willing to start over with Julian. They could still have their happy ending; they'd just have to work for it.

I was wondering who was going to pick death and who would hope he'd survive. Why do you think he's dead? Anslough definitely deserves to get some comeuppance though, I agree!

Awww, thank you! Actually, I hadn't thought of doing another anthology series. hmmm....

“No, no, no.” The junk ship assigned to me had parts shaking loose every time I landed, but during my last furlough, it’d supposedly gone through a thorough diagnostic and repair. From the outside, well… it still looked like a rusty pile of shit, but nothing had been dangling from damaged hinges or loose wires for once. “Fucking Anslough.” He was the lead mechanic. I’d blown him once and then let him suck me off, but his skills had been on par with his repair abilities; I should have known bett

If I survive long enough for the beacon to transmit my location, Anslough is fucking toast.

I love the variety of the questions and replies! Great feature.

Valkyrie is exactly right. This is the advice I also give new authors: 1) Plot out the story. You say you have it in your head. Check out various (often free) flow chart/mind map programs and try those to see how you want the story to go. Some authors do this extensively, some for just the major acts, and some don't at all. Try it and find out which way works best for you. 2) Start writing. Sometimes you just have to get it out on the page. 3) Get help. You never have an objective view of your story, so you need a beta reader/editor to give you better perspective, plus they can fill in the chinks of the story you thought you had but don't for whatever reason. Sometimes you have to start posting a story before you can find a beta reader or editor because a fan might volunteer. We also have a Writing Support Requests forum where you can ask site members to volunteer to work with you, but you will need a variety of information to help them decide, plus a sample of the story itself. The biggest thing is to just DO. You don't have to be perfect when you start writing--no one is. You just have to be willing to put in the work to improve.

Sorry about that Carlos, I got it fixed. You're welcome everyone. Thanks for writing stories I could feature for the season and agreeing to participate!