Cia

Sorry! It worked for me, but I redid the link anyway. See if it works now.

Some authors--and apparently teachers--are assholes. Yep, I said assholes. I've seen the ego on small-time so-called "professional" authors get large enough to capsize a cruise ship, and apparently Ryan Boudinot (who I have no personal connection to, but could not believe what he posted) is not only an author, but supposedly a teacher whose job it was to guide others. His article exposes a blowhard whose personal views beat them all. Out of every single thing he said, I can agree with only one comment he made, though I really hate to agree with him about anything on principal. You can see his article here, titled oh so politely as: Things I Can Say About MFA Writing Programs Now That I No Longer Teach in One. Or, as I'll dub it: Blowhard Speaks Out I do believe, whole-heartedly, that writing should be done to entertain, and not to self-aggrandize. I don't care how intellectual your underlying theme is, if you can't wrap a fictional tale up in a plot or characters in such a way to interest me in them without bludgeoning me over the head with your agenda, I'm not going to read it. Or worse, if you really irritate me, I'll give it a critical review as I've found most people who fall into that type of author group to be extremely egotistical and not open to less-than-fawning commentary. Like I said, it pains me to even admit to agreeing with him on that. But for the rest of that guy's drivel?

I'm not participating this year, but good luck!!

This month I thought I'd feature something many readers can enjoy, since the weather's been so bad and we have four full weeks to read--a novel length college-age story by Krista. I hope you'll enjoy it! March's CSR Discussion day will be on Monday, March 30th! Roommates by Krista Length: 72,249 Description: About best friends from college. A Reader Said: I know I say this about every story, but I really did love this one ~ Gene63

Because I haven't been able to give you enough this week. And my dad has never pointed out men/women, but when I was 18 and called to say I was getting married, he asked when I was going to have kids. Then, when I had my first at 22, he started asking me about my plans for birth control while sitting down next to me as I nursed my first kid. Personal stuff doesn't really freak him out much. He was a single dad of two girls, though his twin brother lived with us, for 7 years until my sister was 11 and I was 9, and even had the sex talk with me growing up. He was never perfect, still isn't, but he does love me and isn't afraid to say it.

The Writer's Corner has a lot of information on writing, as well as the Editor's Corner. Creating a plot with characters believable to readers is just as important as the technical skills such as knowing how to punctuate, use proper tenses and POV, avoid head hops, etc... I'd also recommend starting off small. We have weekly writing prompts featured in the blog and the Writing Prompts forum that could provide you with inspiration on something to write, and the expectation is that the prompts will generally lead a writer to create a flash fiction piece under 1000 words. These are usually some sort of 'Slice of Life' where you don't have to delve too deeply into the backstory and setting or create a complex cast of characters, which can be easier on new authors. If you decide to post, make sure you check out our posting guidelines and how to information in the Help topic: New Author Help: How to Post a Story, which can be found through the Help tab in the red menu bar.

Oh don't get me started on homophones, Efmaer. I cringe every time I see shutter instead of shudder. Or waste instead of waist, reign/rein, taught/taut... I've done a post on these in the past but the difficulty with homophones is that the only way to know you're doing the wrong one is to know the words. Vocabulary is something a person either learns or they don't. I can't write much by way of tips to help figure out spelling and definitions.

That's why my blog requires comment verification--I got way too many bots and spammers getting through Blogger's spam filters, which are pretty damn useless.

It does. It's really hard to see what you're doing wrong if you don't KNOW you're doing it wrong. But if you have a hard time remembering any particular rules or figuring out how to polish your work, I can address things like that.

If people like this feature, I plan to continue to do more in short doses like this. It's easier to learn new things in small lessons, I think. Though not every day, lol, thanks for the vote of confidence, Lisa! Does anyone have suggestions about what they'd like to see in upcoming Grammar Rodeo posts?

Schvesla's machine... well that was always the goal. But there's a lot that they don't know--and that could get them into trouble. Or more trouble! Thanks so much for the review, LitLover.

I have that feeling as well! And Will is protective of Teddy, but there's always that 'Don't let anyone find out' need for secrecy. Maybe one day they'll be able to get past that, though. Thanks for the review, Valkyrie, and I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner!

Thanks for the review, impunity! And no, that would not surprise me, at all!

They are not nice people, at all. I'm glad showing Will's family--and why he was like he was--worked. Thanks for the review, and sorry for the late response!

Of course, and congrats again!

“One of these days I’m going to knock my brother to the floor and give him a drubbing he won’t forget,” I snapped, once we’d left the house. “Just turn the other cheek, Will. You can’t change him.” Teddy acted like he didn’t care when my brother tried to hammer his supposed inferiority into him. But Teddy’s dad was far better at it than my brother would ever be. That didn’t mean I would allow either of them to make him believe he was anything less than the amazing man I knew him to be. “We’ll

It helps if you let folks know what stories you've enjoyed the site specifically, or what types of genres and story themes you prefer to read.

This story is absolutely wonderful. The story isn't all roses and sunshine, but when it counts, those who are supposed to love unconditionally no matter what actually do so. Video: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153656122689698&fref=nf Print version of the story: http://www.cincinnati.com/longform/news/2015/02/21/transgender-cincinnati-childrenshospital-hormone-therapy-enquirer/23697339/

Try holding down the Control key when using the fields with more than one option, like Genre, Tags, and Status. You can select 1, 2, 5, or all but 1 if you want.

This month, a shorter than usual one, I also went with a shorter story. JVaughn's Pierced is a solid read, for all it's only about 20k in length, that I really enjoyed. I was happy to feature it this month, and I hope you're ready to enjoy learning a bit more about J, too. Don't forget to leave your comments or questions. J will be "live" on the blog from 4-6 PM, PST today to talk to you--so make sure you're ready! Single people often have more time to write. Are you single? Technically, yes. However, I have two teenaged daughters who live with me half time. I also have a more-than-full-time day job to work around. So, finding time to write can be a challenge. Who do you like best, Jerry or Tom? Are you talking about the cartoon? If so, I have to say I don’t like either one of them. It’s been many years since I’ve watched that show, but if I recall, neither character is particularly ethical. Tom is not very bright, and Jerry is just plain mean. I do like cats better than mice though. If you’re talking about some other Tom and Jerry, then I’m not cool enough to be aware of them. J What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? I am wearing various shades of pink: sweats, an old rugby shirt, a torn pullover, and socks. Very comfy—my usual attire for writing. When did you first consider yourself a writer? I had been writing for a number of years before I considered myself a writer. It wasn’t until I was partway through my second novel, had an editor, and was publishing regularly on Literotica that I finally started thinking of myself as a writer. Do you have any writing rituals? I almost always write first thing in the morning, so of course I always have to have my coffee at hand. I don’t consider that a ritual though, more of a necessity. I don’t think I have any actual rituals. I do have two modes, though, when I write: flow mode and edit mode. When I’m in flow mode, I’m just trying to get words down on paper, move the story along, and capture the basic essence of what I want to say. I try to write steadily and not worry about the wording. I may use the word “beautiful” four times in six paragraphs. Then I’ll go back and edit what I wrote, word-smithing, cutting, embellishing, etc. I probably spend six times as much time editing as I do writing in the first place. My usual routine is to edit what I wrote the day before to get me back in the proper headspace. Then I’ll go into flow mode until I run out of time or until I run out of steam. What brought you to Gayauthors? I was originally encouraged to check out Gayauthors by a writer on Lit. That was a number of years ago. I read and enjoyed quite a few stories up here, and thought about posting here myself, but I’m usually super-busy so I never go around to it. Then recently, within the same month I think, both Cannd and metajinx, friends from Literotica, encouraged me to post here. So I finally made the time for it. I’m glad I did. I think it’s a better forum for what I write than Lit. When I put sex scenes in my novels they’re usually pretty graphic, but most of my writing is character/plot-based and the sex is just added for fun. How did you come up with the title for Pierced? I usually have a very difficult time with titles. Sometimes it’s harder for me to come up with a title than it is to write the story in the first place. I knew there was going to be some piercings in the story because that was part of the prompt. I didn’t title it until I was finished, considering and rejecting quite a few title ideas along the way. I finally settled on “Pierced by Love” but I still didn’t like it all that well—it sounded cheesy to me—but I was running out time to find another title. One of my beta readers suggested just “Pierced” and I liked it better, so that’s what I went with. Did any single prompt from the Goodreads contest inspire the story or was it just a matter of fitting them all in? I came late to the Goodreads writing party, so I tried to pick up the prompts that no one else was covering. The main prompt left was the non-con/dub-con theme; no one else wanted to touch that one. I had my doubts about it as well, not because I’m not comfortable writing with that theme, but because both the trilogy I had just finished (RoughBoys) and the novel I was working on at the time (The Valjevo Encounter) had non-con scenes in them. I would rather have done something entirely different. However, I took one for the team and made that the central focus of the story. All of the other prompts were surprisingly easy to fit in. I didn’t put all of the possible prompts in, but I got most of them, hopefully without it seeming too contrived. What do you think is the best part of the story? Hmmm. I like the scene where they take a shower together. Not only was it sexy and fun to write, I think that it is a turning point for both of them. Kyle realizes that he’s capable of getting turned on and having sex again without being overwhelmed by memories of the rape, and it’s Paul’s first time ever being with another man. After he’s had the real thing he knows he will never be satisfied with just his fantasies again. What are your future projects? I’m currently finishing up Christmas in Zonei. I had originally planned to finish it for Christmas this year, but as usual my schedule got away from me. I will publish it for Christmas next year in eBook format with a cover and everything, but I’ll keep it free as gift to my fans. I have quite a few ideas running around in my head for what to write next, but I am still undecided. I may do a poll on my author website to see what will draw the most interest. I suspect people will want a sequel to either The Valjevo Encounter or Christmas in Zonei or perhaps even Pierced. I’m a couple of chapters into writing a historic novel—a cowboy/Indian story—that I’m having fun with. I also have a plot for a fantasy novel that is just bursting to come to life. So, yes, still undecided on what to do next. Suggestions welcome. I can't wait for a free copy of Zonei, myself. Okay, so let's get to chatting! Thoughts on Pierced? J's interview? Suggestions?

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Today I'm featuring Chris T. Kat's newest release, Bratty Angel. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Okay, I don't have much to say about this book... except go buy it now! It's a great fantasy, with a mythological twist I really enjoyed. Good and evil aren't quite so clear cut in this tale. Nope, no siree. You find that out when you learn a hellhound and angel are hanging out. And the angel's harassing someone for some pleasure. Reading this story caused me to snicker like crazy. Love-stick--totally priceless! There's a lot of great snark in the story, which I always love. A story that makes me laugh is always appreciated. But then I sank into Bratty Angel as it revealed a lot more depth. There's a whole mythos to discover in the short story which makes it feel longer... but still not long enough. I think there's a lot more of this that should come next. Chris has created a storyline that must go on. So buy the eBook, read it, review it, and do what I'm doing now... tell her to write MORE! View all my reviews

Congrats, Valkyrie!!!

Thank you! I often get behind on my reading, but I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Remember, humans have a plague that cannot be cured, so the Tarquiek would end up with a death sentence if they came to the planet. Thanks for the review.

“Mother, Father.” We stopped beside the places Bettice must have set for us. I gripped the back of my chair. “Good morning.” My father looked away from the sheaf of newsprint he was reading. My mother was directing Bettice as she laid out the platters. “About time you showed your face,” my father said. “People might start to think you have some quarrel with Michael. I will not have you embarrassing us.” Busy whispering to his wife and making a pretense at ignoring our presence, I saw my brothe

Use Advanced Search in Stories and then choose your story options and then sort options. You can order story results by title, yes, but you can also sort by series title, publish date, last update, rating, reviews, word count, times read or favorited or watched. I constantly tell people to use that feature. It's the main reason why we have so many fields to fill out for authors when they post a story--that way readers can find EXACTLY what they want to read. Well, if it's here.