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Which is the source of Cooper's pain but also his salvation. Pete doesn't remember, so while visiting him is nice, it hurts Cooper. Would Pete want that? I didn't think so, but guilt is not an easy thing to reconcile. Pete's injury isn't Cooper's fault, imo, but he feels that it is. He's cut himself off from a lot of people because of that, but now he has Owen. Time, and Owen's love, just might be enough to overcome his feelings of responsiblity. Anyway.. I ramble, lol. Thanks so much for the review Lisa!

Thanks Mann! It's actually really freaking hard to contain each week's flash piece (has to be 500-1,000 words) as a separate entity yet keep it all within the framework of the entire story. I love flash but it's more of a challenge for me than longer fiction just for that issue. I use words to paint pictures and a limit makes you consider the worth of every single one chosen. That makes it a challenge, but one I enjoy trying! Thanks for reading, and for the review, Mann.

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a lovely day!

"Look into my eyes." The nurse's voice is quiet but firm. Pete turns his head and looks at her. "Good morning Pete, you have some visitors," she says. "Is that okay?" He blinks. "Sure." His voice is deep and steady. I come to visit Pete as often as I can, but I can’t tell anyone why. I make sure I never go when his family is there though. They are part of the apostolic church and had lived through some of the most conservative times. They aren't bad people but they'd been very strict when we w

Ooh, you're in for a doozy if you keep reading!! Suffice it to say that, no matter how hard I am on my characters, things usually end up okay. Not always, but usually. This story definitely has scenes that are not for the faint of heart, however. Thanks for reading!

It's a type of dramatic monologue. I was definitely trying to provoke thought and commentary from readers. I deliberately chose such a controversial topic like cheating because it such an emotional subject. There's always more than one side to any situation, but something like a betrayal of trust/love makes it quite a bit more visceral. Most people say, "I'd never be with a cheater!" but love, time, and other factors often make that decision not quite so clear cut. Yet, how then does the party cheated up rationalize and absorb that betrayal? What blow does it rend to their psyche, and can they truly recover from it? Anyway, you did exactly what I wanted, you responded with great thought and feeling on the question I left posed at the end of the story. Thanks so much, Clockwork!

I have a tip, though I can't provide you with the forms I use on this computer; they're on my main one. One major way to develop stronger characters is to interview your characters, so to speak. Act as if they are real people you want to get to know. Ask them questions. What's your favorite tv show? Music? Worst nightmare you ever had? Favorite project (school or work). Good with technology or bad? Ticklish? Sensitive skin? Showers or baths? Favorite article of clothing, shoes? The more you've realized your characters in your head, the more details you can add in to your story during the scenes. While in the car the jock character can switch on his favorite rock or country station really loud and bang on the steering wheel. A geek might turn on something soft, classical, or even modern stuff, but just keep it quiet. A jock might run to the store for pizza for dinner and a geek might get... okay, teenagers will go for pizza no matter what, but you get the point there. If you have a jock reading, maybe it's a magazine on a sports team and he's sprawled along the couch with one leg up over the back; if he's an intellectual type you might have him sitting at a desk reading a text book for an assignment not due for weeks. Your jock might drink milk out of the carton but your geek would get a glass. The jock might leave his letterman jacket on and open over a t-shirt and jeans and a geek would have khakis and a polo with his jacket zipped up. Details are very important for fully realized characters, and it can be easy to slip small things in here and there, but you have to know them. Think about all the characteristics of the type of person you're portraying and add in the details over time during the story. Let them live the story as if they were actual people. Give them flaws, disappointments, joy. Figuring out all the details of the characters can take quite a bit of work. That's one of the reasons why people say write what you know. If you don't, research, research, research.

I've neglected my children to read on the site but since I've not had a job, or classes, in forever I've been safe on those accounts. They were only slightly neglected. Kids only need to eat once a day, right?

I've done it. First year I finished but the 2nd year I lost access to my main writing computer 25k into it. I ended up giving up after 10 days of it being gone. I might have been able to finish but my momentum had been shot. I'm not participating this year; I have too many projects going to introduce any new deadline.

We do encourage questions about how to do things on the site; there is always a learning curve. Site Help topics are updated as new information for each element is upgraded, as often as we can manage. The information on how to post a story is relatively upgraded with recent information. As I've never even held an Ipad, I'm not affected by the incompatability with it and GA. I've no option to turn off the Rich Text Editor, but as an admin there are sometimes certain elements on the site I can't see, and as a non-techie ... I'm not going to try. Posting a story is fairly straightforward, however, as long as members pay attention to the entire guideline on that topic.

Yes, we do allow non-fiction on the site. There are various categories to designate what your story/piece is. Dark is completely correct in pointing you to the 'Site Help' tab. There is even a topic called 'New Author Help: How to Post a Story'. Please read everything carefully. Not only does it explain the specific fields and how/what to fill in, it explains our content rules, posting guidelines regarding frequency and submission size requirements, ect... The more thorough you are, the less likely you will end up with a PM from me telling you there are problems with your submission that you must correct before I can approve it.

Cailen does make some very nice signatures for people, very personalized.

LOL. I've had quite a few people mention that they'd figure GA to be more like Nifty with some really ... hinky stories and forums. Nope, not the case here. Though I can't vouch for everyone, lol, we're a pretty good website with some diverse members and tons of great info about writing. Welcome Hayden.

I've copied this, and pinned it, in a new topic in the Writer's Corner on the main forum page.

I've had this question posed to be several times before in relation to posting in GA Stories, and I've always thought just disclaiming your lack of owernship in the story/chapter notes to them was good enough. Since I never quote books or lyrics, I've not run across this issue myself. Thanks for the clarification, Kingdom!

Pacing in a story is very important. I've read a lot about story arcs. Especially in a short story like this, and yes it's a Wednesday Brief story, I have to be really careful how I present the story. Cooper and Owen have a lot of passion built up with their online friendship and consequent relationship in person. I love those beginnings; the emotions are so very explosive and consuming! It makes for good story material. I'm not going to tell who Pete is before next week though. Sorry!! LOL Thanks so much for the review Cannd!

Once a long distance relationship, which they sort of had, is over any time apart is too hard! Yeah, Pete was a wrench I threw at readers with no explanation this week. Darn 1k limit! More will be coming next week; thanks for reviewing Lisa.

I was asking in chat the other day to see if wending was too obscure for the average person. I'm a giant geek who likes to read dictionaries, so I'm always wondering if I'm letting my brainiac side show too much. LOL Thanks for reading Carrie; I'm glad you like where the story is headed!

Nope, you didn't miss it. Pete is a mystery! You'll find out next week though.

"What do you mean you have to go back?" My hands lower my camera from my face slowly. I'd been staring at a decaying cherub fountain, walking around it to get a good angle to show the curve of the cheek along with the slowly consuming moss. I turn to stare at Cooper. He has his hands jammed into the pockets of my windbreaker. He scuffs one shoe through the damp grass. "Well, I have to pack up my apartment and I should explain to my family exactly why I'm not coming back home. My parents know

Nah, that's just what I do for kicks and giggles!

Gotta love the female character. She's great with the comedic effect to break up the histronics. Lots of drama here, which is good and bad. Relationships are crazy, especially in the beginning and you add in outing and such, but remember to keep this all in proportion. Honestly, I'd like to see a bit more of Ogre and LM's lives beyond the drama. More on the art, especially. I think Ogre'd be a lot happier if he was able to pursue something he loves (beyond LM) like his art.

Must not let this day pass unnoticed!! Happy Birthday Rush! For all the support and care you give to others, I hope it's returned ten fold, especially on your birthday! Have a great day hun!

Chiraptophobia aka fear of being touched. I can tolerate it without flipping out from my loved ones but I quite often jerk away from strangers, especially if the contact is unexpected. This was almost exclusively related to adults, as I grew up, and now is limited there (thankfully since I like kids and have tons of nieces and nephews to play with). There are only a few adults I will touch willingly. The second is directly related to the first, called Enocholophobia aka fear of being in a crowd. I've never gone to a concert, I only go to the theater if we go in very early and either leave before anyone else or after everyone else leaves and I don't have to sit next to anyone I don't know, and the few times I've tried to Black Friday shop? Niiiightmares. Literally.

Great tips Cassie!