Cia

A very good point, several in fact, Robert. Thank you for sharing such a personal message and how our view changes in life and can reflect upon other situations around us.

Thank you so much Carrie! Did you know those are real? Yeah, I know, I'm a horrible thief. Real survivors of lightning strikes can often get markings exactly like I described. They're burns from the path of the lightning. They're called Lichtenburg figures (or flowers) and they can create awesome natural fractals. Tucker's ... well, let's just say that Tucker's aren't exactly going to be completely natural, being as he isn't exactly natural. I do so love to take existing things and make them my own. Depending on how much I make for sales I've actually been considering getting a Lichtenburg flower tattoo myself. This is one of my favorite designs.

I'd like to mention, at the time this was written, the question was up in the air to my readers about whether or not I'd continue the story for a short while (it won't end up being beyond 6k) or leave it as a solo flash piece. They all voted for it to continue, so while the first chapter can definitely stand alone, I will be continuing the story through the month of October. A big thank you goes out to Louis for his very thoughtful, and complimentary, review.

I'd wish you a Happy Birthday, if you ever came around... you know ... ever.

Happy Birthday, Cyn!!

Welcome CrazyFish!

Happy Birthday!!!

Huzzah for the shit stirring spoon!!! (and truthfully, for the snarky little whiny wench that brought the crap to your other boss and hopefully also got told where to stick her assumption you'd do her work too!)

Darn it! Cooper kept trying to change his name at first, LOL! I'll fix that, and I'm so glad you're enjoying this story. Thanks Lisa!

You know what though? It's a hugely popular genre, especially here on GA. Making your own stand out in a genre that is so popular can be difficult but it can be done. Since just about every twist known to man has been written, a lot of authors of teen stories tend to really focus on their characters. How relatable, endearing, amusing, ect ... they are, will keep readers coming back. The great thing about GA is the amount of feedback you can get, as well as the advice and examples to follow from fellow authors. Make sure you guys are checking the forums for topics you'd like to comment on, creating topics for your stories and interacting with your readers. That's been the most valuable resource I've found on GA myself.

Welcome Barry!!

Really? Wow! I hope next months go well for you!!

"La petite morte. Suffer the ravages daily!" Owen smirks as he reads my luggage sticker. Our first kiss, even one that amazing, had to end sometime. I am still snuggled in his arms though, the place I've wanted to be for a long time now. I grin. "Well they say to put something distinctive on your luggage so you know it’s yours." "That'll do it." His laugh turns into a yawn. It is past late, almost early morning. "Sorry. You must be exhausted, mate, and you have to work in a few hours." His t

Feedback varies from reader to reader. Authors also take criticism in different manners. Giving honest reviews that help authors hinges on how they are given and received. That has always been a cornerstone of the debate on how to review and/or critique here at GA. There will never been an agreement between the various platforms, imo. The interesting dynamic on GA that often is not found on other sites is that direct connection in this community style. I've posted and participated as both an author and a reader on other sites and this one is definitely unique. Sometimes that is a beneficial relationship, other times there is friction based on the manner of the interactions occuring beyond the reading and then reviewing of a story. Since we, as authors, cannot keep those readers who choose to be abrasive silent before they leave at least one review, we can choose how we react to them. Not everyone will be doing it deliberately, so it is important to be able to read reviews with the reminder that this is someone's reaction to your story, for good or bad. While it can be difficult to be objective when someone is insulting your hard work, it is important to remember that is just their opinion. Especially on GA, it should be kept in mind that the reader's judgement can, and likely is, highly subjective because of the close contact between readers and authors. When push comes to shove, if you disagree because you feel the reviewer is being a troll, or just don't feel their review is worth your time to respond to it, don't. Put it from your mind and move on. If it really bothers you and it is occuring here on GA, simply ask that member not to review your work any longer as you view it as harassment. Save the pm/review/forum posts where you do so.Then, if they don't comply, contact a staff member.

Hmm... quite raunchy in spots, LOL. I like the chapter, and the mix of the emotional issues that LM has, along with Ogre. I also liked that you have Ogre another side, 'Steve the artist' and let us know a little about why he might freak out. Parental expectations, even when they aren't from overly-machismo'ed dads, can be difficult to buck.

Happy Birthday hun!

Whoops! Day late. Bad Cia, bad! I hope you had a lovely birthday Steve!!

I like this but... seriously, did your stomach drop on the but? LOL. You have good characters, an obvious source of angst, and you gave us a good bit of history. I found the timeline a little disjointed, not quite sure what age they were when ... I thought perhaps they were teenagers and then adults in the different sections, but I'm still not sure. One tip, when you say 'Okay, Mom' the word 'mom' is being used as a name, so it has to be capitalized. If you have someone saying "I'm telling your mom." then you're describing that person and the word is lowercase. Where you go from here is really open. I'd like to see a 2nd story arc, beyond the drama between Will and Harvey liking each other and not admitting it, or their sexuality. Coming out/of age stories are popular, but you really need to create vivid and relatable characters to keep readers coming back for more when they can so easily read the same plot line in a dozen other stories. Or, you can make it your own and change things up. Just keep writing and sharing!

Welcome Jimmy! Good start to your story!

Well thank you! If you're confused about the site in general, check out the Site Help tab. We have a whole list of 'help' topics, including a great one by Myr that teaches readers all about GA. Stories and how to make it work for you with searches. My pm box is always open for questions as well.

I know I said it before, but thank you! (I also said I'd reply days ago, oops! Sorry!!) I'm really glad you enjoyed this. I did want it to feel 'complete' in a way, so that if my readers on my blog chose the option of starting a new story each week, or continuing one for the duration of a month, I could go either way with this. I've not yet done so, but I do plan to use the weekly prompts to continue the story. I hope that the next chapter is equally as strong. The elements you mention, the descriptions interspersed throughout the story, along with the emotional climx, were exactly the elements I focused on. You really do pick up on things! Thank you. It's gratifying to know that what I am trying to accomplish is actually working. As for the pacing ... well, I had 1k. Can't dawdle with that few words available. This actually was 1k on the dot (without GA Stories additions for the submission fields added) LOL. I used every word that I could. Again, thank you so much for reading and for the lovely review. It made my day when I first read it and again when I've come to reply to it.

Happy Birthday Daddydavek!

ALL politics on the site belong in the Soapbox. That has always been the rule. There is a place for things, and that is the place for it. The 'contentious' rule is beside the point.

It all depends on the dynamic you have with your beta, and how you work with them. Dark's examples are wonderful, and definitely highlight the kind of feedback that can help an author see the story from outside eyes. His beta offers concise opinions, backs them up and then offers suggestions. I love that approach. I enjoy doing beta work. I did a partial chapter read this morning with comments, just to find out the authors decided to just let me read it for now, and let me do an initial beta after the first chapter. My comments might still apply to sections, if they're not edited, so I saved them anyway. I did get to have a rousing conversation with one of the authors about different aspects of the story that I read that could easily translate into upcoming scenes and ideas that I had on where it could go, but hadn't yet. I still consider that doing beta work, even if it's not showing up on any file. A few of the people I talk to offer the same to me. I think any relationship between the author and the beta relies on their ability to converse honestly and openly about the stories. However you do that - whether it is before, after, or during writing - it can only help. Even if I don't agree with my betas on parts of a story, I do love to hear their input on scenes, or possible scenes, as sometimes it simply cements my own ideas based on explaining my thoughts. They push me creatively and my stories are the beneficiaries of that relationship.

You are the sunshine of my dark, lonely nighttime bright my desire I snort and glance at the computer. Where is he? I know I'm going a little crazy. Hell, I’m writing poetry, the last thing anyone would expect me to do. Maybe it's the fact that my inspiration isn't someone I know in real life. My sunshine is someone I've never even met. I scowl. What face to face we do have is late at night for me, early morning for him. We started talking after I noticed some book reviews he'd written tha