Cia

Hi readers! Check out the story discussion forum for my newest novella posted today, Burden of Secrets, available in the Premium section of GA Stories. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to hit me with questions, thoughts, criticisms, mentions of typos (pesky things always seem to slip through from time to time) or anything else you might think up! Burden of Secrets by Cia Description: They both have secrets they want to hide. Chris isn't out and his break-up with a waitress at the restaurant his father owns, and he's interning at, results in a lot of pain for someone else. He has to take care of Niel as much as he has to hide how much he wants him. There's something about him that draws Chris in. But Niel's hiding too, from some very bad ... people. Will he have the courage to tell Chris everything and will Chris still want him afterward?

Thanks for all the great reviews of Jwolf's story! Don't forget to nominate a story for next month too!

It's that time again! Can't Stop Reading (CSR) Book Discussion Day! This month we are discussing Nowhere Man by Jwolf. This roughly 45,000 word modern story was published back in 2011 and was nominated on last month's discussion day by Percy. If you haven't read the story yet, please be aware the following review will have several spoilers, and several of the comments most likely will as well. My review: I hadn't read this story in a long, long time. So, in preparation for today I read it again. The comment by a reader I highlighted on the day we revealed the chosen story sort of said it all for me. I wasn't quite sure what to think as I read it, and even after I finished it. There were some interesting themes and ideas in the story. The letters left by Travis' father were a very interesting plot device that led to a fundamental theme in Travis' psyche. The statement he most wished to embody, "Protect Love Above All Else". The story follows Travis' attempts to find love and keep it. The story is completely insane though, and I had to put aside a ton of belief that any rational being would have even considered doing the things Travis did. Tyler, the other lead character, was a completely psychotic character but in that quiet, no one would ever think he'd do that something like that, personality. Wade wasn't any better but the idea of a 'stupid clown' like him as a little humorous and freaky at the same time. I found Tyler's *ahem* fluid sexuality to be very interesting. It was a major factor in the story that prompted all sorts of things. Travis was gay, and knew it, but he seemed to have no idea what he should actually DO with another man. Not just sexually either, though actual sex scenes were many in the story, but on an emotional level. He was an idealistic idiot, to be truthful. I kept thinking, damn man, you epitomize the too flipping stupid to live character. And he kept shacking up with nut jobs! At the end, the relationship left was completely out of left field. I couldn't even begin to believe the story as 'real' even though it was modern but it kept me reading. I wanted to see if Travis would end up like that ditzy cheerleader that always goes outside in bad horror flicks. This story had exactly that vibe, and kept me watching for al the same reasons those kitchy b-flicks do. They're great, in their own special, iconic, totally off the beaten path way. So, all in all, I enjoyed Nowhere Man quite a bit. How about you? Please consider leaving your comments/reviews/thoughts and ratings here in the discussion blog. If not here, think about leaving some in the story too! Also, I'd like to see some nominations for next month's feature! We need a completed story, between 20-90k. The chosen story will be announced next week! Just post the story you'd like to see here.

Hi Seb! Welcome to GA. Lots of Comsie fans come here too, and you can find tons more great stories in GA Stories. I can't say as I'm a fan of bowties, but whatever turns your crank I guess, LOL!

Very interesting beginning. I love how you introduced the characters and their personalities/appearances in this first chapter. I can't help but wonder what type of 'episode' that Ryan needs meds for, and why he's so tense. I'm a sucker for wounded protagonists so this story is right up my alley. I was actually hoping I'd find it posted elsewhere when I checked so I could read ahead, even though I've mountains of editing to do today-I was totally willing to slack off and read this i nstead. LOL

I haven't read this one yet, but I loved Layla's other story. I just need a few more hours in the day! Thanks for the great promo, Yettie, it just makes me want to find more time to read. Bye-bye sleep, lol!

Whoops, that's on me. I thought this was part of the story, like a bridge between chapters, not stories. In that case, to view more of what comes after this prompt, check out Mann's post in the Prompt Forum, here.

TGIF! Thank goodness it's Friday and we all know that means prompts! Check out this week's inspirations from our lovely prompt guru, Comicfan. Prompt 210: As if things didn't go wrong normally, you were killed accidentally this morning when a bus driver swerved on a wet road to avoid a kitten and plowed right into the coffee shop where you were waiting to get your morning coffee. Instead of a trip to heaven or hell, you are met and told you are actually going to work as grim reaper. What is your first day on the job like? Prompt 211: You just won an all access pass to see your favorite singer. Who is it and what is it like? For our feature, we are showcasing a piece inspired in part off Prompt 208 from last week by Mann Rambling. This was his first stab at using prompts and it seems like he got some pretty good inspiration! This is just the beginning of his prompt response and there's quite a bit more to read in the story before this was used in a later chapter. Check it out from the beginning here, The Luxorian Fugitive.

OH hell no! I like getting to ogle both sexes. Being open no matter the gender or orientation of a person means that I focus on the person I like (or body type I'm attracted to, I can admit to having preferences at first 'sight') rather than their body parts. I like being who I am; I've been comfortable as me for quite some time. Now, and this is by no means complaining about my married status, but sometimes I really miss those moments of first meeting someone and getting to know them. It'd be fun to experience that again without any threat to my current relationship, lol. I guess that's why I write so many first meeting romances.

What a great new feature and way to get to know the many authors here on GA! I feel for both Cassie and Podiumdavis, having some elements of similar situations myself (and having faced questions much alike). I'm always interested in reading other author's motivations on their writing techniques too. Writing in first is hard though! Thanks to the authors for answering the questions and a ton of thanks to Dark for organizing this new feature!

Oh great topic for me to read 2 weeks before the kids and I fly cross-country to Florida. Niiiice. Truthfully, I've flown a lot and never had more than turbulence. Lucky me. I'm more afraid of being the adult on the plane with the annoying ass kids than being on the plane in general, lol.

Blending the expected bits of modern society with your fantasy is vital when you cross genres. Fantasy characters need to feel human to readers to make them relatable. Adding in foibles or characteristics we can understand can make them someone/thing we can understand. Determining the rules of your world and how they can be like ours, and how they differ, is vital so you can explain those elements. Fantasy can let men be pregnant, or make a rabbit talk, or blend a person and animal into a new species... but above all, it must make sense. That angle is a bit different than what I was intending the discussion on this to be, however, you can find other discussions on follow the 'rules' of our world on GA too. They're both important elements to creating a great story.

Read, read, read. The more words you 'know' the more words you can spell. Our minds typically begin to know how to spell words by seeing them often. This works for most people, though not everyone, and it is the best when started as a young child. The second thing you can do is actively learn. Research common spelling mistakes and grammar rules like break and brake, theirs and there, conscience and conscious. The English language is a cluster of contradictory rules and exceptions, but a good writer should make the effort, otherwise they will never have great stories. Relying on spellcheck isn't going to cut it because just putting in the wrong letters won't trigger a 'this is spelled incorrectly' if you are using the wrong word. It happens to all of us; you're researching, or writing, or reading, and you find out that you're doing things improperly. I used to use 'alright' all the time until I finally learned that is should always be 'all right'. I learned; I pass along that tip. Even if you're not in school, you can be learning, scratch that, you should be learning. If you have a hard time figuring that stuff out on your own, find a beta or editor online or in your real life. Realize that everyone makes mistakes and if you don't want the masses to see-and comment-on yours then you need fresh eyes and a different person to help you find them. Finding a good working relationship means you have to be open to input and and learn to fix the mistakes you didn't know you were making.

No celebrating most of the yearly 'holidays' for me. If the hubby's being a particular butt head I might get him a soppy card to reassure him he's appreciated on V-day. The kids always get a little heart box of chocolates and maybe a few doodads. I wait til the day after to buy chocolates if I'm gonna buy them, hello 50% off just for being one day later. Chocolate tastes better when its been purchased for good deal, lol. Of course I don't celebrate my birthday and don't really do gifts on my anniversary either. Mother's day means breakfast in bed, but that's all, which was so not a treat one year, who puts strawberries and cream cheese in an omelet? Ewwww. I ate it though. I find that too many people worry about over the top displays on certain days. I appreciate the time when the hubby picks up dinner so I don't have to cook, or runs to the store to buy me a bushel of bananas and juice when I have the stomach flu. I like it when my kids color me pictures for no reason, or give me random hugs and I love yous. That stuff means more than junk food and sparkly cards that end up in the recycling bin.

Sometimes crap happens. I still think you should just say I am not going to worry about writing at all for 2 weeks. Then re-address in 2 weeks and see how you feel. Give yourself permission not to have the expectation that you should be writing.

Hi Mike! The discussion will take place here in the Monday blog on Feb. 25th. I start off the month with the kick off like this, then have a new blog post with a feature about the story, and/or some discussion questions. Then readers can leave their comments and/or reviews there, as well as discuss back and forth. At that time you can also nominate a story for the next month's CSR Book Club selection.

Welcome back!! Can't wait to see what else you might start posting.

I find it harder to finish things I'm not posting. I don't have the impetus of a conversation between me and the readers to give me ideas and to keep me motivated. You might consider using a beta to help with that. Many work along with an author during a story, not just after the story is done.

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True, MJ, which is why Nephy's story wasn't a very long one either. We were a week late in announcing it last month due to the holiday schedules. I'm glad people like this month's selection, can't wait to see the discussion!

Hi again readers! We had some great feedback and thoughts on last books kick off book club selection. I appreciate all of the time readers invested in participating. This month I've picked a selection from the suggestions made by commenters last month. As February is a short month, so the discussion will take place on February 25th. I truly hope we can continue to see success with the book club! Okay, on to this month's selection! Drumroll ......... Nowhere Man by Jwolf Length: 44,350 Rating: Mature Description: Travis has given up on finding love. That is until he meets this stranger that leads him everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Some Thoughts From A Reader: OK, this was interesting and a little weird to read. And I don´t know exactly what to think after I´ve just finished it a couple of minutes ago. Have fun reading, and don't forget, the discussion date for this story is February 25th!

Hi Finn, good for you for posting! I found a few things to question when reading this ... twin moons? Is it an alternate world? Futuristic? What's up with that girl's dad? And the strange boy that was flirting... So there are things that would make me want to read more. However, a few things also caught my eye you can work on. First, indents in online reading are really hard on the eyes. You might consider taking those out, it isn't standard to use them actually. The other things relate to your writing. I found the mix of characters to be confusing and I couldn't remember their names and they didn't stand out. Especially when working with the teen genre you need to make your characters stand out because there are so many of those stories here you have to set yourself apart from them to avoid sharing a story we feel like we've read a bunch of times. So work on making each character fully realized and unique by adding in small details-not just their looks but maybe habits too. You have a habit of using a speech tag with every line of dialogue when that isn't necessary and is actually frowned up by most experienced writers. Google 'use of speech tags' or 'use of said-bookisms'. It is far better to use action or an emotion from a character to relate how they are talking/to whom/in what setting. That creates a better visual for the reader. Check out the Writer's Corner here, and some of the past blogs. There have been quite a few tip blogs written up about teen stories, speech tags, and creating unique and fully realized characters. Whatever you do, keep writing!

"It's me again, Margaret!" No, I'm not quite that old but my Dad controlled the TV growing up. For you young'uns, maybe this will prompt you to google it; the man was funny! Okay, so this week I'm bringing you two more great prompts from our resident flash fiction guru man, Comicfan and a prompt selection from a new GA Author, Wicked Witch! First, our dose of weekly inspiration: Prompt 206 – Creative Tag – The Dance There is a long standing story that if any of the fairy folk ask you to dance, never say yes. Unfortunately you never liked to listen to people and you said yes. What happens when you are finally done with the dance? Prompt 207 – Creative Tag – The Fixer They say for everything there is an opposite. So what is the opposite of those tricky jinns who have people make terrible wishes that end up destroying their lives totally? Meet a fixer. What do they do? Now, on to our weekly highlight of prompt creativity! Wicked Witch posted his very first story here on GA using prompt #201 as inspiration for the first chapter in his new serial story, Dancing With Fate.

Actually I had to take weightlifting for 45 minutes a day for the last year and a half of school since that was the only half-period class before my chorus class that was available that I hadn't already taken 4 times. There was one other girl. We could both bench 140. In home ec they usually let the guys sew stuffed animal kits for their girlfriends instead of making clothes like some of the girls did. I objected to both and ended up making the teacher's sewing machine covers she wanted done. You should have seen most of those guys in the kitchen though, boy were they enthused (it helped they got to eat their creations, well, when the creations were edible!) LOL The basic thing to learn from that? We're all different. We all have different preferences, and what gender we are attracted to has very little to do with that. Does being gay mean a man automatically knows what colors go together and how to do interior decorating? No. Does being gay mean a man will swish when he walks or talks or like to get mani/pedi's and say girlfriend all the time? No Hell, not all gay men are even interested in the same types of sex as other gay men, just like not all women are into the same types of sex either. To some extent our preferences will always define us. Some people come out because they feel they are hiding it but not 'sharing', even if they shouldn't have to. Some people come out because they want to be with someone openly, like their 'straight' friends are. Some people just know who they are and don't care who knows. No matter what, it is always impressive when a person is willing to be who they are, even if that means they might not be accepted by others.