Cia

Awwww *hands you a tissue* Umm, sorry you cried? Thanks for taking the time to comment in a review! Actually, that's a huge writing boost to know my story affected you so much. There isn't a much higher compliment than that, honestly. The next story in the series is called 'Two of a Kind' and it's currently ongoing. I've most of it posted and I post once a week usually. It's almost done, just one or two more chapters to go. I hope you enjoy it as much as you did this story!!

LOL. Very much so. I have a GA friend who is rather anti-Obama and he inspired this in me. I don't even know where the idea came from I just sat down and wrote this within 20 minutes. One of my more disturbing pieces I have to say but all I could do was grin when I wrote the final line. Twists are sooo much fun to write!

Very little pain and just a sweet sweet kiss at the end. I am flattered that you have read so many of my stories in the last few days and I really appreciate you leaving reviews. One of the things I strive for the most when I write is letting each story follow it's own natural progression. Life isn't all about the ending and while the characters live only in my head they deserve to have as 'real' a story as I can give them. This was my second stab at a short story so in order to keep myself from going overboard I made it very simple and that really worked for the storyline. Thanks again for reading!!

I hope you had a great birthday dear! Big hugs!!!

Sorry, life for me was a lot of stuff to get through before the happy part came. I think I appreciate my life all the more because of that though. If you would like a 'non-horror' story try Changing Focus, very little angst and pain in that one!!

Yay! I'm glad you liked this. I was toying with using dramatic monologue where the narrator is the character telling the story to the audience. The trick was incorporating the story within that monlogue and not using any dialogue. I used to think writing dialogue was hard but this was much more difficult. Really the intent of the story wasn't that Brandon, the ex-girlfriend, and the narrator were in a three way relationship. The issue was that Brandon was cheating and if that is something a healthy relationship can withstand. Thanks so much for reviewing and commenting, it has definitely been a story to get a wide range of feedback.

Ask if they have a butterfly needle available. I demand they use those because I have the same issue with rolling veins. The needle is really thin and it has these little plastic wings on it they grab to insert it. Usually it only takes once to get a vein when they use it on me. Most med staff don't like to use them because they take longer to fill the vials than a regular needle will because the blood goes through a thin tube before hitting the vial. However, when it's their arm being stuck they can choose, while it's mine I demand what I know works without them needing to stick me multiple times.

To everyone posting in these identical Lounge and Q&A topics, they were merged. Just fyi.

Well it depends on what you mean by 'commonality'. Do you mean your story progression such as how the characters meet and interact? Are your characters all similar heights and weights, ages, jobs? Do you use similar pairings for relationships through each story? There are different writers who do use a similar style throughout their writings, such as those who prefer set relationship styles: bear/twink stories, adult/young adult, jock/geek, dom/sub. Really, as MarkSen mentioned, as long as the commonality isn't a predictable plot device or progression used over and over with different characters you should be fine. Oh, and I definitely recommend John's suggestion of trying new things with the Quarterly Anthologies. I've explored specific writing styles with short stories for them because it's less pressure than a chapter story and you're already looking to put a twist on a common theme other writers will use. It pushes you to think beyond your comfort zone sometimes. I've posted short stories and anthologies where I explored first and third person, mixing first and third person, dramatic monologue, allegorical stories... Lately I've begun toying with an idea with a framing style story such as Arabian Nights or Frankenstein. Not every story you write exploring a new technique will turn out well or be well received but it's good to try new things.

I think you can have a style and still mix it up. All of my writing has a similar feel and typically involves new relationships. However, if you look at a sampling of different stories you'd see that the stories behind that are all vastly different. I try to mix up the plots and come up with new ideas in different genres. I've used first and third person though I've come to favor third person. Sometimes I write in the modern genre, sometimes fantasy, sometimes I combine the two. I've had 20 somethings, teenagers, older/younger couplings (both overage still)... The challenge isn't to change your style if it works for you, as to just changing your approach. Think up characters and become them. A story told from the perspective of a 16 year old guy is going to sound vastly different than one told from the perspective of his father, no matter what style you use. Try different genres, mystery, fantasy, drama, romance, comedy, tragedy. You never know what you are truly good at until you try it. Don't box yourself into one aspect of your writing ability.

Very good story. The use of second person narrative definitely gave it a different feel. While the plot has been done your approach to it and the way you showcased the characters made it interesting and kept it from being too cliche. Drew and Sean were definitely characters you want to hug and make all better. I'm glad you gave the story a happy ending.

Great start! I loved seeing more of Lucca and finally finding out who Matt is and why he is so special. Teenagers are blind, aren't they? Good job incorporating all of the comments and suggestions made from your Sneak Peek preview. I can't wait to see chapter 2.

Here in the US at least, you have the right to REFUSE any staff to be in your room at any time for any reason. So if you come across said nurse again and you have the power, use it. I once kicked a nurse out of my room after she stuck me 5 times to try and get blood. I truly hope the surgery gets you feeling better.

"Let's get you inside." Getting out of the car took quite a bit of work. Cavel had to pry Bashta's arms from around his chest and gently coax him from his place in the backseat. As soon as they were standing Cavel swung the slighter man up into his arms to keep his bare feet off the sharp gravel. It was probably unnecessary but Bashta just huddled into him, his long legs dangling limp. Saulle hurried ahead of them and opened the door. Walking in sideways Cavel made his way to the living room.

Muscle weighs more than fat dear. If you feel good about exercising and you don't feel bad when you don't manage to get to it in the course of everyday life then it's great. It's healthy and gives you something to do. But if you begin to feel obsessed then you should try to scale back a little, too much exercise can be harmful just like too little.

This story is pretty good! It took me a bit to get used to your writing style but there were few typos and I was very caught up in the conflict in Jim based on the stresses without and within. I like the full circle feeling of the story though, with the two similar yet very different scenes with the store clerk at the beginning and ends.

Awww, so sorry!! That's just awful. I have back pain but mine is muscular. However, I know how badly it can hurt and that flexeril, vicodin and ibuprofen is what they usually hit me with too. Maybe you can try some of those water flavor packets to make it more palatable?

I've never understood why any person shouldn't be allowed to be married. Marriage isn't easy and it's not for a lot of people but that's based on their personalities, not their sexualities. I say if someone is willing to stand up and make that commitment then they should be allowed to. It doesn't hurt me. I definitely think the way most of us were raised, to be tolerant of other's differences and to let go of stereotypes has definitely changed the voting trends. Based on the repeal of DADT the Navy is considering allowing military chaplains to perform marriages for same sex couples in states that allow it. They announced the decision and then reversed it under pressure of course, to allow the lawyers more time to 'study the decision'. Hopefully it will be a step in the right direction though as the older, more closeminded generations disappear from power.

As an atheist those folks don't bother me with what they say, it's how they choose to say it. I mean, blaming some invisible entity for their own feelings, as if that somehow makes it okay to hate? They should be ashamed.

All I's got to send you is love. Can't make the universe a nicer entity, though a good swift kick is certainly warranted. Germs are beyond my warfare capabilities though I try every damn day to kill as many of those suckers before they get me, which they inevitably do, rat bastards that they are. Or maybe it's just that our bodies are really double agents and traitors and invite them and all other weaknesses in. It certainly can't be the running outside in my shorts and t-shirt barefoot to catch the picture of the buck in the backyard this morning at 8 am while it's 48f (or 8C to you). No way that sort of thing is the reason. Bureaucracy and paperwork... You sure you don't believe in some form of higher power? Cause whatever came up with those two things definitely qualifies as THE devil in my book. Grab your torch and pitchfork, maybe we can have a good old fashioned mob and do away with the lot!! So, as I said, all I's got is love. Hope it reaches you and warms your day just a smidge. We all love you!!

Welcome Peerless, Patrick, Dannsar, and Dan! It's always nice to see new faces and readers here on GA. I hope to see more of you all here active on the forums and in GA Stories. If you have any questions feel free to send me a pm or leave me a comment on my profile. We were all new once and I remember how confusing the site could be.

Actually, you can't edit reviews. Not even I can. However, I noticed you did a story review and not a chapter review. If you really feel it necessary you can post a chapter review for the first or last chapter and apologize there. I know you did a very in depth review and I'd hate having typos in something like that but I don't think anyone is going to garotte you or anything. You didn't keep doing it throughout the review so it'll most likely make people shake their heads a little and move on. Your person should remain pretty safe.

Very good short story overall! Interesting way to end it, as well. I was wondering about the bold print throughout but figured this last chapter would fill those questions in. I like that they stay together and the little 'afterward' that you slip in so handily by making this a letter which lets you skip actually writing the scenes. The ending itself of the 'story' seems a bit incomplete, however. I know they are professing their decision to be together and how they truly feel but it seems so dispassionate. Where are the physical signs? Touching each other, smiles, eye contact, hugging, kissing... there are so many ways you could indicate their feelings for each other physically but you don't show us that. I can't think of a single time I haven't expressed my emotion to someone and not had some physical sign of it be apparent. I'd like to see that with the ending here a bit more than you've given us.

The give and take between the characters as they start talking is spot on for timing in the story. Nothing is resolved but we get to see so much more of where they are coming from and how they both feel. Your plot is very good for a character story, I'm drawn into their emotions and that makes me want to read more to see how things turn out. Well done. A few times throughout this chapter I became confused about who was talking and who was 'thinking' so to speak. I would lose track between Bill talking and Josh thinking about what Bill said and then responding and then Josh responding. I usually don't like to use too many speech tags so I try to use the character's motions and actions to indicate who is talking. You are pretty good at setting the scene that way but when they begin really talking you tend to just use dialogue which makes it a little confusing.

Very emotional chapter! The pacing is good and the characters really make you feel for them. Bill's inability to deal with his feelings for me that make him fear being caught, Josh's rage at his inability to express himself both make for two very different reactions. Your writing is very good though you have a few typos. If you don't have a beta or editor I have a suggestion I try to use. Once I finish a spellcheck in Word, I start at the end of a chapter and read it paragraph by paragraph. That way I don't get caught up in the story and I tend to catch more errors.