Renee Stevens

I hope you all enjoyed the last Improve & Encourage feature, because it's time for another one. These features are meant to both provide feedback to authors and, similar to story reviews, point out stories that readers might not otherwise have found. It's similar to a review, in that the person doing the critique tells you what they liked about the story, but it differs in that they also provide constructive criticism. Each author signed up to participate, and sign up's are still open! These will post once a month until we no longer have content. Once that happens, I will critique the last author that posted. If you'd like to provide a critique for the blog, sign up in the thread. I'm hoping to have a lot more authors sign up, and just remember, by signing up, you are also volunteering to have your story critiqued and featured. Puppy Love Renee Stevens Critiqued by: Valkerie Summary: Blaine and Levi meet under rather embarrassing circumstances. Blaine has just gone through a bad break-up and is not prepared for the effect Levi has on him. They are brought together through their mutual concern over a found puppy. Adversity is nipping at their heels though, and they go through more than their share of trials and tribulations at the hand of Blaine’s ex. Strengths: This story is riveting from the beginning. It has plenty of action both in and out of the bedroom, and it has a puppy! I love stories that feature animals, and Ruff’s antics throughout the story mesh well with the storyline. Renee creates relatable characters who provoke a sense of empathy and make the reader root for their success. I thought the development of Blaine and Levi’s relationship flowed well and developed at a natural pace. Renee also develops conflict to drive the story forward and throws several wrenches at the characters just to keep them on their toes. I binge-read the last several chapters because I simply couldn’t stop reading. She threw conflict on top of conflict and then added a little bit more. I had to remind myself to breathe at times, and to slow down so I could process what I was reading! Weaknesses/Areas of Improvement: This is one of Renee’s earlier stories, so these comments are not reflective of her current writing skills. The story needs a good tune-up from an editor, as there are quite a few misused/misspelled words and repeated words, along with the overuse of characters’ names in dialogue. There are couple of scenes I found implausible, The other major weakness, IMO, also occurs near the end of the story, Despite its weaknesses, it’s still a good read that will make you laugh, facepalm, and want to immediately go out and pet a puppy. lol What was your favorite part? It’s hard to pick a favorite part. I was torn between the beginning and the ending, but I think I’m going to go with Chapter Two when Blaine and Levi first meet. The interplay between them made me chuckle, and Levi’s tenacity was annoying, but endearing at the same time. As he approached, Blaine locked gazes with the man and had to force himself not to turn around and go back into the relative safety of the water. Reaching his towel and the man standing next to it, Blaine bent over and grabbed up his towel off the ground, all too conscious of the man’s gaze. Blaine quickly secured the towel around his waist before turning and facing the guy standing next to him. The guy who had intruded on his peace and quiet. “Can I help you?” Blaine asked, his tone stating that he was not happy at being disturbed. “Nah, was just out wandering.” “And you just happened to end up here, huh? Okay, sure, sorry if I find that a bit hard to believe.” “Skeptical, that's nice to know. Name’s Levi,” the man said holding out a hand. “Blaine,” Blaine answered, reluctantly grasping the hand that was extended towards him. At the first touch of Levi’s skin on his own, Blaine felt a warmth creep over his body, causing him to quickly pull away. “So, what exactly are you doing around here?” “Like I said, I was just wandering, I’m camped about a mile west of here, just wanted to see what else was around here.” “A mile huh? That’s interesting, considering the nearest approved campsite to this place is about two miles away, and that’s where all the tourist crap is. There’s not a whole lot to see out this way.” “I wouldn’t necessarily say that, I think I found something worth exploring.”

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you have all had a great week! Just a reminder that you still have another month to read Christmas stories to participate in next months CSR Discussion day. You can read more about the December and January CSR here. Now, since I'm running late with the wrap up, let's get to it! Contests 2018 Summer Novella Anthology: Summer - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthologies 2018 Spring Anthology: Now or Never - Due May 15th 2018 Spring Anthology: Encounters - Due May 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Fight Back - Due Nov 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Good Intentions - Due Nov 15th Blog Opportunities Story Critique: Open to all GA authors. Sign up here. Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Dreams of a Father by dkstories; Book 2 of Dreams of Humanity *Premium* Signature Updates: 319 Winesap Lane by CarlHoliday Angel's Heart by Nephylim Cozy Contemplations by Headstall Denied by Cia Musings of a Mongoose by Cynus One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews Translation Trashbin by AC Benus; Book 7 of Verse Promising Updates: Cider Press by Parker Owens My Perfect Christmas by Caz Pedroso Ripped by craftingmom Special Occasion Stories by Caz Pedroso timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy

I hope everyone is having a great week! It's time for this weeks prompts, supplied by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Just a reminder, and for those who haven't worked with the prompts before: prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 634 – Creative Tag – The Romance Cover Model He is the man who has graced a hundred romance novels. His long hair, broad chest, and sheer masculinity has captured the imagination of hundreds of readers. You have been asked to interview him. What sorts of things would you ask, knowing he has been interviewed dozens of times before? How would you try to approach him so he comes away as more than just a piece of meat selling romance? Prompt 635 – Creative Tag – The Choice For most of your life things have gone wrong, but last few months were beyond perfect. Your job has seen your worth promoting you, and you are dating a man who loves and respects you. But the last forty eight hours have seen your boss offer you the job of your dreams, only it is in an office on the other side of the country. At the same time, your boyfriend proposes and tells you the child he had with his ex is going to be his now after winning his court case and he wants you to help pick out a new home for all of you that will be close to the school and his aging parents. Which option do you take and why? Did you write a prompt response last week? Don't forget to share it below.

I hope everyone has had a great week so far! If you haven't already done so, please check out Myr's announcement about the Birthday Policy Change. If you find yourself feeling like you're going in circles, and that you can't seem to get 100% complete, check to see if you've selected a favorite genre! Trust me, that kept me at 67% until I realized what I didn't do! Now, let's see what happened this week! Contests 2018 Summer Novella Anthology: Summer - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthologies 2018 Spring Anthology: Now or Never - Due May 15th 2018 Spring Anthology: Encounters - Due May 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Fight Back - Due Nov 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Good Intentions - Due Nov 15th Blog Opportunities Story Critique: Open to all GA authors. Sign up here. Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Dreams of a Father by dkstories; Book 2 of Dreams of Humanity *Premium* Classic Updates: A Bridge to Yesterday by Ronyx Jamal and the Three Challenges by Ronyx Signature Updates: A Man in a Room, and other poems by AC Benus; Book 6 of Verse Denied by Cia Musings of a Mongoose by Cynus So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews The Hollow Hills by Valkyrie Promising Updates: Cider Press by Parker Owens Georgetown: Roar by Carlos Hazday; Book 7 of CJ Here Kitty, Kitty by Caz Pedroso timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy

Hope everyone has had a great week so far. It's time for this weeks writing prompts. If you're stuck, or you're considering writing for the first time, these might be perfect for you. Don't forget that stories under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 632 – Creative Tag – Snow Job You’ve rented a cabin up in the mountains to get away for a while. You barely settle in on your first night when a horrible storm hits, burying the area in over a foot of snow within a few hours. You are comfortably wrapped up in bed when you wake to a loud crash and as you look out the window you see the falling snow and flames a few hundred feet away coming from a car. You grab clothes and race for the door. What happens? Prompt 633 – Word List Tag – Word List Use the following words in a story – Soldiers, a bomb threat, a mouse, handcuffs, and a blanket. Did you write a prompt response last week? Don't forget to share it below.

When deciding what to post for today, I took a look through some of the things I have in reserve. I found a writing tip sent in a while ago and when I took a look back, I realized I'd never used it in a blog! So, without further ado, here's "Things to Keep In Mind" by craftingmom! Things I constantly keep in mind as a writer by Craftingmom 1. The Opening needs to grab the attention of the reader and be interesting enough to hold it. Starting the story in the middle of an action scene engages the reader immediately. Example: At age eighteen, he was rather short and thin. He had black hair and green eyes. He loved to run and climb. Or He hit the ground. Hard. He gasped as something sharp pierced his side. Damn rocks. The air whooshed out of his lungs before he felt an arm press across his throat. Technically, you know more about the character in the first paragraph, but do you really care? Are you anxious to know more? The second paragraph often has most readers already on edge just from the first few words, and they will continue reading to know what is happening, even if they don't know much about who the person is yet. By jumping into the story in an active scene, a reader is more likely to become invested in the character(s) and want to know more about them. 2. Try to describe your characters and settings actively. Examples: Non-active: Kathleen was sixteen years old and rich. She had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She loved reading, and she usually had a book with her at all times. Active: Kathleen's blue eyes flew open in surprise as she tripped over the edge of the ornate coffee table, the book she'd had her nose buried in flying from her hands. She landed in a thud on the oriental rug, her long blonde hair falling in her face. She cursed to herself, how many times in her sixteen years had she fallen over something because she was so engrossed in reading. Both descriptions tell you the same thing about Kathleen—she's 16, she's a blue-eyed blonde, she loves reading, and even that her family has money. However, in the second paragraph, you learn even more about her because of her actions. You aren't told about how much she loves reading (in fact, those words are never even used), you actually SEE it because of how oblivious she is to her surroundings when she does read. The author didn't have to say "she loved to read" because you experienced it. 3. Use a thesaurus!!! I have Thesaurus.com open on my laptop every time I'm writing. When I was younger, I carried a paperback thesaurus around. It is too easy to fall into using the same words over and over again (I still do it sometimes, but I try to catch myself): she was sad, he was happy, she was mad, he was tired. Use words that tell more. She wasn't just sad, she was depressed, heartbroken, grief-stricken He wasn't just happy, he was ecstatic, overjoyed, thrilled. She wasn't just mad, he was furious, enraged, agitated He wasn't just tired, he was exhausted, fatigued, drained. (Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, anyone?) 4. Be aware of repeating words. My editor gets me for this still, and because of her diligence, I've become much more aware of when I do it. Most of the time when I'm editing other's works, I'll see things like: And then, he did ...., And then he went to...., etc. And next, he... 5. Don't rush it, and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Sometimes it's hard because you just want to get to the 'good stuff', but building your back story is just as important. Be willing to listen to what others have to say. Sometimes what you have in your head, doesn't get onto the paper, or you assume your reader might already know it. You can't assume that. You may know what the "Hurricane Mile" is, but your reader might not. So you may have to spend some time explaining things you might not have thought about before. 6. Be willing to start over. There are times when I've had to scrap a whole chapter. It's okay to say 'this isn't working' and throw it away, even if it's 5,000 words or more. 7. Dialogue! Dialogue makes your story more interesting and real, in my opinion. Life isn't quiet; people are always talking, even if it's in their own head. Keep your dialogue natural and fluid; write as they would speak. So that kinda covers what I've learned over the years to help me become a little better writer. Many of them are probably pretty obvious, but they weren't always to me as I was starting out. My very early writing (in middle school and high school) was rather boring looking back on it. Over many years, I think I've become a little better and hope others enjoy the stories just that much more.

Welcome back, Sir. And thank you, Sir, for sharing that with us.

I hope everyone has had a great week. It's been a very busy week here on Gay Authors, so it's time to take a look back. Unsure if you missed any of this weeks blogs? Or did you miss any of the updates from our site's promoted authors? Now's your chance to find out!!! Contests 2018 Summer Novella Anthology - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthologies 2018 Spring Anthology: Now or Never - Due May 15th 2018 Spring Anthology: Encounters - Due May 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Fight Back - Due Nov 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Good Intentions - Due Nov 15th Blog Opportunities Story Critique: Open to all GA authors. Sign up here. Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Dreams of a Father by dkstories; Book 2 of Dreams of Humanity *Premium* Classic Updates: A Bridge to Yesterday by Ronyx Signature Updates: Denied by Cia Hurricane Lamps by CassieQ Lyrics for K. by AC Benus; Book 8 of Verse Musings of a Mongoose by Cynus One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets by AC Benus; Book 5 of Verse So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality; Book 9 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase Translation Trashbin by AC Benus; Book 7 of Verse Waiting Outside The Lines by Comicality Promising Updates: Cider Press by Parker Owens Georgetown: Roar by Carlos Hazday; Book 7 of CJ Here Kitty, Kitty by Caz Pedroso timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy Why Research Is Important To Me by Mikiesboy

I actually think i featured yours last month and just forgot to cross it off.

Sorry @comicfan, you're right

Happy Birthday, Wayne!!!

Thank you, Val! I'll schedule it

I'd like to have it put into the blog by December 20th (I have family coming in so trying to get everything done i can ahead of time)

@Valkyrie @Mann Ramblings @comicfan @jkwsquirrel @Dodger @Sam Wyer Hey all! I need an "Improve and Encourage" for December... Anyone got one nearly ready? If you've already sent me yours, PM me and remind me, please.

I hope everyone is having a great week! It's time for this weeks prompts, supplied by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Just a reminder, and for those who haven't worked with the prompts before: prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 630 – First Line Tag – First Line “When did I get so old?” Prompt 631 – Creative Tag – The Card It is your birthday and no one remembers. You go home and as you prepare to make dinner you notice a card in among your bills. Opening it you are surprised at who remembered your birthday. Who is the card from and why are you surprised? Did you write a prompt response last week? Don't forget to share it below.

Welcome back to the new Ask An Author 2.0. Just a quick note that @Carlos Hazday has agreed to take over the Ask An Author feature, so please send your questions to him. I've already sent him the questions and answers that were sent to me. Now, I'll turn it over to Carlos. Renee has to be one of the busiest members on GA, so I’m stepping in and trying to help her a bit by taking on the Ask an Author monthly feature. I’ll remind you the questions come from you, not me or the staff. If there’s anything you’d like to ask one of our authors, send me a PM and I’ll pass the question along anonymously. Until we have a good inventory of questions and answers, we’ll be limited in the number of questions answered each installment. This month, our first two authors are part of the European contingent on the site. • • • • • JohnAR has kept his many fans somewhat happy by publishing MetaPrompts since the popular Meta Series concluded. The original books are now part of GA’s Premium Collection, so if you’re interested in reading them for the first time, or re-reading them for the umpteenth, all you have to do is join Gay Authors and become a Premium Subscriber. • I'm sad that your amazing Meta series is over. Did the ending frame your story or did it come as you were writing? How did you manage to keep all those twists in the plot together? • 1a) As Meta had always been intended to celebrate the opposite of all tropes of classical M/M romances, it couldn’t have had a HEA; so neither ‘happy,’ nor ‘ever after,’ nor ‘ending.’ Right from the start, I knew the ‘endings’ would be ambiguous and ultimately left to the reader’s interpretation. Some of those endings had always been planned like ‘Wolf 635’ that had been planted from the very first chapter. So these goal posts framed most of the story arc across the eight books. Of course, the details of the story ultimately shaped the specificity of the endings, as did some of my readers’ speculations. I decided rather late in the game to add a ‘fake’ HEA in middle of the last book ‘Fate,’ as I was repeatedly referred to as ‘evil’ author. Thanks for the compliment! 1b) For every individual Meta novel - like with the overall story arc, I had the first, central, and last chapters locked before starting to write them. Everything in-between was just stuff to fill the gaps. So I always ‘knew’ how the plot would have to ‘twist’ eventually. And in the instances I did get lost (I shall not reveal my biggest blunders), my editor (@Timothy M.) and the official MetaWiki (@PkCrichton) helped me out. Thanks, by the way. • • • • • Timothy M returns to AAA for the second month in a row. The self-anointed DROLL DANE is a voracious reader (based on the number of comments he leaves, a prolific reviewer, and as our previous author mentioned, supports the work of others as an editor. In his spare time, he’s also an author. His versatility has given us Timothy’s Terrible Prompt Stories—a lighthearted look at American teens—and The Cardmaker and the Caretaker—a romantic story involving European young adults—amongst others. • You've given us stories written in both British English and American English - can you share some of your thoughts on how you make that happen? Also, care to share any particular sources you use for finding idiomatic words and phrases? • It’s almost embarrassing to have to admit that I’m not really doing anything special. British English is what I’ve been taught, so this comes naturally to me, although reading on GA has ‘contaminated’ me. American English is harder when it comes to words and phrases, but I rely heavily on my editors (AC Benus and Kitt) to catch my mistakes. As for spelling I simply set my Word to the correct version, which works well for my stories based on pure US (Prompt story) and UK (The Cardmaker and the Caretaker). It’s harder when I mix the two which is what happens in Clueless Camping. In that one I’ve chosen American English because the main protagonist comes from the U.S.A. However, I mix in British words and phrases, because the Danish guys would use those. Examples: Russ uses Mom, apartment, elevator and vacation, but Jacob would say Mum, flat, lift and holiday. A couple of examples of British English words and phrases caught by AC Benus: “You didn’t fancy me back then” – Americans use like. Dinner instead of supper – or is it the other way around? And some terms I can never seem to learn. I keep using baseball match rather than game, training rather than practice, and lessons instead of classes. But I think the two latter are Danish terms getting mixed up. All I can do is hope my readers will forgive me any mistakes – and preferably point them out too. • • • • • Our final author is AC Benus and breaking with tradition, I’ll let you know it came from Skinnydragon. Skinny’s no longer with us and his death affected many of us who came to enjoy his writing, comments, and friendship. This question was submitted before he became ill but was never published. Miss you, buddy. • Your FB/Christmas novella is awe-inspiring in both scope and complexity. Truly one of the most amazing things I've ever encountered on GA. My question is simple -- the answer may not be. Did this project come to you for the first time as to what it would ultimately become, or did you begin writing one section, and then see the need for the next, etc. Sort of how Wagner wrote his "Ring" -- backwards? • "Did this project come to you as what it would ultimately become?" The answer is no. I'm not sure what compelled me to get beyond the wish of 'maybe someday' to rolling up my sleeves and thinking I'm going to do this, but when I conceived of the project I thought I would be doing 6 short stories. I also thought the series would take me about 8 months in total. Boy, was I wrong on both fronts. "Did you begin writing one section, and then see the need for the next, etc.?" To this one the answer is more complex. After I committed to doing the Christmas at Famous-Barr series I first pitched about deciding which years I had information on and compiled a possible list. Here arose my first problem – there were 8 Christmases that intrigued me, so my initial 6 went out the window. Before I let myself delve into writing the first one, I pulled out pieces of paper and jotted down notes and ideas for each year to be featured. Some of these notes filled up a few pages; others existed as only a paragraph or two. 2005 and 1880 are examples of the by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach. Once all 8 were grounded in a conceptual way, I immediately saw relationships of content. 1976 and 1929 were love stories; 1945 and 1913 were 'kid' stories; 1988 and 1964 were magic stories, etc. So, that's how I wrote them, in groups. First the two on themes of love – and a crisis appeared. These were outlined in proportions way beyond the scope of a short story, so I said, "Fine. The series will be 2 novellas and 6 short stories." That didn't work out either…. Each of the 8 Christmas years presented expanded opportunities and all of them became novellas in their own right. Thus, my original 8-month timeframe ballooned to me needing slightly less than two years to complete the project. Was it worth it…? Time will tell I guess. Thank you for your praise of my work and your excellent question. • • • • • That’s it for this month. Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and we’ll see you again in the New Year. Remember to send me your questions so we can discover more about our authors, their lives, and how they craft their stories.

Good morning, y'all! I hope you have all had a great week. Have you read the 2017 Fall Anthology? If you missed the blog announcing the anthology going live, or any other site blog for that matter, don't fret! You can see what you might have missed right here in the weekly update blog! Afraid you missed a story posted by one of our promoted authors? We have those too!!!! Contests 2018 Summer Novella Anthology - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthologies 2018 Spring Anthology: Now or Never - Due May 15th 2018 Spring Anthology: Encounters - Due May 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Fight Back - Due Nov 15th 2018 Fall Anthology: Good Intentions - Due Nov 15th Blog Opportunities Story Critique: Open to all GA authors. Sign up here. Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Classic Updates: A Bridge to Yesterday by Ronyx Signature Updates: 1550 Loring Lane by Cole Matthews 319 Winesap Lane by CarlHoliday April Musings by Valkyrie Big Boy Pants by Headstall Brotherhood by Valkyrie Denied by Cia Promptings from Valhalla by Valkyrie Translation Trashbin by AC Benus; Book 7 of Verse Turnabout is Fair Fae by Valkyrie Promising Updates: Before I wake by Puppilull Bugsy and Me by Mikiesboy Cider Press by Parker Owens Georgetown: Roar by Carlos Hazday; Book 7 of CJ Here Kitty, Kitty by Caz Pedroso Living Next Door to Alex by Caz Pedroso Ripped by craftingmom timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy

Thank you for letting us know, Val. AJ is looking into it.

I know a lot of people have been looking forward to the release of the Fall Anthology. Luckily, the wait is over! Eleven stories have now been released for your enjoyment. I hope you find something you enjoy and don't forget to leave the author's a review to let them know what you think of their work! Thank you to all the Authors and their teams, the Anthology Proof Team for giving the stories a final polish, and Mann Ramblings for the Anthology banner! A special thank you to Valkyrie who took over pairing authors with members of the proof team. Thank you!! Willpower Northie Message Bringer C.T. Piatt What Happened to Mark Jay T Bugsy and Me Mikiesboy Big Boy Pants Headstall Brotherhood Valkyrie The Accident Defiance19 Living Next Door to Alex Caz Pedroso Before I Wake Puppilull Turnabout is Fair Fae Valkyrie Under the Surface jfalkon 2017 Fall Anthology Support Team Anthology Coordinator Renee Stevens Tech Support AJ Myr Proof Team Cia Rec Valkyrie craftingmom Parker Owens Anthology Banner Creation Mann Ramblings

I hope you all enjoyed the last Improve & Encourage feature, because it's time for another one. These features are meant to both provide feedback to authors and, similar to story reviews, point out stories that readers might not otherwise have found. It's similar to a review, in that the person doing the critique tells you what they liked about the story, but it differs in that they also provide constructive criticism. Each author signed up to participate, and sign up's are still open! These will post once a month until we no longer have content. Once that happens, I will critique the last author that posted. If you'd like to provide a critique for the blog, sign up in the thread. I'm hoping to have a lot more authors sign up, and just remember, by signing up, you are also volunteering to have your story critiqued and featured. Genie in Flames Wicked Witch Critique By: Comicfan Please give us a short summary of the story you chose. Jo is a young boy who is lonely. He is dealing with coming to terms with who he is, but wants someone to talk with. He makes a wish upon a star and a genie named Yaidul comes to talk with him. I don’t want to go into too much detail and rob you of the reading pleasure, but this one leaves you feeling for the main character. What do you see as the strengths of the story/poem? Jo is shown to be a lonely soul. He has no one to talk to and is shown immediately sharing his fears with the fire. Wicked Witch gives many traits to Jo in a very short period, displaying the child’s generosity, thoughtfulness, and worry. This brings his loneliness and fears into sharp focus. This accomplished within a short period and with an economy of language. What so you see as the weakness of the story/poem? If there is a weakness in the story it is its brevity. You know poor Jo is worried about his future. While there are mentions of Jo’s parents, as a reader you desire to know more. What have they said that worries Jo? Why is this poor, sweet soul seemingly without friends? As a reader you just want more. How do you think the story/poem could be improved? I believe it could be improved greatly by tying Wicked Witch to a seat in front of a computer and keeping them there until a second chapter is completed. Barring that, just going back to expand and include a bit more in the details. Overall, you are easily drawn into the world Wicked Witch created for Jo, but you so want more of it. What was your favorite part? I’m a sucker for anything that pulls at the heart strings and Yaidul’s final line, “I’ll be here as long as you need a friend to talk to, Jo,” just breaks my heart. It leaves you feeling so sad for Jo.

Sorry for the late Weekly Wrap Up, kind of fell asleep last night without doing it. A huge thank you to @wildone for taking over the Weekly Wrap Up while I was away. Lots of stuff to go over this week, so let's get started!!! First off, it's time to announce the anthology themes for 2018! We had quite a few votes this year, but the clear winners were: Now or Never Fight Back Encounters Good Intentions Contests 2018 Summer Novella Anthology - Due April 15th, 2018 Anthologies Coming Soon Blog Opportunities Story Critique: Open to all GA authors. Sign up here. Ask An Author: Send your questions for your favorite authors to @Carlos Hazday (no questions = no Ask An Author) 3 Story Promo: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Author Interview: Open to all GA Authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate. Favorite Self-Written Story: Open to all GA authors. PM Renee Stevens to participate Premium Updates: Angel's Heart by Nephylim *Premium* Signature Updates: A Man in a Room, and other poems by AC Benus; Book 6 of Verse Cozy Contemplations by Headstall Denied by Cia So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews Spirit of Fire by Stellar Promising Updates: Called To The Gates by Mikiesboy Cider Press by Parker Owens Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens Georgetown: Roar by Carlos Hazday; Book 7 of CJ Here Kitty, Kitty by Caz Pedroso Musings of a Messed Up Mind by Mikiesboy timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy

Hope everyone has had a great week so far. It's time for this weeks writing prompts. If you're stuck, or you're considering writing for the first time, these might be perfect for you. Don't forget that stories under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection. Prompt 628 – Word List Tag – Word List Use the following words in a story – a turkey, pumpkins, a broken chair, a football, and a book. Prompt 629 – Challenge Tag – Setup for a Crime A crime has been committed and you’ve been called in to work on the case. Everything seems to point to one character, but you figure out it is all a setup. Explain the mystery to your superior and how you solved the case. Did you write a prompt response last week? Don't forget to share it below.

I hope everyone is having a great week! It's time for this weeks prompts, supplied by our prompt guru, Comicfan. Just a reminder, and for those who haven't worked with the prompts before: prompt responses under 1,000 words must be posted as part of a collection . Prompt 626 – First Line Tag – First Line “Who did you just invite to dinner?” Prompt 627 – Creative Tag – Trainee Your boss has hired someone to help out as you prepare to go into the busy season at work. However, the trainee has never done anything like your job and you have exactly one day to train them. What happens? Did you write a prompt response last week? Don't forget to share it below.

I've received quite a few editing tips from our membership. Today, we're going to look at some provided by JayT. Enjoy! There are three common editing issues that I come across frequently. They are punctuation (ie. missing commas, misused commas, and dialogue punctuation), misused words (ie nauseous instead of nauseated, then/than misused, they're, their, there misused), and sentences that don't read correctly and interrupt the flow of the story (they can be fragmented sentences, run-on sentences, or sentences that are structured incorrectly). Commas can be the bane of both a writer's and an editor's existence. I've found that writers will either totally ignore using a comma because they're not certain where to place them or they'll overuse the comma and randomly place it where it does not belong. There are several resources on this site and out on the internet that will help writers when it comes to comma usage. Additionally, there is a blog on this site about proper dialogue punctuation. The next common editing issue that I've often encountered would be the misused words. An easy example of this would be they're/their/there. They're is a contraction for they are, meaning the only time a writer would use they're is when they combine the words they are. Their is used when referring to a group of other people. Finally, there is used when referencing a location. Some common misused words would be then and than, break and brake, neither/nor and either/or, and finally nauseous and nauseated. Then is used when you are referring to whatever will happen next. An example would be- When I get home from work, I change clothes then I decide what I want to eat for dinner." Than is used to compare things- "This is better than that." So, basically, then is used for chronological references and than is used for comparisons. Next, writers often misuse break and brake. While I'm working, I take breaks. The car's brakes are going out. Another common misuse is neither/nor and either/or. If you were given the choice between two things and you wanted to let the reader know that no matter what was chosen, nothing would work, you would use neither/nor. I've read sentences that say, "Either Chuck or Rick would not make a good teacher." That is incorrect. The proper way to word that sentence is, "Neither Chuck nor Rick would be a good teacher." The next misused word I'm going to mention is mainly a pet-peeve of mine- nauseous vs. nauseated. Other things give off smells that are nauseous, making someone nauseated. If you write, "I started feeling nauseous," you are saying, "I started felling like I was giving off an offending smell." If you were to write, "I started feeling nauseated," you would mean, "I started to have a queasy feeling in my stomach." Finally, the most common editing issue I come across is poorly structured sentences that do not flow well. They can be anything from a fragmented sentence like, "I noticed everything in the room. The grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The tables lined with white linen table cloths. The green balls." In this example, "The green balls," is a fragmented sentence. What were the green balls doing? They can also be run-on sentences that should have some sort of punctuation but don't so the sentence just keeps going and overloads the readers with constant information instead of helping the reader understand what is going on in the story. I believe that last sentence is a great example of a run-on sentence. Lastly, poorly structured sentences are ones that a reader has to go back and reread to try and make sense of what the author is really trying to say. I cannot think of a good example right now.

Well, it's the start of a new week, and for today's schedule, we're bringing you Puppilull's review of Personal Banking by Refugium. Featured story days are a great way to highlight one of the many stories that can be found in GA Stories. With so many stories, it's easy for a single story to get lost in the shuffle. If you're reading a story that you would like to do a blog review and bring attention to, PM me (Renee). Now, onto the review. Hopefully you enjoy Puppilull's review enough to go check out Personal Banking for yourself! Personal Banking Refugium Reviewer : Puppilull Status : Complete Word Count : 18,202 You know how sometimes you just want to escape for a little while? Go somewhere you can forget your everyday musts and simply have fun? But you don’t really have the time? If so, I have the perfect story for you! It’s humorous, sexy and the chapters are short enough to sneak in at a minibreak (or by all means, binge the whole thing at once…). The story is Personal Banking by Refugium and it’s about a man needing a loan to cover his debts. Sounds like you might as well look at your own, fun-filled life, doesn’t it? Well, only if your bank contacts consist of not one, but two very sexy loan officers who make your mind go to inappropriate places. The main character, Richard Andrews, is in trouble. He needs a loan to consolidate some debts he’s struggling with, but he doesn’t have any collateral. His attractive loan officer is willing to stretch the rules to give him the loan, provided Rich lives up to certain requirements—very specific requirements regarding his everyday life, such as no frivolous spending, no drinking and no drugs. And, of course, personal meetings once a week to ensure payments are being made to clear the debt. The loan officer Mr. Phillips turns out to be somewhat of a mystery man with an unclear agenda and a knack for confusing his client. Rich tries to be the perfect client but can’t help himself as he lusts after Mr. Phillips, trying to figure out if his bank man is in fact interested or merely polite. More than once, Rich loses himself in steamy daydreaming when he should be paying attention. And then there is the other guy, Jose, who leaves no question about where his interests lie. Maybe he’s the one Rich should be focusing his attention on? This story is written with an underlying humor that makes you giggle practically continuously. It’s lighthearted and quick paced which makes for the perfect distraction. At the same time, you feel strongly for the characters, especially Rich. A word of warning, though. Reading at a break at work would be ill-advised. There is some sex in this story—steamy sex that will have your cheeks turn at least a nice shade of pink. A slight element of dominance and submission adds to the tension between our characters. Throw in some jealousy and the cocktail gets rather potent. As a reader, you are kept in the dark about why Mr. Phillips makes Rich jump through all those hoops, and you are as puzzled as he is. His overactive imagination plays tricks on him as he interprets everything that happens as signs and then feels stupid when things turn out differently. The twists and turns of the story will make you jump to the next chapter and then the next, giving you pure reading fun. Category: Fiction Genres: Comedy, Drama Tags: mature adult, adult, gay, work place, urban, north america Rating: Mature