LJH

I watched that movie some time ago. It was heartbreaking and uplifting. I hope to have the same reaction to this story. Thanks for your support and reviews, Lisa. Always appreciated.

Yes, he did alienate himnself. Well, not entirely. He does make some money by exhibiting his art at galleries. Will is a wholesome, but temperamental dude, and he seems to hesitate at the question of love. You noticed that Ruwan answered for him. I think I'm falling for Ruwan.

If you've read Even Stars die, you'll notice that I can't write without drama thrown in. Thanks Lady Friday.

Sorry sorry but not really sorry about the tears. LOL. Totally intended. That's the thing with heroes, they don't think about the danger they put themselves into. Thanks for enjoying.

Will, Ruwan and Catherine necessarily do the same things people usually do in a hospital. Wait. Stare at blank walls. Pace. Willfully surrender to pangs of unrequited worry. Eat. Wait some more. But what if the unexpected happens? Something so remotely impossible that the only logical response is disbelief. Like the sudden appearance of an extinct dinosaur. Like the sudden ability to walk through walls. So it is when Will notices the man approaching them. His quick footsteps echo down the

Thank you thank you thank you. Your post is so timeous. You been reading my mind? Your insight into a beta reader's skills is spot on. In publishing, they call a beta the developmental editor. LOL. Now these eds only assist the well known writers as far as I can tell, well, in South Africa at any rate. Publishers here are cash strapped so writers here must find their own editors and beta readers. I think it is different in the USA and other publishing hubs. But, not to change the subject. Thanks for this post. You rock.

There are sites that block the public from reading reviews, and I have been subject to scathing criticism by fellow writers on these sites. In the early development stage of my writing, I dreaded opening a review. But those criticisms helped me. I took the negative with the positive. On GA, because the reviews and comments are made available to everyone to read, I would never humiliate a fellow writer by saying things like: Your work sucks. I will, however, PM the writer and tell him where I think the problem lies and suggest a solution. As an editor, that's entirely another issue. I am harsh. I never say, Please change this, or please delete that or Try to use a different word. I give an instruction. Change this. Delete that. This does not make sense contextually. Word is wrong, use your dictionary. Please buy a dictionary! Rewrite for clarity and precision etc,. I don't have time to dwell on benevolent requests. As a reader, however, I'm different.

What kind of music do you hear for this work?

If my characters are described at all, it happens through the eyes of other people over a period of several chapters. We learn over time how tall the characters are, what they think of themselves, what they see as their flaws, what their health and age are... just enough information to get a general idea of how they look. I never resort to saying, "you look just like <insert famous movie star's name>," because that to me is the kiss of death. Leave it vague and let the audience take the image and focus it. You don't have to over-describe anybody or any place... give them just enough information to make it real. While this is a technique for describing characters, imagine if the reader is told in the twentieth chapter that the MC has only one leg? Lol. Just kidding. I know you will never do that.

I agree with you on waxing lyrical. And the trick is to always keep it simple. Simplicity is the key. At times I need to pack a punch with a single word or sentence. Lyrical narrative is also about creating exciting sentences. Sentences that move the reader the way you want him/her to be moved. It's all about the journey. It's all about introducing your reader to people and places they will never see or meet. So we, as writers must make it memorable for them by creating images in their mind. Even when writing lyrical narrative words need to be chosen carefully to evoke fear, despair, happiness, sadness and anger in the reader. I always tend to think like this: How can I write down my description in such a way that it becomes even more vivid and striking than what I just observed. What was unique about that character or building? Another tip for writing good gay fiction (in fact all fiction), is to use the five senses. I try to do this with everything I write. Sound - speaks to the primitive self in me. Movie directors know this and use sound to squeeze every emotion out of us as we watch their films. I try to translate this into my writing. Sight - is very subjective. How do we know that what we are seeing is what everybody else is seeing? Our sight is dependant on our experiences. Take some witnesses of a crime and ask them to identify and describe the perpetrator and you'll see that everyone has got a different story to tell. And also remember that which we can't see we tend to say does not exist. But it's so important for the reader to see the images you have created, setting images, character images etc. Smell - app;ears to exist as an association. Biologists and scientists say that smell is connected to our most primitive part of the brain, the limbic system that deals with emotions so when we smell a specific smell we attach a feeling to it. Taste - Is primitive too. We taste sweet, salty, sour and bitter tastes. Touch - is about shape, texture, hard, malleable, soft, temperature, dry, wet and so on. It can be very sensuous. So I try to include all these senses in anything I write because I know all readers will identify with them.

Although I maintain that it is not always possible to avoid passive writing, I do understand that it destroys pacing. One example of passive writing is: "The biscuit was eaten by the boy." instead of 'The boy ate the biscuit.' or another one: John was told to shut up by Mr Jones. instead of "Be quiet, Tom," said Mr Jones and The book was read by the class over a period of several weeks instead of The class read the book over a period of several weeks. and The roast was eaten by my brother and his roommates. instead of My brother and his roommates ate the roast. and Thousands of manuscripts were hand-copied by monks in the Middle Ages. instead of Monks in the Middle Ages hand-copied thousands of manuscripts. More The car radiator was repaired while it's owner went to lunch. The game was played outdoors under a sunny, cloudless sky. It was decided that some form of community service would be required. I noticed in all these sentences that the indirect verb WAS plays an important role. The active, or non-passive versions do not contain WAS. What exactly is passive voice: simply defined - Taken from The Scribner Handbook for Writers, it indicates that the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb. In fact, it reverses the relationship between subject and verb in the ACTIVE voice. Verbs in the passive voice always include a form of the verb BE immediately preceding the past participle. Here is an example that deserves scrutiny: It was decided that the discounts would no longer be available. (Who decided?) As a reader you may want to know who or what is responsible for a particular action and may need to question writers who use the passive voice in this way. In situations where the event is more important than who or what caused it, the passive voice is especially useful. Descriptions of historical events and scientific developments often contain passive voice verbs. WAS. WERE. WOULD

A collar!!!!! Leather!! I think I would b more scared of commitment than a doggy collar

I'm too sharky for that. Lol

Okay lol. I know its a heavy scene. But there was ample warning. Now how on earth are these four characters going to handle this tragedy?

I cannot defend bad writing from novice writers, and I must emphasise, Novice writers, where it is continually argued that even the classical writers have written in the way we are told not to write. And I continually argue the point that it is fine to break the rules if you know and understand the craft. Writers are not born as writers. So if a novice writer wants to break the rules, he had better know what he is doing. I am not saying that classical writers, and writers of modern classics are bad writers because they broke the rules. I am saying that these writers knew/ know the craft of writing. A novice writer without the proper skills to break rules will not be published by any mainstream publisher this I guarantee.

Wow! I say blame it on Jacob Zuma. Seriously though, the weather will be the death of our species. No. But we caused this. Our forefathers had mega time to sort this out. But they ignored our complaints. They ban and jail members of Green Peace, they simply raped the earth's resources and by implementing draconian production and mechanical methods that produce carbon monoxide or is that dioxide? partially destroyed our ozone layer. They call it progress. Green house gasses seen as progress. !!!!!!!! I say round up all these monsters, leaders of countries who do not comply, leaders of industry who rape our planet, put them against a wall and shoot them before they kill us all. Yes I am angry! How many millions of cars are there on this earth? Millions of cars that release emmisions. Why don't they develop and replace petrol cars with electric cars? I'll tell you why - because the oil companies have got us by the balls and shieks get richer and texan oil magnates laugh at the future of our planet because they won't see the planet self destruct, their kids will, so leave the problem for future generations to sort out. In the meantime I want your money all of your money you poor suckers. Selfish bastards. Hence climate change. Where will our future as a species be in three or four hundred years time? Living under gigantic domes, and half of every species dead?!!! Truly, blame ourselves. We did this to our home. No one else. Just us.

It’s a feeling like none other. An addiction. Exhilarating. Motivating. You’ve had it ever since you first said hi to him. It’s everything about him; his smell, his erotic passion, his romantic passion and his flaws. There is a strong, bold attachment to him and you cannot imagine him going home to Catherine although he must. Rubbing his fine, lithe body with suntan lotion, you recall that he’s just twenty, not a loser. When he’s thirty, you’ll be forty and so on. A lifetime is a short ti

Humous. Loads of it. And Olives and flat unleavened bread.

No! How could you do this to them? I'm in tears!

Its called love at first site woop woop woop

Lovely. Just lovely writing. So good to be here again. Yeah a committed number of words makes it difficult to lean in and get things done

I would never be so bold. But obviously my characters act in quirky ways. At this point Basil must know that his attraction to Will is love at firstbsite too. And maybe that's what this story is all about. Far toi often I hear the kids of today say they need time when they meet someone. I fell in love with my hubby through loce at first sight and we still together after almost twenty years. I think that's where Will and Basil are and let time do the rest ecen though Basil was hurt in the past, he is willing to trust this young man with his heart, and William is willing to give Basil a chance, until trust is broken I guess.

Will wasn't too happy lets face it. But I think she is being prorective. After all, he is a national asset. There is more to Ruwan than meets the eye. Thanks for enjoying

You are so on the road. You'll find the memory will always be there, and the death will always be there, and life continues. You are doing well my friend. Keep up the good work.

I am gay in dialogue and narrative. I know of an editor for a publishing house who will not offer contracts to writers who use such dialogue. She says that it's such a cliche. A tiring cliche. One can Write the story from the gay perspective without using I am gay. I don't know if I agree with her, but when I read straight novels, I never find the words I am straight. So maybe she has a point there.