AFriendlyFace

Of course, John! That sounds like a really fun and informative thread! Thanks for sharing this with us! -Kevin

How sweet you both are! And I for one would like to personally say thanks to you both! Ohh, well that does make much more sense then I was in a lovely mood all day...and now I'm as grumpy as a wet hen with sunburned feet! (not because of this thread or any of the posters in it) So I should probably go and have my own nap. I assume that the majority of readers and viewers, regardless of whether we're talking about eFiction, author pages, the archive, or the forums are 'guests'. So I'm just sort of hoping the same guests that view this thread are the ones who read in eFiction.

Nutrition really isn't that big a mystery if you do a little research and have some will-power. It doesn't surprise me that McDonald's has some low cal options and it certainly doesn't surprise me that one could lose weight eating them (if he/she avoided the 'bad' foods). Interesting article

That's great advice, Gary! I really think our boy Robbie won't have to worry too much though. Based on his posts over the years it sounds like his sister and parents are pretty safe people to tell AND would have to be idiots not to already suspect. I agree with you, Robbie, about your sister. I remember you discussing this in a thread in the teen forum a couple of years ago. It sounds like she'll definitely take it well and I'm really glad you've decided to tell her! I seem to remember you saying you've had some 'close calls' with your parents before and that you recently told your dad you were at a GSA meeting? Again, I think they must surely suspect. Regardless I wish you the best and you should definitely approach the matter as you're comfortable with -Kevin

"Don't Turn Around" - Ace of Base

Perfect evidence that feedback does matter to authors, and for the record Lugh was not one of the original authors I had in mind. Clearly then this problem runs even deeper! I agree with Gary. Personally I'm delighted to receive personal PMs about my work. I've gotten several and really appreciated them a lot! I like forums posts and efiction reviews too. I don't care how the reader does it (though in some ways discussion thread is my favourite since it might spur on other comments), but I like a bit of feedback however I can get it. Clearly I'm not alone. Why do you say that Centaur, Rick, and Snoopy don't 'count'? Surely your 'dedicated fans' must count quite a bit. Indeed new faces are great, but it's my dedicated commenters/reviewers/PM-ers that often mean the most to me!

Interestingly in both cases my best friend and other friend learned in part because they were dating a deaf guy (and in part because they were just interested - which probably lead to the dating of the deaf guy in the first place).

YAY!!! I'm so glad everything is out in the open now and you guys can be honest with each other!!

"Pain" - Three Days Grace

Maybe it's just me, but I think ASL is an extremely romantic language! A couple of my good friends are fluent (including my best friend) and watching them do ASL is just like the sweetest thing!

Same here: I think you'd be a nifty daddy, Mattie!!

Well said, Viv!!! Happy Anniverary, Com! :king:

"I hate everything about you" - Three Days Grace

Happy Birthday, Celia!!! You're the niftiest!! I hope your day is wonderful and your year bright and hopeful! I always thoroughly enjoy interacting with you on the forums and it's been my pleasure getting to know you! Take care and have a fantastic birthday -Kevin

YAY! Then as irrelevant as I'm sure (and hope) it is, you have my full support and hope for a bright, long, and insanely happy future!

Just a suggestion: "I really liked that chapter! It seems like each one gets better and better as the story progresses! Awesome job! The only criticism I could make is that for me personally the phrase 'you know', which you frequently use, interrupts the flow of the story a bit. Great job though!"

**falls out of his chair in surprise** **climbs back up in happiness** WOO HOO!!! This is wonderful news. God, I'm so proud of you, Robbie! Look how far you've come! **quits quoting Rob Thomas** Ya gotcha self a good one, John, and Robbie, so did you! Yay for you guys! This is the best news I've gotten all day, and I had a very lovely day incidentally Good for you both! Now treat each other well or else!!!! :battleaxe: -Kevin

WOO HOO!! Happy Birthday VIV! How wonderful it is for you to have a birthday on this day! It means that for me today, tomorrow, and the next day are all the birthdays of someone special whom I care about! I hope your day is filled with all the joy, happiness, and excitement that you deserve! May the coming year bring you happiness, success, and fulfillment and may each moment of your life be a special and wonderful as you are!! -Kevin

I love this idea! And like all the rest of your 'change', Tiff, they were very insightful and well thought out! I agree with this post most of all! I think another big point is the whole 'who is to blame' thing. There are indeed many useful strategies for the author to employ and much does depend on how the author solicits and handles feedback. HOWEVER, to be blunt that wasn't my point at all with this thread (not that it isn't useful and interesting to discuss it, simply that it wasn't my purpose). There are other threads and articles out there to help authors get more feedback. The actual reason I created this thread had nothing to do with author strategies, but simply a request to the readers. IF you're reading and not commenting or responding in any way to an author who clearly would like and appreciate feedback then in my opinion that is YOUR failing and YOUR fault, not the author's. Again this very much goes back Vic's point about what type of author you're dealing with. If he/she is unreceptive to negative feedback, doesn't appreciate one line comments and a simple 'good job'/'thanks for writing' then certainly it's 'okay' for you not to bother. If on the other hand the author has made it clear that any and all feedback is appreciated (and 'lives' this message versus just saying it), and explicitly asks for something as a simple as letting them know "I"m reading". Then I think if the reader fails to take 10-15 seconds of his time after just having read a whole chapter or story that's HIS/HER fault NOT the author's. The author shouldn't have to stand on his/her head to get feedback. Anyway point is, a lot of the 'responsibility' is the author's and many of the strategies suggested are wonderful and useful to authors, but in this case I'm personally more interested in pointing out the reader's responsibility. As Gary and CJ and other's have indicated there is no 'payment' for writing these stories in most cases. Would you go into a bookstore, steal a book, and then feel good about it? Why then do you read a story by an author who clearly just wants 10 seconds of your time to say "I'm reading" and deny them something so simple? -Kevin

Thanks Niels!! Thanks! If you don't mind me asking, how did the background stuff work? With Aaron knocking over the cds and commenting about the lesbian, etc? I re-wrote and re-worded that quite a few times, in fact it was probably the most revised, heavily worked on section of the chapter. Did it work and feel natural? Could you visualize it? Me? Never! LOL, I promise it's really not a cliffhanger heavy story. There's only one more 'kinda cliffhanger' and one more real cliffhanger in the whole thing. Thanks Steph!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! I'm glad you enjoyed, thanks hotchikk! As for the short chapters...sorry about that. I was actually trying to make the story 'bite size'. To be honest they're also easier for me to write. The sequel will gradually get into longer, heavier chapters though Hehehe, wait and see! Thanks Steve!! I'm really glad you enjoyed the dialogue. As I said, that was really the first major interaction between the two and it was a lot of fun to write! Hmm, well I don't want to give away any spoilers but I will say that at least one of those two things either will or will not be discussed further as the story progress Yep, Jake is pretty nifty isn't he? I mean for him to come off as a really loyal friend (to Aaron and Mick) and a good boyfriend to Amanda. Incidentally, he plays a fairly big role toward the end of the story, and if I had to pick my top three favourite scenes in BMAD the one I have in mind with him in it would probably make the cut. Thanks! I've just written two successive chapters dealing significantly with Cosmo and a third is on the way. So I hope you don't get sick of him Thanks for the comments you guys! -Kevin

Recently I've become aware that several authors around here who write excellent work are getting discouraged and/or disappointed because they aren't receiving much if any feedback. Read counts and page hits indicate that at least some people are reading. Thus they are not commenting. WHY? I'm asking you directly, yes you over there lurking in the shadows. Why is it so hard to drop a quick review in eFiction or in the forum and say "good chapter" or "nice job" or "try more character development" or just "I read it"? For the most part authors just want to know that their work is actually being read. That there's a reason to keep writing and posting. Views and read counts help, but a simple one or two word review/comment does MORE and feels MORE CONCRETE (actual insightful comments and thorough reviews and discussions are infinitely better, but anything IS better than nothing). It takes all of two seconds. I don't care how inarticulate or shy you consider yourself to be typing two or three words isn't going to kill you. Please do it for our authors. I say this not as a moderator, nor even as an writer; I say this simply as a member trying to support our authors. (Of course I would greatly appreciate more feedback and comments myself, and actually I've been getting frustrated with this too, but I'm probably luckier than many of our authors in this regard so this is mostly on their behalf). -Kevin

Yay for you!