Topaz

Hey... I feel like shit even making this post, but this week has been a serious struggle, and my efforts to get through it 'AND' do anything substantial for the site have been an excercise in futility. I'm soooo sorry. I seriously pushed myself as hard as I possibly could, but my jobs have been taking some serious advantage of me this holiday week, and sleep is such a f**king WASTE of time!!! But I can't avoid it. I'm exhausted. Seems OTHER people figured that they wanted to have some 'fun' this week, and stuck me with what was left at BOTH jobs. (Sometimes, the nice guy really does finish last. Sighhh...) Let's just say that some of my co-workers have called in their very last favor concerning my assistance from now on. But I have a half day off tomorrow, and I will be working my ASS off to fix everything that went haywire while I was gone. Starting tonight, with as much energy as I have while I'm still awake. Unfortunately, the site is on hold until next week. Don't worry, I am typing as fast as my fingers can manage, trying to repair it all before the chaos gets too far out of control. It will only take two or three days to finish and get things rolling again if I start 'tonight/this morning'. Cool? My sincerest apologies to you guys who were waiting to hear from me or were waiting to see new additions to your favorites. It really hurts that I have to be so absent right now. So, that said, Monday of next week will start things moving again. My email box was full for a while tonight (I missed over 132 messages since Monday, some of them spam, I'm sure. But I have already started on them again, so there is more than enough room for you guys to write if you need to. Cool? Hearing from you guys always makes me smile when I need it most). I'll be working on emails first! Besides, I love you guys too much to stay away, hehehe! So expect to hear from me soon. Next, I'll be working on maintaining all of the Message boards on the site, including next week's "Speak Week" on Society Vs. Self! So I hope you guys will be able to stop by! Also, the brand new mailing list will be up and running by then, so I will definitely talk to you guys more about that as we depart from Topica (Who became too unpredicatable in their 'top notch' service for their own good). HUGE thanks to Grimwolf, who has offered me a place to send messages out without the bullshit attached. ((Hugs)) Stories will continue on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, of next week ("Billy Chase", "Dream Lover 2", and "Gone From Daylight"), and I hope to hear.....'something' from you guys this time around. ::Shrugs:: The "GFD: Blood Bank" contest is overwith, but Mad Bomber was the only one to enter a response. Naturally, I was hoping for a better response. But...you know, at least his story ending was a good one. A GREAT one! So I totally appreciate the effort to supprt the "Blood Bank" dude! It looks like it's up to you and me alone to run this race and show 'em how it's done. Love you lots, man. I guess this makes you the winner, hands down. Hopefully, some other entries will be made in the near future, but who knows? It's always open to the public. (By the way, the secret prize just for taking the time to enter a submission? It was "Taryn's Song 4"...so...I hope you like it.) Better luck with the next contest, I suppose. If there is one. Also, look for new editions of "Savage Moon", "Untouchable", "A Class By Himself", "New Kid In School", "Kiss Of An Angel", "My Only Escape", "Between The Lines", "All Eyes Watching", "Always", "On The Outside", "Save Or Sacrifice", "Left Without Words", "Pretty Poison", and a bunch of others as the summer goes on. I worked really hard to try to make them enjoyable for you guys. Please please PLEASE let me know *SOMETHING* when you read them!!! Please? If they suck, you can really just tell me that they f**king SUCK and I should fix them. K? Seriously. Just say, "I didn't like it." with the story title in the subject line. That's it. Copy and paste that one sentence into an email, and I'll know that I've gotta do better. That's it. I won't get upset or anything. But silence? Silence only makes me punish myself. And trust me....I'm VERY good at it! So...yeah...say something. Anything. I can take it. Promise. (Heh, who am I to beg for feedback after all this site has done for me? Psh! ) Alright...so I'm gonna start on emails right now. I hope you guys were able to enjoy your summer so far. (I haven't! Arrrgh!) But, both of my jobs have literally used up all of the compassion and tolerance that I possess at this point. They can see it in my face when they talk to me. Even customers tell me that I've been moody lately! LOL! And they only see me for a few minutes a day. What can I say? It's hard work, or serious poverty. But using my kindness for a weakness has reached its limit now, and I expect some favors of my own for the rest of this summer. They really f**ked up by taking advantage when I was just trying to be a good employee. (Good employee = expendable soldier ant in the colony) They won't be getting any more holidays off for a long long time to party with their friends. Not at MY expense. I guarantee you. I can only be a puppet for so long. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and let you know what was going on with me. Let me get to work. Love you lots, and I'll seezya soon. I'm working as hard as I can to keep things moving all by myself. Promise. "In Miami I had to stop the show twice and couldn't go on. A case of overall fatigue." -Edith Piaf

Just a reminder to let you guys all know that the Shack Out Back is celebrating its NINTH ANNIVERSARY this year on Tuesday, June 19th!!! So be sure to stop by the website and leave a little note if you can! We'd love to see ya! It's been a long time, and we've all been through so much together! Consider it a 'family dinner'! Hehehe! And, of course, if you can wear a "C" Symbol (June 19th - June 26th), even better! You guys just never know where you might see one! Or who might see yours! (Have No Idea What The "C" Symbol Is? Click Here!!!) Thanks for so many years of your continuous love and support! I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate it! Now.....let's see if I've still got some 'magic' left in these typing fingers of mine! ::EXTREMELY WICKED SMIRK:: "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork." -Peter De Vries

You're all ready to start reading a brand new story. You've gotten your computer surfing chair all nice and comfy, you put a beverage next to you, you click on your favorite story site, and look for a snazzy title that catches your eye. You take a chance on something that seems interesting, and before you get into the story...you find yourself reading ten minutes worth of introductory warnings. We've all seen them. If you're under 18, go away. If it's illegal in your part of the world, don't look at it. This work is copywritten by the author, don't steal it. This story is about 'enter subject here', but I don't condone it. I think this celebrity is hot, but I don't know their sexuality, so please don't sue me. Remember to wear condoms in real life. As well as hundreds of other variants. Some even introduce and describe the characters involved, and the type of sex that will eventually take place before the end of the chapter. What do you guys, readers and writers alike, think about these intros and warnings? I've seen many of them stated almost word for word on stories for as long as I've been reading them. Some authors found humorous and creative ways to get around the 'professional' text of it, but get you to read it just the same. And sometimes it just goes on and on and on until you half to scroll down three or four times just to get past it. What are you thoughts on this? Are these warnings necessary? Or do people ignore them, making them a formality? Or do they help? Especially when it describes the story and the sex involved in the very beginning, letting you know what you're in for before you waste your time? When you get a chance, travel on over to Nifty, click on 10 to 15 random stories, and just read the introductory warnings at the beginning of the text. What does it really tell you? How useful is it to you? And tell us if you think it's necessary. I've heard support for both sides, so what do YOU think?

I would be a bold faced LIAR if I said that I began reading material on sites like Nifty for their emotional involvement. I won't pretend that it was my original intention for sticking around and see what was new. I can't even say that I don't still surf story sites looking for something....um....hot! Hehehe! I came for the sex! It was passionate, it was graphic, it was a fantasy come true! And if that sex was attached to a great story with great characters...then I was on cloud nine! It was awesome to find such a release for all of those naughty feelings of mine that I had been having for oh so long. Now, over the years, there have been huge leaps and bounds in storytelling online, and there are countless stories and series that are deeply emotional and work on many other levels besides hot buttered sex between teenagers. But the question remains...would these stories still have the same impact if there wasn't that looming cloud of a few detailed sexual encounters in their future? At least the subtle promise of sex? It can be a very thin line between porn and literature sometimes, but with the line being blurred with (what just may be) the vast majority of online gay erotica, there's a question of how much both sides depend on one another to work. Do you think the emotional and heartfelt stories depend heavily on the sexual aspect of the equation? Or is it the focus of hot passionate sex that is left relying heavily on a good story to make it more than 'stroke material'? Would you, personally, read a wealth of online erotica if you were told up front that there would be no sex involved whatsoever? Would you read a collection of the hottest graphically written sexual interludes between amazingly beautiful boys, skipping right to the 'good' part, if there was no detailed story and dialogue surrounding it? Naturally, we all would love to have a perfect balance between the two, but in your opinion, which side is leaning on the other's shoulder for support? Let us know!

I talked about trying to find ways to inspire feedback a few weeks ago, and how important that feedback is to an online author and his inspiration. And it's true, the more feedback, the better. It's the only way to really 'grade' yourself on how much of an impact your work is having on the people who read it. But what if, in that glorious rush of thankful and inspiring email...you begin getting those often dreaded criticisms in your inbox? And I'm not taking about suggestions for improvement here. I mean a true FLAME of the story that you just poured your heart and soul into. There's no way around it, no way to avoid it. Trying to please everybody with any type of creative or artistic talents is simply an impossible pursuit. And when I say 'impossible'...I mean *IMPOSSIBLE*!!! So when you do get those nasty little emails, ripping you apart from the first sentence to the last, how should an author respond? Ignore it and toss it in the trash without looking back? Read through it, take the emotional 'punch in the face', and then try to make the next one better? Answer back with as much rudeness and sarcasm as they sent your way? Try to answer politely and tell them you respect their opinion? Hunt them down with a high powered sniper rifle? I mean, how should somebody really react to something like that, and continue to write something fresh and new afterwards? Also, how do you differentiate a 'harsh criticism' from 'constructive criticism'? You've gotta be able to go on more than just your current level of sensitivity at the time. Let us know your thoughts! Those flames can leave some awfully bad burns on your typing fingers sometimes, let's try to clear some of that up.

Naturally, a great majority of the stories you see online about teenage boys in love....are NOT written by teenage boys in love! Some are, of course, and I LOVE you boys out there who have taken the opportunity to tell your story while you're living it! But most are written by people who are out of high school. Some have been out of high school for a very long time. There's a challenge in trying to capture the true feelings and emotions of a teenager, experiencing these things for the very first time. And if you slip, people are going to know it. You can't have 14 year old boys talking with the grace and wit of a graduate student. But you certainly can't have them acting so naive and lost as to insult the entire high school population either. There has to be a way to create a believable dialogue and storyline that truly represents the age of your characters, but how? How does an author find a way to give his character a personality that fits their age and level of experience? Have you guys read any stories that were way off in their presentation? Do their characters seem too old? Too young? Why does it seem that way to you, and how can they fix it? Whatever your thoughts are, let us know! Someone who is fifteen shouldn't think and act like a 7 year old, nor should they speak like a 30 year old. How do we find the balance?

Oh yeah! Hehehe, sorry, Justyn! This *IS* Comicality. I was putting "-Words From Comicality-" at the top of all of my posts, but I kept forgetting to do it so much that I just stopped doing it. Anyway, Topaz was awesome in offering to make posts for me here on the board from now on! So her answers are my answers if you need me! K?

Oh wow, thank you! Thank you sooo much! You know, honestly, I'm glad that I took some more time and added all of the newer parts of this story that exist in it now. I think it makes it a lot better, and a lot smoother. Even though it would have been kick ass to have it in the anthology with the others. That's the THIRD one that I've started writing for and couldn't finish in time. I used to be able to write a story from beginning to end in two days, easy. (Of course, my 'one time' stories were MUCH MUCH shorter back then) Now I get all out of control with the story and have to split it all up and get crazy with it. But I'll work hard on the summer one for this year! I've already got a few ideas floating around for that one. Thanks again! It means the world to me that you liked it!

Hehehe, sweet! You guys know how much it makes me smile to see you have your weekly "BC" discussions on the board! Hehehe! Anyway, I can't give up any secrets or anything, but I CAN tell you this.... - The Billy/Bobby/Brandon relationship....far from over! - The Billy/Lee/Jimmy relationship...has been brewing for the last week of Billy's life! You'll soon find out why! - Sam and Billy...hehehe, I'll just keep that one quiet for now! - And sex? Isn't this the Saturday after Jamie Cross' party? Hmmm.... That's it! No more, promise! Lips sealed! Seezya soon, and thanks again!

I wish that I could fully grasp the beauty of poetry and understand all that goes into it. But I always feel like I'm missing the full potency of it all. I love the concept of poetic verse, and I've read some that has truly gotten the point across. It can be so emotional, and so heartfelt at times. THAT part I get. There have been poems posted on the Library on my site that have truly struck a chord with me, and I understood the feeling they were going for. But I've seen poetry on some other websites online that I didn't really understand, but there were so many great compliments about it's form and power. Likewise, there have been poems that I've liked, that others didn't like at all. So I think my biggest flaw is realizing what makes a poem great, or what makes it terrible. And that, alone, tells me that I don't understand what goes into it enough to make that call. I still read it when I can, and I have my own ideas about poetry and what I like and don't like. But I can hardly say that it's much more than an uneducated guess on my part. So to our poets out there, you get a 'Comsie' salute! Keep doing what you do. Lord knows that I couldn't do it. Hahaha!

You know, it's really hard to create something that will inspire feedback. I do agree with that, wholehartedly. Sometimes you write something that you're really proud of, and you don't get so much as a whisper from your readers. And other times, you write something thatyou're not entirely happy with...and those same people go absolutely apeshit over it. There's no real formula to it. No predictable design to it all. Not as far as I have seen. I've learned, over time, that I can only write stories for 'me' and nobody else, and that's where the actual joy of writing comes from. But I always want it to be entertaining. I always want people to feel something, or smile, or cry. Whatever he emotion..I want it to have some EFFECT! So there are plnty of times when I might leave a story hanging with JUST enough suspense to make them want to read the next chapter. Or I might introduce a conflict where readers are stuck in a dilemma as to which way the story is going to go. Plus I love to have characters that (even though they're a huge problem for our main romance) aren't really 'bad guys'. People who you love to hate and hate to love, but end up not knowing which side you're going to be on from one chapter to the next. (Like Chris in "Class", or Tyler in "New Kid") Basically, there's no real way to get people to send you emails and tell you whether or not they liked what you worked so hard on. But I've come to find that if the story is involving enough, and readers can find a true attachment to what's going on, with a desire to know what's going to happen next...then you've got a better chance of getting more feedback. Good feedback! Pull them in, get them involved, and always leave them wanting more. Hehehe...sorry readers! Yep, I did it. And I'll do it again. Watch....

I'll be completely honest and let you guys know that poets completely baffle me with the way they are able to not only express deep and meaningful emotions in what they write, but can also structure it in such a way as to make it 'sing' on the page. (Or in this case, the screen) Poetry is an artform that has been well respected for as long as ink has been put to paper, and there are a lot of folks out there who are very, VERY, good at it. Some of the online poets that I've talked to have told me that they create poetry the same way I write my stories. That's simply how they think, and they write their feelings out better in poetic form. It comes natural to them, and that's an incredible way to see the world, I would imagine. However, when it comes to other people reading poetry...people who aren't poets themselves...is it possible for them to truly appreciate the art in its entirety? Can they see the rhythm of the words, the well structured design, the true 'voice' of the poem, in the same way that the poet intended for it to be seen? Let us know what your thoughts are. And I'd love to hear from some of you poets out there as well on this one! Do you guys feel as though you get the proper attention and respect for your work? Do you think that people understand you and what you write completely? Or do you think it's a manner of writing that can only be truly absored from another poet's point of view? Tell us what you think!

It's no secret that getting feedback from the people who read your stories online is the ONLY true reward that an online author gets for the time and effort he puts into every project they take on. Without it, writing can be a very tedious and thankless process. Hehehe, it's the truth, no way around it. It seems, many times, that some authors get more support than others. More emails, more feedback, more fans. And it's not just a matter of 'writing a good story', because I've read a LOT of tremendously great stories that didn't get the same reaction, or the recognition that the story truly deserved. Is there a secret to it? Is that the result of planning, or just a freak occurrence in the author's favor? The question this week, for readers and writers, is...do you think there's a way to write a story that actually INSPIRES feedback? Is there a trick to getting your readers to actually sit down and write that magic email that says, "Wow, I really loved what you wrote?" Is it the romance you write into a story? Is it the heartwrenching drama? Maybe it's the graphic and extremely hot sex scenes? Is it the careful use of cliffhangers, witty dialogue and humor, the frequency of newly posted chapters? What is it about certain stories that makes you want to respond? Let us know! If you're a writer, what do you use? If you're a reader, what doyou look for? There's gotta be something there, right? Give us your opinion!

What's up you guys? I just wanted to leave a message to let you guys know that I got a few notices that I had private messages sent to my GA mailbox here, and I REALLY would love to check them out! Unfortunately, I don't have access to my GA account anymore. I haven't had access since the boards were upgraded months and months ago. I'm sorry. I'd still LOVE to hear from you though! Please send any and all messages to Comicality@webtv.net and I'll get back to ya. K? I always keep my emails private, as well as any information I get with them. So no worries there. Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you guys soon!

We've all read many of these stories online since we've run across them. Many of us have even taken to writing our own, putting our own thoughts and emotions into words for other people to read. Some of the folks who do read these works regularly can be pretty impressionable when it comes to a subject like this. (And I'm not just talking about underage teenagers. Adults too.) Being a homosexual can be an uphill battle for a lot of people, and finding a story or series that truly relates to them and makes them free can be a highly influential experience. The question is...do you think that these stories might have a possible 'negative' impact on the people who read them? Do you think it encourages certain behaviors? Maybe it advocates casual sex? Maybe it sets false standards and hopes for that magical romance? Maybe it inspires a poor self image for people who aren't always slim and blond and 18 years old with a bubble butt and bright eyes? It may even cause a slight depression in people who are looking for something special, and just can't seem to find it? No matter what the case is...do you feel that the stories and their authors should take some responsibility for what they write and what effects it has on people reading it? Let us know your thoughts.