Uplifted Spirit

Paul, thanks for your nice words. It's about time Lisa and I get started again. The break was good for me and I hope it allows me to come back with some creative ideas for Knots. Hope you had a great holiday too. Happy New Year.

I just needed a break after posting for 98 straight weeks. Well, almost that. It's about time to start again. I have to tell you it's hard writing a chapter a week that is worthy of our two characters and our readers. That's why I thought a break would be a good idea.

Jaro, it really makes me feel good that you found this to be a thought provoking chapter. You got the idea about contrasting the boys. I was afraid for a time that I'd backed them into a corner and wasn't going to be able to get them out. But Dr. Walker just happened along in my mind and you're right about what a great job he does in handling the boys' problems.

Jaro, as you probably know by now, I took a few weeks off. This is my first time checking into the site for awhile. I came to check to see when my last post was to determine if a month had gone by yet. Glad you liked the chapter.

Knots 4 Chapter 13 Andy Jason was standing in the hall waiting for me when I rolled into school. He stepped in front of my chair. “Can we talk?” “Depends. Are you going to see Mr. Lynch?” “I don’t think so. I want to keep it between us.” I tried to move my chair around him. “Hey, it’s up to you. You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” He became a moving target by stepping in front of me whereve

Thank you Scary. That's means a lot. I used to be a coach and that's the kind of speech I hoped I'd have given under the circumstances. A lot of who I am is in this story.

I like Matt's change of attitude too. He has a long way to go to return to where he was. But of course he can never do that no matter what he does. Like he said a few times, "You can't unring a bell." Randy is on dangerous ground, but there are kids like Randy in the world and there are kids that sell themselves when they're in high school. There was a big scandal in the town I used to live in where teenagers were all going to these wild parties that this pedohpile was giving at his house. All kinds of things were going on. The adult was arrested, posted bail, and then flew to another country. He had a lot of money like Noland.

Knots 4 Chapter 12 Andy I met Matt as he came out of Dr. Walker’s office. “How’d it go?” “Great. Seems like we’re making progress." “Good to see you got in the game Friday. Kutcher’s ass is going to be grass.” Matt smiled. “Yeah, crabgrass.” We high-fived. “By the way, thanks for telling me what Dr. Walker told you about doing your best for the week. He apologized for not telling me. I actually think I did my best for

Scary, I'm glad to see that you're moving through the story and express your honest opinions because I'm no longer a teenager and I always welcome the opinion of a teenager. Keep writing me and let me know what's on your mind. It may improve and affect what I write in the current chapters in Knots 4. You may be surprised what course these boys take in their lives. Maybe you're already there. I know it surprised me when I wrote it. You may be disappointed in Matt and Andy. I know I was. There were a lot of doubts that ran through my mind about writing it, but I like to write about the unexpected because it makes for interesting reading. A number of readers have pointed out that they don't like what's happened to Matt. But sometimes a character has to fall in order for the writer to give him or her chance to redeem themselves. A lot of teens feel they can't talk to their parents because parents would rather not hear what their son or daughter has to say or they feel ill-equipped to deal with it. Teens don't like talking to their parents because they're embarrassed. I agree. But unfortunately, a lot of parents are clueless. But then, they are only human. Keep writing. I like your honest opinions.

Scary, I appreciate your comment. I tend to want to end the conflict and move on even though I should continue with it. But then, my name's Uplifted Spirit so I like to uplift people's sprits and make things work out. But you're right, I may do it a bit too quickly. I like to go with the idea that sometimes people do what is right even though it's not realistic. I appreciate your honesty. I always want to improve my writing so feel free to express your concerns about a chapter. I welcome them. Thanks

Scary, I'm glad you like the quotes. I had a reader tell me he didn't like them, but I've continued with them. I'm a great lover of quotes. Sometimes it's hard to find the right quote for the chapter and not repeat myself. I'm a retired teacher and I blame schools for allowing bullying to go on. Sometimes they look the other way. Well, too often they look the other way.

Lisa, thanks for reviewing and making a comment.

Scary, sorry I didn't get to you sooner. I was writing the next chapter of Knots and writing a new story. Thanks for taking the time to write and for your comment. I'm going to respond to your other comments now.

Scary, thanks for letting me know about the double printing. I thought I'd corrected this mistake, but evidently not. I'll check it out now. Glad you liked the chapter.

Jaro, glad to hear you find Knots a breath of fresh air. There would be no story if our characters did the expected and were perfect human beings. Characters need to reflect the best and worst parts of our nature.

Randy is an idiot, but you know idiots usually don't know their idiots until later. Look at Matt and Andy. Matt has been the most loved character in the story and many readers hated to see him fall so far. But for all of us there should be a little redemption. Andy too. Andy was short with Jason, but he had other things on his mind.

Knots 4 Chapter 11 Matt I was actually looking forward to Friday’s game even though I wasn’t starting. I might have even cheered Frank Kutcher on if he wasn’t such an asshole. But instead, I walked the sidelines waiting for my chance. We were behind 14 to 13 at halftime because of a missed extra point. Coach Gilbert gave us a pep talk during halftime and looked over and winked at me. That made me think that Kutcher was toast, and I was going to get my shot. But Frank started

Knots 4 Chapter 10 Matt I was glad to see last week end. The next week was a little better, but to be honest, I kept thinking about Dr. Walker putting me on meds. I wasn’t going to let him. The filing deadline for junior class president was Monday and I waited until the very end of the day to talk to Mr. Lynch, the student activities director. He was also the GSA advisor and wanted to know how I was doing. I stood in front of his desk. “I’m getting a

Thanks Lisa. Walker also get me, the author to think about the difference between regreat and guilt. I had to do some research. Andy can show some maturity at times, but he is true to his character most of the time while Matt suffers because he realizes how much he's strayed from who he thought he was.

Jaro Thanks for the note on Wheeler. I'll change that. Glad you like Dr. Walker. This is all a little like court except now their aren't the serious consequences. The problem I'm faced with is just how many session are readers willing read? I didn't have any in the next chapter, but I have something about Randy. I've been thinking it time to add some subplots back in. Thanks for writing.

Knots 4 Chapter 9 Matt Sunday was a quiet day. I went into the garage and worked on the lathe and found myself every now and then looking at the place where I’d hidden the money. Images of the older men and guys Andy and I had sex with slithered into my brain like snakes. The picture of Andy broken in pieces made me think of how stupid we were. But the real problem began when I got to school on Monday. You know how children always say they’re bored. That’s exactl

Jaro, thanks for the comments. Like I said to Paul above, I'm never quite sure how I can keep the story interesting and moving ahead. Matt and Andy have done some pretty wild things so what now? My thought is that they'll have to do some healing, but it might not be as easy and anyone would like, including their parents. We'll see.

Thanks Paul. I was starting to think that the story might be getting weaker because so much has happened and I'm just not sure what these boys will be up to next.

I love writing characters like Dr. Walker. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I also like my characters, even though they stupid things sometimes, to show some character and that's why they accept responsibility. We could have gone on for 3 chapters before they finally did. But that's just not the way I write.

Thanks Lisa.