Kitt

lol are you trying to prompt me along too???Thanks for reading.

Sometimes I think you latch onto things just to have something to debate Brink. At no time did I ever label Twilight a great work of fiction, nor did i malign video games of any sort. What I did say is that if it gets kids to pick up a book it can't be all bad. I know people ( both teens and adults) so addicted to mmrpg's that they have little to no real life social skills. These people come home from work and become their blood elf or orc or whatever the hell it is they become and will play to the small hours of the morning, will sneak time away from work to check on their characters, and generally live in the game. I personally know 3 people who have lost jobs over this behavior. So yeah - any book that not only gets a kid to read, but also generated an interest in reading an author like Shakespeare is OK in my world.

Impossible Spots Robs mind was racing. How was it he kept finding himself in these impossible situations? There was the time the ladder had fallen when he was attempting to prune the apple tree. Of course there was no within earshot to help. And the time he was trying to fish his keys out of the gap between the copier and the shredder. Damn shredder had eaten his favorite tie and tried to strangle him besides. And the day the awning poles fell over in the workshop and blocke

Thank you

Bobby and his dad really do know how to toss one don't they? And look at me finally having a second chapter like you asked!

Very similar to the first year bro took care of that graveyard. We didn't get the unexpected visitor though.

After seeing some of the really odd stones in the graveyard my brother looked after I thought it would fit right in!

Who cares how it is spelled as long as you enjoy it!

Well - people keep telling me I should go back and expand some of my prompts - here is an entry that is both a response to today's prompt and a follow up to an older one! http://www.gayauthors.org/story/kitt/toquietthelittlevoice/10

The Graveyard Party Bobby smiled to himself. When they had moved into this place a month ago most of his friends had reacted like Paul had. No one wanted to “hang out in a freaking graveyard”. Steve had been the only one had been cool about it – he helped beat back the weeds and clean the place up, but really would rather hang in the house and pretend the neighbors were just very quiet. Most of the rest of his crowd had come around eventually too. Paul was the only guy refused t

I'm not sure I understand how and why this thread has taken the turn it has? The initial discussion was not the taboo's and there is in fact an entire other thread about that. What we were discussing here was if an author should "self censor" and write his/her story in a manor that is different than he would like to make it more acceptable. One author said, and I happen to agree, that to do so would be compromising personal integrity. No one is ever going to write a universally accepted piece of fiction. People are just too different for that. As for myself, I wrote a prompt response that had as a turn of the plot a teenage girl who was very wary of men due to the fact an adult had molested other girls she was aquainted with. There was no on screen activity in this area, just a reference that it had happened. Since it was a prompt response, I did not post a tag about it in the "story" description, but I did put a warning up in the pre-chapter notes, as well as a statement in the post chapter notes. I did this so that anyone uncomfortable with the subject could skip reading that entry. I could have gone back and "self censored" the story, but I write what comes to mind, and to go back and change it to make it more comfortable reading for more people would have defeated my purpose in writing in the first place. I have no problem if someone is uncomfortable with the idea and chooses not to read, hence the warning I posted, "Warning, while there is nothing explicit, this does hint at child abuse. If the concept bothers you I suggest you skip this one."

I can't express enough how much I like a slower approach to evaluating the horses. I've been involved with horse rescue through the ASPCA here and have seen well meaning but ignorant volunteers want to jump on and see what happens without thinking what a horse may have endured. Of course in the story you can't go quite as slow as I would in real life ... but I have no doubt the rescue you work with goes slow and steady and has good results because of it! I have to agree - this was a great feel good chapter. Still have us wondering who is so angry he would take it out on a bunch of boys though. We will be here waiting when you are done with your break!

And being a teen oriented site that is exactly what I meant as acceptable censorship. You do not tell people what to write or how to write it, simply if it can be posted with you or if they need to take it elsewhere. The issue of changing what you write to present an issue or group in a better light however is a totally different ball of wax. No amount of flowery language is going to make rape, forced incest, and child abuse any prettier. Trying to, or refusing to address the topics at all, only make things worse.

His fingers always have a problem keeping up with his brain.

Lisa is right too in that a person may not have the time - or facilities - to leave a review right away. I do most of my pleasure reading on my tablet, and leaving a review with it is time consuming and annoying. I tend to click like and then ( if i can remember with my sieve of a brain) go back the next time I am at the computer to leave the review.

I find myself wondering at the various directions this thread has taken. Censorship of a story falls pretty much into 2 categories. The "self censorship" of the writer, and limits upon what may be written levied by outside influences. Some external limits are necessary at times. The limits placed here are for the benefit of the sight, to keep sponsorship and the like. There are other forms even more "acceptable". Freedom of speech protects my right to express myself. It does not give me the right to make public information about some neighbor that was the victim of an attack. If said neighbor does not want the details of that attack made public, that is their right. As I understood Ron's initial question, it was asking opinions on if a writer should change how he/she portrays a character so as to present the gay community in a better light. My reaction to that was "Is the portrayal realistic?" Chosing to avoid a controversial subject will not make that subject cease to exist. Gay bashing happens. It is not right, most reasonably minded people know it is not right, and would never engage in it. Unfortunately it does happen. The same can be said for some forms of incest and child abuse. For the most part it is pretty much reviled, but that doesn't stop it from occurring. Society has its ills. Ignoring those ills will not make them go away. The only way to minimize the occurrence is to make people aware of them, vigilant of the issues, and hope that bad situations can be corrected. That a family member see's signs of impending incest and intervenes. That someone on the street sees the beginnings of a potential gay bashing, or any beat down for that matter, and takes steps to stop it - which could be anything from speaking up to dialing 911. Ignoring it only enables. Fiction does not mean patently untrue. It can be a way to expose the ills of society without some real person needing to suffer those ills. Better that someone learns how horridly rape can affect a person through a fictional TV series on prime time than through experience. Better to learn about the different forms of incest through a fictional story than having the weird uncle corner you on the holiday. So - should an author self censor to present a topic, group, or issue in the best possible light? There is no "right" answer to that. Is it wrong to white wash something just to gain public approval? I think so, but each of you will need to make that decision for yourselves.

LOL the rest of the country may have heard about that one when it first occurred, but my area was pretty much incommunicado for interest stories like that till well past Halloween. Sandy knocked out all power and most cable systems on or about the 29th and, in my case, was not restored for 11 days. What information that was able to be passed was pretty much kept to the important stuff. Thanks for posting Rustle. It does add interest to the Halloween season.

Of course it doesn't keep us from speculating - that's half the fun of this forum!

MaryEllen may not be a very likable character, but she is still a well educated, presumably intelligent young woman. Emotional abuse and physical ( violent beating type) abuse would have been very visible in the home she also grew up in. That pretty much leaves sexual abuse, and it was probably not all that hard for her to do the math.

I keep getting the feeling Ethan will be the catalyst that sets Elizabeth off. She had to have had a hand in momm'a deportation, and in Ethan being hidden away. First she lost control of Goodwell in the divorce, then any plans to regain control of the property were smashed when Reilley inherited the place with Wade as the trustee, so for Ethan to then inherit while she received nothing more and not even to be given control of that money thru the trust must really be turning up the heat under the pressure cooker!

LOL most of us don't care if it happens all in one chapter Sammy, as long as how ever many chapters it takes come at us quickly! And Carlos? I believe that last character not leaning toward sluttyness would be Father Tim.

Now now Carlos - we don't know Ethan is a slut...at least we don't know YET. The speculation is a private school upbringing, probably catholic. If my memory serves me correctly the guys either were total sluts as you suggest in contrast to the whole "sex is for procreation only, and only after marriage" thing or they actually buy into the be good till marriage thing. Of course there were middle of the road behaviors but it seemed at the time that the extremes were more the norm. My guess? Ethan may very well lean to the slutty side, and might even be willing to mess around with guys, but will primarily prefer the ladies. Lots of guys raised in all boy schools while being basically straight are also realistic and will take the opportunity to be "taken care of" sexually, and while I have little experience in that area, I can't imagine that anyone who takes and doesn't give back would continue to receive any benefits.

** lays in a supply of tissues next to the computer** Ok - I am about as ready as I can be for this memorial service. I have no doubt in my mind there will be some traumatic twist to it beyond the expected sadness and the usual emotional break downs that come with things like this. You did it with Carullo's boyfriends service and he was just a bit player, how could Robbie's service not have drama considering what a roller coaster his entire life was. Hope someone is smart enough to have a shrink with some sort of sedatives in his little black bag somewhere very near the service. Looks like Will wasn't quite as over Tony as he thought, but isn't really hung up on him any more either. It was great advice to send Tony to someone who could help him sort his head out, and considering the way things had been between them since the float trip and the "stalking" crap it was pretty forgiving and generous to say he would cover the bill as well. Tony may not be my favorite supporting character, but he hasn't hit the "people you love to hate" list either. Ethan presents all sorts of avenues for speculation. Think I need more before I let my brain start on him. (Lift, lift, lift). As addictions go - I have to say yet again - I love this one. Please don't ever stop writing!

WE DO???? No one told me that! Remember Andy - I have only been here since April!

That sounds yum! You should post this one in the recipe thread!