LittleBuddhaTW

Chapter 20 is up ... http://littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org/SOOTB/SOOTB20.html Many, many thanks to Kitty for another fabulous job editing! ENJOY!

HAPPY SWEET SIXTEENTH, TONY!!! *Hugz* Buddha

Excellent chapter, Vance! That was definitely an unexpected twist!

And who might have given you that advice on Nifty?

Good news ... my computer problem has been fixed ...

Unless Kitty is leaking information (which I highly doubt), no one has seen the draft of Ch. 20 ... and it's still undergoing changes ...

Ch. 13 of "Service" is now posted! http://dkstories.gayauthors.org/vampire2/service13.php Don't forget to stop by DK's forum and leave any thoughts/comments you have there (not here)! Enjoy!

I really liked the first chapter! Good job! *Hugz* Buddha

I can't wait to read the new story either. I never thought I would like reading a vampire story ... until I read "Vampire Jarred," and now I'm a HUGE fan. I never thought I would like reading any kind of sci-fi ... until I read the "Do Over" series ... again, I was hooked. And I haven't read any "real sci-fi" yet ... but based on my track record once I start reading a DK story, I'm willing to bet I'll get hooked on this one, too!

LOL ... that has to be one of the most interesting (and nicest) compliments I've ever received!

And I'm not to be held responsible for any damaged keyboards which may result from reading my chapter of "Service" ... either from vomit or ... errr ... something else ... But the whole story is good, so y'all be good and go get caught up! Trust the Buddha!

OK, guys and gals, according to dkstories's blog, we should be seeing Chapter 13 of "Service" this weekend, which would mean two story chapters by yours truly in one weekend ... so if you haven't read or caught up on the "Vampire Jarred" series yet, it's time to get reading! But be warned, this chapter is NOT typical of my usual writing, and may have some of you running to the bathroom to vomit! If you like vampire stories, though, DK is THE master! *Hugz* Buddha

I agree, this is an excellent book! One of my faves, actually ... but I don't think I've seen it on any high school reading lists ... although there's a first time for everything!

I'd say three of my favorite novels from high school would have to be Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace, and Catcher in the Rye (and it's probably not a coincidence that they all have homoerotic undertones ). In 10th grade English, we also had a unit on the Bible (as literature), which was quite interesting.

Nicko admits that he was wrong about something, and by extension, that Buddha was right?!?!?!?!?!?! *Buddha looks out the window and sees pigs flying*

I've been wondering that if I decided to hold off on posting the next chapter for a while, if some of the many lurkers out there would start posting in the forum ... That's not to say that our usual few "culprits" don't add wonderful insights and thoughts (which they DO), but there are a lot of people out there who are hiding ... so step out of the shadows and post something ... anything ... Buddhas like attention! Here are some samples, all of which are short, sweet, and perfectly acceptable: 1) Excellent chapter, Buddha! Can't wait to read the next one! 2) Damn, Buddha, that chapter totally sucked! What the hell happened?!?! 3) Buddha, you're sooo dreamy!!! Or you could expand on those with some analysis, insight, or whatever your wee little hearts desire!

"Broken" by James Savik Updated Link: http://www.deweywriter.com/chapters/James/.../Broken-dir.htm "Hearts Across Space" by The Story Lover Updated Link: http://www.storylover.us/Authors/StoryLove...e/has_Terms.htm "A Change of Worlds" by Josh Aterovis (This story has apparently been published, and the text is no longer available on line.) "All Things Lost" by Josh Aterovis (see above explanation) "The Truth of Yesterday" by Josh Aterovis (see above explanation) "Long Day" by DaBeagle Updated Link: http://www.dabeagle.net/storymainpages/longday.htm "Never Left Behind" by Minerva Alistor (Gone -- no new link available) "The Golden Snitch, Don't wing yourselves, boys!" by Michael Serpent (Gone -- no new link available) "Turnabout" by Chris G (Gone -- no new link available) "Out of Holywood" by Comicality ('Holywood' should be spelled "Hollywood" in title) "The Way You Say My Name" by Sara Bell Updated Link: http://www.crvboy.org/stories/sarabell/twysmn/index.html

It's better understood if you put that line in context with the line immediately following it. As to your interpretation of the song's overall meaning, I think you're pretty darn close. It's not about the "pearly gates" at all. It's about figuring out which direction one should go now ... "Where to now, St. Peter?" = "Which way should I go?" And yes, there's lots of angst in that particular song. Elton John songs are difficult to interpret, though. Bernie Taupin, the one who writes Elton's lyrics, has said that the lyrics to some songs ("Take Me to the Pilot" comes to mind immediately) are just rubbish ... they have no meaning at all. Others have several different possibile interpretations. And like I said, sometimes it's just the song title that has meaning to me when selecting it for a chapter title, other times it's the title and lyrics ... and sometimes, both.

If anyone really wants to check out the song lyrics, I suggest going to http://www.eltonography.com. It's a very safe website, and nicely done.

Well said, cutie-pie! I think you and Sam are definitely the perfect poster boys for gay marriage ... but you're right, a piece of paper doesn't mean anything when it comes to what you already know in your heart. But whether the word "marriage" is used or not, there are legal benefits and necessities that come with that piece of paper that gay couples have a right to as well. *Hugs & Smoochies* Buddha

He has?!?!?! I'd better go back and do some re-reading ...

That could be fun ... maybe I should write myself into one of my stories ... Or maybe I already have? Hmmm ...

Yes ... that was the surprise ... I was hoping everyone would complement Xandra Kitee on her fabulous logo design! As for the chapter titles ... in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet ... they're all Elton John song titles. I spend A LOT of time thinking over each one. For some, only the title is relevant, for others, the lyrics of the song are relevant ... or both. And as for tarantulas, rattlesnakes, or whatever ... I think I heard somewhere that killing a Buddha is one of the gravest possible sins, and the amount of negative karma that would be accrued is unfathomable to mortal beings.

I think the title of this chapter -- "Where to Now, St. Peter?" -- is a pretty good indicator of what function this chapter serves, at least in my mind. And I think Kevin's comment above comes pretty close to what I was trying to do.

After chatting with Kitty tonight, and reading Nickolasjames' blog entry about his frustration with the Story Announcements changes, eFiction site, and getting his stories noticed, I thought I'd start this thread and share some of what I've learned about getting your stories noticed. Hopefully it will be of some assistance to mainly newer authors, but also to older authors (that doesn't necessarily mean age! ) who want more people to read their stories -- and who doesn't want that, right? 1) Get a good editor. If your story is well-written, people will tend to like it more! That may seem like stating the obvious, but a lot of people don't seem to get that little trick. I think "How to find a good editor" deserves a thread of its own. An "editor" is not just one of your net buddies or fans who agrees to read through it for you and give you a little feedback and maybe point out a couple of spelling mistakes. So finding a GOOD editor, one who knows what they're doing and has experience -- either in the 'real' world or with net fiction -- is crucial. 2) Promote yourself! If you're just posting your stories in the eFiction section of the site here, you're really limiting yourself. Start posting your stuff at Nifty. You'll reach a much wider audience there, and will get even more feedback. Once you start getting a "fanbase," you can also start up a Yahoo! group, or maybe even your own small page at Geocities or somewhere (all of these things are free and easy to do). When you submit new chapters to Nifty, link back to the eFiction section and encourage your readers to come to GA and discuss your story in the Story Cafe forum. 3) Be dedicated! If you really like writing and feel like you have something important and special that you'd like to share with others, then stick to it. Keep to a writing schedule, a regular posting schedule, and be active. Interact with your readers, solicit feedback, encourage your readers to be active, cross-promote, and put your story out there in as many places as possible for people to see it. Anywho, those are just a few suggestions off the top of my head, and all of them have worked for me. I only started writing in February of this year, and I don't think I'm that good of a writer, but I had a goal in mind (getting as many people as possible to read my story and give me feedback), and I stuck to it. I think the Writer's Forum could be an excellent place for some of our talented, up and coming authors at GA to share ideas, experiences, solicit opinions, etc. So don't be shy ... join in the fray! *Hugz* Buddha