Empathy

The touch is nice and all but to cost what it does and only offer 8GBs compared to equally efficent players that have storage in the 4GB-80GB range just never set right with me. If you look around there a number of reviews that compare the 80gb iPod and the zune 80gb. Which is considered a fair comparison. Where is the zune vs touch isn't. Lol. I enjoy my vista btw. It's not mindblowing or anything it's just another operating system but it has a few features that I like. No real complaints though.

Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Guess I should answer my own post, since it received so many responses. I began writing the way a few others did, which after having a story bouncing around in my head for so long; I finally had to get it out. I think everyone who does a nice amount of reading at some points starts to envision the perfect story for "them". A story with all the elements and plot tools that you love to see. eventually that need to simply get that story out of my head was how i started writing. Why I write? Again as someone else mentioned this is my outlet, in more ways than one. I'm not out and don't have a lot of gay friends. And this ties into the reason I started writing as well. Years ago I was suffering from depression and writing was my own method of dealing with it at the time. Since then i've been inspired by a lot of writers, many right here on GA.

Star Trek TNG is an all time fav of mine. I never really gave Babylon 5 much attention and even though i did manage to catch a few episodes of Galactica it never held my interest for long. Even though I admit the new Galactica series looks pretty good.

i've been talking a bit back and forth with some readers and a few authors. Due to the fact that I've been MIA as of late it's come up a few times in conversation as to when and why I started writing. And I just wondered what the background story was for you guys. What made you start writing? Is it a need or a want? and what inspires you?

While it's easy to think each author has a certain gift for writing I think it's fair to say; good authors are made not born. I guess I'm saying, if you never read a well written story, never become inspired by the words of another and never see what it is to vividly express yourself via words and text; then how can you do so yourself. That said, i avoid doing much reading while actually working on my own stories. For the purpose of not being influenced by other stories.

Now as a reader myself I know that in the past i was alway more inclined to take a look at something completely new if wasn't to lenghty. Someone would recommend a story to me and I'd take a look out of curiosity and the everlasting search for a good read. Now by the time I've started looking over they text I already know if this is they type of story i enjoy. I'm a huge fan of science fiction, it's what I like to read and what I like to write. The rest falls into a distance 2nd, 3rd etc. When I get a recommendation for a mystery, romance etc, I'm already questioning whether or not I want to read the story. It's not about, not being willing to read something other than my favorite story type. We all have our favorite story types and when we're ready to read I think that's what most of us look for. It seems to me that a story written in shorter chapters seems to get a little more attention that the more lenghty ones. Of course right here on GA you'll find several contradictions to that statment. Although I think you'll also find that in those cases there is the presence of an astoblished author with an astoblished readership. So basically I'm talking, two brand new stories, from authors you're not familiar with. One story features chapters around 4-6 pages long, the other 10-12 pages. Which one gets your time?

I've got the weekend off and at the moment I'm putting in a little work on my stories. My plan so far consists of just hanging out and taking it easy. Tomorrow i'll workout and hang with some friends and most likely hit the club, I haven't been in awhile. Sunday...veg time. I plan to just rest and catch up on some much needed sleep.

If only it did work that way. Sometimes I struggle and struggle with a chapter and notice no change in the feedback and other times feedback will increase for the oddest reasons.

Happy Birthday Myr

Hmm, has the idea been toyed with to host regular chats? Perhaps weekly themed chats? Also i believe the author chats were popular...just a thought. I know I'd be more inclined to drop in if i knew there were going to be enough people in attendance to have a lively conversation.

Congratulations Nick!!

Thanks guys, I've been away from this place for a but too long. I've missed a lot. And I had a great day on my birthday, I'm still recovering I'm back, lots of work to do.

I was hoping there would be a topic started about 300 and if not i was going to make one. I saw it the day it came out and me and my brother are planning to see it again. I loved it. I'm more than a little biased though. I've always loved the story of the spartans and the battle of Thermopylae. Very good movie

I get about the same volume of responses to each chapter, as well as a number of e-mails requesting updates lol. And my group has nearly 130 members so I like think that at least a large chunk of those people are actually keeping up with the stories.

A little of both actually, I do a lot of reading up in my room, normally after i've climbed into bed. For that reason i like to take stories with me. My preferred reading method is my phone. I actually read from my phone's web browser, it has a very nice sized screen and i can hold in in one hand while i'm all curled up in bed.

Just wondering what type of (if any) research other authors have needed to do for their stories. For A Cursed Life I did a bit of timeline research which was followed by period research. the 14th century as well as 1000s B. C. With my starwars fanfiction (yet to be released) I've spent hours upon hours researching, the starwars universe. alien races and lineage. Love to hear from fellow authors.

Hmm, i enjoy both a great deal. When you're totally involved with a good story you can look past what the ending may or may not be. If i had to pick one or the other and not some middle ground I'd have to go with sad. I like happy upbeat stories as much as the next person but frankly i get bored rather quickly with stories where everything works out fine. I need a little angst and at least some illusion that things aren't... perfect. And i happen to write what I like to read.

This has been pretty thought provoking. I've actually had a reader write to me a little upset that i started posting my stories in HTML format. Because it didn't make for easy print outs. Which he liked to do to take the stories with him to ready somewhere more comfortable than in front of the computer. I myself do most of my reading on my phone, which has a pretty sophisticated web browser, but still a small screen. And I noticed the difference between stories that are well spaced or the text size is pretty standard.

Good stories. I love a good story and part of me always wanted to tell the type of story that I enjoy, my way. Only my idea of a writer was someone with several degrees geared towards writing. Years of experience and critics that believe he/she was worth a read. I had been reading stories on the net (mostly porn) since I was 9 or 10. And had toyed with a few fanfictions and even dared to make my first submission to nifty when I was about 16 or something like. It wasn't until I found my way to some of the well written stories out there that my idea about what an author was or had to be changed. I remember I sent a copy of my unfinished story to comicality who's work I loved (still do) and he didn't laugh or call me an idiot or anything, quite the opposite actually. He said that he liked it, and even if that was just politeness that was my first review/feedback on something I'd written and it solidified my desire to write. It really only took a little encouragement from the right person. After that the story that had been forming in my head was bursting to get out and I had to start writing.

I'd heard that about Bully, haven't had a chance to play the game myself. Gamers have been able to do the same with The Sims for years. It's true video games get so much heat over their content when movies and television are much worse.

Even though like you I can't stand to finish a chapter and then hold on to if I don't have to. There are several benefits to doing so. At this point one of the things that I need to improve upon greatly is the regularity of my updates. I'm so busy in my day to day life that my updates are often separated by several weeks. I think regular updates is something that plays a bigger part on how into a story the reader gets.

Exactly. I've already got a solid base point for my own opinions I'm just creating conversation and discussion topics. As a writer and a reader I enjoy topics like this one. And I agree with you, the feedback and comments are nice and encouraging but don't direct my story in any way.

As an author the most important matter is of course the story it's self. And you can argue how important different factors are to the writing process as a whole. When if comes to the readers; whether you're the type who doesn't care much for the influence of comments, reviews and other forms of feedback or you live for it. The stories are meant to be read and the readers are there. How important is it to you, to gain and develop a reader base? How much influence if any do the readers have on your work?

Was just watching it 10mins ago. I like the show, it's a good way to kill time on a saturday if I don't go out.