Cole Matthews

Well composed vignette. Wonder more about the narrator. Thanks!

Adorable story and so funny! I was giggling as I read. Exactly the type of things a ghost would say. Great job! Loved it!

Great job revealing a family secret that is heart warming and gutty and really has a wonderful back story. Tragic death but loving through memory and apparition. Very good.

Interesting tale and well composed. Thanks!

Good ideas and interesting exposition. I’m a bit confused though. Thanks!

Great job with the twist. I thought you handled the group scene pretty well. Hard to keep all the voices and action clear and moving. Thanks!

Henry is on his way to a new life. The most recent episode has left him wounded and sore. Will a fresh start in a new place help him begin again.

This story is one I’m most proud to have done. It touches a topic that is so important and unfortunately glazed over because of how terrible it is. Thousands of boys are subjected to the horrors Clay endured. Monsters don’t wear name tags or cackle maniacally. Most of them are very careful to hide it. I appreciate your kind review. Makes me proud.

You are so right. I did add too much, but hopefully you still enjoyed the attempt! Thanks!

That’s one of the best reviews I’ve ever had. I was doing exactly what you said and glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

Thank you so much! I appreciate your comment!

Thanks Bill! I very much appreciate your notice of the references! Some things inspire us so much we can’t help but use the. To express our emotions! 😘

Thanks Bill! You did a great job with the review. I’m having a blast looking over these stories. It’s quite the revelation to reread my old stuff. Thanks!

Thank you so much to both Aditus and Valkyrie! It’s been an honor working with you! Love you all!

Absolutely fascinating you picked up on my perennial themes sprinkled throughout. It is timeless urges and emotions that drive us. Thank you for identifying this. Edsels, stone tablets, the planet Saturn, RNA communications between cells, and Victorian references to chat rooms have existed through many past millennium so my every reference is without temporal limit. Much appreciated. 🥳

Thanks for the questions. They are interesting. As a former bartender I’ve experienced and witnessed many interactions more inquisitive and abrasive than this. In fact, interactions in public between service employees and customers or patrons or anyone in the general public can, and usually are, more candid. As to vernacular responses to ordinary verbal exchanges, most aren’t strictly linear. There is a kind of buffeting and casual ease in ordinary language. Rarely are real life conversations perfect in logic and word choice, Finally, I’m sorry. I try very hard to craft stories that don’t disrupt the suspension of disbelief. It pains me this didn’t work for you. thanks for your comment.

Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy! What a lovely Christmas present to me! Very appreciative!

What elements make for a believable character? What can writers add that aids in the complete and utter suspension of disbelief? Lots of thing come to mind like quirks, back stories, associations, inner thoughts, tribulations - and the list goes on and on. However, something many authors have done with beloved recurring characters is to give them hobbies. Certainly Sherlock Holmes had several and varied 'pursuits'. Agatha Christie had Miss Marple constantly knitting. Let's try rounding out your character with a sideline that forms a foil or balance. #247 - Your character is a stunt driver who loves the thrill of the chase. She is competing for a very prestigious trophy, but in her off time, she trolls second hand stores for old dolls. Give us a scene that shows her love of the chase and finding the perfect doll for her collection inspire her. #248 - Your character has just experience the death of a loved one. His lonely passion is to find the perfect stamp to complete a collection. How does this mirror his mood and ease his mourning. These are just examples. Use any character and any hobby to stretch your character's boundaries. Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

We often think of birds as being superfluous beings. Almost always there, but usually we don't notice them. However, let's try something different. Let's pretend we are a bird, observing a scene, and maybe even the people in it. What do you encounter and what does a 'bird's eye view' mean to your writing? #243 - Canadian goose - You are traveling far, far away to winter someplace warm. What do you encounter and how does it affect you? #244 - Pigeon - You live in a square where a fountain used to flow. Instead, the square is abandoned, dead, empty. How did that happen and what did it do to you? Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

I think I must do the quirks one. 😘

Randy loves movies, either fantasy or science fiction, where the most inexplicable things happen. What kind of strange things? A monster bursting from a person's belly, a series of rooms that change the situation of various characters, or even a door that opens into another world. In these stories, such things are not weird. They are the stuff of imagination so, let's imagine if... #235 - Your narrator is driving in a 2012 minivan when a time-travelling wizard appears in the seat next to them. Why did the wizard appear and what does he do next? #236 - Your neighbor is in her backyard eating a Schwinn bicycle with streamers and a basket with plastic flower appliques. Who is your neighbor and what do you do next? Have fun! Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Thank you! I decided practicing my play by play was needed.

Well, maybe we’ll know. It’s possible they will know more.

Thanks!

Probably not but I guessing you made it safely. Thanks for getting me started on some new writing!