Comicality

Thanks soooo much, Mancunian! You might like the 'Daydream Shorts' on my story list, as they're all short and sweet and complete. The next one is called "Sneak Away" and was supposed to be in the March issue of Imagine, but it'll be up in April instead. I like writing them. Keeps my senses sharp, I guess. Hehehe!

It's ok. I've learned a lot since making that comment. And it made me more appreciative of what I get than what I don't. So thanks dude! I really do lov ya for it!

Imagine it for a minute... You could have someone pay you a fortune to do some really despicable things in this life. Like...right NOW! They'll pay you to have sex with them. They'll pay you to go to jail that you didn't commit. They'll pay you to get on TV and say some of the most hateful, racist, homophobic, comments ever spoken on TV. They can ask you to give up your heart and soul to do whatever they want you to, no questions asked. Would you do it? Now...think about this! We're talking fame and celebrity, an almost infinite amount of money, and a voice that will echo throughout time, from this day forward. You could have everything that you want, set up your family, your friends, travel the world...you'll be remembered forever for what you say and what you've done. But...what if it's something that you didn't agree with? Is it fair to give it all up and continue to struggle, along with your friends and family, for...what? Your principles? Would you turn down the opportunity? Or would you go through with it, bite the bullet, and try to convince yourself that it was all worth it? Sell your soul for infinite treasures...or keep your soul and deal with the misfortunes that may come from walking away from the opportunity? It's all up to you! Let us know what you think!

Heartbreak Let me start off by saying that I have definitely been through it more times than I can count...and it never ts any easier for me to take. In fact, if anything...it has gotten much much worse over the years, now that I’ve matured a lot more and really have a deeper meaning of what love is and what it could be if only I could get the damn thing to work. Hehehe! Sad but true. I’ve always been a romantic. I work hard to give all that I have to give, and if my partner ever decides they need some space, I can give that too. I don’t mind giving someone my support, putting aside any pride or ego to admit when I was wrong, and enjoy being with someone that I truly care about. I’ve grown past the whole school boy crush phase of my life, so when I actually come right out and say, “I love you”...I don’t do it on a whim. I really do mean it. My heart is so big that I have more than enough to share with someone who’s willing to share their hearts with me in return. So...for me...heartbreak hurts. Oh God, does it hurt. And there are two or three people out there who really tore me up inside...to the point where it was hard for me to keep from crying in public. But...if it wasn’t meant to be, then it wasn’t meant to be. And I still love them. Say the word, and I’ll still come out to help you whenever it’s in my power to do so. It’s who I am. Heartbreak or not, I wouldn’t want to be ‘less’ of myself for the sake of a grudge or mixed feelings. You know what I mean? That being said, I’ve definitely written my fair share of heartbreak in my stories over the years. Almost from the very beginning. I’ve shared a lot of those feelings with my readers and dug into those old wounds over and over again to bring my audience the most genuine experience that I possibly could, even when it hurt me sooooo much to do so. If you’re looking to really explore the depths and the pain that comes with the heartache your characters are going through in your stories...then you might really have to explore a lot of those dark feelings that still dwell within yourselves. And that’s not always a comfortable position to put yourself in, believe me. BUT...done well, with as much raw emotion as you can muster up to bring those old pains up to the surface and put them on display for others to experience with you...it might do more than just add another powerful level of drama and feeling to your plot...but it might actually be a very therapeutic exercise for you as a writer, and bring you a sense of closure that you may never get for the situations that you’ve moved on from and put behind you. Getting your heart broken HURTS! But if you can soothe some of that inner conflict with the words you type out on a screen and turn it into something positive? Isn’t that worth it? You be the judge Today, we’re talking about writing heartbreak. Let’s get into it. I’m going to go out on a limb here and randomly assume that everybody reading this has experienced some level of heartbreak in their lifetimes. Some worse than others. If you haven’t...thank the stars every single day for that blessing. Because it is NOT fun! Hehehe! The thing about tackling heartbreak in a story between your characters...there almost always seems to be a certain feeling of injustice included in the text. An unfairness. Sure, you can write a story where both characters simply aren’t right for one another, fight all the time, or just don’t have anything in common...so they break up. And if that’s the narrative that you’re going for, then awesome. You can use your words to tell that story, and the break up might actually come off as a sigh of relief for your audience. However...we’re not talking about a ‘break up’ here. We’re talking about heartbreak. There’s a difference. When it comes to heartbreak, it often comes with a lot of entangled emotions and complex habits and expectations attached. But that is where the richness of the emotion really shines through. As I’ve said before in the past, one of the most effective tools that you can use to get readers to care and empathize with your main characters is the injustice of it all. Someone dealing with a problem or an obstacle that they didn’t ask for and don’t deserve. The idea of writing heartbreak taps into that feeling in a major way, and it highlights the kind of aches and pains that many readers can easily relate to. The very first concept that I think writers should keep in mind when attempting to add a level of potency to a heartbreaking situation in their fiction is the fact that it should have a smaller, but identical, structure to your story as a whole. This is how I always picture it in my head, anyway. An entire story has an introduction, and build up, a climax, and an aftermath, that will lead your audience from the beginning to the end. Now, while a heartbreak may only be a small part of your story, I’ve learned that it works best if that section of the narrative follows the same four part journey. If you have two characters that are involved in a romantic relationship, and you’re planning to have a heartbreak at some point between them...that’s how you put it together. You begin with an introduction of an issue or problem. Naturally, they may start off being all happy and goofy and seeing the world through rose colored glasses...and maintaining that joy and connection for a decent amount of time will make the heartbreak that much worse when it finally takes place. What’s the problem? Maybe one boy is out of the closet and the other isn’t...and it causes a conflict with how they interact with one another in public. Or maybe one of the boys is a huge flirt, and it’s just a normal part of his personality, even if it creates anxiety and insecurity to their partner. There are many differences that seem like such little things when the love is brand new and the sex is great. But...once the novelty wears off, as it inevitably will in all relationships, dealing with those problems and red flags that were introduced earlier on becomes a necessity if both parties plan to stay together and both be happy. Right? So, be subtle with your introduction of a potential problem, and then let it guide you towards the break up that you have planned for later. Gradual. Slow and steady. Break ups don’t usually come out of nowhere. They start with a few overlooked issues and grow from there. Next comes the build up. Little insignificant issues become more and more frequent, and may lead to a discussion between both parties. It’s like someone kicking the back of your seat in a movie theater or an airplane. You can bite your tongue and keep the peace for a while….but how long would you be able to deal with the frustration of it happening again and again before you start to lose your mind? If it were me, this is when I might throw in a few disagreements, and maybe an argument or two, into my story as the main characters attempt to address and ultimate fix the problem. Unfortunately, for a lot of people...fixing a problem doesn’t mean, “Hey, let’s find an equal compromise here.” Instead, it ends up being more like, “I hate when you do that! So knock it off and never do it again, and then we can be happy.” Well, that’s not really a compromise now is it? Hehehe! Adding this bit of escalation to your story will set off alarms for your readers, but if they believe in these two and their ability to make things work out for the best...denial will allow them to keep reading along as though it’s just a random spat between two loving hearts who are well on their way towards finding a civil solution to it all. Basically...you still have the element of surprise on your side at this point. Then...you have a climax. Whether it b a climax for the entire story, or just for this one particular relationship, this is when all of the stress factors hit a boiling point...words are exchanged...feelings get hurt...and then a break up occurs. Heartbreak. This is where an author’s focus should be the heaviest. This is the sucker punch. Adrenaline levels rise, tears begin to flow, secrets get revealed, people say things they don’t mean, defenses go up...this is the grand finale of the fireworks show right here. So make it something spectacular. Don’t drag it out for too long, just have your characters say what they have to say and really go at one another’s flaws, pushing all the wrong buttons, until somebody finally has the courage to be the first to say that it’s OVER! That will be your ‘surprise’ moment, which is why I said you shouldn’t let it drag on for too long. That’s what the ‘build up’ phase is for. If you want that impactful moment of shock, anger, or sadness, to really take over...minimize the major conflict a little bit. JUST a bit. When the moment comes, have it just kick into high gear and have the heartbreak happen rather suddenly, which will rapidly change the mood and tone of your entire story in the blink of an eye. I’ve written stories where I look back and I think that the big break up moment went on for too long before it was actually presented for what it was. I think I weakened the pacing and potency by doing that. But, you know...live and learn. This, of course, brings us to the last part of the equation...and that is the aftermath. I really feel as though this should be an important part of adding a serious heartbreak to your story, and it all depends on your characters, how they should react to such a situation, and how it affects the other characters around them. I almost always write in the first person, and this is when I really take the time to get inside the heads of my protagonist. There’s a soreness there. A dull ache that lingers for quite a while, and I make sure that it affects everything and everyone around them...depending on how they choose to deal with it. Now, I know that I told you to draw from the memories of your own personal heartbreaks and it can really hurt to rip those wounds open again. Especially if it was a particularly painful time for you and you just wanted to leave those feelings dead and buried deep down so you wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. But one thing you don’t want to channel into your story is the idea that “It was all their fault! They were assholes! And I’m doing so much better without them now!” I mean, trust me...I get the anger and the bitterness left behind, and maybe you can add that to your character’s inner thoughts as a way for them to deal with what’s going on. But after years of doing this, I’ve learned that it really doesn’t make for the most believable of story dramas. There’s no growth. No character arc. No evolution. You take a majority of the complex emotion that you spent so much time and effort building up from the very beginning, and you toss it out the window for the simple idea that “I’m the good guy...he’s the bad guy...so I win! Nah nah!” Which isn’t how heartbreak ever worked for me. There’s a long process to go through. The self doubt and abuse. The agony and torment of feeling it was so unfair how I was treated. The denial and hope that we’ll just work it out and get back together. The good old rebound revenge plot where we expect to screw the hottest, richest, celebrity guy EVER, just to make them jealous and teach them a lesson. Hehehe, everybody treats heartbreak differently...but we all go through an actual process, just the same. The emotions are yours, but keep them attached to your fictional characters and their coping mechanisms so you don’t end up ripping those old wounds of yours open even wider and turn your story into an angry rant when that wasn’t what you originally intended. It’s easy to get pulled into that quicksand, so you have to write this with a certain level of detachment if you plan to stay on task. The aftermath phase of writing heartbreak into your fiction is what you use to shine a light on how important the relationship was to your protagonist to begin with. If it’s a two week fling in a high school drama class...maybe the pain of it doesn’t linger for that long. It matters, but having the protagonist find a way to dull the pain and move on keeps the impact small and focused around that one series of moments. However, if we’re talking a post college relationship where two guys move into the same apartment together and one of them is caught cheating with another person...well that’s going to really suck, and it’s going to torture your main character for a long time to come. How you treat the aftermath should be somewhat equal to how you treated the relationship itself. The more invested someone is in the good times, the more it hurts when it’s over. Try to find a way to balance it out, and make it as believable as you can for your readers to stay engaged with it all. There are countless variations on this idea. Play around and see which ones most directly connects to your own experiences with love and heartbreak. Some people can fall in online and have never met, some might decide they’re soul mates and go looking for a house together, furniture and all. Some people might be heartbroken over a total stranger that they have a huge crush on and end up seeing them with someone else, even if they’ve never spoken before. And others are just plain oil and water whenever they’re together and can’t help but to be toxic to each other no matter how hard they try to make it work. Whatever it is that you want to write, go ahead and give it a shot...but always remind yourself that it’s fiction, and you’re creating this heartbreak for your characters and not just recreating it for yourselves. Balance out the joy and the pain in a way where one side matches the other. Nobody’s going to brush off a five year long relationship as though it doesn’t matter now and never did. In the same respect, nobody’s going to go out on one or two dates and totally freak out like some kind of psycho if their date decides that he’s not really into him. There are a million combinations for you to play with, but keeping certain core essentials in mind will help to guide you when you go rummaging through those old bothersome feelings and try to write them out for others to read. Cool? Of course, as always, I hope this all makes some sense. I could go on and on about heartbreak for days on end and never even scratch the surface as far as my poor heart is concerned! Hehehe! But this will just have to do for now! If you want to read any of my stories where I poured my soul into the fiction during a rather nasty heartbreak, feel free to check out “Save Or Sacrifice”, “Never Again”, “Just Out Of Reach”, and you’ll probably see a bunch of examples in different stories or series here and there. Can’t help it! Hehehe, I write what I feel! But I’ve learned how to treat my stories as more than just a place to let off steam. The story comes first. That’s what is most important to me. Take care, you guys! And I’ll seezya soon!

Hehehe, ahhhh, the 80's! Wow, I remember this from sleepovers back in my 'Stranger Things' days! ::Giggles:: This video is so weird! The video parodies are definitely spot on, though!

https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/a-home-for-christmas/ The newest chapter of “A Home For Christmas” is now up for you guys to read and enjoy! This means there is only one chapter left in the whole series, and I hope that you guys had fun with it! So have some fun today! And let me know what you think when you get a chance! Cool? One more to go! And, of course, you can all skip ahead to the end if you want to grab the completed ebook right NOW at https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/ and see how it all turns out. So get a little bit of that holiday spirit and smile for me, k?

"A Home For Christmas 12" Despite a few naughty interludes here and there, Blake and I made sure to save the main event for the end of the night. I don’t know, there was just something sexy about it. Terrifying in a lot of ways, but sexy too, I think. Because we had a few short talks about what it might be like, and Blake gave me a rather erotic vision of him briefly fingering himself and telling me how badly he wanted to save this for someone who would pleasure him in a way that wou

It's alright. We're ready when you are.

https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/ A brand new issue of Imagine Magazine has been released! (Sorry, my computer is dealing with a FORCED update right now that I didn’t ask for or approve, so everything is moving at a snail’s pace right now! Grrrr!) Be sure to rush on over to read all of the new stories, chapters, articles...and of course, this month’s new collection of cute boys! Also, I believe this might be the final chapter of “Mentoring Brandon” from Richiama this month! Or at least the last on that I have from him. So be sure to check that out and enjoy the series! If this is the end, then thanks for sharing with us, Richiama! And you’re welcome back any time if you have a new story that you’d like to add to Imagine Magazine! I'll be here to support ya, dude! ((Hugz)) Have fun, you guys! And Imagine will be back on April the 15th with even more goodies for ya! ::Nods:: Also, I have THREE new ebooks being published right now! I’ll be adding the links tomorrow night instead of tonight! Again...forced updates. Sighhhh. So be the first to grab your copies and be the envy of all of your online friends and stuff! Hehehe! If that’s, like...a thing. Love you lots! And I’ll seezya soon!

There's just something about boys on bikes that feels like 'home' to me! Ahhh, memories!

Awwwww... His poor little heart.... ::Sniffles::

I'm glad that you understood it! Sometimes I get into parts of writing that I feel go way beyond the mechanics of it, and I always have to stop and think if I'm making any sense. Hehehe! So thank you! Does wonders for the confidence during the advanced classes. You know...before AI replaces us all! ::Giggles::

https://www.voy.com/17262/27944.html This was a story that was originally written last year as a GayAuthors exclusive! But now it'll be available (Soon! ::Fingers Crossed::) on the site as well as on Nifty! Cool? Not only that...but if any of you guys want to grab the ebook version, there will be a whole new extra, unreleased, chapter at the end that you won't find anywhere else! Available in the COMICALITY EBOOK SECTION this Wednesday, March 15th! Enjoy! https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/

Niche Writing When it comes to writing and pursuing your art, day after day, night after night...I’m always stressing how important it is to be ‘comfortable’ with your particular set of skills. The more comfortable you are with your work, the more the writing itself will sort of fade into the background. Don’t worry, that’s not a bad thing. Hehehe! It just means that your natural ability will grow out of that level of comfort to the point where nothing is forced or focused on in a literary sense by your readers. Finding that comfort zone in your work will cause your audience to completely forget that they’re reading a story at all, and they’ll just find themselves immersed in the emotions and the environment that you spent all that time and energy putting together for them. That is a blessing! Believe me! But that comfort zone has to be ‘found’. You can’t just decide to hop up one morning and figure that you can write a masterpiece from scratch without any previous experience. It takes time and practice to find and define your voice. It’s a lot like finding that really comfy position to sleep in when you go to bed at night, you know? Hehehe, you’ve got the blankets just right, the pillows just right, you’ve found your little groove in the mattress...it’s a place that simply feels like ‘home’, and everything is awesome from there. So...what does this have to do with the ‘niche writing’ title up above? Let’s get into it! To be a niche writer means that you simply write fiction that is often directed at a certain target audience or demographic. For example, if you’re here on a GayAuthors.org to write gay oriented fiction...then you’re a niche writer. That doesn’t mean that straight men and women can’t read, enjoy, and appreciate, your work...it just means that your main audience is going to consist of readers who are mostly a part of, or are interested in, the LGBTQ+ community. They are the ones who are most likely to be here searching for the kinds of stories that you want to tell. Also, if you write gay fantasy? That’s a niche within a niche. If you write gay fantasy erotica...then you’re dealing with a niche within a niche within another niche. Hehehe, and so forth and so on. The path narrows itself down pretty quickly, and if you go TOO deep down that rabbit hole, you’re going to end up with only a handful of readers left to hear what you have to say. And not everybody left over is guaranteed to like your story as much as you might want them to. Well written or not. But...if that little niche is where you feel most at home, let’s see what we can do to expand on some of the themes you’re working with and maybe see if we can grab a few more people along the way. The one thing that I always try to get creative minds to remember whenever they’re starting something new is the idea that, at our core...our very center...we all have more in common than we could possibly imagine. All of us meaning humanity in general. We all have a need to feel safe, feel loved, form genuine friendships, search for comfort, have a desire to succeed...these are parts of life that everybody can relate to, no matter what kind of story you’re writing. So this is where we begin. Ask yourself what your story is going to be about. Not what happens in the story or who the characters are...but what is the actual story about? The other stuff is equally as important when it comes to filling out an engaging project, but you have to put yourselves in the mindset that these are all just fancy, personal, variations on the same handful of themes that applies to us all. Love, loss, vengeance, greed, temptation, family bonds, betrayal. As long as you can discover, emphasize, and deliver on these core ideas in your story...people will be able to latch on and understand it on a deeper level. It doesn’t matter if it’s hetero fiction, homo-erotica, science fiction, fantasy, horror, comedy, or tragedy. If the core elements are present and displayed in an effective and comprehensive way...anyone can read it and get the message. Even if you’re working with a very small sliver of a niche concept that they may not be used to. If you can get them to read it, you can get them to love it. Point blank, period. For me, personally? I write about gay teen romance, and I present it in a way that inspires heavy nostalgia and memories of first love. Heavy crushes, teen angst, fear of exposure, raging hormones...whether my readers are attracted to the idea of teen boys experimenting with those early feelings of companionship and sexual desire or not...it doesn’t matter. The core elements are what make the stories so heartfelt and relatable. These are feelings that we’ve all felt in some way when we were younger, and drawing from that brings what should be a very small niche topic to a much larger mainstream audience. Why? Because they GET it! They remember it. It connects to something on a much deeper level than just a few naughty escapades that exist, mostly, on a (hopefully entertaining) surface level of everything else that I’m trying to do with the story. I mean, you understand that, right? For example, if you guys love movies anywhere near as much as I do...you might have seen “Sleepless In Seattle”, “The Notebook”, “Pretty Woman”, etc...which are all romantic comedies. Well, since the majority of their audience is heterosexual...people just write it off as being ‘normal’. But in reality, they have a niche audience as well. A very LARGE niche audience, sure...but a niche audience nonetheless. They’re not written for someone who is looking for a gay or lesbian relationship in their entertainment, and yet...they rest upon certain touchstones that everyone can relate to simply by being human, and therefore can accept and allow ourselves to enjoy them just like their target audience can. I want all of us to keep that in mind as we continue on with this article. Just because something is perceived or labeled as being normal, doesn’t mean that it’s not a niche concept. I enjoy a bunch of Disney animations that might be made for kids, I enjoy movies that are made for teens, I enjoy movies that are written for artsy movie critic elites too. Your work is no different. Get those core elements to shine through, and readers will get it. Trust me on this. I can honestly say that I’ve never gotten more attention for my writing than I did when I started writing gay teen fiction on Nifty, and then on GayAuthors. I wrote PLENTY of other stories before that, I even drew my own comic books with my own characters and storylines in Middle School and Junior high. But the teen romance was where I found my home. That’s where I got my most responses and support, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. Getting comments and emails is my reward. It’s like getting a paycheck, you know? Makes it all worthwhile. However...from the time that I was in the second or third grade...my biggest flare was for science fiction and horror. I was exactly like one of those “Stranger Things” kids...with the comic books and the Fangoria horror magazine subscriptions and the Star Wars toys...that was what I used to write all the time. But I wasn’t sure that any of my practiced skills in that arena would ever be of any use to me when it came to writing to what I write now. How could it? People wanted stories about teenage boys falling in love. Nothing else. Naturally, after about a year of doing that and nothing else, the urge to go back to my roots and try something new kept nagging me...and that’s when I decided to give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen, right? Again...writing gay teen romance was already a niche position for me to get into. It would really narrow my fanbase down a LOT if I added a full blown vampire story into the mix. I didn’t know if anybody would read it at all. But still, the ideas wouldn’t leave me alone. So I started taking notes and eventually took the plunge. The worst thing they could do is hate it, right? Hehehe! Thus, “Gone From Daylight” was born. Now, I’ll be honest...it was like pulling greased teeth with a pair of piers to even get a majority of people to even LOOK at that story at first. No matter what I told them about it, no matter how quickly the fanbase was growing surrounding the series, no matter how much I begged and pleaded for them to just give it a CHANCE...they refused. Hehehe, some people still refuse to this day. “I don’t like teen vampires, Comsie! Nope! Not gonna do it!” BUT...there were a few that I convinced to just give the first little section a read, and if they decided they didn’t like it, I wouldn’t hold it against them. I understand that it’s a niche project that people tend to avoid like the plague, and that it’s not necessarily for everybody. I’m ok with that. Still, I continued to promote it and get them to at least be curious enough to see what all the fuss was about. So they checked it out, despite their earlier protests. Many of those people became some of the BIGGEST “Gone From Daylight” fans on the entire site! Hehehe! I hate to say, ‘I told you so’...but….I told you so! Because the story has elements of everything that I ever wrote or thought about growing up woven into the storytelling. The sci fi, the horror, the comic books...and it felt like a real homecoming for me. I had so much FUN writing those first three parts of the story. However, the main element was now surrounding my newest passion for gay teen romance, and “GFD” reads like all of my other stories do, just with a bunch of extras thrown in there. I emphasized the core elements to make sure that the story itself was relatable and engaging for everybody who decided to look into it and give it a shot. It doesn’t matter whether they like vampires or not...that’s not the point. It’s a story about love, about abuse, about finding yourself, about friends being more like family...things that hold meaning for all of us in some way. That’s how you take a smaller niche story and get it to appeal to a larger audience. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing about younger characters, older characters, or putting them in a different part of the world, or in a different time period, or if it’s fantasy and magic...if you can hold on to those core essential parts of the human experience and bring them to light in your fiction, you can write something that has a real punch to it. Everything else is just creative decoration. Keeping that in mind freed me up to write pretty much anything that I wanted to write from that point forward. Thank God that it worked out as well as it did, or I might have had a lot of my best ideas ever go to waste! LOL! Since then, I’ve been able to continue writing my gay teen stories about romance and high school and coming-of-age tales that still captivate and bring in new readers all the time, but...on TOP of that, I’ve written stories about angels, aliens, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, and more...but they still read like most of my other stories. It’s a much more narrow passage for readers to venture into when it comes to my particular niche, but once they get a taste for stories like “Shelter”, “Savage Moon”, “Skylight”, “Boys Of Widow Lake” (Only Available As Ebooks), and others...they never get enough. Why? Because they focus on the same essentials as all of my other stories. It’s just a matter of finding the threads that bind us all together. A 21 year old college kid in Michigan, a 16 year old surfer in Australia, and a 30 year old farmer from Zimbabwe, all want love. Friends. Family. Security. Status in their community. Make that your focus when you’re writing. All three fans will be able to pick up your story and share a certain level of understanding with you upon the first read. That’s what we all want as writers, isn’t it? To be heard and understood? To bond. To connect. This is how you achieve that. Naturally, the further you dig into your niche, the more you isolate yourself from a wider readership. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, just match your expectations with your reality as you go down that rabbit hole. Maybe you have a foot fetish. Not a lot of folks have that, but if you can get them to give your story a look and you want to add that into your writing...they might be into it. Who knows? But, if by some chance, they aren’t...you still have character development, a loving story, and witty dialogue, to carry things forward. That way, they’ll indulge in your own personal interest for the sake of continuing the story. If you want to write about furries, if you want to write a fanfic about anime characters, if you want to write a horror/thriller/mystery with a gay couple...do it! Go for it. Seriously. You might as well. And when you write and post it, keep those main human connections in the foreground where we can all see them. You’re bound to expand your audience in no time. Write your stuff your way. And don’t let the ‘niche writer’ tag throw you too far off of your game. Find your home and OWN it! Some ideas might take a bit more effort and strain when it comes to promoting your work, but you just remember what we talked about here, and pull them into your world by latching on to what brings us all together most. For all of you who might be writing in a very specific genre, are looking to appeal to a very specific audience, or might be feeling a little intimidated by the idea of getting started on something that you’ve convinced yourself that nobody else will read or enjoy...just write it your way and highlight those basic human wants, needs, and desires...and see how you do. You might just be surprised at how many fans you’ll find along the way. Hope this helps! Best of luck, you guys! And I’ll seezya soon with more! Happy writing!

Feeling super inspired again! And I've been finishing up the next seven stories/chapters/ebooks this week! So that's a good thing! That'll start rolling out tomorrow night! Plus I've been trying to earn some cash at the same time through my writing. Tiring to do it all simultaneously, but necessary during these emergency times. If any of you have five to ten bucks to spare and want to donate to the struggle, I could definitely use it right about now. Hehehe, I hate begging for money, but I'm poor, so fuck it. Personal humiliation is a part of my brand now. 'Starving artist' doesn't even begin to describe it. BUT...the stories are still free! So I'll keep posting them for as long as I'm breathing. They do a lot of good out there. And I'll take a build up of good karma over money any day. When I'm dead and gone, this stuff will still remain. I'm proud of that. I'm going to be cleaning up the house later on this afternoon, and I'm making dinner for my mom tonight. So I've gotta be alert and on top of my game. Also, we're all caught up on "The Last Of Us" series (I think next week is the finale), and it has truly impressed me! I haven't played the video game, but I can see why so many people loved the story! Amazing! Applause for them bringing something so powerful to the screen. Well done! Alright, I'll be back some time soon! I'm answering emails faster and faster these days! So, if you haven't heard from me yet...you will soon! Cool? Take care, you guys! Love you all! You're my online family...and I want to make you proud. Seezya soon! Also...for this coming Summer...another whole "GFD" series is on the way! Tied directly to the story and based on my love for Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack...it's finally time to bring them up to the forefront! new trailer coming soon!

Growing up, I was a shy kid. I had stuff going on at home, and it was the 80's where being gay was like...the end of your LIFE if you were discovered. So my memories and my heart surrounding the situation was really different from what people might see as normal today. Yeah, it was terrifying. So I hope people can be a little bit patient with my characters and my stories that I write. It's not an easy thing to deal with for everybody, you know? I mean, I get it. But I hope they see things from my side too. I'd love to see how they would have dealt with it back then.

You know...in the early to mid 80's? Nobody would have really batted an eye. Hehehe! "We don't want children to be exposed to gay culture!" Ummm...yeah...we didn't care. Nobody's paying attention but you. You know who the most 'hetero' guys were in the 80's? George Michael and Michael Jackson. Everybody else was lingerie, lipstick, glam rock, and leather. So...there's that. ::Giggles::

Awwww! He's so cute and so bashful! Ugh, my heart!

Omigod...it's only been a few years since I became a fanboy for him, but he's growing up to be such a stud! I love it! Plus his voice is still incredibly beautiful! I LOVE you, Stefan!!! And can't wait to hear your new stuff! Stupid Covid! Stefan and Ruel could have both been Bieber level famous by now if it weren't for that! Ugh! PS- Wait...you and your babysitter did what now? Why do I feel like he's intentionally leaving a big part of that story out? He kinda glossed over the details, but...hmmmm...I wonder what I'm missing here.

I don't know why, but I just feel good tonight! I keep smiling! My endorphins are just overactive, I guess. But, whatever...no explanation needed. I'll ust enjoy it while it lasts.

Hehehe, going back to Alessia Clara...I've been to a bunch of parties like THIS one too! LOL! Ahhhh, college! Eminem brought together one of the most awesome rap super groups ever. I wish they could all get along. Sighhhh...such a waste. Still, how many rock n' roll Easter eggs can you catch in this one song? I think I got 'em all!

Agreed MrM! Agreed!

Hehehe, you know.... I used to get soooooooo much shit online from people when I used the "Hehehehe" in my stories! You have NO idea! And now, I see it everywhere! And I saw it one of my new favorite shows ever (Still catching up), and it just made me laugh out loud! Because it's not like I invented it or anything, I just hadn't seen it before. It's just cool to know that it exists out there in the mainstream somewhere so I don't have to feel so weird about it anymore. Thank God! Because I was never going to give it up! Nope! Not me!