Comicality

JESUS!!! 😮

"My Only Escape 40" "I'm so glad that you came over today." Brody sighed, wistfully...and I found myself swooning from the sentiment. "Me too..." I answered softly. It could, sometimes, feel so easy for me to talk to Brody that it felt like it didn't take any effort at all. And then...there other times when my brain would freeze, and the words get caught up in the back of my throat...my breath gets short, and I start shaking myself all to pieces in front of hi

It's something that I still struggle with more often than many of you may think. More times than not, I think in terms of a 'story'...and not in terms of a 'plot'. I've talked about this before in earlier articles, but just to reiterate really quick...the plot is the beginning, middle, and end of the story that you're trying to tell. The story is what exists OUTSIDE of the plot. So that could be a million stories all building up to a culmination of the story you're writing, and then reaches out into the future to tell what happens afterwards. If that makes sense. Hehehe! The best example that I can think of right now would be the original 'Star Wars' trilogy. Those three movies tell a rather complete story all by themselves, and it's a three story plot that explains exactly what you need to know to be involved and invested in the world that was built for you. However...the 'story' reaches sooooo far beyond that. You've got prequels and a whole history before that. You've got a whole trilogy that comes after it. Side stories and spinoffs and TV shows and books and comics...it could, quite literally, go forever on into eternity if they really wanted it to. And why not? Because all gripes and complaints aside...people will come back and be reinserted to that world all over again because they want to explore it even more than what you've given them so far. The key is...to make a definitive decision about what kind of story you want to write, and how 'big' you want it be. Some stories come off as being too small to really dive into the rich details and potential expansion of the plot that you've decided to tackle. And some stories have a story that gets stretched out sooooo far and wide that the original idea that you wanted to highlight gets hidden and overshadowed by everything else that you're doing all at once. The idea is to find a balance in there somewhere, and figure out what you want the overall scope of your story is going to be before you even start. As with everything else when it comes to anything you do creatively, that's not always easy...but a little bit of practice makes the process that much easier. So, today, we're talking about story scope, and how to format it in your head beforehand so you don't find yourself with too little or too much story to write when coming up with your plot. Because, unless you're planning to write "War & Peace" every time you sit down to your keyboard...it's going to take you forever! LOL! Trust me, I know from experience! I think one of my biggest problems with scope is that I sometimes imagine these giant worlds full of a ton of characters and criss-crossing storylines for projects that could probably be a lot more self contained. (One of the reasons why I miss deadlines so often. Too many ideas and subjects that I want to touch on, and not enough time to get them all in there) My other problem with scope is when I try to write a much shorter, 'one-shot', story...and I leave my readers thinking, "Awwww, really? That's it? I need more!" Neither one of those scenarios is a very good foundation to stand on, but I do try to work on it when I can. I just happen to lose my balance every now and then and fall over to one side or another. But it CAN be done! Hehehe, I know, because I've done it before! I just didn't understand why or HOW I did it! That takes some self examination, and I hope this will help you guys take the same approach when creating stories of your own. It took me a while to try to come up with some sort of visual representation to express what I sort of see in my mixed up brain when I'm trying to determine the scope of each story for myself. I couldn't quite figure out how to do that, but this is about as close as I can come to it. So bear with me, ok? Now...when I'm thinking of new ideas and what I want to do with them, I pretty much have 'this' going on in my head. When you look at it...don't start at the top and work your way towards the middle of the picture. Instead...do the opposite. You start in the middle...and you can expand your own story from there. Begin with the simple idea...and then venture out into other rings as you allow the idea to grow bigger and bigger. Stop whenever you feel like you're able to say all that you have to say, and hold steady at that boundary so that you can creatively control how small or how big you want your story to be. Take a look... I hope this doesn't look confusing! Hehehe! ::Fingers crossed:: Sorry! My brain is a mess! In my head, things get a little bit more complex than this, but I wanted to narrow things to seven levels to make it a little bit easier to absorb all at once in one article. Feel free to write me if you ever feel like you want me to elaborate anymore. I'm always bouncing around here somewhere. Hehehe! Ok...so let's start from the center! Boy Meets Boy - This is the simplest of stories if you want to write gay fiction. That can mean porn without plot and chance encounters, or it can mean a gay teen romance happening for the first time. The whole point of the story is exactly as it's described. One guy meets another guy (Or ladies, or teens, whatever your particular genre is), they get along, find one another attractive, and work towards getting together. I've written a bunch of short stories like this...some with sex, and some without...and it was meant to just capture a single moment in time and describe it for your audience in a way that brings them into that moment so that they can experience along with your main characters. This formula is perfect if you're writing a short story, either for an online contest, or to promote yourself on another site, or to add a submission to a GayAuthors' Anthology or something like that. It's short and sweet, and self contained. Depending on how much or how often you get the chance to write...you can easily find a balance to bring these stories to life without really exhausting yourself or cutting it short at the last minute when you'd rather keep going. But that's for all of us to gauge for ourselves. The point is to always put out your best work. No matter what. Find your balance, stay in the pocket, and write a quick and concise story that can stand on its own without floating too far out of the box. Friends And Enemies - Ok...so now we're going to expand a little bit. Not a LOT, but a little bit. Most of my earliest stories stay right in this realm. This isn't just one cute boy meeting another cute boy. Now you're adding a few other elements into your story that need fleshing out as well. If you're protagonist has a best friend...what is that relationship like? How do they tie into the story? Are they there as a method of support? (Lori and Michelle in "Jesse-101", Tyler in "New Kid In School") Or are they someone that your protagonist has to hide or keep secrets from? (Adam and Sam in "My Only Escape", Jermaine and the others in "On The Outside") When you add other characters, you've added a whole new dimension to your story, and you don't want those elements to simply 'vanish' as though they were throwaway characters with no meaning. They need to be addressed as a part of your story. Same thing goes for any rivals or enemies that you add to your story. How do they impact your protagonist? And abusive father? A high school bully? A jealous ex-boyfriend? These are all things that you're going to have to flesh out in your story if you want it to feel 'complete' at some point. So if you add them into the mix...you've probably just doubled the length of your story. The scope is much bigger than it was a minute ago. But don't worry...you can go further if you're feeling ambitious. Hehehe! Family (Parents/Guardians/Siblings) - There are a lot of people that would lump friends and family into the same category when determining the scope of their stories. I, personally, do not! Hehehe! Do any of you remember the show, "Seinfeld"? With George screaming, "WORLD'S COLLIDING!!!!" LOL! Yeah, that's how I feel about this one. The way that I talk to my friends from high school is NOT the same way that I talk to people that I used to work with. The way I talk my co-workers is not the same way that I'd talk to my Mom or my family members. Etc. This, I believe expands your story even further when you get family involved. Do they know your protagonist is gay? Does it matter at all? Or does it matter in a MAJOR way? Are older/younger siblings going to understand, or get in the way? Are parents going to understand or be stressed out about it? To put it in perspective...how many of us would talk in real life, face to face, with people the way we type words out online? Have you SEEN 'Mean Tweets'? Those people would be starstruck if they had to meet those celebrities in real life. A family dynamic is another added layer to whatever story you want to tell...and you've just increased your writing effort by even more, whether you know it or not. So beware of that...because we are now leaving 'short story' territory. Social/Environmental Conflicts - The next level takes us out of the initial love story and brings a much larger, and often more oppressive, element into your story. And if you're going to get into anything deep or heartfelt here without falling short and disappointing your audience...then you'd better be willing to really go for it. Don't cheat your audience. It's never a good idea. On this layer, you're not just dealing with the worries of love, the camaraderie of friends, the threat of enemies, or the judgement of parents and family members. This is a much larger conflict. Such as living in a small town where being gay is not only unacceptable, but dangerous. Or being at war with your own religious or political beliefs. The fear of being outed at school, or at work, or as a Hollywood actor who's in the closet. Forces that can, in no way, be controlled. (Ethan in "On The Outside", Derrick in "A Class By Himself") Or it includes an environment that, whether it's taking center stage or exists as a heavy menace in the background...also becomes a huge threat that needs to be dealt with in your story in some way. (Jake in "Shelter", Nick in "Agenda 21", Jake Gordon in "SKYLIGHT") If you introduce outside forces like financial stability, gay tolerance, or some disaster, into your story...it has to be a part of the story. It can't just be something that you mention once or twice and then write the rest of your story without addressing the fact that, "Oh...there was a massive alien invasion last week! Oh well, at least I'm in love!" Hehehe, no...that's not how that works. This is where a writer has to get into world building, problems, solutions to those problems, tension, despair...you're getting into the thickness of the weeds now. I don't think you're going to really be able to effectively tell that story in ten thousand words or less. And if you CAN...please teach me how! Because I'd love to know! Subplots And Side Characters - We're spreading even further out at this point...introducing new characters, each one with a history, a plot line, and a motivation of their own. The moment you begin traveling down this rabbit hole, then I think an entire series is necessary. Not just a super long story, but a variety of chapters that have to be expertly woven into your main narrative and given significance to the point where there are many branches of different stories and characters and interpretations can be made to orbit waaaaay out from that original 'boy meets boy' idea! Don't get me wrong, you can, and in fact SHOULD, still have that be the main focus of your story...but you're dealing with a ton of other factors now. Other characters, other storylines, other conflicts and obstacles that they have to face. And all of these characters should be relevant to the larger story, so you will have to put some thought and effort into fleshing them out as well as all of the issues and characters that came before them. You maybe even TRIPLE the potential of your original idea by adding all of these elements to your story at once. That will be a LOT of writing! And you will need a LOT more time to get it done! You are entering Marvel/DC, Star Wars, Matrix, Lord Of The Rings, territory now. And the most important thing to remember at this level is...you're going to have to wrap every last one of these stories up at some point in time! So don't overwhelm yourself. Every loose end that's left to dangle is a sign of 'not-so-great' writing on your part. I've done it myself plenty of times. But I get better at it every time I jump back in to attack it again. Missile Launch - You know how you see those computer screens in movies where they have the nuclear missile launch all over the world? Hehehe, that's sort of how I see this part of the next expansion in storytelling. Like I said in the last level...all of those stories that you built up and invested so much time and energy into...well, they need conclusion now. You may have one MAIN story, but now you've got an entire swarm of side stories orbiting around it, and woven into the very fabric of what it is. So now, the big challenge is finishing all of those stories off in an effective way that will still keep them connected to the point of the whole project. I call it the missile launch because of all of those lines on that screen...where the missile takes off, makes an arc, and then hits the target. Boom! If you've reached this point in the scope of your project, that's exactly what you want. Not just for your protagonist...but for all of the characters that you've created to support and interact with that protagonist. Maybe the father accepts the fact that his son is gay after being so homophobic in the beginning. Maybe the main character comes out to his best friend. Maybe the biggest coward on the team finds the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice. Maybe the angry vigilante decides not to kill his enemy for once and spares his life. All of your story arcs come to fruition in this phase of storytelling, one by one, and you give them the kind of importance and substance and gravity that they deserve. Treat your characters like big name actors when you're writing. "What? I came here just to be an extra, and I don't get my big moment?" Hehehe! Give them their big moment. Spread those moments out however you like, but take pride in having them be a part of your story and display their significance for all to see. Every last one of them. It means more writing, and a larger scope of story, but it'll read better. And your audience will applaud you for it. Change - The idea of 'change' is sort of the denouement of the process of writing a full length series or a multi chapter novel. It's more than just a 'happily ever after' type of scenario...this is a broader view and a summary of what has changed from the beginning of your story and the end. Where did your characters start from? What have they been through since then? More importantly, how has the situation of the people and the places and the environment changed around them since the beginning of their journey? Even if only from their perspective alone. I think this is VERY important when it comes to seeing a larger story to completion, as it brings light and detail to whether or not the rest of the journey was worth it. This is your opportunity to display what has changed with your characters or their situation or their interaction with one another or with others. This is when you get to truly celebrate the many hurdles that your protagonist had to jump or how many hardships he had to overcome in order to reach this point. This is, in my opinion, how you effectively reach your 'happily ever after' moment. You can't just cut off your story with a triumph and not set up a hint of continuation for the 'story' once the 'plot' is over. Hehehe, that's just rude! I'm not talking about setting up a sequel or anything...just something to say, "And then they got hit by a bus the next day and they were never heard from again." Do you not know the purpose of the 'happily ever after' trope? Hehehe! Let your readers know that, even though this is the end of this plot, the story goes on. The rest is up to your imagination. So...take another look at this weird 'Comsie Diagram'! Do you see how it works? Small story. Simple approach. Just two characters. And as you add different elements into your narrative...the scope of your story increases. It gets bigger and bigger and more complex...needing more attention and time and energy to fully realize its potential. And you need to sort of find a way to gauge how big or how contained you can keep it, depending on your own style of writing and how you view the story itself. It matters. The more you add, the more you write. The more you write, the longer it takes to pull it off. Keep that in mind, and set conscious limits for yourself when thinking of what you want to put out there. ::Giggles:: Like I said, I am still struggling with this delicate balance myself, but if I find out any other tricks of the trade along the way, I'll be sure to come back and share them with you all! Sometimes, my ideas are way too big for a short story...and sometimes my shorter stories aren't enough to satisfy. But I'm learning. So feel free to learn with me. K? I hope this helps! Take care! And I'll seezya soon with more! If it's one thing that I LOVE...it's talking about writing! So expect more soon! ((Hugz))

How in the living FUCK did Maxwell Jenkins get to be so damn HOT in such a short amount of time??? Jesus Christ! 😮 He was, like...a cute little boy like...YESTERDAY! WTF happened! Damn!

Youtube decided to start censoring all gay teen short films, and wiping out all favorite lists that include anything that MIGHT make the gay youth feel okay and normal about who they are. Just out of nowhere, for no reason. Saying that it violated their 'child safety' rules and regulations. But that's bullshit! So I'll be posting ALL of the stuff that I had suddenly 'removed' from my youtube account without warning. You guys please feel free to stop me when you find a short film that you think is 'dangerous' (Their words, not mine) for gay teens. K? What's so offensive about liking and sharing the stuff that I find on Youtube? Why am *I* getting a strike on my account??? Wednesday is now "Gay Like Me" short film day. Since 'shame' is the agenda for those who don't have to live with it these days. Every week! Every Wednesday! I'll be right here with another one! FUCK those people! Seriously! These are all gay short films that I had on my account that, for some reason, they found so dangerous and offensive. Like I said...you tell me what YOU think about them, and why they needed to be erased from my account. Is *THIS* what they were so afraid of??? Maybe I'm missing something here. Enjoy! This week's Short Gay Film - "Sequins"

Agreed, indeed! You know, on the Shack forum we often play a game called "Jukebox Jimmy" on Friday nights that you might like. Basically, there's a theme and some guidelines for what you're able to post, and you get to pick whatever songs you've got to fit that theme. (The 80's, The Blues, Motown Era, Heartbreak songs, Teen Pop, whatever...) And then we all get to share and discover a few new songs and artists from every era and every genre of music. Maybe you wanna come play with us some time.

I did have a bit of a 'situation' while I was trying to chat this past Saturday, due to health issues... ...I was in good spirits, but trying to pretend that I'm not sick when I'm obviously sick, hehehe...is not something that I'm very good I guess. But I did get some help and I'm getting myself back together as quickly as possible. This happens to me every few weeks, and I'm almost used to it at this point. But I'm working through it to get better. K? By Summer time, I might even have it beat. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Sorry for worrying you guys...

Just wanted you guys to know, because a lot of people miss me when I show up. But I will be there around 9PM EST time...which is about 3 hours from now! Cool? I just want to go and have some fun with you all for a while! I won't be doing a bunch of private messages, or getting involved with conflicts and misery tonight. Please, can we just be an actual family again for a little while. Talk to everybody. Not just to me in private. Be festive...and leave your problems at the door. I just miss you guys. So let's all share a fun experience for once. K? Be happy for a little while! You woke up this morning! Imagine how many people who didn't? If that's not a reason to celebrate...then what else is there? Love you all! And I hope to talk to you soon! Mwah! If you're feeling down or miserable, and want a quick 'pick me up'...feel free to stop by! If you're feeling miserable and decide you want to bring everybody down with you...please don't. We make efforts to help each other out...but don't manipulate us, k? Please? We love you as you are. It's fine to be yourself. Don't feel like you have to make us feel bad for you in order to get attention or get us to care. We already care. Smile for me. Life is beautiful, so let's live it together. Joy is always just around the corner. I'll be actively ignoring the rest... Take care, and I'll seezya soon!

Thanks, you guys! I'm starting to feel better already! A donation to the site helped me to run out and get my meds before the pharmacy closed last night. So I'm trying to get back on my feet. It happens every two or three weeks, but I'm working on it. Hehehe, the Shack saved my life in more ways than one! ::Giggles::

I've always been one of the biggest movie fans that you will probably ever meet in your life! Hehehe! Just let me throw that out there before I even get started! There is something about a truly engaging, cinematic, experience that makes me squeal with delight whenever I'm lucky enough to be a part of it. It's something that I really wish that I could deliver to you all with my stories as a full experience too when I'm writing. But I'm limited in that respect, unfortunately. I can't show you guys any visuals, or speed, or advanced camera angles...and I can't really provide you with an appropriate soundtrack when you're reading! I wish I could, trust me...but I can't. Maybe someday. Hehehe! The thing is...music really moves me. It entices and enhances my emotions in more ways than I can count. And I really wish that I could share that music with you as you read my stories, but i haven't figured out a way to do that. Hehehe...yet! But that doesn't mean that a definitive soundtrack doesn't exist when it comes to my stories. I guarantee you that it most certainly does! And it can for you as well! This time around, we're going to talk about how music can influence and enhance your mood, inspire new ideas, and keep you focused on your current project in ways that you may have never thought possible before. Youtube is going to become your bestest friend after this! So start hunting once you finish reading it! Hehehe! I'm not sure how many of you are old enough to remember when CD burners first came out, hehehe but that was something that I definitely saved up for and worked my butt off to get one! No more cassette mixtapes! There were CDs now! LOL! And I remember one of the first projects that I ever tackled was making personalized CDs for my stories! True story. I was writing stuff and listening to one song or another on repeat constantly until I couldn't stand it anymore...and then I'd take the CD out and put another one in to play something else that fit the moment. I'd have a stack of CDs next to me, and trade them in and out for 'this' scene or 'that' scene...I had a song for everything. Just to give me that cinematic experience that I was looking for while I was picturing it in my head, and hopefully translating those same feelings over to all of my readers, so that they could somehow feel the emotions that I was feeling. Music sets a tone for me. It always has. So when I got that first CD burner, I was obsessed with making lists of what songs I wanted to put together on one CD! I couldn't even work! I was at my job, taking notes on bits of scrap paper, like, "Omigod...and this song! And this one....and DEFINITELY this one!!!" And as soon as I came home, I started making one compilation after another for every story that I was writing. Understand...this was before MP3 lists and stuff like that. Hehehe, at least as far as I was concerned, anyway. I didn't know how to use them yet. Right now...I have 14 CDs dedicated to "Billy Chase", all with different songs and different moods attached. I have 6 CDs devoted to "Gone From Daylight", 3 CDs dedicated to "A Class By Himself", 2 CDs just for "Savage Moon", 3 CDs just for "My Only Escape", and many MANY more....yes, these things exist in real life! ::Giggles:: I created the to cultivate a certain mood or feeling within me that would enhance the emotions that I was trying to put on the page. It's not enough to just put my entire playlist on shuffle and get a myriad of different songs and feelings to attach to my current vibe and not really feed the emotions that I'm going for. It doesn't work for me. In fact, it works against me, if anything else. Today's 'Comsie Advice'? Make yourself a couple of playlists to write to! Not one, not two...but as many as you need to support the feeling that you're going for. You may think that it doesn't really make much of a difference or that the music is just background noise to help you beat the curse of absolute silence...but it's not. At least not for me. Remember...I picture all of my own stories as movies or TV shows or something with complete visuals and audio. So making a soundtrack to write to is essential for me to stay focused and to put me in a certain frame of mind. Please, allow me to show you how. So, now that I've mentioned these phantom CDs of mine...you might wonder what kind of songs are a part of these collections. Well, that would take waaaay too long for me to go through, but I'll try to go through the feeling of these collections to give you an idea. For example, the first CD that I ever made for my story, "Jesse-101"...it was mostly made of upbeat teen pop songs. The beginning chapters took place in a shopping mall with a bunch of cute young teen boys, and I was thinking of the kind of stuff that I used to hear when I was a teen and going to the mall with my friends. But updated. A little Justine Bieber here...a little Cody Simpson there...plus some of the teen groups that I grew up with. Hearing that music brings me right back to a lot of those nostalgic moments that I'm trying to recapture in my stories. So I have a bunch of them playing on repeat while I'm writing. I mean...do you get it? For stories like "Final Hour" or "My Only Escape"? I have a whole playlist full of songs that are really sad and melancholy...almost pleading for some level of acceptance. Songs of healing, of heartbreak, of sorrow. And I always arrange them in a way where there's an 'arc' of some sort, from being lost in the abyss...to finally finding hope. I have Christmas songs for stories like "Holiday Rush" or "A Home For Christmas", and I have stuff that's more fun and upbeat for anything that I want to write that's comical or cheerful or just plain 'life is awesome' music! And, naturally, I've got a ton of music for sensual, sexual, naughty moments in my stories too. Like... Hehehe, I think she's actually MASTURBATING her lady parts at the end of this song! (I love you soooooo much, Janet!) But yes...sometimes I'm writing something sexy, and this song is playing in my ears on repeat. It's like, "Yeah...that's the vibe I was going for. Right there!" BUT...hehehe, it's more than that! And this is where Youtube becomes the best tool in your arsenal! Let's say that you're writing fantasy, or horror, or action, science fiction? There is stuff for you there too! Like...let's say that you have a huge epic war going on in your story? There is free music on Youtube that you can listen to and loop for that! Are you writing a stealthy spy thriller, and need some tactical soldier in the shadows type of music...that's there too. Do you just want some really dark, atmospheric, music to write to for your horror story? That's there too. You can find all of these things on Youtube, open them up in another tab, and have that mood further enhanced by the music that's going in your headphones. Anytime you want them. They are at your disposal...so USE them while you're writing! Take your favorite movies, your favorite video games, your favorite trailers....and whatever 'mood' that you're going for...you can find it online. Usually in one hour (or sometimes TEN hour) blocks!!! Youtube search is your friend! Are you a gamer? And you want the score to "Silent Hill", or "Resident Evil", or "Hitman"? Those soundtracks are available online right now! If you need some intense 'chase music'...you can literally type in 'chase music instrumental', and get an entire collection full of instrumentals that can hype you up and play on repeat while you're writing. Movie trailers that you like? Want the music? Look it up! You can find them too. This is what I often use for certain scenes that I write in my stories, depending on how they fit or not. I listen to Samurai music when writing "GFD: Blade Of Shadows", and I listen to Western Cowboy music when writing "GFD: Chicldren Of Sunset". You just have to go through the websites and the songs (be sure to like and subscribe to them too, as it's sure to guarantee you more excellent material to work with in the future!), and figure out what you like and don't like. If you want something more atmospheric, look up 'ambient' music. Now this will put you into a giant ocean full of ambient music that will be hard to weed through to find what you're looking for. So be sure to specify when you're searching. 'Horror' ambient, 'Sci-fi' ambient, 'Suspense' ambient...try to narrow things down a bit. Ambient music will be soft background music with no lyrics or singing in it to distract you. But you can listen to it and it will put you in a really dark and sinister mood if you need it to. Now, if you go with words like 'hybrid', 'epic', or 'battle' music? That will give you that 'charge the fucking ENEMY' energy! Hehehe! The 'Two Steps From Hell' group is excellent at this! Hehehe so if you're writing an apocalyptic, end of the world, type battle...they truly excel at this! And then...you've got stuff like 'stealth' music, if you want to write an infiltrating soldier under the cover of night, type of thing. Whatever it is that you're looking for...you can find it on Youtube, open it under a new tab, right click on your laptop or mouse...and loop it to play over and over again to keep your head in that particular frame of mind and focus to help you visualize things as you describe them and type the details out in your story. Now, this can work for everything that you lov listening to. Maybe you have a badass Black Sabbath or Eminem or AC/DC son that you were thinking about when you were putting a certain scene together....you can use those too! I do! Most times, I think the lyrics get in the way of me working, and I end up enjoying the music more than the work itself, so I get all wrapped up and don't get anything done. Hehehe, but every once in a while, they lyrics will help me come up with just what I want to say in my story when I didn't even expect it. So those are cool too! Also...if you want to get 'fancy'...you can also find background ambient on Youtube as well. Like...say that you want to have two characters talking in a busy restaurant over dinner. That ambient atmosphere is there, with subtle background chatter, and clinging dishes, and all. If you want the crackle of a winter fireplace? It's there. If you want a heavy rainstorm with thunder and lightning, I guarantee you that you can find a ten hour clip of it on Youtube. So, let's say you want a conversation to take place with some smooth jazz playing in the background. Open Youtube in a separate tab, play that smooth jazz music that sets the mood for you. Then...open up ANOTHER tab...with a thunderstorm going on outside...and you can play them both at once. Again, right click and loop them both. And now you've got a rainy cafe restaurant vibe that will keep your mind focused and locked in that moment. For me, it really helps out a lot. I can see it I can hear it. I can feel it. It's like being in that world, and all I have to do is concentrate on writing what I need to write. You can find 'hacker' music, or fantasy 'market music'...hell, you can find ambient music that replicates the experience of being in the middle of Jurassic Park if you want. I truly suggest giving some of these a try, and just let them play while you're writing certain scenes, or just writing in general. Like I said, a lot of these can range from anywhere between one hour and ten hours of atmosphere music. If you need action, find action. If you need a sad piano playing, find that. It's all there. And you will be surprised at how much it helps you with the writing process when you find the ones that you love most. Give your readers that cinematic experience by experiencing it for yourself. K? It works! Take care, you guys! And happy writing! Enjoy!

I'm still here! Promise! As some of you know, I've been dealing with a chronic illness for months now (Yikes...a year plus now, I think! That was quick!), but it is nowhere near as bad as it was before. And when ebook sales come in at the end of the month, I'll get more medicine and jump right back in the saddle where I left off. So no worries there! I was just knocked out of commission for a few days. It happens every two or three weeks. But I'm good! And I missed you guys! So stick around! And I'll seezya soon! Love you lots! And thanks for being so patient with me! Mwah!

The Valentine's issue is up and ready to go! So head on over there and enjoy whenever you get a chance! https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/ By the way, "My Only Escape" will be posted simultaneously with the ebook release on Amazon! So, as soon as I know, you'll know! ((Hugz)) Love always! Seezya soon!

Happy Valentine's Day, sweethearts!

We'll start you off with a Princess tag, and then we'll move you up to Queen. But you've got to...ummm...'audition'. ::Snickers:: By the way, Comicality is the King of the Earth!

Did it work yet? No? I'll try again tomorrow. Comicality is the king of the Earth. Buy my ebooks, and salvation is yours. I talk to Jesus yesterday over beer and pizza, and he said I was the chosen one. You know...to be the king of the Earth. So send me money at paypal.me/Comsie and I will make the world a better place for all of you. Promise. Uh huh...nods. You know I will...why? Because Comicality is the king of the Earth. Believe me yet? No? I'll try again later....

By the way...Comicality is the King Of The Earth...

I'm kidding, by the way...just want to see if it works. I'd like to be a millionaire. LOL! How much is my soul worth...really? Feel free to join me, 'C-Anon'! Because...ummmm...America is trying to take away my right to...buy...ummm...overpriced coffee at Starbucks! And drive the speed limit, and...stuff. Yeah! FUCK those damn decent, rational, people! Hehehe!

Yep...I'm the president of the whole world now! In fact, I'm th king of the Earth! Yep! It happened! It was declared two YEARS ago! Didn't ya hear? I'm just gonna keep saying it! Ove and over and over and over and over and over and over and OVER and OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER A-FUCKING-GAIN until you believe me! King of the Earth! Comicality! Sooooo much evidence to back it up! Oh man! You just wait! I'm just gonna keep saying it! YOU believe me right? I mean...right??? I'm just going to keep saying it until you're so ***FUCKING*** sick of me that you believe it! Just gonna keep going! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Anybody who says otherwise is a liar and a fraud! See you tomorrow...when I say it again. ::Giggles:: King of the Earth...that's me! Just watch, you'll see. I'll show you all the evidence on February 10th! Oh wait...did I say the 10th, I meant the 13th! Oh wait...did I say the 13th...? Don't worry, I've just got boxes and boxes of evidence just sitting in my basement. I GUARANTEE you that it'll be released on the 15th of this month, and then you'll all see that Comicality is DEFINITELY the king of the Earth! Just you wait and see! Yep! King of the Earth! If I just keep saying it, you'll believe it! In the meantime, buy my ebooks! https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/ No 'pillow codes', unfortunately...but I used to smoke crack, and now I'm headlining the greatest conspiracy in American history! Because...well, just because. I'm gonna expose everything! On the 15th of this month. Or next month. Or on Thanksgiving. Or on Halloween. Or on Christmas. Or some time in fucking 'NEVERUARY 35th'!!! You'll see! Just keep giving me money until then! Wow...so much evidence. Wait till you see it all. It'll blow your mind! And then I can buy more crack...oops...I mean make history. Just gonna keep on saying it. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year...until you believe the lie. Er...I mean the truth. Yeah, the truth. Stay tuned for updates. You believe me yet? Well, I'll be back tomorrow then. I'll get you to turn your brain off eventually. Comicality is the king of Earth. Put it on Facebook and Twitter! Tell your friends! Oh, and Liberals kick puppies and rape pandas. So...there's that. LOL! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Believe me yet? No? It's been YEARS! I'll keep trying! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Comicality is the king of the Earth! Comicality is the king of the Earth! I'll get you sooner or later....

DAMN!!! 😮 This kid knows his stuff! He's like a prodigy or something! I love it! Go be a wiz kid! That's born, God given, talent and wisdom, right there! You can't buy that!

...One of the Shack's longest running stories comes to an end. It has been a very long and difficult road for me as a writer, and probably a difficult road for many of you as readers too...but this is a chapter of my life that I'm finally laying to rest. This is it. My closure. And the ending that I wish I could have had back then. "My Only Escape" will have its big finale posted tonight, and then the story will be complete. Thanks for your patience, and your support, over the years. I think it was worth every tear that I shed trying to write it all out. And I'm dedicating this story to my mom. I couldn't have made it without her. That's for certain. Both the last chapter and the ebook will be available later on tonight. So join the mailing list if you want an official announcement for the big release, and the many more to come in the future. Sighhhh...it really is a breath of relief for me. If, by some odd circumstance, I die tomorrow...at least I'll know that I told my story to all of the loved ones that I left behind. At least people will know who I am and where I came from. I can take pride in that. It's all I ever wanted, you know? ((Hugz)) Seezya soon... https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/

@1:10...I think that's Kang's TVA! 😮

GAAAHHHH!!! WTF??? Ummmm...ok, I don't think this can be fixed! 😮 Between Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, Loki, and Wandavision...this may be beyond repair!!! Which is pretty damn dark! What have you all DONE????

I am sure that there are a lot of people out there who will be quick to tell you that writing your first story is the hardest part of becoming an author. There is so much that is unknown, unpracticed, and an anxiety that builds up before you even get started, not to mention the horror involved with actually getting to the middle or the third act of a story that you've already put some much time and effort into already...only to wonder whether or not you're doing any of this right. It can be sooooo stressful for a new writer to deal with the challenge of penning their very first project. Believe me...I get it. However...speaking from personal experience...it's not the very first story that you write that causes you the most grief. In fact, it usually ends up being the second or third that ends up being the real headache. Because that first outing comes with a certain amount of excitement and discovery for a lot of writers. You sort of get into a 'zone' and are just happy to doing something that you've been dreaming about doing for (what I assume is) a long time now. It's fun, you know? Especially, if your story does well and captures a wide audience. It's exhilarating! But...that always leads to the inevitable question of...'what now?' And that can be an aggravating question for any author to ask him or herself. Whether it's your second story, your 10th story, or your 100th story. Sometimes the anxiety just sets in when you least expect it. So let's take a look at those projects that you may decide to tackle in the near future, and how to calm those negative thoughts down and pursue new projects without feeling like they're taking years off of your life, just trying to get them right. It's easier than you think. The first gay story that I ever wrote online was "New Kid In School". I actually typed it out in an email, did the whole thing in one night, and then sent it in to Nifty, making SURE that it would just be listed under the name Comicality, and that none of my private information would be visible to the rest of the internet. Hehehe, the internet was still pretty new to me at the time and I didn't know what to expect, exactly. But I wasn't 'out' to anybody and was afraid of being found out by my friends or family. Still, I took a chance, and that first chapter was the very first gay anything that I've ever written. That was a milestone for me. And within a few days, I found my email filling up with positive responses to my story. I was seriously flabbergasted by that! It blew my mind that people even read it, much less enjoyed it. That was both a surprise and a huge blessing for me. And I love writing and creating stories...so I wanted to keep going. So I followed up with stories like "Boy Next Door" and "Eddie And Me"...and it's not like they were bad or anything, but it was obvious that they weren't ever going to get the same kind of response as my first story did. Lord knows I tried. So, even though "New Kid" was originally written as a one time short story with the possibility for a sequel...I decided to write a second chapter to continue the story right from where I left off. Again...responses were all positive. And readers wanted more. Cool, right? The thing is...I wanted to be more than the "New Kid" guy. If that makes sense. I had so many ideas and characters and stuff that I wanted to say...but after a while, it was almost like "New Kid" was getting in the way of me being able to express myself fully. It's almost like an actor getting typecast in a role that they can't break away from. You just want some room to spread out, you know? So I tried more short stories, something meaningful, something cute, something that I was hoping would catch fire like that first "New Kid" chapter...but nothing really did. They didn't do poorly, but it was obvious that all of my readers were only looking for one story...and one story alone. "When are we going to get another chapter of 'New Kid In School'?" And it was around that time that I really began to realize what I was doing wrong...and by doing so, I corrected course...and that's what led to the huge variety of stories that exist on the Shack Out Back website right now. I kept trying to focus on "New Kid" and basically recreate it...but better. That's the biggest mistake that I could have ever made. I could try to make the boys even cuter, the sex even hotter, the stakes even higher...but none of that was going to work. I wasn't trying to build up new characters and creating a new story that could stand on its own the way the first "New Kid" did. I was simply using my first successful venture as a blueprint to repeat what I had already done before. And that kept me in a hole that I never would have been able to dig my way out of, no matter how much hard work and raw emotion I decided to pour into it. If you've written something that people love and appreciate, and you want to keep going with new projects...you need to start all over from scratch. Square one. My mistake was thinking that I could have an army of "New Kid In School" stories under my belt...but why would anyone want that? They've already read that story. And it's still running now. So why read a "New Kid" clone when they can just go read the real thing? The main point is that you can't really be free to create new stories and original ideas if you're constantly comparing your next project to the projects that you've done in the past. You have to sort of work to get rid of that mentality. I know that there's this burning desire to always top everything that you've done before and do it better...but it took me a long time to break that habit and understand that every story deserves to be its own entity and stand alone, without being used as a comparison to its predecessor. And realizing that helped to take a lot of the anxiety off of the table almost immediately. Whatever you write, however it is received by your audience...whether it be in a good way or a bad way...you have to force yourself to toss it all aside when starting your next project. Get it off of your mind. Build your new story from the ground up. Characters, dialogue, plot, theme...get back down in the dirt and act as though your last project never even existed. Treat every new story as if it was your first. It's the only way to truly clear your head and come up with something original that will (hopefully) capture that same heart and quality that your fans have come to know and love about your work in the first place. Trying to work in a state of comparison to previous works is only going to stifle in one way or another in the long run. I think this is a really important part of the writing process, personally. I was working with the idea of building on a strong foundation to build a proverbial Tower of Babylon over time...when what I really needed to do was strip myself down and build new foundations with each new story so that they could thrive and grow without having to worry about riding "New Kid's" tail the whole way. I know that it sounds weird to some of ou, and I get that...but let me tell you...once I discovered that one principle for beginning new projects with different ideas and different characters, etc...the whole site began to grow in ways that I never thought was possible. "A Class By Himself" was the first series to actually compete with "New Kid In School" on my site. And that's because I took "New Kid" out of my thought process completely when I began writing it. Then came other stories that were able to grab equal attention because they existed as their own property. "Billy Chase" led to "Gone From Daylight" and that led to "My Only Escape" and "On The Outside" which later led to "Jesse-101"...and once I had three or four separate stories running, each one of them being special and unique in their own individual ways...the mold had officially been broken, once and for all. Thank God! Now, I know that a lot of people have different methods of writing and different vibes that they like to approach in their stories, and that's cool. But for me? I really feel 'trapped' when confined to one story or genre. I write what I feel. Not in general, but in that particular moment when I'm sitting down and placing my fingers on this very keyboard. I can't write something happy if I'm not happy. I can't write something sad if I'm not sad. Not effectively, anyway. My emotions sort of guide me when I'm putting a story or a new chapter together, and I'm not good at faking it. Fiction or not...the emotion is real. You know? You're a writer! You have the ultimate power of creation at your fingertips! Explore the infinite space that you have at your disposal and try out a few new tricks when your muse starts tapping you on your shoulder. Why not? Tear your previous notions of story and character down to the ground, and build something new without looking back at anything you've ever written before. Free yourself from reader expectations and any desire you have to top your last story with something even more amazing. Trust me...the very fact that you finished your very first story at all will pretty much guarantee you a better project moving forward. Your vocabulary will increase, your confidence will grow, you will take chances that you might have been scared to take before. Your instinct will grow automatically with everything that you put out there. I truly believe that a writer's natural instinct is a side effect of hard work. You can't just work hard to produce it. The only way to write a GOOD story...is to start off writing a few BAD stories. It's the only way to learn. We might swallow some water while learning to swim, might skin our knees and elbows when learning to ride a bike...but this is how you earn your medals as an author. Explore the space. Start from scratch and see what you can come up with. Never depend on previous rewards to mean anything when it comes to your next project. Show the world what you're made of. You've got 'magic' in you! Try experimenting with different characters, or a different dynamic between characters. Maybe your first story had two guys that were crushing on one another but were wrestling with getting the courage to say the words out loud. Classic romance trope. But...maybe in your next story, the main characters start out not liking one another at all. Or maybe there's another obstacle in their path that's keeping them apart. For me...in "A Class By Himself" had a big financial gap between my protagonist and his love interest. In "On The Outside", we had an openly gay teen and a teen that was terrified of being found out, so he was deeply closeted about his feelings. There are many ways that you can play with this idea...so why not try them all. It's certain to speak to somebody out there. And if you can capture an audience with one story...they're sure to check out other stories that you've written as well. And the last thing you want is for them to go in feeling like they're reading the same story over and over again, just with different character names. Change up the formula a little bit, while still maintaining a recognizable writer's voice in your work. I'd like to think that, no matter what I happen to be writing, readers can always see hints of 'Comsie' in there somewhere. The voice is present...but I like to stretch out whatever talents I have so I can reach into other territories that I might not be used to tackling for whatever reason. Whether I'm writing romance, or sci fi, or horror...I want readers to still see 'me' in the text. If that makes sense. This is how you can try out different things and keep your options open as an author. I, for one, am constantly looking for things that I've never tried before. It's a self-challenge, I guess. But those challenges keep me racing forward instead of looking backward. I can honestly say that I don't have any real desire to recreate something else that I've done before anymore. I definitely want to finish everything that I've started and bring it to a conclusion the way I always wanted to. But I really want to avoid repeating myself if I can help it. My last big leap was trying out a full blown 'fantasy' story for the first time, called "The Plateau". I had never done one of those before because I was worried that I'd totally screw it up somehow...and I have pages and pages of notes for what I want to do with that story! It's like...it's one of those projects that gets me excited and scared at the same time. It's a part of that stripped down, start all over from scratch, vibe that I was talking about. Now that doesn't mean that I don't still LOVE "New Kid In School" or any of the stories that I've written since then! I just love having enough space to spread my arms out and know that I can take chances and risks on the type of stories that I'm already known for. I want to try something new. Maybe it'll do well, maybe it wont. But find the courage to take those risks as often as you can. You never know when you'll stumble into a niche that really suits you. If you don't have more failures under your belt than successes...then you're not taking enough chances. Spread out. Challenge yourself and see what you're really made of when it comes to new ideas. It's not about success or validation. That's not why I do it. I do it as a part of breaking that 'next project' anxiety wide open and reminding myself that I don't have to balance, one-footed, on what I've already accomplished before. No easy wins. I want to drain my creative well dry and see what I can come up with. Even I'll be surprised from time to time...which makes writing fun for me. Let me scrap all of that tried and true for a short while to see if I can catch a whole new audience. Stories with a different tone, theme, plot, characters, and a different style of dialogue as well as a unique perspective on life, love, and anything else that I might want to throw in there for good measure. Hehehe! Develop your instincts. No one can teach you that, you have to learn it on your own. The main point is...tear everything down. Treat every new story the way that it deserves to be treated. As a NEW story! Give it its own breath. Its own life. Don't worry about making it bigger or better...just make it 'different'. What is it that you haven't tried before? What do you worry most about failing at when it comes to your writing? Do THAT! Hehehe! Never be afraid to reinvent yourself. Take the anxiety out of trying to outdo your first big outing in the writing world. The growth and evolution is there whether you see it or not. I think you create a feeling of trust between yourself and your readers by trying a few different ideas out when the feeling sparks your inspiration. If your story does well, then awesome! You've got another mark in the 'win' column! If it doesn't go over so well...still awesome! Find out what went wrong and learn from it. What does it matter? You're just going to tear it down and start all over from scratch with the next story anyway. So you end up winning anyway. Crazy right? Anyway, I hope this helps you guys think about things a little bit differently when starting a new project. I realize that there are writers who really want to tell ONE story and get it out of their system, just to say that they did it. And that's cool. But...for those of you who want to keep going and write multiple stories, or try your luck with multiple genres...always remember to start with a blank slate when you go into it. Don't be intimidated by the idea of breaking your old formula, and don't try to copy and paste a formula that you've used before in the past. Be 'present' in your work. Use your writer's voice to express itself without guidance. What you end up with is a story that is familiar enough to entertain your audience, and yet it will still be different enough to give them something new and unique at the same time. It'll work. Promise. Happy writing, you uys! And I'll seezya soon!

Youtube decided to start censoring all gay teen short films, and wiping out all favorite lists that include anything that MIGHT make the gay youth feel okay and normal about who they are. Just out of nowhere, for no reason. Saying that it violated their 'child safety' rules and regulations. But that's bullshit! So I'll be posting ALL of the stuff that I had suddenly 'removed' from my youtube account without warning. You guys please feel free to stop me when you find a short film that you think is 'dangerous' (Their words, not mine) for gay teens. K? What's so offensive about liking and sharing the stuff that I find on Youtube? Why am *I* getting a strike on my account??? Wednesday is now "Gay Like Me" short film day. Since 'shame' is the agenda for those who don't have to live with it these days. Every week! Every Wednesday! I'll be right here with another one! FUCK those people! Seriously! These are all gay short films that I had on my account that, for some reason, they found so dangerous and offensive. Like I said...you tell me what YOU think about them, and why they needed to be erased from my account. Is *THIS* what they were so afraid of??? Maybe I'm missing something here. Enjoy! This week's Short Gay Film - "Burn"

((Hugz)) Thanks, Madron!