Comicality

AHEM...!!!!! 😮 Sighhhhhhhhh..... That's it! I'm doing it! I'm doing it right NOW! ::Grabs Shovel:: ::Starts Digging Swimming Pool In My Backyard:: "Hello? 'Teen Sugar Banana' Pool Cleaning Service? Yes, I'd like to place an order for clean up next weekend, please..."

A big, heartfelt, hug to all of you fellow writers who tuned in today, right here, at Gay Authors! Welcome to a new brand new flurry of writing articles that I hope will be useful to all of you who are already massively talented in everything that you do, but are ambitious enough to still search for an added edge wherever you can find one! And also for those of you who are looking for that little 'push' that might get you started on your first project! Honestly, I'm no expert on any of this stuff. Trust me, I make more mistakes than most, and I've probably had more failures than triumphs while trying to teach myself how to do this right. But I study my craft with a passion, I've learned my lessons well, and I've been around long enough to feel comfortable about sharing my personal experiences with you guys in a place where I can interact with my beloved peers. It has been more than 20 years now, and if something I say in these articles can inspire a few more of you to have the same kind of long lasting success that I have stumbled into (Mostly by accident, I assure you!), then I think it'll be worth it. So, welcome back for 2021! Go out there and do it better than I did! It's awesome to talk to you again! I'd like to kick things off with a very simple, and yet very challenging, part of the writing process. And that is, simply...getting started. If this is going to be your time to tackle that project that's been keeping you awake at night, then I hope this article will give you the much needed push towards getting in the trenches and putting things in motion. It doesn't have to be your first rodeo. You might have a bunch of completed stories out there already...but might be hesitating on your next outing. This might be good for you guys too. Every story has to start somewhere, after all. There's a famous quote that says, "You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." And those words ring true with everything that you do in life, but even more so when it comes to doing anything creative. Ideas are wonderful! They're these amazing little sparks of inspiration that come and go at random, and they make you feel good about your particular brand of genius. It's such an amazing feeling, entertaining the thoughts in your head. They're portable, they're lightweight, and they cost you absolutely nothing to produce. So, why not enjoy them for all they're worth when they come around, right? However, those thoughts don't mean a whole hell of a lot without the deeds and the efforts that you need to pour into them to make them a reality. Let's be honest, there is an entire internet full of people who think they have the greatest story ever told floating around in back of their minds...but most never let those ideas get any further than that. They don't type a single word. And many that DO type it out, they're too nervous to ever let anybody else read it. Well...what was the point, then? If those stories are never told and are never made available for the rest of us to read...then the writer's head is exactly where those stories stay. And you just can't take any credit for that. That story ultimately dies with you, ya know? Way it goes. And it's a loss for all of us for never having heard your voice, or the story that you had to tell. True or not true. So...you have to constantly be asking yourself..."What am I waiting for?" Even if you're already writing another story at the moment, and have another idea in the back of your mind...same question applies. What are you waiting for? And I mean that...literally, say it in your head or even out loud to yourself if need to...but verbalize it. You never know what kind of energy you've got waiting to be unleashed until you dive into it and start writing something that other people can respond and relate to. Right? They're not real stories until you actually commit to typing them out and letting other people read them. Pure and simple. I think that was something that I had to struggle with the most as a writer in the beginning. The idea that the hundreds, thousands, millions, of ideas in my head...were somehow being seen as a valid currency with readers who are only able to see the final product once it's finished and published on the screen for them to read. They can't see what I do behind the scenes. They don't view the stories the same way that I do. I can write and write and write, night and day, take whole notebooks full of notes, and think about a story and its characters all day long, planning and plotting and putting together what I was hoping would be one of the greatest stories that I've ever written. But, until I actually sit down and type it out on this keyboard, edit it, and then release it to the public? That story doesn't exist to them. It's still all in my head. And I had to learn to get around my own perspective by trying to see things from my readers' point of view. They can't read the story that I haven't told yet. They don't have the 'inside info' on what happens next like I do. And when I short change them or leave them on a cliffhanger for an extended period of time...I can expect some backlash for that. Fair enough. Aggravated replies, accepted. I couldn't see it for the longest time because I felt like I was writing for hours and hours every single day of my life until I was literally falling asleep at my keyboard...but I've kind of become more aware of it now, and I want to correct that problem as far as my story releases are concerned. As I've always said in the past, the writer/reader interaction is a symbiotic relationship. We need each other to thrive. We need to trust and respect one another to have the art of writing grow and evolve the way it should. There's no other way. Readers need our creative output, and writers need their responsive input. We both have a job to do here. But that means taking the first leap of faith...and actually getting started on your story without the promise of any response at all in the end. It sounds simple...but it really isn't. There's a certain anxiety that comes with starting a new project. At least, for me there is. It can be a highly intimidating practice to write a brand new story from scratch. Don't pretend that you don't feel it in your gut every now and then. You WANT to get started...but there's this hesitation, right? You have to think up better names for your characters, or you have to take more notes, or you're not sure what your first sentence will be, or you think you need more time to plan, or your life is too busy at the moment. Maybe after the holidays. Maybe after the Summer break. Hell, maybe six days after the apocalypse! Hehehe! There will never be a 'right time' to write. Trust me. There will always be something else in the way. This is where your personal discipline has to come into play. And if this is your first story...it's going to take some time to build that discipline from the ground up. When it comes to getting started on your first or on your newest story...here are five steps that I've learned to keep close to my heart and implement in my writing process after years and years of trying to get my shit together. LOTS of practice is the only way to get good at it, after all. The first step? Get rid of the excuses. Every last one of them. Hehehe, even if you have to do it 100 times a day...just keep brushing them off of your shoulder, pick a specific time and place that you want to write...and stick to it. Make a point of making it happen! Treat it like a job interview. Don't pretend to forget about it, don't postpone it or reschedule, don't be late for the time you set for yourself. If you say that you're going to sit down and write something at 10 PM...start booting up your laptop at 9:55 and get your programs together. Don't give yourself an emergency exit that'll allow you to put it off for another day or two. Just force yourself to do it. It will feel like some sort of bothersome chore at first, I know...but that's only in the beginning. Once you begin to make it a habit, and actually have a few paragraphs typed out, or even just a few sentences under your belt...that anxiety that you were previously experiencing will begin to melt away. And a sense of excitement will begin to build in its place. To the point where you'll be eager to get back behind that keyboard and pick up where you left off every day after work, or school, or whatever. STOP telling yourself that you don't have the time. Yes, you do. You have the same number of hours in a single day that Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare, Bruce Lee, Bill Gates, and Beyonce, had. Hehehe, so if they can do something worthy of greatness in that amount of time...you can too. Think of it like consuming food. Nobody says, "I'd eat dinner if only I could find the time." Trust me, when you get hungry enough...you'll find the time. It's not like, "I'm starving...but let me finish binge watching this Netflix show first!" Lame excuse! Writing is no different. When I started out, it wasn't just because I wanted to write something. It was because I HAD to write something. I was restless and bothered by just thinking about it and not making it happen. If you can find that kind of hunger for your own brilliant ideas, then writing it out is merely a formality at the end of the day. So...yeah, make the time, and get started. Make it a priority. Second step? Get rid of the idea that you don't have a story to tell. That's ridiculous. I'm going to assume that if you're reading this article right now, you've already got ideas rolling around in your head, and you're just looking for that little nudge to get the ball rolling. If you're waiting on a vote of confidence or some kind of official permission to speak your mind, consider this your green light. Go for it. It'll be awesome. Trust me. Everybody has a story to tell. Not some people, not a few talented people, not even MOST people. EVERYBODY! That includes you. Try this very basic exercise when you get a chance. Go through your social media accounts, or your cell phone pics, or even an old photo album at your house. Pictures are excellent at capturing a few single moments in time, but that's not the only appeal of the photos you save. Look at those old pics of yourself, even if they're just from a few weeks ago. Study them. What do you see? There's a story there. A story that you have to tell yourself to connect you with the boy/girl in the picture, right? Maybe you're holding up a fish you caught while camping as a kid, maybe you're sharing a piece of birthday cake with a friend, maybe it's you getting dressed up for your first junior high school dance, or it's you in a hospital bed with your leg in a cast. Whatever it is, you're not just looking at a two dimensional picture without meaning or context. There's a colorful story behind that particular image. There were events that led up to it, and events that followed it. You know the history behind that picture...but your readers don't. Share it with them. That, alone, is an entire story just waiting to be told...and you can beef it up or manipulate the details of that tale to say anything that you want it to say. How fun is that? So...imagine what you would say if somebody saw a picture of you as a kid, covered in dirt and holding a muddy frog in your hands by a small pond, all while smiling for the camera. What happened there? LOL! Ask yourself the questions that someone who had never seen that picture before might ask. Why are you covered in dirt? What's with the frog? How old were you? Where were you when this happened? Think of how you would tell them that story...then write it down. You already know how. Give us a peek into your life and tell the story with whatever words you have at your disposal. Congrats, you're (technically) an author now. Then, imagine being able to go back in time and spice things up with your own details, tweak and bend the story to make it more entertaining for an already intrigued audience, and maybe even altering the events to make yourself (the main character) the valiant hero of your own story. Embellish to your heart's content, and enjoy it. You weren't covered in dirt...it was the blood of your slaughtered enemies. And that wasn't a frog, but a baby DRAGON! Hehehe, whatever. That's all storytelling is. You do it all the time, you just don't recognize it. Even if someone asks you, "What did you do this weekend?"...you have to tell a visually descriptive 'story' in order to answer that question. Getting started on your first project isn't much different. Tell your truth. Everybody's got one...what's yours? Step number three? ERASE your 'comparison' mentality. It will only make you paranoid, hinder your progress, and give you more excuses to stop writing in the long run. It's natural for any creative mind to be competitive and want to outdo, or at least be in league with, its peers when putting a project together. But you have to always keep in mind that you could never tell another author's story the way they told it. And they can't ever tell your story the way that you tell it. You're not on an equal playing field to clash with one another, whether you believe it or not. Don't read this person's story or that person's story and think to yourself, "I could never do that." Yes. Yes, you can. Read your favorite authors, figure out what you like and don't like about their writing, and use that as a guide for your inspiration to craft your own story and invent your own style. When it comes to art, there is no comparison. There's always your story and theirs. That's all it is. Write from the heart. Expose your personal secrets and your deepest insecurities in your writing, then hide them behind the 'fiction'. You're being given the chance to say what most people are afraid to say in their daily lives. You have a platform to put your true emotions on display for the whole world to see, but you can do it from the safety of having it just be a story, and nothing more. Take your personal weaknesses and make them your strengths in your fiction. It will touch your readers on a much deeper level than you could ever imagine. Step four...don't overwhelm yourself. Easier said than done, I know...but it's important to keep your expectations in check. If you try to go into writing your first story thinking that it has to be the biggest, most popular, most amazing, piece of online literature that has ever been read by human kind...you'll never write it. Don't get too far ahead of yourself. It's awesome that you're ambitious, and I applaud you for wanting to give it your all...but you have to be realistic about this sort of thing. There's a difference between being ambitious about the effort you're willing to put in, and being ambitious about how your story will be received by others after it's completed. I definitely think that you should go all out and try to make your writing as powerful and as mesmerizing as you possibly can. Strive to do your best at all times. Make that your focus. The process of creating something great is a long one, but extremely rewarding in the end. However, if you go into this constantly thinking about how much you want it to be the most engrossing classic on the entire internet within the first two weeks, where you'll be showered with praise and worship until the end of time? That can end up being more intimidating than inspiring. And, ultimately, disappointing as a result. How can you sit down at a keyboard and spill your emotions out in an honest and effective way when you're so focused on how other people will read and embrace it later? If they read and embrace it at all. How is it ever going to be good enough for a judgemental audience that you haven't even reached out to yet? That mentality will stall and obstruct your creativity in a major way. Don't focus on what other people will think later. Totally lose yourself in the creative process instead. When your project is finished, THEN you can decide whether you want to edit certain parts of it or make it more 'reader friendly'. Until then, concentrate on what you want to say and how you want to say it. My most popular stories ever are the ones that I started writing many years ago. Unpracticed, no real discipline, no experience, no real expectations for any of them to ever be a big deal. But the heart was there. I had nothing to lose by giving it a try, and wasn't focused on having anything to gain by doing so. It's not a viral video on TikTok or Youtube. That won't happen overnight, you'll have to work for it. But that's not a deterrent. Sometimes, a raw passion for the process will take you to places that skill and popular acclaim can't. Use that. And get your story out there while it's still a special part of who you are. And the last step? Step number five? SHARE your work! Now, this can be the scary part. I know. Trust me, I've been there and done that. And it doesn't get much easier with time. But I truly think it's a necessary part of the process, and one that will help you out in the future. Even if you don't make your stuff completely 'public' right away, where anybody can read it...find a smaller audience of readers that you can share it with so that they can give you some feedback on all of your hard work and maybe ask some questions or offer some advice. It can be an online forum, or a selected group of beta readers, or maybe just a close friend or two. But you can't just write and write and not share it with anybody and never feel like you're making any kind of real progress with it. Like I said...your story doesn't really exist unless you share it with other people. And that's something that takes trial and error and confidence. You have to build up the courage to let people see what you've done. Not just for recognition or 'fame'...but to prove to yourself that your writing can be appreciated by the people you wrote it for. That it can be validated by other writers as well. You can't be your own critic, because you're too attached to the project to be unbiased in your judgement of it. Relax your tight choke hold on the story for a few moments, and show people what you've got to offer. They may REALLY love what you've written! And, worse case scenario, they'll give you some comments and ideas that will help you to make your next story even better than the first. So, again...what are you waiting for? I know that this last part can be frightening for many people who are bearing their souls for the first time online, and just worry about being attacked or criticized for their work. To claim that the internet is the safest place to go and avoid haters and trolls of every breed would be an outright lie. But it really is a rite of passage for anybody who wants to become a writer. Even if it's just as a hobby. You have to have faith in your talent. And the only way to have faith is to build it up, one brick at a time. The only way to do that...is to take a deep breath, puff your chest out, and go show the world what you've got. Anyway, that's my take on getting started on writing a new story! Think about the stories that you have to tell, plot them out, and just sit down and write it. Share it with the rest of us. GayAuthors is an AMAZING place, full of talented authors and forums like this one for all of us to talk to our fellow writers and share our experiences with one another. Join up and become a part of the family. You have a story to tell. So tell it. Get moving! ::Cracks The Whip:: Take care! And I'll seezya soon!

::Snickers:: Well...that's ONE way to peacefully threaten your teenage daughter! LOL!

For fans of the zombie apocalypse story "Shelter", who have been reading all of the individual character prequels will be happy to know that the final chapter of "Miles To Go" has just been posted on the site! Preston is definitely one of the crowd favorites from the "Shelter" series, and if you're looking to get a deeper glimpse into his life before the world fell apart, now's your chance! Enjoy! And let me know what you think when you're done! https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/milestogo/ And be sure to check out ALL of the other exciting prequels as well! Get into the whole 'Shelter-Verse' and absorb as much as you can! Coming up next? The previously unreleased chapters of "Safehaven" and "Release Me"!!! Ebooks available in the Comicality ebook section as well!

"Miles To Go 5" I hurried over to the dresser next to me, and I tried to see if I could move it in front of the door to keep Ol' Man Simpson from breaking in before I could get away! I strained my arms as much as I could, squinting my eyes tight and grunting as I pushed and pushed with all of my might, but it wouldn't budge. "Unnnngh!!!! Come on!" I turned around and put my back up against the dresser, digging my heels into the carpet as deeply as I could, my sneakers using whate

Ok, so you all may remember an article that I did on exposition in your fiction a few months back...but I'd like to go a little bit more in depth when it comes to finding ways to create and finesse that exposition, how it works, and why it works. Basically, it's the art of writing without writing. It's the craft of being able to paint a vivid picture in the minds of your readers to deliver a message without having to write it out for them. There are certain techniques that you can use to accomplish this, but in order to truly understand how and why they work, you have to realize how you're doing exactly the same thing on a daily basis. Once you're able to realize that...the rest will come naturally. So, ladies and gentlemen...welcome to 'Exposition, Round Two! Take a moment, and think about the people who might cross your path every day when you leave the house. When you go to work, go to school, go out shopping, whatever. Think about how much real life exposition is being fed to you without a single one of these strangers saying a word. Maybe you see a guy who you think might be a car mechanic. Why? Is it because he walked up to you and said, "Hi, I am a car mechanic"? I would certainly hope not. If he does, ummm...cross the street. Hehehe! But think about it. Maybe he's wearing a wife beater t-shirt with some oil stains on it. Maybe his hands look as though they've been digging around an engine all morning. Maybe he's got an oily rag hanging out of his back pocket. There are things about his look, and his actions, and the materials he's carrying with him, that would give you that impression. That doesn't mean it's the RIGHT impression, as looks can be deceiving (He might be a high priced lawyer who likes to work on his Mustang on his off days s a hobby)...but these are things that are familiar enough to you to paint a picture. Your mind is doing this all day. Maybe you see someone with a cardboard sign saying he'll work for food, maybe there's a lady wearing a 500 dollar pair of sunglasses and a bright red dress walking with a briefcase and talking on her cell phone, or maybe you see someone with a red nose whose sniffling and constantly reaching into her coat pocket for another balled up wad of tissue. Think about all of the times you looked to see if someone was wearing a wedding ring, or the times you saw a soldier in uniform, or noticed a kid with a black eye. All of these visual clues are telling you a story about who these people are and what's going on with their lives at that particular moment...without having them say a word. It's describing these visual cues and actions in your writing that can help you get around a lot of exposition when you're feeling stuck and can't see another way out. Take in those details, and think about how you would describe this person, this situation, this environment, to someone else...and get them to draw the same conclusions that you did. It helps when you realize what you're looking for. Sometimes I have to babysit my younger cousins, and I'll walk into a room...and suddenly they sit straight up and look at me wide eyed without saying a word. Hehehe, it's immediately like, "Ok, you either saw something, broke something, or spilled something, so fess up!" The fact that they're being angelically quiet conveys a whole LOT of information in a very short amount of time. Now, does that mean that they actually did anything wrong? No. But I can safely assume that something is off about their behavior. It's behavior that's familiar enough that pretty much anybody walking into that room would come to the same conclusion. When you're writing, I feel that it's important to visualize every moment of every scene. What's going on? What's the tone? How do they look? What are they doing? You can add those details to your scene to deliver the same information that you want to deliver, but without having it come off as boring or awkward. I had an art teacher once who told me that when you draw a triangle on a piece of paper...the triangle doesn't exist. You draw three connecting lines, sure...but the triangle itself is an illusion. It's simply the empty space being brought out by the lines surrounding it. Exposition can be delivered the same way. By describing the surrounding factors with visuals and dialogue, you can avoid a lot of "Hi, I am a mechanic" moments in your story. As a writer, it's your duty to set the stage and sync it up with certain connections that your readers can recognize and follow. Let's say you have a character who's a drag queen, and performs at a nightclub on Saturday nights. Now you can start your story off with a long explanation of your character's backstory, and how they knew they liked drag, and when they started working in the club, and "Oh, by the way, my name is Harry." if you wanted to. There's nothing wrong with that. OR...you could start your story with your protagonist fitting a wig on his head and fixing his make up...there's a knock at the door. The boss walks in and says, "Let's go, Harry! The club is packed tonight, even for a Saturday! You're going on in two minutes!" Your readers now know that it's a man in drag, his name is Harry, he's a performer, and he works at a club on Saturdays. Takes, like...three sentences and a line of dialogue, tops. And it's a bit more engaging than having to read Harry's life story before getting to the actual focus of the scene. Instead of your audience reading a history lesson...you're bringing them into your world right away. Hopefully in a manner that will come off as interesting and intriguing. Now I, personally, write most of my stories in the first person. So I can deliver a great deal of exposition through the inner thoughts of my main characters and bring my readers along with me. However, when it comes to all of the other characters in my story, their thoughts, feelings, and motivations have to be relayed through observation. My protagonist doesn't get to be a mind reader (Except for that one story where the protagonist is a mind reader! Hehehe!), so I have to describe anger, attraction, heartbreak, shyness, from outside the source. And it would be easy in some parts to simply write down what needs to be said and be done with it. I won't say that I've never done it, and won't do it again, but I try to avoid taking the easy way out more often than not. Down below is the very first paragraph of a short story that I wrote called, "The Kissing Game". It was one of those little innocent/not-so-innocent Daydream Shorts that was just meant to capture one small moment in time. They're supposed to be quick and to the point, so there's not a whole lot of room for backstory and character development here. They have to feel real, and they have to be able to connect to readers right away. So exposition was given in a way that sets the stage, but a lot of the details are merely implied. Even if the readers don't realize how much and how little information was actually given. Now, what does this short paragraph actually tell you as a reader? The main character and the love interest are friends. The main character's name is Tommy, and the love interest's name is Jared. They are 'doing something' together for practice. They're going to high school for the first time in the Fall. That makes them about 13 to 14 years of age. Jared is obviously straight, and is looking to get a girlfriend and high school status. Also...he mentions getting 'ourselves' a couple of girlfriends...so chances are that he doesn't know his friend Tommy is gay. That set the stage, the audience is locked in, ready to go. Boom. Done. Now...what doesn't that first paragraph say? How long have they been friends? Did they grow up together? Did they meet two weeks ago? When did they start kissing each other? Does Jared live next door? Across the street? Across town? Is there a parent in the house at the moment? Did they lock the door? Is Jared really straight, or is it just an excuse to make out with his friend? Where are they? The city? The suburbs? Summer camp? The beach? The park? Is it Summer time? Spring break? A snow covered day in January? Who knows? None of that stuff is mentioned. Nor does it need to be. It's not important to the story in the least, so why even go into all of that? A good strategy for writing exposition is figuring out what is, and what isn't important. Exposition is the art of answering a question that wasn't asked. So if your readers don't need to know certain details about a scene or a character, and it isn't going to have any further impact on the story later on...cut it out. Trim it down, and let your readers fill that part in for themselves. I'm willing to bet that a majority of my readers saw those first few sentences and pictured two boys, long time best friends, in a bedroom when their parents weren't home, possibly over Summer break, close to going back to school, in the early afternoon. The thing is, if you read it again, I didn't give out any of that information in the first paragraph. This could be current, or it could be placed in the 80's, or the 90's, or a post apocalyptic world being rebuilt by society to get back to normal. Hehehe, but unless those extra details are directly needed for me to tell the story I'm trying to tell, there's no reason for that extra detail to be there. In the story, "A Class By Himself", the main character's mother works in a diner. She's a waitress. I displayed that by having her work long hours, standing on her feet, coming home exhausted, bringing food home in plastic cartons, falling asleep on the couch...and it's a part of her character. Not only that, but her character is an important part of the story as a whole. The fact that she's a waitress, barely makes enough money to make ends meet, and likes to cook, is also a big part of the story. So those details were given and occasionally reintroduced to the reader as needed. Now, compare this to the mother in "The Secret Life Of Billy Chase". She works for a living too, right? She's doing something to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. So, after reading 450 chapters of the story...tell me...what, exactly, does Billy's mom do? Hehehe! Crazy, right? I don't even know what she does for a living! If I ever bothered to mention it, then I forgot. LOL! The point is, it's not important. It doesn't play into the rest of the story, so that bit of exposition isn't needed. Maybe she's a nurse, maybe she's a corporate defense lawyer, maybe she's a professional female WRESTLER! Hehehe, but it doesn't add anything to the other parts of the story, so it doesn't have to be said. Sometimes she's at home, sometimes she's not...and the reason is ‘work'. Done. The readers can fill in the rest on their own. And chances are, they don't care. If your main character works in an office….what kind of office? Doesn't matter. An office. In your reader's minds, they will probably think of cubicles and paperwork and copy machines and water coolers...and that's all they need to know. Does he work on payroll? Accounting? Does he balance budgets? Does he work customer service? Doesn't matter. He works in an office. Done. Now...if he happens to be an accountant, and he finds out that a great deal of funds are being used to hire contract killers in foreign countries...and that's what your STORY is about? Well, then you might need to be a bit more specific. But if it's just a passing detail to round out your character, then mention it vaguely and let it pass. At least that's how I would handle it. Now, one last thing before I wrap this up... To make things a bit more visual, this is a short horror film that I found on Youtube. It's a fun little flick to give you the creeps, but I want you to pay attention to what information is being delivered to you from the very first shot, and through the first two minutes or so of dialogue. Look at the surroundings, listen to what's being said, and see what is actually being told to you...and what isn't...but you sort of fill in the blanks regardless. Your readers are probably doing the same things when they read your work. So...watching that, what do you think was told do you? And what do you think you made up on your own? Spend some time to meditate on it if you like. The very first thing that you see on the screen is a cardboard box with the words 'Toby's Room' on it. Immediately, you can assume that this mother and son are moving into a brand new house. And he's probably not used to sleeping in a big room by himself, so he's a little scared by the idea. Also, he says that he misses his dad...to which his mom quietly says that she does too. Which would cause me to assume that there was a death or an accident of some sort. Either way, we've established that 'Dad' isn't around. A lot of information seems to be given to the audience right away, and you kind of go along with it. Because we know how movies work, and the exposition is being quickly given to us by showing us a situation that feels familiar. However, and I'll go into more detail about this on my 'Plot Twists' article later on...a lot of my assumptions about this short film are more illusion than direct information. And if you play around with that illusion a bit, you can really shock your readers by subverting their expectations. Playing mind games with what they thought they knew, as opposed to what you were really telling them. Hehehe! For example...is that little boy really 'Toby'? I saw a box with the name Toby on it, and I made an assumption...but if I wanted to throw a monkey wrench in the works, readers might find out that this boy isn't Toby at all, and 'Toby' is another little boy tied up in the basement somewhere, because this boy and his mother burst into their house and took over! LOL! He's never referred to as Toby once in the whole film. Not by name. But...in my head, that's what I was thinking. Imagine if it was all a nightmare, and the mother kisses the boy goodnight, saying, "Goodnight, Carl." And then goes down in the basement where you see a mother and her son, bound and gagged by the furnace. "Goodnight, 'Toby'." That would be cool! Did his father die? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe he was shipped off to war. Maybe he got caught banging a leather clad bear from the 'Manhole' club! Maybe he got relocated to another dimension to work with Billy Chase's mom! Who knows? But...did I NEED to know? Nope! Not important. Not for this particular story. I was given just enough information to make the appropriate assumptions, and that's all that needed to be said. The director had eight minutes to make a movie. The dad's history? Not important. The reason they moved? Not important. Who is the Number Man? What's with the rhyme at the beginning? What's with the numbers on his chest? Is he supernatural? Is he a figment of the boy's imagination? Is he an escaped mental patient? Doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with the story this very short film had to tell. And anything that was left out? My mind filled it in anyway. So it's a win, in my opinion. So when it comes to exposition in your stories, try to find clever ways to deliver the information needed for your reader to get a sense of what's going on...but ONLY the information needed. Trim the fat, and have faith that your audience is doing a lot of the work with you. Their imagination is carrying half the load. You can avoid a lot of exposition when you practice with this idea, and spend your energy enhancing the details that do need to be given. In a future article, I'll get more into how you can use your readers' own assumptions against them to turn the whole story upside down! Hehehe! But, until then...as always, I hope this helps! And happy writing!

Well...for me, I think it depends on the point of the story. I wrote a writing tip talking about 'theme', and that's what determines the serialization factor for me. Whether I'm reading it, watching it on TV, or writing it myself. To explain further, you mentioned Superman. Now, for comic books...it's very character themed. The point of the story is Superman. However, if you have a TV show like "Smallville"...that's more story themed. So an extended series can have a much broader arc, where one plot point weaves itself into another, characters are developed, and an actual 'story' is told from season to season. So, with comic books, Superman has been around for about 80 years now, and you can ALWAYS come up for new adventures and challenges for him to face. But that wouldn't work for a 'story based' narrative. Nobody wants to watch 115 consecutive seasons of "Smallville"! Hehehe, it has to end at some point, preferably before it wears out its welcome. When writing short stories, I'm just trying to capture one small event or a special moment in time. I might hint at some backstory, and might hint at a potential future, but the point of the story is to just create a freeze frame for that one event, and just focus on it until the story is told. Then I'm done with it. The rest is left to the readers' imagination. However, when writing anything longer, or a whole series...my range expands when it comes to what I want to concentrate on. Now I can build up characters, hide and reveal secrets, create tension, have multiple 'events' take place in the characters' lives, and take the readers on that ride along with them. So it has a different feel to it. Now the story arc can be much wider than with a short story, and by the time it's over, the reader has an entire history of amazing events and special moments to look back on once the final work is complete. So I guess, to finally answer the question, hehehe...I'm more of a hybrid kinda guy. A little of Column A, a little of column B. I love a good short story. And what is a series but a bunch of connected short stories, when you really think about it?

So...I want you all to take a few seconds, and think about your life in it’s entirety. Your entire life, as a whole. Childhood, adolescence, adulthood. How do you envision it in your mind? Do you think about that day you picked up some extra eggs and milk from the grocery store? Do you think about the night you sat on the couch and watched TV for six hours straight? Or maybe you’re thinking about that gas bill you paid, or that time you got a parking ticket? Hehehe, you might be, I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet that it’s unlikely. I like to think of life as a series of ‘moments’. In order to think back on our memories, we have to tell ourselves a story. This is what happened, and where it happened, and how it happened. And when we tell ourselves that story, it usually comes in the form of the bigger, more influential, moments and experiences that we’ve had in the past. The major events that stand out in our minds are the ones we have the clearest recollections of. I couldn’t tell you every slice of pizza that I’ve ever had...but I could tell you about being on a date with a really cute guy and sharing a pizza with him. Because that was a significant moment that stands out in my mind, and one that made me tuck it away in the back of my mind to think about later and smile. It holds a specific meaning for me. It’s a moment worthy of being a part of my personal highlight reel, because it is more than just something that I remember...it’s a part of who I am. When you’re writing a story, being able to effectively create these moments in the lives of your characters can truly make your work stand out as well. It’s all about picking your moments and using them to their full advantage. Naturally, you want your entire story to be well written and edited down to a point where everything has a certain significance, value, and purpose...but choosing to focus on just a few big moments can really enhance your story as a whole. It defines the theme, the tone, and the development of your characters, in a way that will be both exciting and memorable. So this week, I’d like to talk about the creation of defining moments in our fiction. When I talk about moments, even if they’re happening to the same person or people in the same work of fiction, I believe that each moment should be able to stand alone as a story all its own. To use the “Billy Chase” story as an example...that massive story is about to get its 450th chapter, and even people who have read it more than once could possibly remember the entire thing. Lord knows, I can’t do it. But there are certain ‘moments’ throughout the series that readers can remember fondly (Or not so fondly) by certain situations and lessons that were learned along the way from beginning to end. Maybe they think about mistakes that he made, or big revelations that were discovered, or that very first kiss with another boy, or his parents’ divorce. The question, however...is that if you were to take any one of those moments, and write it as a stand alone story, and then give it to someone who has absolutely no idea who Billy Chase is and has never heard of him before...can that ONE moment in time still make for a good story? If so, then it’s a moment worth the glare of the spotlight. And that’s where you can truly grip your readers and keep them invested in the story as a whole. Everything that led up to that moment, and everything that is sure to follow it. Down below is a little video that I’m adding for fun. And while it’s all done for some highly exaggerated grins and giggles...it does demonstrate my point. Movies, books, TV shows, theatrical plays...they all have certain defining moments that, when done well, can really bring you to the edge of your seat. And it does NOT have to just be in the climax either. It can be anywhere in your project where it feels natural, and creates momentum to take things up a notch. It can be the first major showdown between your protagonist and his or her main rival. It can be a big surprise, or a major reveal, or the act of turning the tide in a battle that seemed hopeless. They’re the moments that uplift you when you bear witness to them, and they stick out in your mind to the point where you and your friends will think back and say, “Remember that one part, when…?” Take a look! Besides...the Avengers theme song just makes EVERYTHING a little bit more epic! LOL! Hehehe, as a side note, it’s kind of funny once you pay attention to it...but every time one of these moments happens in a movie, there’s always a cut to somebody’s shocked face! Like, “Omigod...WTF is going on right now?” It’s just sort of a film thing. A shocked face or a cheering crowd...or both. But, I can’t lie...it still gets me every time! Now...these were all action based movies, animations, or video games...but your defining moments don’t have to be that over the top. The theme song is merely signaling you to say, ‘This is it! This is the moment that will take you readers to a whole other level!’ And it doesn’t need to be gunfire and explosions. It can be a great act of courage on the part of your protagonist. It can be the realization of a secret. It can be the simple act of your antagonist finally getting what he deserves, or getting a taste of his own medicine. It could be a severe break up, or finally balling up a fist to blacken the school bully’s eye, or feeling the rush of hearing the words ‘I like you too’ for the very first time. It’s all about creating special moments and giving your readers something to experience that they can hold on to, even long after the story is over. They can have memories of these moments as if it happened to them, personally. And that will give your story a longevity that even the best quality writing can’t imitate on its own. So, when I think about these big moments in my own work, I try to break it down into three simple pieces. Premise, Promise, and Payoff. Very easy to remember, very easy to pull off as long as you’re thinking about these things ahead of time. The Premise is simple...what is it that you want to happen to your main or supporting character, and how can you introduce it to your readers? More importantly, what impact will this defining moment have on your story? A defining moment has to ‘define’ something, after all, right? So what direction are you trying to take your story in? Maybe you have a closeted gay college boy, and you want him to finally meet and talk to the guy he’s been infatuated with from day one. There’s a moment there. How will you go about setting that up? In that same story, they may go on their first date, and end up kissing at the end of the night. There’s another moment. Maybe they fall in love, and the main character decides to take his new boyfriend home for the holidays and come out to his parents. Another moment. These are all things that we as writers should be thinking about ahead of time. Know where you want your moments to take place in your story, and then use the ‘Premise’ part of the equation to present the initial building blocks to your audience. ‘Promise’? This is merely the act of stringing a series of events together to make the journey to the defining moment more interesting. I’ll admit...this part can be fun. Hehehe! It’s true. This is where you can set up certain scenarios and tease your readers into wanting to jump ahead to the big reveal...but you don’t give it to them. Not just yet. Think of it like...spinning the crank on a Jack-In-The-Box. You know that the clown is going to pop out at some point. That’s a ‘promise’. But half the fun is not knowing when it’s going to happen. A little suspense, a few close calls, maybe some awkward conversations or missed opportunities...these are all tools that you can use to wind your audience up, and put them edge for that final crank before the clown pops out. You’re making them a promise...and you’re going to stick to it, right? Unless you’ve got some huge plot twist planned and decide to throw a monkey wrench in the works somewhere along the way! Hehehe, there’s a moment there too, if that’s the way you want to go! And finally….the ‘Payoff’! The big moment is here! Inner strength has been revealed. New answers have been given and new questions are left to be asked. Confessions have been made, lines have been drawn in the sand, arguments reach their boiling point…this is the moment of shock and awe and joy and sadness that your readers have been waiting for since you set up the premise and made the promise in the first place. ::Cue The Avengers Theme:: This part can sometimes be a little intimidating (At least for me it is), because a soggy payoff can really damage a really great story if it doesn’t meet reader expectations. That’s not to say that you should write, specifically, for reader expectations...just make a serious attempt to make the defining moments in your story add up to what you promised they would be. You spent all of that time setting it up, why not deliver the end product with a bang? Basically, we all remember moments from our favorite movies and games and, yes, from our very lives. Take a few minutes and really think about what made those moments special to you. Why you hold on to those memories, and how they make you feel. Having just two or three of those memorable moments in your writing can really boost reader involvement, and your talents can hit them right in the feels each and every time. The right moments...with strong connective tissue binding them together...can really make a story sing. Just a little something to think about! I hope you enjoyed this week’s article on Defining Moments! Love you all! And I’ll seezya next week!

Welcome back, you guys! My apologies for the extended break with new weekend articles, but ‘life’ was calling in a major way. Not to mention that I needed some time to come up with more valuable topics to talk about. I always want to give everything my best effort. So, no ‘fluff’ if I can help it. Hehehe! But I’m glad to be back to sharing some of my little lessons with you all. Spread the word, tell a friend! Now then, that being said...when it comes to writing advice... Don’t listen to me!!! Hehehe, and yes...I am well aware of the paradox involved with you reading this any further...thus listening to me when I clearly just told you not to! But, still...there’s my personal learned lessons over time and then there’s your own gut instinct. If I had to choose one or the other for you all to follow? I’d say go with your gut instinct, every single time. Without exception. Don’t doubt it. Don’t question it. Don’t ever push it aside to invest in any ideas that ‘Comsie’ might have introduced in his latest weekly article. No way! If I’ve learned anything at all, it’s that your writing is, quite possibly, one of the most honest and intimate activities that you can ever engage in. I’ll be honest...it’s actually become pretty addictive for me, personally. This has become my best form of expression. When I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m angry, when I’m fatigued...writing is my outlet. Some people compose music, some people obsessively clean house, some draw or paint, some go a few rounds with the punching bag at the gym. And others might lay back and talk it out with a therapist or a good friend. But for me? I write stories. When you read the variety of jumbled messes that you see with my name on it...more often than not, that is me working through whatever I might have going on in my head at the time. My attempt to untangle the knots in my thoughts and emotions, my achievements and regrets, my joy and my heartbreak. It’s my way of being able to wield the power to ‘make things right’ with the world. I can’t imagine anything being more personal than that. I’ve written stories when I was totally heartbroken, when I was exhausted, when I felt ‘attacked’ or criticized unfairly, and when I was just plain horny! Hehehe, what? Are we being honest here, or not? LOL! I think it’s a great gift for every other author to be able to do the same with their own work. I feel like it should be a representation of who you are at your very core...to the point where it takes years of practice and discipline just to dig deep enough to really expose yourself without holding back. It’s something that I’m still working on myself, but I enjoy the experience. It helps you to know yourself better through self reflection. Sometimes I write something ‘sexy’, or something really dark in nature, or maybe something bordering on some sort of personal philosophy, and I’ll be shocked to find out that I had that in me somewhere. Hehehe, poking my natural instincts and making me say, “Hello, stranger! Nice to meet you! Please, tell me more!” Hehehe! This weekend, I’d like to talk about developing and following your gut instinct over anything that you can learn about writing online. And that definitely includes anything that I could ever possibly have to tell you about putting your true feelings into words. Learning to write (Or improve on your writing) is like learning to ride a bike. The ONLY way to learn is to do it. Constantly. And yes...that might mean having you topple over on one side or the other. A few skinned knees, a few bruised elbows, and a bunch of embarrassing spills along the way. BUT...once you learn, it’ll stick with you for the rest of your life. You’ll own it, and it will be a valuable skill that you can always call upon when you need it in the future. But again...you have to sit down write. Do it as often as you possibly can. Do it every time you get a creative thought in your head that ‘might’ make for a good story. If you give in to your excuses NOT to write more often than you do to write...then you’re not a writer. And that’s ok. It’s not an insult. It’s not for everybody. But if your goal is to be a writer, even if it’s just as a hobby or a method of self expression...then those excuses have to be thrown out of the window. What are you waiting for? Write, already! Just do it. Do it for ten minutes a day. That’s enough. Just stop coming up with reasons to play the couch potato role in front of the TV, day after day. Writing isn’t easy, not by any means...but I think that should be a challenge, not a burden. The idea is for your instincts to become automatic. You can actually train them, and switch from, “I haven’t written anything in a few months, I should probably sit down and bang out a page or two before work tomorrow to keep people off my back.”...to “I can’t WAIT to get home from work tonight and write about my day and all of the ideas and thoughts running through my head right now!” Make it a daily activity. Not just a discipline, but a habit so natural that it almost becomes subconscious. Had a cool conversation with somebody today? Write about it. Saw an accident at an intersection? Write about it. Had a dream about a giant goat monster wearing a purple night gown and a Chicago Cubs hat while asking you to dance in the rain with him? Well...maybe you don’t want to let random people know about that one, but you get the idea. Again...what are you waiting for? Every story doesn’t have to be “Hamlet” or “Catcher In The Rye”. Those stories weren’t written to be the signature texts that they are today. It was an author with an idea that they wanted to share...just like you. Jot your thoughts down. All of them. Your deepest passion will come from your daily experience. If you’re waiting for advice or looking for some magical spell that will make writing easy for you...it’s not going to happen. Hehehe, trust me on this. There is no article, no book, no online tutoring session, no intuitive computer app, that will make your stories better, or your writing process any faster or more effective. Your strengths will come from the simple skill of taking those intangible thoughts and emotions within and finding a way to communicate them to your audience. There’s no other way. I know that there are a lot of programs out there that make the ‘promise’ to writers who are looking to get an added edge when it comes to writing that this is the way to go…but that’s not the spark that is going to bring your writing to the next level. That’s all on you. It comes from developing patience and confidence...in that order. And the only way to develop these things is through trial and error. LOTS of it! In other words...’practice’. I think there’s a difference between the art of writing, and the craft of writing. Now, if you want to get better at your craft, then sure...you can have a computer check your spelling and sentence structure. You can learn plot, pacing, and character development from some of the best, top selling, authors on the market today. But, at the end of the day...those are just the mechanics of the writing process. I’m not saying that they’re not helpful and should be devalued or overlooked...but understand that it’s almost like reading a book on how to swim. You can look at pictures and drawings and learn about the breaststroke and the backstroke and how to float...but you can’t just read a ‘how to’ book on how to swim and expect to be able to just jump in the deep end of the pool with no issues. You have to actually get in the water and put those ideas to practical use. You have to immerse yourself in the act of actually doing it. You have to find your own personal rhythm, test your limits, and discover your strengths and weakness, when everything you’ve studied is put into action at once. It’s a whole different ballgame. And the faster we all figure that out as writers, the faster we can move towards creating the kind of stories we’ve always dreamed about. I certainly can’t tell anyone how to write their own story. And even if I could, I’d probably tell them to follow their gut anyway. I don’t belong in your head or in your heart, hehehe! This is your rodeo, not mine. Now the art of writing is all about exploration. Experimenting. I have some young cousins that come over from time to time, and that’s all they do! Hehehe, they want to play video games, they want to see my old comic books, they want to hold the TV remote, they want to look in the closets! What’s in here? What does this button do? What happens if I pull this handle or turn this knob? I think the best way to develop your art is to do exactly that. Think of new ways to phrase something. A different story theme, a different metaphor, a different character type. Feel around, find your comfort zone, explore it until you’ve scanned every corner of it...and then challenge yourself to get OUT of that comfort zone and try something new! And then repeat that process all over again. I think it’s good to surprise yourself every now and then. And surprise comes from challenge. Everything that you write doesn’t have to be the best thing that’s ever been written online. Never be afraid to reach out and try something that you’ve never seen done before. How would you treat it? What’s your approach? What’s going to draw people in and get them to see the world from a new angle? The possibilities are endless. Try them out. Allow yourself to let go and write in the moment. Don’t bog yourself down with lectures and lessons about character and plot and foreshadowing and dialogue...just WRITE! If you go back later and think it can be better, you can fix those things during the editing process, but I’ve learned to abandon at lot of the rules and regulations of writing fiction for short periods of time and just follow my instincts in order to create something ‘organic’. Something real. I think its important to find your own voice as a writer, and stick to it. Even if you meet up with some resistance at first...if that’s your writer’s voice, and you’re comfortable with that expression...then you stick by it. You MAKE it the new standard, and you build your brand any way that you want to. Why not? It’s art. How can it be ‘wrong’? I don’t see anybody telling Picasso how to paint a picture of a bull. Do it your way, and make it a classic that nobody else can duplicate! Ever! So, this point of this article is simply...find your own way. Incorporate whatever good tips or suggestions that you want to along the way, and brush the stuff you don’t agree with off of your shoulder. The best part about writing is being able to create your own world, your own style, and your own standard of what’s awful and what’s awesome. Don’t let anybody else determine that for you. K? Have fun! And thanks for being patient with me while I’ve been super busy with other stuff lately! Good luck to you all! And may your muse be inspired and wise in the weeks to come!

Thanks go out to you guys fort he huge response to the first chapter of this story! And I'm super happy to bring you chapter two! So check it out, enjoy, and take a moment to let me know what you think! Love you lots! Seezya soon! https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/after-practice/

"After Practice 2" Why is Dallas so....so friendly??? I mean, I know that we're teammates and all, but we've only known each other for a few weeks...and he's just so comfortable to be around. And he's cool being around around all of us, really...even knowing what we know about him. That can't be natural, him just having this outstanding personality and being this comfortable in his own skin when it comes to interacting with people who are basically strangers as far as he's conce

I'll try to talk to as many of you guys as I possibly can! K? I've had a few marathons before, and gave out before I could respond to you all. But DON'T stop writing! Hehehehe! It's always awesome to hear from you! It just takes me forever to reply, that's all! But I read everything you send me every single day! Every email, every story comment/review, and everything else! So look for me to get back to you soon! Love you lots! Mwah!

One element of storytelling that really makes a difference when writing is the ability to immerse your readers into the world that you are trying to create. Now, that pretty much goes without saying, of course...but one thing that I’ve learned over time is that this immersion works better when there’s a balance between ‘imagination’ and ‘information’. (I hope I’m saying that right. Let me explain...) As I’ve stated in previous articles on my writing process, I always think of storytelling as a symbiotic relationship between the writer and the reader. We are both creating this story in different ways. One way is in my head, and one way is in theirs. It’s sort of like having a dancing partner, where I may be leading, but we both need to participate to make it the graceful expression it was meant to be. So, with my stories, I’m always trying to involve the reader’s imagination in what is going on. Visual cues and actions that allow them to build a mini movie in their heads as they read along. Meanwhile, I’m also attempting to tell the story that I want to tell. I have to deliver a certain amount of information so that everybody is on the same wavelength in terms of what’s going on. The best way to do this, in my opinion, is through dialogue. Narration and prose from a writer gets to be an old trick after a while, and I find dialogue to be a much more interesting way to get certain plot points across to your audience instead of just long explanations from the writer that doesn’t involve and active participation from the story’s main characters. However...sometimes that can create a slight problem. If anyone thinks that an extremely long monologue from one main character to another main character is going to be seen as anything different from author narration...you would be mistaken. Hehehe! You’ve got to remember...readers are savvy to those tricks in this day and age. They are devouring hundreds of hours of media every single day. They know exposition when they hear it. And while you may just have to say, “Screw it! it’ll just have to be exposition, then!” every now and again...there are still a few magic tricks up the authors’ sleeve that can help with this. First things first...try to break the ‘monologue’ temptation if you can. This is when you want to explain a character’s motivations or big plot points of the story, and the other characters is basically like, “Well, sure...let me tell you all about it.” And then he or she ends up talking for 75 paragraphs in a row to break down the entire story in one sitting without ever taking a breath. Hehehe, yeah, that’s not a good idea. What is the other character doing while all of this is going on? Does he just sit down on a carpet with his legs crossed like a kindergartner getting a bedtime story? What’s happening here? Think about it. What would you do if you casually asked somebody how their day was going, and that led to a 45 minute explanation? Would your mind wander? Would you find that strange? Would you get frustrated after a while? Well...you readers would too. When it comes to exposition dialogue and drawn out explanations that you feel need to be included in your story, always keep in mind that your audience’s attention span can be easily broken if you don’t throw in an occasional change up every now and then. It doesn’t mean that the information is boring or that anything is wrong with your story...it just means that you would do better to cut it up into bite size pieces first. That’s all. As with most of these little writing tips, this isn’t hard to accomplish. It’s just hard to notice if you’re not looking for it. The easiest way to do this in a dialogue is to simply keep in mind that two people are having this conversation. Involving the secondary character in the discussion can be much more involving. Say...you have an astronaut landing on Mars for the first time...and he runs into an alien being. Well, what the…??? How is this possible? How did we not know you aliens existed? How did you hide yourselves from us all this time...and why? The alien may say (In perfect English...which is a whole other explanation in itself!), “My Earthling friend...let me tell you all about it.” And that can end up being a monologue that goes on for pages and pages without end. Word to the wise...readers will mentally and emotionally check out if you hit them with an unbroken wall of text telling that whole story in one go. I’m assuming you guys don’t want that. Get your astronaut involved! He’s completely oblivious as to what is going on here. Have him ask questions. Have him be shocked or maybe even negatively react to what he’s being told. Have him make comments of his own. Play both sides of the conversation in a way that will keep a momentum going in your story. Have them both learn something along with your readers. A simple ‘back and forth’ can save you from the infamous ‘ton of bricks’ wall of text that a percentage of your readers might get bored with or just skip altogether to get back to the meat of the story. It sucks to have to think about these things sometimes, but I’ve found that it helps to keep this as a rule in the back of your mind. That’s the ‘information’ part of the equation, and that’s in the hands of the writer. Here’s where we can use the ‘imagination’ part of this to keep readers interested as they visually picture the scene unfolding in front of them. This part doesn’t take any dialogue at all, or even a back and forth with another character if that isn’t an option for that particular scene. It’s just a matter of using your talents as an author to paint a picture and put it into motion. You’ve spent all of this time thinking about the information that you want to deliver to the people reading your story, and you’ve got someone talking about it, acting as a vessel for the big message you’re trying to push out there, right? Well, what’s happening while that character is doing that? Think about it...when you talk to anyone at length in real life (AFK)...what else is going on during that time. Take a moment and think about it. What are you looking at? What are your hands doing? Are you standing up? Are you sitting down? Do you look around the room? Do you speak up, or do you lower your voice, depending on whatever it is being discussed? Are you guzzling a soda, sucking on a cough drop, staring at your cell phone? What’s going on? Use those details in your story. Break up that dialogue with visual actions that your readers can see, hear, feel, and relate to. Make a virtual movie out of it. I want you guys take a look at this opening scene from the movie “Pulp Fiction”. I truly believe that one Quentin Tarantino’s most amazing signature talents is his flair for dialogue. There are times when he can turn the most random, off topic, conversations into a work of art. But, beyond that...I want you to take notice of what the actors are doing with this scene, and think about how you would write it into a story if you had to. Here it is... Now, if you guys were to close your eyes and just listen to this...the whole scene is just dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. It’s two people sitting in a restaurant booth, discussing a robbery scheme. However, look at everything else that’s going on in this scene. Pay attention to what the actors are doing here during the conversation. The visuals. They are not just sitting there discussing a robbery. They are in motion. They are displaying emotions. They are giving each other clues. They’re...in a word...’alive’ in this scene. When you’re writing, I’ve always found it important to bring a certain life to the conversations as they’re happening. These two people are doing things that can be described in your writing. They lean in to look each other in the eye. One might take a drag off of his cigarette, or clip the ashes off into the ashtray. Take a sip of coffee, smile at the waitress, lay their head on the table, put his foot up on the seat, speak in a hushed tone...these are all things that you can use to break up the monotony of an extended scene of dialogue when writing your story. Even if you have a ton of information to deliver in that once scene...you can ‘jazz it up’ a little bit by adding a sense of motion to what’s being said. Maybe you write a few sentences of dialogue...and then the speaking character walks over to take a look out of the window. Write a few more sentences, then he looks back over his shoulder and, with a wave of his hand, silently offers the other character a seat. Maybe they’re sharing a drink, or eating a snack. Maybe one of them has a nervous twitch or a habit of tapping his foot under the table. Flesh out the rest of the scene around the dialogue and try to create a mental picture of what’s going on around your characters...all while distracting your readers from the fact that, “Geez, they sure are talking a lot!” Hehehe! Long blocks of one character shoving an entire history lesson down the throats of your readers can be exhausting. Visuals, I feel, help to change things up a little bit. Not only to break up the dialogue blocks, but to add little quirks and nuances to your characters. Allow their natural personalities to shine through in their actions. Someone who’s full of anger may pace back and forth, make threatening gestures, or might invade another character’s personal space in a challenging manner. Someone who’s timid or shy may have trouble looking another character in the eye, and may direct his gaze down at his shoes instead. He may mumble his words under his breath. He may twiddle his fingers nervously while searching for the right words. These are all tiny little activities, sure...but sprinkling these seemingly insignificant actions throughout a meaty conversation can bring a whole new feel to that particular scene, and it will keep your readers engaged and searching for more hints and clues to pick up on with your characters, while still absorbing all of the information that you have to deliver to them. Trust me, it works. So, to wrap this up... Information – Try to avoid heavy narration or a dialogue that no character in real life would ever bother to sit through after a few minutes or so. Break it up by involving both parties and try to swing back and forth between characters...with one asking pertinent questions, and the other character answering them. It’s just enough of a change up to keep people from getting bored. Imagination – Add visual and ‘action’ to what your characters are doing in any given scene where their personalities are being developed, or where a heavy dose of information has to be given all in one go. Have them bashfully brush their long hair out of their eyes, have them bite their fingernails, or constantly look up at the clock to see what time it is. These micro-actions can say a lot about your character, and it can keep things active while giving your readers the amount of information that they need to move on to the next part of your story. Watch the “Pulp Fiction” Opening again. It’s the perfect blend of both sides. Put THAT in your writing, and you can’t go wrong! Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you this time! And as always, I hope this helps you guys to be the best writers as you can! Take care! And I’ll seezya soon with more!

Thanks, you guys, for being patient while I took Christmas and New Years weekends off to just sorta rest and spend time with the family for a bit. I definitely needed it! I feel good! So, let's kick things off the right way! A brand new chapter of "Left Without Words" is now up! So check it out! And let me know what ya think when you get a chance! Cool? Love you lots! And I'll seezya soon! https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/leftwithoutwords/

"Left Without Words 21" Deme peeked out from behind the curtain briefly as I quickly motioned for him to stay put and keep hiding until I could figure something out. Shit...who just 'pops over' to someone's house unannounced like this? Dangit! "Sarah? Hello? Are you home?" Stephanie said, now getting closer to the bathroom door as I tried to hurry up and come up with some kind of a strategy. I didn't want her to pass by the open door of my room. I think Deme and I just sort of kick

It’s the weekend again! So...let’s talk about climaxes! Wait! Not THAT kind of climax! Stay out of the gutter! Geez! We’re talking about story story climaxes. This is the grand finale to your story! This is the big finish! This is where you’re able to give your readers the big pay off that they’ve been waiting for since they got hooked on those first few sentences of your story. A story’s climax can really make or break a wonderfully written project, depending on how well it works with your audience. It expresses the overall theme of your story, the reason that you wrote it in the first place, and what you want your readers to walk away with once everything has been said and done. So...put some thought into it, folks! Hehehe, this is important! For me, personally...I like for most of my own stories to come full circle. For the end to somehow encapsulate what was taking place in the beginning. I like for the climax of the story to be the defining moment for my main characters, and have that moment either bless the readers with a satisfying ‘happily ever after’ scenario...or have it be the merciless sucker punch that causes the whole story to collapse and end on a darker note. Or at least a note that’s somewhat bittersweet in the long run. While I definitely concentrate on making the story addictive and enjoyable as a whole, I do make it a point to save my most heavy hitting moments for the very end. In my opinion, the climax of a story should be more amazing, more shocking, more jaw-droppingly dramatic, than every major event that came before it. The climax is the sincere promise that you made to your audience from the very beginning. “Stick with me, and I’ll give you the reward you’ve been patiently waiting for!” Now, depending on the kind of story that you’re writing...this climax can mean a bunch of different things. It can be the defeat of a major enemy, or the salvation of a lost soul. It can be the big showdown between a super strong hero and an equally powerful antagonist. Or it might be the first kiss or hot sexual experience that your main characters have been trying to have, but obstacles have been standing in their way. Whatever the climax may be in your story...it should be the peak of your project. You’ve been seducing your audience into reading along and following your protagonist through this amazing adventure for all this time...so when they reach that major moment, when they’ve finally dug down deep enough to find that treasure chest...you want to make sure that they all feel like the hard work was worth it. The last thing you could ever want is for that big reveal or elevated event to fall flat and end up as a disappointment to readers who were looking for something more. That can be a curse on your story as a whole. Even if you’ve written a true masterpiece up until that point...the climax of your story is what you will, ultimately, be graded on when they comment or spread the word of your story to other people. I’m not kidding when I say that this can be a ‘make it or break it’ scenario. Don’t spend all of your hard work and energy on writing a fascinating story, only to have it fizzle out like a spent candle at the very end. The end of your story is the personal stamp on the fictional journey that you’ve created. It’s what people are going to remember most when they close the link and reflect on what they’ve just experienced. You want your lingering effect to give them a feeling that will stick with them in a way where they will not only read your work again some time, but will refer it to other readers as well. Always remember that the climax of your story should answer the intriguing questions that you set up in the earliest parts of your story. Let it be the punctuation mark on your story in general. Seduce your readers into expecting something MAJOR just over the horizon...but only give them small hints and glimpses of what’s coming along the way. I think that an effective climax is all about the ‘tease’. All about making that promise, that unspoken contract, with your readers...and then following through by giving them something eyebrow raising once they see the finished product. And...accomplishing this feat, as always...comes from planning. Always planning. When you’re diving into a brand new story, and you want it to be something special, and memorable, and loved by all...planning is essential. Think of it like you would if you were telling a joke to somebody. The biggest impact of the joke is the punchline, right? But that punchline can’t work without the setup. And the setup falls flat without the punchline. You’ve got to have both in order for the comic element of the joke to work. The timing, the delivery, the surprise of it all...it matters when it comes to bringing the most potent part of your story to life. Always give your story somewhere to ‘go’ when you’re building up to your climax. You want there to be a peak to your roller coaster. A finale to your fireworks display. This comes from plotting out the most important part of your story, and gradually building up to that punchline without overshadowing its impact ahead of time. KNOW where you’re going with your story when you start! That’s not to say that you can’t be flexible and let certain ideas change and evolve over time while you’re writing, but having a definitive idea of what your story’s ‘big moments’ are going to be ahead of time will help you out a lot when it comes time to top all of your previous highlights in the story and are looking for that major ‘WOW’ to send it off with. So know where you’re going, tease your audience with awesome plot points, complex twists, and surprising turns, along the way...and then deliver a final blow that can act as an effective punchline for the story that you’ve been telling the whole time. Be an entertainer! Give your audience something to cheer about. Or cry about. Or get angry about. Whatever the outcome...give it that punchline. You’ve only got one shot at this, so make it count. Now, one example that I’d like to use here, comes from the movie, “Blade”. I LOVE “Blade”! Hehehe, I really do! Even though people nowadays don’t talk about it much, Marvel’s “Blade” basically SAVED the whole comic book movie genre! Without that movie...taking a comic book hero seriously...and making it R Rated and action packed...we wouldn’t have what we have today. We’d have campy “Batman And Robin” with George Clooney, and campy “Superman 4” with Christopher Reeves. “Blade” paved the way for “Batman Begins”, “The Dark Knight”, “X-Men”, “The Avengers”, “Black Panther”, “Deadpool”, “Justice League”...I mean...we have Oscar winners in comic book movies now! That’s crazy! So THANK YOU, “Blade”, for showing the world that it can be done! However... As much as I love that movie, I believe they made a huge mistake when it came to putting that movie together. And this is a perfect example of why a climax is so important, and why it should be strategically placed at the END of the story! See, when “Blade” opens up, there is a SWEET action sequence that takes place in the first ten minutes of the movie! And I remember seeing that in the theater, and thinking, “HOLY SHIT!!! Let’s GO! I’m so psyched, right now!” It was everything that I wanted a Blade movie to be! And by drawing me in with that opening scene (Highly effective!), I was glued to that screen, waiting to seee what would come next. But...and this is NOT to say that “Blade” wasn’t awesome...it never really topped that opening scene. I mean...how could it? You’ve got a major protagonist reveal of a shotgun toting, sword wielding, vampire hunting, ninja in a long black trench coat, laying waste to an entire underground club full of panicked bloodsuckers!!! I mean...where do you go from there? The most over the top moment of the whole movie happens right after the opening credits, and it’s hard to even match that, much less surpass it later on in the movie when it comes to fighting the big baddie, right? I mean...here. Look at this! Again...as much as I LOVE that scene...the rest of the action scenes never really live up to the hype and the utter chaos of that first opening slaughter. That’s a hard act to follow. Hehehe! So it’s understandable, sure. But that, to me, was a ‘climax’ scene. Imagine for a second, that this had happened at the end of the movie instead of the beginning. See, the advantage that you, as a writer, has when it comes to a story climax is that your readers already have an entire journey behind them to build upon. They’re familiar with your main character. They have a short history of experience, learning about how high the stakes are, what is most important, and they’re already on board to cheer you main character on as they go complete APESHIT on an army of adversaries! Imaggine if Blade had been taking on vampires two or three at a time, and the situation had gotten so bad, things had escalated SO much, that he just had to let loose and slash his way through an armada of the undead to bring an end to this once and for all. That would be EPIC! The climax of your story has already been set up, it has been reaching a boiling point over time, and now it’s time for the major payoff. If it can’t match or outdo what you sold your readers on in the opening scene...then you kind of miss the mark in terms of bringing everything to a head and making the kind of impact that you set out to make. Now, compare the “Blade” beginning to the defining scene in the original “Matrix”. This happens at the END of the movie this time, and the whole impact of this scene has a different feel to it. Check it out... This time, you’ve spent some time with the main character. You’ve come to relate and understand him and his motivations. The movie sets up ‘Agent Smith’ in the beginning as being one of the most terrifying things that the Matrix could possibly throw at the protagonist. Calculating, precise, unbeatable. Everyone is scared by the mere appearance of such a creature, right? But...the story ‘teases’ you by letting you know that Neo isn’t your average guy. It then teases you into realizing that he’s special. That he can almost dodge bullets the way that they do. And then teases you even further when he turns and tries to actually fight with an agent...something that has never been done before. All of these things, while amazing scenes in their own right...they’re building up to something big. They’re the preamble to a climax that audiences are waiting for. Neo has transformed into the hero that the story needed, and the WORST thing that the Matrix can throw at him can be easily dispatched one handed if needed. But what gives the reader a rush is the journey that brought them to that point. The training, the mind games, the realization that...”I can do this!” All of these things make a difference when it comes to making a climax the major event that you want it to be. And, again..that doesn’t mean that there has to be some sort of knock down, drag out, fist fight or anything. It can be a first date, it can be coming out of the closet for the first time, it can be standing up against an abusive parent, or finally getting the courage to follow a lifelong dream. Whatever the climax of your story might be, make it the fireworks display that it deserves to be. Fulfill the promise that you made to your readers when they started investing time, effort, and emotion, into what you were writing. Let them know that this is actually leading somewhere. And when your story is done...they’ll thank you for a wild ride. Hopefully, one that they’ll remember for years to come. Anyway, that’s my little spiel on Climaxes. I really do see them as being a major part of your story as a whole. Without a defining moment to validate the whole reason for reading the story in the first place...your project and all of the hard work that you put into it can become a distant memory in a very short amount of time. I’m going to assume that you guys don’t want that. I hope this helps! And I’ll see you soon with more! Take care! And happy writing!

I have to be 100% honest here... I had NEVER once, in my entire life, heard the term 'Mary Sue' used in any writer's discussion, ever...until "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was released in theaters a few years ago. Never. Not once. Since then it has become this weird 'buzzword' that a lot of people have weaponized to use as a criticism in a variety of stories, movies, and comic books, and while I don't really use it myself I think it is an attempt to point out a certain flaw that authors may run into when creating their characters and building an engaging story around them. I do wish that it hadn't become such an insulting way of describing a character, but I suppose it all depends on who's using it, and why. So this weekend, I'd love to take some of the venom out of the term, and have an open an honest discussion about the concept of a 'Mary (or Gary) Sue' character in our stories online. To begin...what is a Mary/Gary Sue? What does that even mean? And how do you spot one in whatever story you happen to be reading or writing at that particular moment? Well...basically, a Mary/Gary Sue character is someone who is written to be absolutely flawless. Perfect beyond the suspension of disbelief. They're always super strong, and super beautiful, and super smart...they almost never lose, they have everything going for them at all times, and they barely have to lift a finger to make any situation in their lives come up roses. Just...frustratingly free from any real challenges of any kind. In other words....'boring'. Oh you can have an EXCELLENT story going on around them the whole time...with action and romance and intrigue and all the sprinkles and ice cream scoops that would make for a great reading experience...but a boring protagonist can drag that awesome story right down into the dirt with them if you're not careful. Simply adding a few sentences to 'tell' your audience that this person is confused or conflicted or flawed in some way, only to go back to describing how perfect they are over the next ten pages, is NOT going to balance out in the long run. How can a character who never loses possibly enjoy winning? How does a character with no struggles and no obstacles to overcome possibly express any sense of joy or triumph? What is the value of an achievement that you didn't earn? These are all questions that might arise when it comes to having a Mary/Gary Sue character in your story. And that's something you might want to ultimately avoid. I think that the idea is best displayed when you see a character that is SO well loved by the other characters in the story, and has SO little to worry about, that you actually stop caring whether or not they win in the end. It's not that you're cheering for the opposing team. You just don't see a need to give your character any support when they obviously don't need it. What is there to root for? The entire universe is conspiring in their favor at all times whether you agree with their choices or not. They're perfect. EVERYBODY thinks they're perfect! Hehehe! One example of this idea, in my opinion, comes from the movie versions of the "Twilight" series. Now, I've never read the books, so they may be totally different from the films, but from what I saw in the movies...Bella is the pure definition of a Mary Sue character. She's a dark and brooding teenager who moves to a new town and starts a new school...and by the end of the first day, she has a group of friends to hang out and eat lunch with, she has a boy asking her out to the dance, a 100 year old vampire immediately falls in love with her (After going from high school to high school for over a century, he's NEVER been more in love? Really?), as well as a boy werewolf that can't stop obsessing over her, and just...ugh! These are TEENAGERS we're talking about here, right? Stereotypes aside, it's been my experience that if you go sitting at the wrong table in the cafeteria on your very first day at a new school, you're going to get a cold shoulder like you wouldn't believe! But...as the series goes on, all eyes are on Bella. Everybody loves her, they go out of their way to make her a part of their inner circle, there are practically immortal beings literally fighting over her, even vampires that are much higher up on the food chain over OTHER vampires are completely fascinated with her...it reaches the point of just being ridiculous after a while. The entire world revolves around her and her wants and her needs, and since she's so perfect and flawless in every imaginable way...there really isn't much for her to do outside of bearing witness to whatever else is happening in the story. The plot unfolds, and she basically watches from the sidelines until it comes too close to affecting her as the poor victim...and then the rest of the world bends over backwards to protect her. She can't lose. She's not going to die! Be honest, that never crosses your mind, does it? When you have a character like this in your story, even if it's a main character, they become more of an observer than a participant. And I think that takes your readers out of the story in terms of relating to them and being a part of the adventure. Like I said, that can drag a GREAT story down to a mediocre level...or worse. So it's definitely something to look out for when you're putting your story together. "But Comsie...isn't the story supposed to be concentrated around your main character at all times? Isn't that the point?" The answer is YES! It most certainly is. But there is a difference between a 'protagonist' and a 'Mary/Gary Sue'. Even though a protagonist is made to be the center of attention in your story, that doesn't mean that they have to be perfect or void of any unlikable flaws. I understand the idea behind reading a modern day fairy tale type of story where you can live vicariously through a character that can live the life that many of us always wish that we could have lived ourselves. I don't want to claim that there isn't something alluring about the escapism of it all. But, for me personally...I find myself looking for a little struggle every now and then. I think it only enhances the appeal of a protagonist to know that they have to deal with issues that we can all relate to. Even when they're super powerful. Even when they're outrageously gorgeous. Even when they're extremely rich. Give me something 'human' to latch on to so that connection can be made between me and the characters that I read about. It's a part of that reader/writer relationship that makes it so addictive. This is what makes it fun. Some years ago, Hollywood decided to reboot the whole Superman franchise for a brand new generation with the movie, "Man Of Steel". Now, I know some people sort of drag that movie through the mud for whatever reason, but I actually really liked "Man Of Steel". I've always been a Superman fan, ever since I was a little boy. He was my very first superhero. And...I still love Superman to a certain degree...but I cannot IMAGINE actually having the task of writing for that character! No way! Superman, in a lot of ways, is the ultimate Gary Sue! You can't hurt him, you can't kill him, you can't run from him, you can't hide from him, you can't corrupt his morals or good nature (Generally speaking. There have been some isolated stories that have played around with some of those ideas)...he's invincible. Period. It makes me ask why there could ever be any crime, anywhere, on planet Earth. How is that possible? We have Superman. You see the comic book cover, and he's fighting an army of space demons or whatever, and there's a blurb asking, "Will Superman survive and save the day?" The answer? Of COURSE he will! He's friggin' Superman! Is this a trick question or what? However...there was this one trailer (I think it was the second or third trailer that released before the movie came out) that completely SOLD me on the idea of the reboot! While all of the trailers that came before this one, and after this one, were winding people up with how awesome and majestic and invulnerable Superman was...this trailer was different. It mostly focuses on the destruction surrounding him. The horrific decimation of whole cities. People running and screaming and fearing for their lives. And the goosebump raising quote, "For every human you save...we will kill a million more!" I remember thinking, YES!!! THAT is how you get to Superman! THIS is the kind of strategy that a war torn general would use to flush out and defeat a being that is basically God in a cape'! Now there's a challenge. Now there's some tension. I'm not worried about some super villain punching Superman in the face. That's not going to accomplish anything at all. But go after the people he loves and cares about? Take advantage of the fact that he can't be in all places at once, and he can't save everybody....THAT'S how you hurt a 'perfect' superhero. I honestly wish that movie had exploited that part of the equation a bit more, but...I was happy with what I got. Decent flick if you get a chance to check it out. Here's the trailer that I'm referring to... Now, Superman is a highly exaggerated version of a Mary/Gary Sue character, but the same principles apply. If you have a character in your story that seems just a little too 'special' to ever create any doubt or conflict in the minds of your readers...you may just be sapping some of the strong potential that your story has because of it. As sadistic as it sounds, I actually like putting my characters through the ringer on occasion. Because when your main characters are perfect, it gives them no room to grow and nowhere to go. That's not a protagonist. That's an act of nature. They're in the story, but they're not really 'driving' the story. They're just being put in one supposedly difficult situation after another, and waiting for their inevitable stroke of good luck to kick in and get them out of it...again. That can be mildly entertaining for some, but I definitely get more attached to the idea of 'CAN they get out of this?' over 'How are they going to do it this time? Because they always do.' I find the former much more interesting. One thing that I usually do when creating characters of my own, is look for some sort of balancing factor that will humanize them. I build them up to be attractive, funny, sensitive, loyal, sympathetic...I want them to be the kind of person that you would truly cheer for if you knew them in real life. And then, almost immediately after that, whether it's my protagonist or their love interest, I begin stripping them down. Like...ok, we've got the whole 'too good to be true' facade going...now let's explain exactly why they're too good to be true. What am I missing here? Sure, this character might be stunningly gorgeous...but he has feelings and insecurities just like anybody else, right? In fact, what if his beauty is more of a curse in his eyes than most people would believe? What if someone who's super famous, on TV, and has crowds of cheering fans...secretly wishes he could give it all up for the genuine love of just ONE person? What if you're blessed with a limitless reserve of special powers and unnatural abilities...but you were too scared of yourself and your past to really unleash them all at full power? It's a Yin and Yang idea. You have all of these great attributes and advantages over many of your other characters, but there are still parts of you that are vulnerable. That can be exploited for leverage or increased for the sake of tension later on. To avoid the Mary/Gary Sue comparison, I think there has to be a weakness or a chink in the armor. No matter how small. Something as simple as a 'secret' between friends can end up adding a layer of depth and involvement for your readers. Because they know it won't stay a secret forever, right? As long as it continues to loom over the story like a mini storm cloud...there's a reason to keep reading. Mr. Perfect isn't so perfect after all, is he? From when I first started writing, I sort of learned to dig a little deeper into my character's flaws. And I think I like them better that way. When I started, it was more like, "How can I get a super hot, totally perfect boy, to find another super hot, totally perfect boy, and get them naked together. Hehehe! And that can be entertaining, sure. But these characters aren't super experienced when it comes to sex and relationships and love in general. They're not free from temptation. They're not immune to jealousy, or depression, or heartbreak. For me, the most interesting part of crafting a project from beginning to end is getting my characters to learn, and evolve, and ultimately earn their idea of a 'happily ever after'. If they just happened to be born HOT, and found another hot boy who was gay, and then he got him on the first try without any angst or struggle...? Well, that would make for a forgettable story, in my opinion. It almost seems unfair in a lot of ways, you know? Nah, I'd rather engae my readers with something that was a bit more realistic in nature. Something to say, "No! You TOO can have this if you wanted it! This magical unicorn of a love interest is out there right now, and there's a chance that you might find him tomorrow if you know where to look." I can't say enough how important it is to make your readers an active part of your project. Let them immerse themselves into something that feels real. Everybody looks perfect from a distance. Bring your readers in closer for a more personal involvement. To keep your characters from being a witness instead of a protagonist...give them choices to make. Plain and simple. And I'm not talking about wanting an ice cream sundae or a milkshake. Hehehe! Put dilemmas in their path, and force them to make decisions that will have rewards and consequences on both sides. Make them an active participant in your story. Behind curtain number one...you've got the love of your life wanting you to come out of the closet and be with him forever. And behind curtain number two...you've got a super religious, homophobic, family that might disown you and never speak to you again if you choose this lifestyle. Yikes! What do you do? THAT'S where the tension comes from. A Mary/Gary Sue might just tell his boyfriend, 'I love you', and his family decides, 'well, as long as you're happy, we'll change our judgemental ways'. Wow...exciting... Insert a little danger into your character's plight. Drag them out of their comfort zone and let your readers know that they have problems just like the rest of us. Escapism only goes so far. It might be effective for short, one shot, stories, but if you're looking to write something a bit longer and more in depth, allow your characters to take the training wheels off of their bike and get a little dirty from time to time. Not just for the sake of drama, but to accurately depict the shared experience of life itself. We have our hearts broken, we make mistakes, we jump to conclusions, we have bad days and say stupid things that we don't mean, we have regrets, we get scared, and we sometimes get weak in the face of temptation. It happens. But I think readers appreciate seeing that in the characters that we create, and finding the strength to overcome the same problems that they've been through in the process. To wrap this up... The whole 'Mary/Gary Sue' label may be flung around as an insult more often than not these days, but it's basically just a warning against making your stories too easy for your protagonist to navigate through from beginning to end. Place a few obstacles in your main character's way. Give your outwardly perfect characters a few inner demons to face and tackle as the story goes on. And make sure that your protagonist remains relevant to the story by giving them some tough decisions to make on their own. And then show the benefits and hardships that came with making that decision. I truly think that this makes for a much more intriguing and immersive story, and it will keep your audience coming back for more. None of us are perfect. And, while pretending to be perfect for short periods of time can be enjoyable for some...it doesn't last. Reality is like gravity. We've all got to drop back down to Earth eventually. Keep your stories grounded. That's where we spend most of our time. I hope this helps, you guys! Take care! And I'll seezya soon! ((hugz))

Does seduction exist? Ummm...yeah, I think it does. I think that we can all be weak when it comes to instant gratification and momentary thrills. It's hard to put into words, but I think it's easier to know why you want something 'right now' than it is to remember why you've loved something for so long. I think we get comfortable. Complacent. And it might be something really wonderful, and what's ultimately best for us...but how does that match up to the excitement and the novelty of something brand new? The idea of 'familiarity breeds contempt' is a real thing. Now, have I ever cheated on somebody that I've been in a relationship with? No. I've always cherished my emotional attachments to the people I care about, and I never came across an opportunity that I ever thought was worth risking the damage something like that would cause. But, I have to wonder...is that because I was strong enough to resist the temptation? Or was it just because the temptation wasn't sufficient enough at the time. Because there are SOME boys out there that just...whew! Hehehe, I mean...it might only be 20 minutes, but it would be the right 20 minutes, you know? I may just have to beg for forgiveness later. I'd never cheat with the local mailman or the guy delivering my pizza...but, I mean...come on! If the Marcus and Martinus twins show up at my front door one night with a bottle of whiskey, and they're like, "We were thinking of having a hot, all night, boy ORGY! You want in?"...I mean, I'll TRY to behave myself...but, just know, you're asking an awful lot of me here! LOL! This is an extreme circumstance! And if I pass it up...you'd better pray to God almighty that you never so much as give me a dirty look for the rest of our time together! Hehehe! I don't condone cheating. It sucks and it hurts and it's almost never worth it. But I have to admit that I see the appeal behind being tempted. And it's way too easy to say you'll never cheat when you haven't been in that position. I'm less likely to believe anyone who quickly says 'Not me, not ever'. I'd rather us be honest with one another and promise to try our hardest to never go that far. At the end of the day, it's all you can ask for. I'm not so amazing that all other boys pale in comparison. I get it. Just...let's just try to keep our heads and remember the commitment that we made to each other before we end up doing something stupid. That's all I want. Because if Levi Miller pops up and he's like, "I need some sex...like, right NOW!!!" Ummmm, that might be a problem for me. Hehehe! It's not meant to be a deliberate betrayal, lol...but I'm gonna be really pissed at you for making me turn that down! Just so ya know!

And here we are, distinguished ladies and gentlemen! This is officially the 50th article in the 'Comsie Rambles On' series! Hehehe! I just want to take a quick second to thank you all for the likes and comments, and for offering your own touches and advice on the topics being discussed. I'm still learning too! So I love to see them! And now...let's take the first step taken towards Article #100!!! This weekend's topic took some extra effort, trying to figure out how to put it into words that people could understand. Emotion can be such an intangible idea when it comes to explaining it or trying to bring it out in a story. Not to mention the fact that methods of doing so drastically differ from author to author, and it translates differently from reader to reader. But there is a hidden essence in all this that truly connects us all together in a variety of ways...and if we learn to tap into that energy, our stories can truly create some moving moments for everybody involved, writers and readers alike. But how can I even approach a conversation like that? The best way, I figured, was to do so through music. Music has this incredible ability to truly affect us when we need it most, and expect it least. It takes the intangible idea of being able to emote in your writing, and makes it a little more easily absorbed. It's more than an inner concept. You can hear it. You can feel it. So I'd like to use that as my tool this week as we talk about bringing real emotion to the words we write, and how to dig even deeper once we know what were looking for. As always, the idea behind this goes back to the whole 'show, don't tell' mantra that every writer should keep going on in their heads at all times. When you're writing, always remember that it is not enough to say, "My main character is sad." Let your main character's inner thoughts, sullen actions, and painful dialogue, display that. If done right, the sentence, "He/She was sad," shouldn't have to be mentioned. Instead, concentrate on what's going on around that character. What led up to that moment? What might happen after that moment? How does this take the story in a 'sad' direction? If your readers have been absorbing all the details around this particular event or the circumstances surrounding this character, then their empathy should kick in and they'll feel sad for him or her without you having to 'tell' them that they should. It's like seeing a well decorated slice of cheesecake behind the counter at your local bakery. Hehehe, nobody has to 'tell' you it's going to be delicious! You can look at it, you can smell it, you begin to salivate at the very thought of it. (Ugh...now I want some cheesecake!) But this connection between you and your audience comes from digging really deep to the very core of the emotions that you're trying to convey in your story. And that takes practice. Not just skill, as I'm certain you all have the skill, without a doubt. But practice. It takes time to really drudge up those emotions and memories and personal experiences that you might be drawing from to create that particular scene, and then put it into words. You have to 'feel' it, so your readers can feel it. I can, honestly, say that I've sat at this keyboard with tears in my eyes MANY times, myself, while writing some of the more painful moments in my stories. And while it may be emotionally draining, and it might force me to take a break from time to time...the effect that it had on my readers worked out even better than I ever could have imagined it would have. Hehehe, so...I guess you could say that I was proud to depress so many people at once. The sadist that I am! LOL! But this comes from being able to really understand emotion in general, being able to relate to it from times in your life when you felt the same way, and then bringing that to the surface. Because, at its deepest level...I think we really have the ability to all relate to the shared experience of life itself. We've all been heartbroken at one time in our life. We've all been angry, we've all been scared, we've all been head over heels in love with someone, we've all been full of joy and fireworks. It might have been on different levels or for different reasons, but believe me...a 14 year old boy who got a Playstation 4 this past Christmas and a 65 year old man who got that first shiny bicycle in the store window when he was a kid BOTH understand the same kind of joy and surprise that comes with that. The bike or the video game isn't the connection. The JOY is the connection. And you can touch the hearts of an infinitely wide range of readers once you teach yourself to make that part your focus. So where does the 'music' come in, Comsie? I want you guys to listen to a few songs down below that I chose specifically for this article. I want you to think about how these songs make you feel inside. The voice. The lyrics. The instrumental arrangements. And more importantly, how they all fit together. These were meant to 'move' you. They are presenting a particular feeling and guiding you to sympathize and possibly end up feeling the same way. Try to let go and feel what it wants you to feel. What is it doing to you? Why are you suddenly feeling something that you weren't feeling before the story started? This is a South Korean artist by the name of So Hyang. Now, a friend of mine shared this with me last year, and she is being hailed as one of the most emotionally moving singers in the WORLD right now. Naturally, I was skeptical. I mean...the world? Really? Ummm...but I have to admit, she is pretty damn moving to say the least. What starts off as a really cool, soft, and pleasant song...ends up as a near religious experience by the time it's over. She's about as close to a living, breathing, Disney princess, as you can get. Hehehe, I just listened to this again a couple of minutes ago, and I feel really good now! Give it a listen... Hehehe! Did you feel that? Maybe a little bit? Maybe a lot? Now, when you think about the song itself and her performance of it...how did it affect you, emotionally? And why do you think that is? No matter whether you're a singer, actor, writer, painter, or architect...the unique value of your art comes from your personal 'choices'. For a singer, it comes from knowing when to draw a note out, or to cut it short. To reach a higher tone, or a lower one. These choices may be pre-planned or totally subconscious and spontaneous...but it is those choice that personalizes the song to them and them alone. Writing is no different. Can you move someone with text on a screen the same way that song might move you with visuals and audio and expert arrangements? YES! You can do all that, and a LOT more, in fact! Because the people reading your story have more than a few minutes to spend with the characters and themes that you're hitting them with. If anything, your writing should be able to touch them on a level that a three to five minute song can't reach. And while it may not be as immediately devoured as a song or a movie...the impact can be just as powerful. Just like these singers, you, as an author, have a 'voice'. Your choices will make your story relatable and unique to everyone who lays eyes upon it. It's all in how you communicate the emotion that you're looking to broadcast to your audience. I think that there's something 'unspoken' between us all that can be instantly discovered when an artist presses the right button or finds the right trigger. Something about hearing that song above touched me. It connected to something within me that I might have buried or forgotten about. An old memory? An emotional experience? A faded dream? A release for some bottled up feelings that I never faced or dealt with properly? Who knows? But something about this particular song made contact with a deeper part of me. It went searching for certain emotional strings...and then gave them a little 'tug'. THAT'S the power of being able to emote with your work. You can have all the vocal skill and training in the world, perfect pitch, breath control, and the best sound equipment that money can buy...but it's the emotional connection that will always make your work stand out over everything else. There's a spark, an untitled glow, to it that can't be faked, manufactured, or imitated. I believe that emotion easily separates a really good story from a GREAT story. One that your readers will never forget. Like I said, it takes practice. It takes exposure. And sometimes, it's going to be exposure to feelings and memories that you may not want to relive or dwell on for any length of time...but the more experienced you become with experiencing those feelings, firsthand, the easier it will be to project those feelings through the characters in your story. Spend some time thinking about it. Take a moment, and think about that very first time that you really got your heartbroken. Go back to that time in your life...the pain, the tears, the denial, the acceptance...honestly approach those feelings, and think about how you (at that particular moment in your life) would have to explain how you were feeling. Put it in focus. "I felt like my heart had been torn in half by someone I trusted." Good! Put that in your story! "I was so ANGRY that he cheated on me!" Great! Put that in your story! "I wish I never met her! It was like she destroyed my whole life!" Excellent! Take those emotions, and tell that story through the eyes of your main character! I won't lie...sometimes it hurts. It does. I've dealt with some really painful moments in my life through my stories. From "My Only Escape" to "Save Or Sacrifice" to "Never Again"...I had to draw from some pretty disturbing memories in order to write those out. But it can be a truly therapeutic experience when it's all said and done. I don't know...tears are good for the soul and all that. But the more you sort of dig around in that wound, the more you pick at that scab...the more you begin to get a clear understanding of the subtle differences involved when dealing with one emotion or another. In the two songs below...they are both dealing with heartbreak. Someone that you love who is now attempting to be happy with someone else. Now, hearing that part of the emotional description, one would think that the songs would be pretty similar to one another. "I love you. You left me behind. I can't let go." They both deal with loss. They both deal with a mixture of pain and anger...so, I guess 'painger'! Hehehe! However, give them both a listen. The emotion and the theme is the same, but lyrically and emotionally...they're both sending out a very different message. Sad, yes. But the Yebba song is a bit more determined. She seems like she's in pain, but there's a certain feeling of strength and empowerment in her delivery. I can feel the pain in her performance. But she's still standing strong, despite her being so close to breaking down. However, in Conor Maynard's highly emotional cover of Drake's 'Marvin's Room', he seems a bit more somber. More defeated. It feels more like he's trying to maintain some kind of strength, but he's struggling through it. It's almost like he's lost as to whether he's going to make it or not. And is he crying? it almost looks like he was crying! Geez! Where was this coming from? I think he was 17 when he covered this, so...recent heartbreak maybe? Who knows? Anyway, you can tell two completely different stories from this subtle difference alone. One of someone getting over a massive heartbreak, or one of someone being crushed by it. Put yourself in both situations. Feel it in your heart. And think about how you would put those feelings into words when your characters are going through something similar. 000 The thing to remember is to always draw from your personal truth. Somebody out there has been through the same things that you have struggled through in your life, and when you make that connection...when you find a way tug on that heart string...the reader/writer dynamic becomes a symbiotic experience. When you dig deep enough...you're no longer just telling your story, but their story as well. You reach out and you actually 'touch' a part of them that they didn't even know was there. Hehehe, I didn't mean for that to sound anywhere NEAR as perverted as it did! The subtle changes on one side of the emotion or another comes from the words you use, and the way you describe the plight of your character. If you want to empower them, your word usage should reflect that. The tone should be different. Convey strength through your descriptions and vocabulary. If you want them broken and hurt beyond repair...change the way you describe their handling of the situation. You wouldn't describe both sides in the same way in real life if it were happening to you. So don't do it that way in your stories. Pay attention to the difference. A sentence or two can make a huge difference in how your readers perceive your protagonist's state of mind. And that state of mind can be the rise or fall of an emotionally potent scene in your project. These next two songs show a slightly different take on the idea of misery. Just...plain misery. Now, this first one will always have a special place in my heart. Johnny Cash and his wife, the love of his life, passed away about 4 months apart from each other. After losing her, he said that his music was all he had left, and he made this cover of 'Hurt', originally from Nine Inch Nails' album, 'Downward Spiral'. This was the last video he ever filmed before he died, and the flashbacks to a long life of entertaining and basically being country music's number one badass, mixed with the heartbreaking lyrics, is sure to twist a few hearts here and there when watching it. The second video, however, is more 'angst' than misery. You watch the video and listen to the song, and while Alessia Cara is 'miserable' where she is, it has a totally different vibe to it. She isn't sad about it. She just doesn't want to be there. I remember seeing this for the first time and thinking, "Omigod, I remember being like that at a party!" I'm supposed to be having fun, but...I'm just not into this at all. I'd uch rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Again, these songs have different tones to them. The inspire different emotions and therefore need to be treated differently in order to connect to different people. It all depends on what you're looking to broadcast with the picture you're painting for your readers at that moment. Will it be Johnny Cash, a dark place with a slightly optimistic outlook? Or an Alessia Cara party place with a slightly darker, isolated, outlook? 000 Now, emotions don't all have to be sad and depressing! Hehehe! Of course not! Evoking emotion comes in the form of love and joy and blissful happiness as well! So, don't think that you have to have some kind of heavy drama going on in order to explain making an emotional connection with your audience. Some of my more lighthearted stories are extremely fun for me to write as well. "Kiss Of An Angel", "Jesse-101", and others have given me a few giggles and good vibes, typing them out. But still...joy is an emotion that you want to push forward when you're writing your story. Let your readers feel it like YOU feel it. Right? The slight shift in these two videos below is expressed mostly through an 'internal' and 'external' version of joy. Both by the same artist, same voice, same theme. However, in the first song (Which ALWAYS makes me smile when I hear it! Hehehe!) is all about feeling good. It has the kind of feeling that you get when you just wake up, the sun is shining, you've got the day to yourself, and everything is AWESOME! This is an internal joy. Nothing can touch you. It can't bother you. It just makes you feel good inside! The music, the lyrics...everything about it is all sunshine and good vibes! The second, while having the same theme, is more external. It's sharing that joy with other people. It's inspiring. It tells you that you can feel just as amazing as she does, if you only shrug off the bullshit and realize how beautiful you really are. (A song that I desperately needed to hear when it first came out and I was feeling down. Because...sighhh...'the internet'!) Both of these themes can connect to readers in a way that will keep them smiling until their cheeks hurt while reading your work. And that is what is going to make your writing memorable. It's more than a story. It's an experience. Something that they can go back to when they want to feel that way again. Something that they can share with a friend or family member when they're in need of connecting to that happiness the same way that they did. If only you knew how much power you had when it comes to affecting people on an emotional level. You really can change lives with what you write. One emotion at a time. 000 So, there we go! Emote control! It's not about me telling you what to write or how to write it. You all have the talent and the passion to figure it out for yourselves. Your very presence here proves that. This is just meant to shine a spotlight on a few things that you may have a feel for, but never really pay attention to. It's there. Many writers think about emotions in terms of joy, sadness, anger, jealousy, and indifference. But there are infinite shades of grey in between. Combinations and lethal cocktails and conflicting ideologies, that you can personalize and use to your story's benefit. But the first step is diving into those emotions, feeling them fully, and attempting to figure out how they work for you and for your readers. Learn the subtle shifts from one to another. Teach yourself how to deescalate or intensify those emotions at will. And, as always...practice, practice, practice. I've been doing this for almost 21 years now...and I still find new blind spots that I didn't pay attention to before. So get familiar with your own hearts, and go out there to give them your best. Do it better than I did. Thanks for the love and support you guys! I hope the music/writing comparison helped to get my point across. Like I said, it's kind of a hard thing to put into words. I love you all! And I'll see you next weekend with more! Also...one more... If you think you can't find the emotional power within yourself, check out the video below. This is a Latin pop artist, Abraham Mateo. He made this back when he was only TWELVE years old! How a twelve year old was able to tap into such heartfelt emotion is a complete mystery to me! But listen all the way through. By the end of this song, its like, "Who IS this kid???" It just takes passion, effort, and practice. That's it. If he can do it...you can too. Best of luck!

The biggest trick that any writer can pull off when it comes to their finished product...is making it look like writing is easy. Hehehe, getting your readers to think that you just sat down at a keyboard with a cup of tea or coffee, and tapped into some level of genius to type something out from beginning to end. (Cue snickers and laughter from the writing community.) Obviously, this isn't true. Sure, it becomes easier through practice and discipline, and we get used to the habit of expressing our thoughts in this particular way...but there is nothing 'easy' about writing a story. Not at all. From conception, to creating characters, to plot devices, to dialogue...it takes a LOT of time and patience and skill to pull off a story from beginning to end. You have to juggle a series of different talents all at once, and once you're finished...you've got to edit it and start all over again to catch anything that you may have dropped along the way. Yeah, to say that it's easy to do is not only a mistake...it's an outright lie for many of us. Because of this pleasurable, self torturing, practice that we love so much...it can sometimes cause our most ambitious ideas to seem more intimidating than they have to be. At least that's been my experience so far. There are stories that I wanted to write years ago that still intimidate me to this day. Every time I consider sitting down and just getting it started, I almost get overwhelmed with anxiety about how I'm ever going to create that story, those characters, and actually get it right. I get intimidated by the time I'm going to have to put in. Intimidated by the emotion I'll have to pour in. Intimidated by whatever research I might have to do for the details. I feel the story idea looming over me to the point where I'm forced to back away from it, and like the procrastination savant that I am, hehehe...I put it off until later. And as we all know, 'later' often never comes. This week, I'd like to spend a few moments talking about writer confidence, and maybe clear up the smoke and mirrors aspect of possibly beating the intimidation when it strikes. For me, personally, it doesn't always take some massive new project to intimidate me into shying away from putting the work in. Sometimes, it might just be a particularly important chapter that I'm worried about getting right. Or a specific scene where a big secret is revealed, or a dramatic argument or major event has to come along to change the course of the rest of the story. As I mentioned in a past article, sometimes I know exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it...but there's a 'hesitation' involved anyway. For me, that's WORSE than writer's block! LOL! I can deal with writer's block. But fear or lack of motivation? Nothing makes me feel more helpless when it comes to my writing. Also, there are times when the intimidation isn't even creatively inspired. Sometimes I have to ask myself if I'm going to have the time and the focus to really dive into this new chapter/story the way I want to. What is my work schedule like? What are my friends and family up to? Will I be able to remove myself from the world for a week or two to get this as well polished as I want it to be? Some of you guys have kids or partners that need attention and quality time. Some of you have a busy few weeks of work ahead of you, and you know that's not going to leave you with a lot of energy to write when you come home. There are more factors that you can ever imagine that have to be shifted around in order to concentrate on the task at hand. And that can cause a writer to hesitate as well. It's nothing to feel bad about. It happens. And if you decide that this isn't the time for you to jump into that particular project...then so be it. However, you can't let these things destroy your writer confidence. See...being intimidated by a story, chapter, or important scene, in your project isn't going to be like an explosion at the base of a tower, causing it to crumble to the ground all at once. It's more like an aggressive army of termites. It erodes the foundation in secret. You start making little excuses for why you can't jump into it today. You start getting randomly distracted by things like getting your house cleaned, or a sudden Netflix binge. "I'll do it later" and "I'll get around to it when I have more time" become your mantras, and before you know it...it's six months later and you haven't so much as brought it up on your laptop once in all that time. Don't believe me? Look at your files right now? Do you have any lingering projects that you were going to 'get around to', and haven't? When was the last time you opened that file? It might be longer than you think. Hehehe! It usually is for me. So how can we fix this? I think the first step in starting this new project or getting a previous project back on course comes from asking yourself...'What am I so afraid of?' When I mention fear, I'm not talking about outright TERROR or anything! Hehehe, it's not that serious. But something is stopping you from sitting down and typing out the thoughts and emotions in your heart. What is it? What's bullying you out of tackling the next chapter? Find out what is giving you the most hesitation, and give it some thought. Loosen that knot. And be brutally honest with yourself. Maybe you don't like where the story is going. Maybe you're bored with it. Maybe some negative comments on the last story made you doubt your abilities as a writer. Maybe you have such high expectations for this next chapter that you worry you're not up to the task? Whatever it may be...find it, face it, and think about how you might be able to get around it. Diagnose the problem so you know what to fix. As long as you keep putting it off or making excuses, the actual issue that you might be trying to avoid is going to remain vague and unclear. In fact, you may deny that there is a problem at all. "I can't write tonight because...it's National Hot Dog Day! That's all." Hehehe, yeah, that's not a reason. The second step? Take a leap of faith. Find a few minutes of peace, open that file up...read what you've read so far, maybe doing a soft re-edit and making a few changes along the way, and then move right into the next sentence without hesitating. You just read what you wrote, your memory's been refreshed, you've got the file open, your fingertips are touching the keyboard...do it. Right then and there. Pick up where you left off and just start writing again as if it had only been a few hours since your last entry. If you're starting something brand new from scratch, and you're not sure how to begin...stare at that blank scene and think about ONE thing that you want your readers to know about your main character. And then create an opening scene that displays that one trait or attribute (or flaw). Put them right in the middle of it. Like, let's say that your protagonist is madly in love with some boy on the basketball team, right? Your first sentence... "I don't even really like basketball all that much. But I show up to the high school games for 'him'. Only for him." This is an opener that you can easily build off of. That little bit of text both gives answers and creates questions. The answers? This person is probably in high school. He's infatuated with someone on the team. He doesn't like sports. The questions? Who's speaking right now? Who is 'him'? Why is he so infatuated with him? You've immediately planted the seed, and you know have avenues to pursue your next few sentences. You can get into the thoughts and feelings of the main character, or you can describe the beauty and allure of the boy he's watching on the court. You end up writing a few more sentences to complete your thought...and that thought leads to a few more thoughts. You're already a few sentences deep into this new project, right? You might as well follow that path to the next logical idea. And when you complete that thought, you open the door to two or three more things that you might be able to add. Before you know it, you might be 1000 words into your project, with enough inspiration to keep moving forward. Sometimes, getting your brain to operate in that creative mode will create the momentum needed to get things started, and far enough along to actually enjoy yourself again instead of worrying about whatever problem you had getting started in the first place. Believe me, it works. But only with practice. I feel much more confident when I play around with my stories and sort of feel my way through it. I have to put things into motion, and that takes a push and a few extra nudges when I feel myself getting distracted again...but once I actually start writing and get my wheels turning again, the intimidation of taking that project head on ceases to be a problem. I think about what I'm feeling, and what I want a certain scene to accomplish, and I just keep feeling my way around until I feel good by what i see on the screen. That doesn't mean that everything I write is going to be flawless or error free. I don't even worry about that part. The emotion is what matters most. Capturing that moment, and bringing it to the people reading. Most of the time, I'll start a sentence without any idea as to how it'll end. The same way that I might have a spoken conversation with a friend. I don't plan what I'm going to say ahead of time, or what he/she will say after that, and how I'll respond. Stay in the moment. That's important. more times than not, the intimidation you feel is coming from this magnificent vision of what the final product is going to be. But you haven't built it yet. Don't start worrying about the dangers of life on Mars when you haven't even figured out how to get there yet. Hehehe, one brick at a time. I'll just start writing a sentence, let the emotion sort of swirl around in my head for a bit, and I may stop halfway to stare off into space for a second or two, trying to find that one magic word to add next...and then keep going. Don't worry about it being good enough. Worry about it being honest enough. Take one step, and then another, and then another. Learn to trust your instincts. The only way to do that is by putting your instincts to work for you. They're like any other muscle in the body. You have to give them a workout in order to strengthen them. Build them up, sentence by sentence, through little leaps of faith. With time and practice, it'll become second nature to you. Your confidence will grow, your instincts will become more involuntary...and then...there will be these truly magical moments when you truly feel in tune with what you're doing. You own it. You start typing and you feel as if you're in complete control of everything that you're doing, to the point where you might get in the zone and turn out half a chapter in one sitting. Let me tell you, that's the greatest feeling in the WORLD! There are nights when I feel like I'm playing this keyboard like a piano at the Philharmonic! And when I click that 'save' button...I'm truly proud of the work I put in, and get excited for the reaction I might get back from the readers. Now...mind you...I might come back the next day, look at it, and rip it to pieces again, because we're all our own worst critics. LOL! But at least I put the work in, and I got it done. That hesitation that I felt because I was intimidated by my own expectations of what I wanted the story or chapter to be didn't beat me. It didn't bully me out of my creative expression, and once I actually made the decision to get it started, it wasn't anywhere near as scary as difficult as I thought it would be. But it will be a leap of faith. Each and every time. That's not going to change, but you learn to deal with it. And before you know it...you'll have much more written than you ever though possible. As always, I hope this article helps any of you guys who might be struggling with a few 'I'll get to it later' issues as well. Whether it comes to you starting something new, getting back into something old, or even going back to edit and ultimately publish a story that's already finished...you can get it done. Just find your earliest opportunity to sit at your keyboard, and dive right in without waiting. You're all creative people, and you've spent a long time honing your craft. Have enough faith in your instincts to carry you once you make the effort to get started. Start writing, and let your instincts take the wheel from there. They won't fail you. Take care! And I'll seezya next weekend!

Stop b if you can! It'll be good to talk to ya! https://discord.com/channels/239131445644361730/239131445644361730 I think that link should work....

Stand-alone vs. Serialization In the world of story-telling, regardless of the medium, we have two main types of tales. On the one hand, we have stand-alone stories. They need not be short per-se (they often are, but it's not really a requirement), but to be a stand-alone story, it doesn't fit into a wider multi-part universe. I will use 'Star Trek' as an example of both types. In the original series, and 'Next Generation', etc, we have episodes of the week, right? There's very little, if any continuity, except for two-parters or season cliffhangers. (Aka The "magic reset button"). This paradigm is also used by most sitcoms. As crazy and outrageous things get, by the end of the tale, everything is magically restored to the status quo, and in older sitcoms like 'I Love Lucy' or 'The Honeymooners', sometimes without any explanation! In fanfics or online stories in general, we see this in a stand-alone one part story. It's not a tale that goes on for months or years. The pro of this type of story-telling is that it doesn't require much time investment. We can digest only what we wish, without worrying too much about an over-arcing universe to keep track of. The con of this type of story telling is that, often times it leaves the reader or viewer wanting more. In something like a sitcom, or the older Star Trek series, it also requires one to somewhat suspend disbelief. Also, there's usually less time for believable character development. The next mode of story-telling is serialization. While this has become the norm as of late, it has it roots in old radio dramas from the 1930's and 40's, such as 'The Shadow' or 'Flash Gordon') To use Star Trek as an example again, this would include the newer series, such as 'Discovery'. These types of tales encompass a much larger world, with multiple parts (and sometimes even multiple franchises converging into a "cinematic universe"). With online fanfics or stories in general, these would include multi-part sagas that go on for years, sometimes decades. (Take 'Gone From Daylight' for example). The pro of this method of story-telling is, obviously it allows the characters and the world in general to be more fleshed out in greater detail. The con is that it's a bit of a time sink. You cannot just hop into season 4, episode 2 of 'The Walking Dead', for example. To understand the story in it's entirety, you have to watch from season 1, episode 1. To a lot of viewers (or in our case, readers), this can sometimes be a daunting task. My question for January is, when reading stories online (or in the bookstore for that matter), or watching TV...which method of storytelling do you prefer? This question is actually not so cut and dry because there are some tales that can be hybrids. Think of 'The X-Files' for example. You had two main types of stories. The 'Monster of the Week' episodes, which were stand alone tales...and you also had the 'mythology' episodes interspersed within them. These episodes followed a very complicated multi-season story-arc. Personally, (this is totally not a cop out answer!), when it comes to the visual arts, I prefer a blend of both. Like 'X-Files', or 'Star Trek: Deep Space 9' that was part stand-alone and part serialized (especially towards the end of the run). For me, this allows the plot and characters to be fleshed out and extremely detailed, yet gives us a breather every now and then (side-quests, lets call them! lol). However, in the written form such as fanfics or even novels, I prefer serialization. Stories like 'Gone From Daylight', or Stephen King's 'Dark Tower' 8 part book series, or the 'Dragonlance' fantasy novels by Weis and Hickman. Not to mention all the manga I read. When it comes to the written word (or graphic novels), I absolutely gravitate to those multi-part tales that literally create a world for us and goes on and on and may not ever end. Take 'Superman' for example which has been an ongoing saga the started in June of 1938 and shows no signs of ever stopping. To me, these are other worlds that exist...we created them parallel to our own, and we can enter them any time we wish. There's something very epic about it all. I'm curious as to what your opinions are. Do you rather read/watch little stand alone stories, or do you prefer serialized story-arcs? Or...like me, does it differ depending on the medium?

2020 was a year that I entered into, day one, thinking that it was going to be AMAZING! And then...yeah, about six weeks later...things began to fall apart. A few weeks after that, no more work. And I really thought that it would be an opportunity for me to write SO much more than I had been! I mean, no job...plenty of sleep...free time. How could I not knock out a chapter a day, right? Turns out that the lack of my daily social connection with other people would end up draining my creative fuel in ways that I had to learn to navigate around and readjust to. But we're all human. And that's what we do. We adapt. And now I feel like my 'mojo' is back in full swing again. So I'm having fun. For 2021? I look forward to finishing off about three or four of my long running series by my birthday (May 2nd). Starting some brand new ones. Putting out a MASSIVE amount of ebooks that I've been working on! As well as getting back to my weekly writing advice tips here on GA! I've got soooooo much more love to give to anybody whos interested. So I guess my enthusiasm for 2020 has been put on hold for about nine months, hehehe...but I'm re-energized for the new year! So lets do this! And let's get it right this time! Happy New Years, GA! And thanks for the love! The feeling's mutual!.

Is there even a question that such a thing exists? The idea of being sexually 'seduced'. To be tempted to do something you don't want to do. People have claimed that they've made 'mistakes', or that they 'had a moment of weakness', blah blah blah. But...did they, though? I mean, what is temptation other than being offered something that you wanted all along, and find yourself willing to sacrifice what you have for something more appealing? Is it a momentary lapse in judgement? Is it a forgivable offense? Or is it an expression of a 'grass is always greener' mentality that you should take as a serious red flag for the future? I mean, I understand falling prey to a single moment and regretting it later...but is that an actual excuse? Were you seduced, or were you just looking for an opportunity that finally presented itself to you? And if you can be seduced once...who's to say that it can't happen again? Where does self control come into play? AND...if seduction is a thing...are there any circumstances where you or your partner would give one another a total 'pass'? Like...say your boyfriend cheated on you just one time, but it was one time, and it's because he was being hit on by, like...Will Franklyn Miller! Would you be like, "Oh GOD! Well, fuck yeah...I mean, if it was Will Franklyn Miller, I probably would have cheated too! I can't pass that up!" So...what is seduction? How susceptible are you to it? Can it be forgiven or overlooked? And under what circumstances would it be 'ok' for you or your partner to give in to it...if any? Let us know you thoughts on this! And I'll seezya soon!

I have NO idea what I watched...but I couldn't turn away from it. Hehehe! What the hell, man? Ok, so this movie is REALLY weird!!! In a way that I don't even know if I can put it into words! It's an entirely different reality where technology is outlawed...or some of it is...I think? And the main boy's son is a rabbit, and...I think he's in love with his sister? Maybe? Or not! And there's a dog that's like the president...but people want to vote for a cat...and the cat can talk? And there's drag queens, and guns, and a robot intelligence called 'Mother' that you wear on your wrist like a watch, and a guy that's invisible, but he's also mute so he can't tell you that he's invisible...and a guy that's married to a TREE...WTF??? See? Like...I can't put it into words. I should have been drunk before I tackled this movie. Good time, though! LOL! Yeah, I was lost for most of it. It's like being lost in a fever dream. But, then again, Arman Darbo is just...he's so GODDAMN FRIGGIN' MOUTHWATERINGLY GORGEOUS that I probably would have found it hard to concentrate anyway! Jesus...I want to make that boy my husband. Our honeymoon would never end. High fives to the wardrobe department on this film! You're going to start out with plaid pajama bottoms...then shiny pink pants...and then you're gonna squeeze that hot, succulent, sexy, boy ASS into a pair of tight gray slacks for the rest of the movie? Really? That wasn't a mistake. Nope...somebody did that on purpose. Watch this movie, and tell me that you don't stare at it! I was soooo extremely horny by the time I got to the end credits! Hehehe! This whole movie was just...'candy'. Pure candy... I love you, Arman Darbo. I mean that. Happy 19th birthday too. Ahem...call me.