C James

OK, now we have some non-instinct choices..

I feel a second poll coming on that will resolve this for everyone...

I get that feeling too. The best laid plans of mice and men... ...

Thanks Jan!!! The main problem is I'll be in areas with few chances to connect to the 'net, so even with a good laptop I'd have trouble. I'm guessing I won't have much time to write anyway, and I'm going to have withdrawals from that!

The problem with Guntar is that he is an employee of the band, and he sure didn't call. He'd be ratting out his bosses. Jerry would have been a better choice for Helen to rely on, as he wouldn't have the same conflict. He probably wouldn't have minded at all, once Eric went leaping from table to table on his fancy buffet. LoL I think Jon learned a lesson; keep Eric away from Tequila. LoL The only problem is, Eric seems to prefer tequila. I can't recall how (or if) I described Jon and Eric's hair.. I think i did becuase its in the character sheets, but I don't remember.. Brown for Eric, Black for Jon, BUT, as in all things, if the reader is imagining them a different way, that's great, and the reader may be right! Many times, I've been reading a story and the Author goes into detail about the character's appearance, and lists something that I find unattractive. If they do it once, I can ignore it and keep my own image, but if I keep running into it, that spoils it for me. So, I try very hard to keep the small details to a minimum, and I very much feel that the image in the reader's mind is the right one, no matter what. For example, I am not a fan of the author posting pictures of what they say the character looks like; all too often, that's not how I as a reader "saw" them, and though it's IMHO fine for the readers to do that, I think its inappropriate for me to. For example, I have a photo of a guy I feel is a dead ringer for my image of Brandon, shirtless in wet jeans and sunglasses, leaning back against a table, and that was my inspiration for the description of the "cover" shot. But, were I to share that, it is a near certainty that at least some readers don't have the same mental image, so it would be bad for them to see it as coming from the author, becuase it's as if the author is saying "This is what he looks like, and your image is wrong".

OK, you can stop now Actually, I had no intention of posting twice, but found that my post was too large (too many emoticons or quotes, one or the other) so I had to split it... I often run into the quote number and emoticon restriction, as well as the flood control restrictor. BTW, did anyone get the impression that Helen was acting slightly (very slightly) out of character for a manager, and a little more like... A Mom? And did the bit about Brandon not phoning Helen come off ok? She did in my opinion put him in an untenable position; that of ratting on his bandmates.

Now, now, BK, that 8 posts per day is merely a very inaccurate average... and this one I can prove! OK, you post per day average in your profile lists as 3 per day. Still don't believe me that the profile data is inaccurate? Here's your proof (and anyone can try this on their own accounts) Click on "my controls" and have a loof under account summary, on the upper right part of the screen. There you will see a DIFFERENT number of posts per day. Mine, for example, isn't 8, and yours, for example, isn't 3. See? This is proof of my "statistical glitch" theory! It's not in overdrive, it's just... Misunderstood.

So, does this mean that, as editor, you're advising me to have them dangle over some other precipice on a breaking rope, or does it mean you think it should be done earlier, so there would be a cliffie while I was gone? If I did that, Dan and Dom would have themselves a barbecue, featuring plagiarizing goat as the main course! Ummm, the sweet, agoraphobic issuer of death threats, you mean? And Ieshwar, really, you're worried for nothing... I never use cliffhangers... I blame shadowgod for this; his cliffhangers in Living in Surreality obviously shook you up so badly that now you fear any form of cliffhangers... See what wou've done Shadowgod? You've made Ieshwar afraid of cliffhangers! And the question must be asked; was he agoraphobic before, or did your cliffies do that to him too? Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound serious. I was being vauge because of privacy concerns (for a member of my family.). Some of the trip will be fun, and I'll be much more forthcoming with the details after I get back. Right now I'd prefer not to, as its their personal buisness, and thus not mine to share on the internet. Anyway, I'll explain when I get back. Actually, sort of, but part of this trip came as a surprise (of the welcome kind, nothing bad!) not long after I made that post.

Not that I ever admit using them, but... That much I can do; no cliffies. I'll just have to break the news to Shadowgod that his plan to add a few paragraphs that have the four members of instinct dangling from a single fraying rope from the rim of the grand canyon will just have to wait...

Hi! I just wanted to let everyone know that after the next chapter, the release dates will become sporadic for a few weeks. I'm leaving the US on Oct 21st, returning Nov 23rd. While I'm away (I'll be in Europe for family reasons) I'll have extremely sporadic internet access, which will put the damper on my posting and processing of chapters. I will also be unlikely to have much time to write. The best I can promise right now is that there will be at least one chapter to post while I'm gone, maybe two. I'll then resume upon my return. So, we're looking at a possible two-week gap between chapters while I'm gone. I apologize for the upcoming delay... I'll also be a very infrequent visitor to GA and this forum while I'm away, due to the internet acess problem. Also, my laptop (which is what I use when traveling) is old and cranky so if it conks out, I might be absent for the entire time, or whatever time remains after it quits. However, I'll be leaving the chapter to be posted so even if I'm offline entirely, you should see it posted. CJ

Welcome Pridepuppy!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!! You did it just right. What? Poor, sweet Helen, bullying? Good catch Shadowfire!!! Yep, I just had to put that play on words in there, especially the last one, blast. But hey, having a blast is a good thing, right? :nuke:

That's a good point! I think Bondwriter came up with the term zeta-reader, so he'd have to answer that... Hrmmm, I'd say the omega-readers are those who see the finished product, as maybe Bondwriter should be the Psi-reader, as Psi is the next-to-last letter of the Greek Alphabet? Charity does not seem to be the nicest of people. And who, me? Would I ever post twice? LoL! Well, I think I'll stick with the excuse that the Senator had just gotten away from Bondwriter, and hence he was an Untied Senator. On an early chapter of FTL, I even managed to misspell my own name on the by-line... We had a chapter written by C Jams. Mt. St. Helen... I love that!!! LoL, well, don't forget me confusing to different authors when I sent you some stories for the anthology reviews. Thanks guys, I really appreciate this. I have a bit of a hangup about the dyslexia (even though its pretty mild) and when I goof, I feel I shouldn't be. It honestly rarely occurs to me that I'm not the only person who makes typos and goofs. Thanks!

ACK! Hey now, no twisting things! :P ACK! Now, now, you wrote that Cliffie Graeme... (unlike me, who never writes cliffies) But as for what they were doing, Y'all will have to wait a few chapters for the Australian leg of the tour... We might even see Kangaroos!

Chase is a hot blond, and Brandon is a sandy-blond. I don't think I've specified a hair color for Dimitri, so maybe he could be the readhead?

No wonder poor Dimitri has a few personality quirks (like a penchant for bringing down airliners); he's feeling excluded! Hi Colin!!!! Thanks! That's an interesting point! We do see a little more development in the next few chapters, but yes, the story is a little more focused on Brandon and Chase than the others.

Well, statistics are tricky things, and can often be misleading... So perhaps we should say this is a statistical anomaly, or should we say that my post counter is broken? :ph34r: But Graeme, you post a lot (Might I remind you that you hold the record for fastest to 1000 posts) I'm troubled by the fact that you don't agree that I'm a lurker... I've never questioned the fact that you are Australian, after all.

Huh? How did I do that? I was just waiting for someone to notice that Graeme used one...

I have been very patiently waiting for someone other than me to notice that Graeme ended that story with a CLIFFHANGER! Thank you Steve!

Ahha! I should have known.. Anything to do with "tied" and you have to be involved! See? Beta (and Zeta) readers inserting things into the chapters... Now y'all know where any cliffhangers come from! (seriously though, we're just joking here; the "untied" was in the draft. So, what I post on everything I write applies: "All remaining errors are mine alone". Actually, that would apply even if the error wasn't in the draft, because Bondwriter doesn't see the chapter last before posting, I do. )

Your "date from hell" had me laughing out loud! BTW, I don't normally do this, because it's a minor spoiler, but I received some e-mail today from a reader who is worried that I'll drag this issue out for many chapters... That's a good point, but its just not my style to do something like that. (and I can get away with this minor spoiler becuase the Echidna is away, and thus not likely to see this. ) This is true; that's exactly what Emoe wrote to me. It could have been worse... I could have made it into a cliffhanger. And BTW, Emoe, you posted twice... A sure sign of a postaholic! I love it! I can't comment on any specifics though, but I can use the spoiler space thingy to say Bondwriter, thank you for acknowledging that this was not a cliffhanger! :2thumbs: :2thumbs: It's just a minor dilemma... I did ask someone in the industry about the "coming out" issue... The opinion was that a well-established performer could get away with it, but given Instinct's fan demographics, a new singer probably couldn't, especially if he's shown being in a relationship with another band member. Things are fast changing in this regard, but that was the opinion I received. It might not destroy them, but it might make them into a bar band rather than a top-drawing stadium band. A good example of this might be that so many musicians, even established ones, are still in the closet. You do have a very good point though; Helen might not be as displeased as she lets on on some aspects of that night.

ROFL!!! Bondwriter... this is probably going to scare you, but... this sounds a lot like a certain author with his "Poor, misundertstood Eric" during FTL.

They have had a few problems lately, haven't they? I tried to base it on real interpersonal relationships; all freindships seem to hit rough patches, and this one is evolving; when Brandon first joined, he felt very inadequate. Now, probably far less, due to seeing that the other guys have their shortcomings too. I hadn't voted when you wrote that, so nope, I hadn't voted for Jon. Hi Kevin! First off, I want to say that from my perspective as a writer, this poll is a fantastic idea! It helps me enormously to know how they're coming across. THANK YOU!!!!!! My favorite? Whoa, that's a tough one. OK, I did just vote for Brandon, because I think he is probably my favorite (though its very close). Chase and Eric are also very high up on my list. I can also safely put Lump at the bottom of my list. And yes, one does become attached to the characters, they become part of you, at least for me, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. Jon, for example, can be a little rigid in this thinking, (such as the Promiscuous issue, not getting that he's promiscuous himself while Brandon and Chase aren't, and had to have it drummed into his head (literally!) ). Eric is somewhat perceptive of people, though he can make mistakes. Chase is somewhat naive in some ways, due to having done more "growing up" than his brothers (due to their ages) while isolated by fame (And that part is quite real; fame is very isolating and that can cause havoc; it's why so many teen stars crash and burn in various ways) Brandon is a bit self-concious though he doesn't admit it to himself, and Helen cares far more than she's yet been willing to show. They also change over time (just like real life). Eric and Jon, for example, have thier hearts in the right place (they've tried to look out for their brother, and now Brandon, and even tried to push them together) but like any guys that age, they're sometimes wrong, and sometimes do dumb things. I think I identify the most with Eric... Because he's the craziest.

But LC... The whole moral of my story is that a goat wouldn't ever have anything to do with a cliff.

When you're right, you're right. I agree, of course it's not just the number. I edited my post to add, "Thank you for your witty posts, and for adding so much to the discussions, and for making GA a richer place in so many way. "

:king: :king: :king: :king: :king: 1000 posts!!! :king: :king: :king: :king: :king: Congratulations on your 1000th post, BeastKid! Thank you for your witty posts, and for adding so much to the discussions, and for making GA a richer place in so many way.