C James

I loved it!!!!!! I think it was excellently done, and avoiding changing "voices" really improved it for me, as well as the changes to the plot. I loved the ending!!! The story of the pie was a delightful touch. I'm also delighted that so much has been explained. One thing though: I found something very lacking. That something is chapter 6. Looking forward to Chapter 6!

Eric is not normal, but I'm very curious why you say Chris is 2 sigma off the norm?? What strikes you as atypical about him (other than him being gay?). Thanks!!!

ACK!! That paragraph is terrible like that! This is what happens when the writer makes a change to one part of a sentance and not the rest. . OOPS! I'll go fix that tomorrow. I'll change it to "now that the day had finally arrived.". Glad you liked Beelzebub Seriously? I've always found that I get them like that if I'm holding them back. What? Me? Leave a cliffhanger? Would I do such a thing???? Thanks Graeme!!!!

I did know I was bending the rules a tad with that sentence, so I admit, I write it that way because I felt it important to the emotional aspects rather than paying strict attention to the rule book. I couldn't figure out a way to write it that didn't appear to be just standard verbiage. notice the 'seeing him naked'. Did you mean 'me' or did you forget to place an 'I' at the beginning of the clause? 'of' its own? By saying 'his kind' you are already saying that it is unique. I'd get rid of 'his kind' just because, although 'all of its own' seems a little cliche, it provides a much clearer contrast. I'm not quite sure what you mean regarding the "me". The "me" represents the narrator (the protagonist in this case). Where would the "I" go?

Indeed I did, and I am very thankful for it!

Hi DS! What? Me? Deceptive? EMOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is all your fault, you know. When I first began posting (I do admit to posting occasionally) you sent me my very first PM, telling me how to use spoiler spaces. That got comfortable in the forum, and they you started this thread when you became a postaholic, so I just had to post my milestone posts here. Yup, I like the sound of that "All Emoe's fault!" Thanks though!! That is a really cool graphic, too!

Thank you Kitty!! Maybe I would have been better off calling this Chapter one (and making it a bit longer) than a Prologue? There is a great deal I am not telling for a reason, but you are right, I was unclear in some places where I could have done better, and this is definitly something I'll pay more attention too. Thank you!!!

See? I was completely truthful! :ranger:

I had this eerie feeling that I was being... watched... Another stalker! Yes, 141 posts in a day would be a bit much!

Hi Steve!! Absolutely right on the problems there! Chris was in denial until he ran out of money, but I should have explained that. I do need to work on the showing rather than telling part. Thanks!! The bit about the car was to lure the readers into thinking it was a stereotypical "describe the love interest police-blotter style" scene. That was fun for me to write. :-) Sorry about forgetting the link! Work has been hell today so I've been trying to do six things at once, and doing none well. LoL! BTW everyone, Steve has been of enormous help in this story, including beta reading, and I owe him a huge amount of thanks. Thank you!!!!! Good catch on the tears! Oops!! Thank you!!!! The ending, though, well, there are reasons for that. (yep, I hate it when Authors do this! LoL!) BTW this isn;t a blackmail story, really. The Blackmail is not central to the story, it is more of a lead-in. things lighten up a good bit further on. This is more a slice-of life story than one centered on any one thing like blackmail. It isn't a dark story. Thank you Krista!!! And Thank you, too, for pushing me to get to work, or this wouldn't be here!

Hi Kitty! Yes, it's not easy being so shy and retiring.. Don't worry, you are nearly 30 posts ahead of me, and even if I did pass you, I'd deny it. Thanks Kitty!! Let's see: I joined on Feb 15th, so a year is a little over three months from now. No, I don't think i could manage to hit 3000 by then! Yipes! I think only Kevin could do that! (I've seen him do 46 posts a day, but shhh, it's a secret). Hi Jensen! I was, quite literally, a lurker here when I first arrived, but the forums are so much fun and, well, let us just say that my lurker status is perhaps becoming endangered. Hi Bardeara! Isn't it a tad premature to question my full lurker status? Thank you EVERYONE, for the warm wishes! However, I do have my long-promised explanation! It has all been a big publicity stunt! (yep, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!) so i am still, as always a lurker! So, what is the big publicity stunt all about, you ask? Well, I'll tell ya. I've finally taken the plunge and started posting my first multi-chapter story, "For The Love" So, am I a sufficiently obnoxious self-promoter to promote my story in a congratulations thread? Well, yes, I am! Seriously though, thank you everyone!!!

Thank you Graeme! However, I hate to tell you this, but it was all just a big publicity stunt, and I really am a lurker.. See the bottom of thei post for an explanation. Drat! I knew I should have put Kitty's name on that graphic! BTW the 8 posts a day is purely an artifact of the GA software upgrade. It used to give a decimal in your profile (1.2 for example) and now it merely rounds to the nearest whole number. In this case, it rounded me up! Thanks Matthew. Thanks Marty!! What? Me? A Blabbermouth? Nah, not possible! Though, if this keeps up my precious reputation as a shy and quiet lurker might become a tad tarnished. Thanks DarkShaddow!! I was looking to see if you were online when I madde the post! I figured that if you weren't online, I'd have a good chance of sneaking in under the radar, but both Matthew and Graeme got me! And what do you mean, December!!?!?! Of 2007, maybe! I'm not you, ya know! Thank you Steve!! Now, back to lurking I go.... Thank you Bob! Hi Greg! Thanks, but as I keep saying (and saying and saying and saying) it's Kevin who is our postahoilic! Honest, just go look up the term in a dictionary, and odds are that Kevin's avatar is shown as the picture! Thanks Kojaky!! Thanks Kurt!!! And it looks like I'll have to break this post in two here, becuase there is a limit on the number of quotes in a post.

Welcome to the "For the Love" Discussion thread. Chris grew up a loner in small-town Arizona, but things began to change for him when he started college. Sometimes for the better, but sometimes for the worse, and often with humor, the changes and challenges affect his life, as he sets for on the road of life, and towards finding the love of his life, with a lot of adventure along the way. The Story is complete and online! Please take a look and let me know what you think. I also want to invite all forms of criticism: Don't be shy. If you feel more comfortable doing so you can PM me, but feel free to criticize in the thread. Thanks! CJ

Well, Graeme, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can, due to being a lurker, guarantee you that my post counter will not be reading "2000" at any point in the future.

Nick, that is not only true, but those are some of the wisest words I have ever seen.

That would indeed be a pain on the tech side! It would have come across as a gimmick to me *IF* the story relied on it. However, it didn't, so i found it fascinating and enriching. I was able to view the summit cam, and it looks very much like I pictured it in your story (except there is no snow now). It sounds like a beautiful area to visit. I've been to NSW but the furthest south I went was not far past Canberra. Say, could you possibly solve a puzzle for me? Why does the Australian Capitol Territory include Jervis Bay on the coast, which isn't contiguous to Canberra? I know it was created so that the Federal Capitol could have access to the sea, but that didn't make much sense to me if it wasn';t contiguous territory? Everything needs to come in via NSW anyway, regardless of whether it lands at Jervis bay or elsewhere?

Emoe, I think this is great tradition that you have started (milestone posts). I don't know why I mentioned that, other than it got me thinking about traditions. Traditions are such interesting things. I think sentiment plays a large role, and then there are the more emotional and ephemeral aspects too. And, hopefully, I have blathered on long enough to deter anyone from reading this far and seeing mention of what I am about to ramble about. Bored yet? Well stop reading this! Nothing of interest here. Say, remember the Y2K bug? Maybe this post has something to do with that. or 2k something. Who knows? Oh, BTW, just ignore the black space after this, I was just playing with the new layout.

That can be a downer, but at least it is a bit better now that the internet is so widely available. I know it has made my business trips (and hospital stays) much more tolerable. I hope you have as pleasant a stay as possible, Graeme. The person below me remembers the days before the internet, and how much we now take for granted that would have been unimagined just a decade and a half ago.

I think that the Author can change the tone, in whatever direction they wish, with a carefully worded post or two. I added one to mine inviting criticism in any form, and it helped. I think it would work as well the other way if a thread became a nit-pick fest and the author wanted to change the tone to a more positive one.

I think (someone please correct me if I am wrong) that one is viewed as variable today, so long as one is consistent throughout the piece. In other words, one space after a period is acceptable so long as it is consistantly done.

I have always (ever since I saw the first few chapters posted) wanted to ask you how you felt that worked. It was certainly very imaginative, and a unique way to get around the "pick one voice" problem. Personally, I have a hunch that such technical aids to writing are going to become more commonplace. However, I wouldn't want to use such a technique and then try and have a paperback made from it, as that might be a bit tricky. I very much liked the way the story took over and did not rely on the technique. How real is the description of the Falls Creek ski area? I'm going to be very upset if it is largely fictional, as it sounds like somewhere I'd very much like to visit someday.

Congratulations on your new Forum and site, Tiffani!! It looks great!!! Welcome aboard!

Falls Creek Lessons has long been one of my favorite stories. It is an excellent and well-written journey through the trials and tribulations of coming to terms with oneself, and the world around you. An underlying theme seems to be trust. Graeme used a technique I've never seen before (or since) and used HTML sub-pages to give us a window on some of the characters inner thoughts.

I think your original post was great! You can never tell, no matter WHAT the topic, how a thread will change and drift. Thread drift deosn;t just run through the forums here, it stampedes.