Headstall

"What have you done?" is superbly pointed, and connects with my own anger. The first two poems held great sadness, but some of your tankas made me smile. "for in your countenance I find the growing dawn" ... different circumstance, but I related to that line in a profound way. Excellent poetry, Parker.

I especially enjoyed #23. All were good... I was touched by your Tanka. Cheers.

Liked them all, especially 29. My 'poetic fire' felt every word.

Of course you're stressed. I hope it goes easy for him and for you.

Your doing Santa?

Hello, all.

I couldn't get the sheriff out of my mind from the time I first wrote him in "Sidewinder". He fascinated me, so yeah, when readers asked for a sequel, it had to include him. Thanks, T. Happy to see you reading this. Cheers! G.

Unless it is a technical mistake, as in spelling or a missed word, I leave it alone too, though I did do some rewriting of my first story in places re POV. I edit the whole story first. I go over it so many times some would think me crazy, until I'm fairly confidant everything is there, especially the pacing. Once I start posting, it is all about fine tuning. Fact is, I enjoy it, and I think it works for me. I do catch things that might not matter to readers, but certainly do to me. Dialogue is paramount for me, and each inflection, pause, word choice, and tone has to feel right to me. The biggest red flag I see is when everyone in a story talks the same. I enjoy dialogue because it is what brings the characters to life and makes them unique. Cheers!

New stories, new challenges. And no, I never stop learning. Even stories I wrote only months ago, upon rereading, have things I would change. To be completely satisfied lends to not caring, and that can be a death knell for creativity. Just my opinion. I might be happy with a completed story, but I edit and reedit each chapter right up to actual posting, always going back to the previous chapter and the next one, making sure if flows (that puzzle you mentioned). I'm not patting myself on the back by any means... I am only sharing some of my process. As far as what comes first or takes precedence, it is always the characters for me. Everything else should assist readers in understanding and caring about what happens to the character or characters... and what the do has to make sense to the reader when all is said and done. They (the characters) drive the story line. Cheers!

I believe 'show, don't tell' is good advice, but for me it means, 'show when possible, don't tell if you can't make it interesting'. Narration, of course, is an important part of writing, and there are ways to use it to draw readers in. Narration as internal dialogue is one way, as is having action occur in any narration. It can be great for teasing what is to come, or in adding to the characterization or posing questions and curiosity in the reader's mind. In the end, for me it is about balance. Telling can't be avoided... so just edit the hell out of such passages. I turn narration upside down and backwards until it fits and elevates. Still, even then, I am always leery of too much. Story telling is an art, different for each of us, but the goal is to hold the reader, and all we can do is try.

Hey, all.

I spent many days from early morning till sunset on horseback in a placed called "the grand valley". It was about four miles from where I boarded my first horse. There was a river and cliffs and pools... we'd bath the horses in water up to their backs, and we'd take lunches with us. It was magical, and sometimes there be near twenty of us, playing all sorts of games on horseback. Yeah... great memories... I saw you finished "Sidewinder". I hope you got more from it this time. Cheers!

Boone went on a tough journey, but Coy went on one too. You could say it was a tougher one. It took him a while, after his brother's death, to get to the point those internal fears fell away enough to become manageable for him. He loves Boone... has always loved Boone... but it was enough to have him close every day. He could pretend, and handle all the pressure then. But, once Boone was gone, his world tilted upside down. He was forced to examine all his fears and what they cost him. I loved writing this chapter and finally showing us this Coy... the one he is meant to be. Early on, I decided I was going to keep the location fictional. I did research and poured through lots of territorial maps, but I didn't want to make a mistake, so I took the safer route. I love hearing your stories about your family. This one sounds harrowing. Thanks for sharing. You've made my evening, T. Cheers!

Rainy Saturday here. Hey, all!

Stop bullying spikey!

Oh contraire. Denial is in your vocabulary regularly, and demon would have been logical. Also dork.

Hello, all!

Could have been dork, denial, demon, diminutive, doofus....

Hey, T. Happy to see you are rereading this and enjoying it. This was a heck of a chapter to write. Great friendships are often tested, and this one has been. For whatever reason, Coy is there... he has gotten past his pride, and his timing worked out well. It's good to have them back together, at least for now. Cheers and thanks! G.

Do tell.

Hi, clo. I'm okay. Eyes are watering a lot, and I in the sneezing phase now.