gpaulbishop

Hello All! I just know that I am going to catch some heat for this, but as an editor, I would be doing a grave disservice to those of you who are writers/readers. Okay, point blank, Folks, IT IS A GIVEN, that you are writing/reading a fictional tale. Thus I really think that it is completely ludicrous to stop in the middle of the action to give a blow by blow of proper sexual etiquette and condom usage. Oh and a disclaimer? Common sense applies too here, the truth is, from the comments and e-mails that I receive, that a majority of people who have decided that they desire more substance to their reading diet than what they are currently receiving on Nifty.org, do not desire to have the cookie-cutter sex & protection clause stamped all over the fiction they desire to read. This is why they have migrated to all of these other sites. Realistic, folks, real life is not pretty, nor should fiction be construed as such, however, the caveat is to NOT patronize and insult the reader's intelligence. Yes protection is a real world issue, but in this world, be very careful how you write it in. Paul

=Have you ever felt yourself 'burning out' on a story before it's completion?= For writers...do you suddenly get to a point in a story where you feel like you don't want to go on with it? Or that it's not 'fun' anymore to work on? For readers...have you ever started a story, and then, during the course of the building chapters, suddenly lose interest? Readers can definitely burn out on stories too. I could use the crude term of sh*t happens here but I won't. Actually if I get to a point where I burn out on a story it is normally because I have lost track of the central theme. If I cannot figure out exactly the message I was trying to impart and more so "stay on" message, it is almost impossible to not burn out on the story. It really is that simple, if you cannot convey the message, or you lose track of the conversation with yourself, the story is a wash. As a reader, more so as an editor, the same holds true, and often I have found myself stating in my margin notes to the author; " What are you saying here? I'm bored!" Ok that may appear rude to some of you reading this, but let me ask all of you, has this not happened at some point in your reading experiences? There are epics out there, specifically Comsie, Drake, Dewey, Grasshopper, Driver, and a couple of others come to mind, yet those epics have staying power. The reason? The writers mentioned convey their message, stick with it and "refresh" the tale as they go. If you are writing, keep this mind, or do what I do when I burn out on one of my stories, drag it over to the recycle bin, drop it in, empty the sucker, and start over. Paul

Ironically, most of my time is spent editing these days as opposed to writing. I get alot of mail asking about exposure and how to get the word out there. So here is what I tell the new writers; First of all, have someone you trust edit the work and finalize it for post. Second, depending on context & contents, Nifty.org seems to be the starting benchmark for a new writer. Once you are posted there, read your e-mails and see how your readership is taking to the story, both good & bad. Third, spend alittle time out on the web, stop in and visit and socialize with other writers and their boards. Here is a good example, I also recommend Deweywriter.com draketales.org the glassonion crvboy's ste, dabeagles place and It's only me from across the sea at IMOFATS.org Join in the fun, ask questions post shorts and poetry, and let the other board members take a gander at your work Fourth, when you feel that you are ready, come "aboard" a ring site like this or similiar, & set up your own little corner and away you go. Writers write for a variety of reasons; to entertain, to educate, to edify, to lend emotion, but mainly because it's a conversation they have with themselves that they share with the readers. There is always a purpose to a story, the fame and other perks that come with exposure & noterity are all well and good, but in the final analysis, its the spirit of connectivity in the human condition that a writer strives for. If you do not believe this is true my friends, pause and take a good look around you here at the shared love that built this place, "The Shack Out Back." Okay I am along winded old fuss and fart, but hey Com-You already know this! Paul Bishop

Hey Ya Com- All my love, best wishes, and dreams go with you and I for one, owe you a debt of gratitude. As we used to say for those who go down to the sea in the little boats; "May you have fair winds and following seas." No matter what happens, forever Comsie, you will always be a part of my heart Love Paul

Hi Folks, Comsie, When I write, even as I read too, in my mind is a motion picture playing out the scenes in my head. As the "film" progresses I drift into it and feel as though I am a part of the action. When I first start a story, the characters are pretty much two-dimensional, but as I progress, they take on a feeling that eventually makes them breath, feel, have human emotions and speak, thus to me they are real people. In alot of ways, writing is having a conversation with myself, but as I write there have been times that a particular point is reached where I will write something and suddenly the characters will balk and refuse to talk that way because they do not talk like that; it is NOT them, funny thing is that I have had more than one argument with a character over that issue. I create characters that anyone who reads the stories can relate to as a friend. When I tell a story, I want the reader to get as caught up in it as I get. Imagine sitting around with a group of your friends, rehashing over a tale that everyone knows. Whether it is sad, happy, or painful the affect is the same. The pure enjoyment of being with people that you care for, and in some cases love, reinforces the spirit of family, togetherness, and the fellowship and most importantly, the connections that we all make as human beings. "I am not alone," I know this, the proof is in the stories that I have read including yours Com, that bind us as a group into a family. My characters give that connection voice. I create them to draw people into that spirit of humanity that always brings cheer and good feelings to my heart and soul. Okay, once again I am a windbag, but there you go. Paul Bishop

Comicality, In the last MB pinned topic, in a way, I addressed that. I understand that even "Bad" must be addressed. Daniel's story is fiction, but it based on a real life event that was horrible. Myself and those who were close to me at that time had our collective perceptions of life forever changed by that event. I posted the first part of it as an illustrative example to Woody's question, but in order to sort thru the emotional tides that were running thru me, I guess to reach a solution as you put it, I had to go down a trail that I had avoided for a very long time. Bad, I guess it is all relative to how you write, especially if you are like me and write from your heart. There's a member here now, PecMan who wrote two outstanding examples of that. " A groovy kind of Love, & Jagged Angel." Both stories I think are posted at Nifty. Bad and pain can be clarified, defined, and dealt with by writing about it, I'll cite the aforementioned works as a good example. Maybe I am being simplistic in evaluating that, but I guess that avoiding "Bad" ultimately serves no purpose other than crippling your abilities as an author. Paul Bishop

In a short answer, yes. Often as I am writing a story I draw upon the well of my life and my experiences. I have a story that I am writing now, inspired by a work by Grasshopper he entitled: Dreamchasers. His tale took me back to a time between my junior and senior year of high school and a trip that I made from my home along the front range of the rockies near Colorado Springs to the high desert of Northern New Mexico. For a brief time, in that place, and in that summer I fell in love with a beautiful Indian boy my own age. I was 17, young and brash, and growing up when you could not be queer. After I finished Grasshopper's tale I found myself writing, and the emotions rolling out of me thinking back to that summer of 1976. I know that what I wrote was directly affected because what Grasshopper wrote touched my heart. I really am of the opinion that if I do not write from the heart, I am doing a disservice to my readers and well quite frankly, to myself. Paul Bishop

Thank you for your kind words Woody. Actually I am still working on that piece and haven't titled it yet. To be perfectly honest with you I am still learning the craft and do not feel that I am nearly as talented as my gifted young friend whose abilities you well know as you and I are here together in his world, or more accurately; "in the Shack" as it were. I am currently making the transition to author from reader in part due to my friendship with Drake Hunter who has gently nudged me down the path. I'm not sure yet about posting and of course am even more so not sure where I would be able to post, but still I have found that I enjoy writing. I write as a story comes to me, like Daniel's did, I commenced writing as I "heard" Daniel's voice telling me the tale and before I knew it there were 35 pages worth. I guess that eventually I will need to put it out there, but for now I know there is still much more that I need to learn which is why I so enjoy this forum and others similar to it so that I can broaden my knowlege of the craft. Comzie was actually my inspiration on a cold winter day not too long ago to seek out more of this new world and he knows how much I personally appreciate that as a Gay Man. Okay that was a very long winded thanks so I will close. As always Woody, My warmest regards Paul

As an afterthought Woody, here's a sample of one of my stories that I am currently working on, it has not been edited yet but it will give you idea of what I meant and as always, warmest regards Paul: The bright light of the sun burst through the cloudy overcast skies bathing the surrounding countryside in mellow colors of soft greens, browns, reds and tinges of yellow. The young man sat on the porch gazing out over the valley below taking in the stark beauty of the countryside in the afternoon sunshine. Glancing upwards to the mountain ridge across the valley he smiled as he witnessed the halo effect of the rainbow as it arched back over the mountains and down into the valley below. The serenity of the scenery was only marred by the trauma of the events in school earlier that day he ruefully thought to himself. Why was it so difficult to just be himself and not feel like he was a character in some really bad movie? The worst part was that the majority of his conflicts in school centered around his feelings for the one person he felt that he truly loved, the person who occupied virtually all of his waking moments in his mind. As he sat there thinking, the emotional tides running high in him as the tears rushed forward and outward streaming down his face, dripping unnoticed onto his hands which rested in his lap clenching the battered photograph. My god I hate life, no I hate my life he thought. It is so unfair, so wrong why just can't people leave me in peace. I just want to be happy, no I want to be able to just love. As his thoughts and emotions overwhelmed him his head slumped down and his shoulders sagged and then trembled as the sobs wracked his frame.

I think that a direct response to Woody's observations is warranted insofar as I believe based on my experience as an author but more so as an appreciative reader, can lend some clarification to Woody's points. "some of these writers are obovioulsly extremely skilled, they dont seem to convay the true power of some of these types of emotions because, if my view is correct, they dont really understand them." Woody, when I am writing and my good friend Drake Hunter has also told me this, there comes a point where the characters you are writing about become living entities within us. So that by writing "their" stories effectively give them their voice(s). In so many ways you also are drawing off the experiences of your life this is true for me but also the shared experience of others whom you have met and gotten to know and respect. Be they friends, family or loved ones. Understanding an emotion is not really that great of a tangible. Really it is more of an expression of that emotion. Remember, in the final analysis, it truly is the reader that will have the final interpretation of exactly what that emotion means on an individual basis. I think that Comzie might possibly agree with that especially as I would cite his story of the kid that endures horrific abuse by his father just to share a series of moments that give him the love that he seeks and needs. Woody, writing and crafting that is extremely difficult, and to be honest with you, not be able to understand them completely is quite human. My job, our job, is to let the reader decide for themselves. Warmest Regards Paul

I think that in many ways that conveying any kind of impression upon a reader is due in part to how we write a story. Drake once told me that being a good storyteller was heavily dependent on the quality of the conversation that you have with yourself as you write. Simply put, a good yarn is told well first to yourself. When I write, in many ways it is akin to having a movie unwinding it's reels in my head. As I watch I talk, as I talk I write. Ultimately if what I write causes tears, fears, laughter, hope or despair in myself then in all due probabilty it will evoke the same response from the reader. Then too, I always keep in mind that once I deliver a story to the greater whole for their consumption, it is truly no longer mine because now it theirs and it will effect them in their own individual way. If I have done myself true in my writing, then I would see emotions as described rolling off the whole by way of their responses to me. Now then my gifted and talented young author may not agree, but then he might. As for the rest of you gentlefolk, I give you all this pause for your consideration. Bless you all Paul