Cynus

Neat to know that you have that connection. I am thankfully not a part of the church anymore (I'm not pushing an agenda in this story, btw, for anyone reading this who might think that I am.) but of course, living in Utah like I do I have a large number of family, friends, and acquaintances who are members of the church. The significance of those titles is probably what you'd expect. The church essentially teaches that we are all one large family, being descendants of Adam and Eve and then later Noah and his family. (As they do believe in the literal flood). They also believe that baptism into the church brings you into The House of Israel. Essentially this means that anyone in the church (And less directly those out of the church) are all part of the same family, and so we should respect that familial tie. Rather than the formal but impersonal title of Mr/Mrs/Ms, they instead refer to adult members of the church as Brother/Sister, unless they've acquired a different title through appointment to an office that warrants one, such as the position of "bishop", or the person that presides over a ward(local church division.)

I decided to create the forum topic for this story early, knowing that there might be a lot of questions about terminology and other matters on this story. Please feel free to address them here, and I will do my best to define anything about Mormon culture that I left too ambiguous in the text. [sharedmedia=stories:stories:4896]

Two years. That was how long it would be before Gary saw any of them again, and he wasn’t sure how many of them would be here when he returned. He had heard stories from some of the lifetime members about how they had lost girlfriends, or how some of their older relatives had passed on while they were away, and it always seemed to tarnish his view of the whole process. But God wanted him to go, and more importantly for Gary Dumont, his parents wanted him to go. They had been scraping and sa

Every young man in the Mormon Church is expected to give up two years of his life to preach the gospel wherever he is called. Some make this decision because they believe in the message, some do it because they are expected to, some do it out of a sense of duty, and some are trying to escape the real world for a while. Whatever the reason, being gay and being a Mormon missionary is no easy feat.

Welcome, Sammie.

I agree one hundred percent.

As a teenager growing up in Utah, sexual education was dismal. I don't know if I even knew what a condom was the first time my high school boyfriend ever did anything that would warrant the use of one, but it was also the first time for both of us, so . . . Stay safe, kids.

Sorry for your loss, KC. I've known five people that passed away this year, though only one of them was close enough I'd call him friend rather than acquaintance. You have my condolences. But I'm proud of you deciding to visit your grandmother, and I know that it's going to be one of the most meaningful experiences of your life. Be well and enjoy it.

I've only bought lubricant designed for the purposes we're talking about once, and I was so out of my league when doing so that I just asked the clerk at the store what one she would recommend. The only thing I know for sure was that it was none of the ones specifically mentioned in the poll. I used Baby Oil as a teen, which is something I picked up from a story at Nifty and latched onto.

I wanted a dose of emotion to help me write a scene. This definitely did the trick. If you ever need inspiration for a tragic love story, I highly recommend you look into the story of Ulay and Marina.

It does. Thank you. It at least helps calm my nerves about it a little bit. I think I've worked it out now. With my Beta Reader's input I was able to get an idea of where I could make a couple of subtle changes that made the whole thing smoother. I only had to snip a piece off of chapter three and add it to chapter two, and then I have the room to make chapter four start the transition. Not only does the action happen a tiny bit quicker, but it also reads smoother. Thanks for the input. Unfortunately deadlines prevent me from having the whole story completed before posting this time around, but usually that's the route I would take. Thanks for the input.

On the latest story I've been working on I feel that I've run into a bit of a problem. Chapter One does little more than set the scene, and gives some insight into the characters, hopefully enough to intrigue the reader and want to know more. Chapter Two brings the characters together, but otherwise feels lacking in substance. I'm worried that it might be too boring. Chapter Three has more heightened character interaction, with a bit of conflict developing as tensions increase, but nothing major happens. Chapter Four is where the first major altercation occurs, and there's true strife between the characters. I suppose my question is whether that's too late in the story? WIll my readers have already given up on it if they have to wait that long? Is drama enough to carry the story without action? I'm new to writing dramas with little to no action, so if anyone has any insight I'd love to hear it.

I'm fairly certain that this thread will not make me lose weight any faster...

It takes a lot to get me to reread something, so I can totally understand.

Thank you for your input, everyone. I'll leave it as it stands.

I don't know if I ever explained this before, but some of you may have noticed that The Navigator is lacking the "lesbian" tag. There is only one reason for this, and that is because I wanted to keep the relationship between Tara and Chelsea a secret until it actually happens in the story. I'm considering going back and editing it now to include that tag, but I'm trying to decide if I want it to remain a mystery for new readers or not. I suppose the question i have for you to help me gauge it is: Was it ever a mystery in the first place?

Aren't there many here at GA who are just waiting for the right pitch?

My circle of creative friends here in Utah all relate to #17. Too much blood in my caffeine system. LOL

I hope I'm not too late to add to the well-wishing. Glad you're doing better, Lenny, and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Thank you, Richard. I'm glad I was up to standard.

It was just a goal date set after his 18th birthday. But thank you for reading and I'm glad the ending wasn't one that had you calling for blood! I seem to remember that you were threatening violence at the thought of what might happen to Addy...

I think it hit last night. There's an idea blossoming right now that just might be the best one I've had yet. We'll see what comes of it and then I'll let you be the judge.

I feel as if you were reading my own mind at points, and saying things I've been unable to put into words. Several years ago I dated an individual, a young and unashamed young woman who had suffered the misfortune of being born in a body that didn't match her. She struggled through a great deal of pain and misery as she tried to get her parents and friends to understand what she was going through. There were certainly periods where those of us that were close to her began to worry that she was one step away from choosing to end it all, but in the end she persevered and made it through the other side. I can empathize with the pain of not being true to yourself, and I had front row seats to what it means to not fit the body you were born into. I'm truly grateful for people like Miss Jenner who will make the world a little easier for those we know who are still hiding in the shadows, too afraid to be who they are because the world will hurt them. One day they will be free. And I'm grateful to you for backing it up with such fervor and passion, and letting us all feel even more connected. This isn't just a trans issue; it is a human one, and the sooner the naysayers understand this, there will be peace. Thank you.

Thank you, dughlas. The sequel will be in the works soon enough. And Higgins won't forget Addy's teeth anytime soon.

Oh there will be a sequel, I assure you. Though I'd be happy to hear from you if you'd like to let me know which parts you find unresolved. There might be a hole I didn't see that I'll have to make sure I address in the sequel. I left some things open on purpose, but others... who knows? I might need to do some surgery to pull it all back together.