Cynus

Has anyone considered the possibility that he doesn't like the song? I'm just curious. I'm not going to confirm one way or another what happens next. I just wonder if anyone has thought that it might cause a negative reaction. What if he never hears the song? Has anyone thought of that? No, I'm kidding. It would be terrible of me to not have that happen. Of course, I am the devil, so anything is possible.

Wow! I'm practically speechless. No, I didn't have a particular band in mind when I wrote this. I always saw The Demons of the Crossroads as the typical 90's era garage band, so I would think their musical style would reflect that, but otherwise there isn't much I could say on it. As to the other thing . . .

Chelsea was leaning against the window when Jenny let him inside, staring out at the street in front of the house. Tara was sitting in the large cushioned chair in the room and watched Chelsea with eyes full of concern. Silas smiled at Tara and nodded before entering and sitting down next to Chelsea. "How are you doing today, Chelsea?" Silas asked. Chelsea didn't turn toward him, but her nose crinkled as she sniffed. "I've been getting used to you showering," Chelsea said as she turned t

You'll have to imagine that. I can't write music.

Due to a personal message I received I feel the need to post the lyrics to The Navigator, so here you go. Cold winter’s night, the sun was fallen God knows it wasn’t easy Must’ve been some fight, to bring him callin’ To the lonely road out of town. His lady at his side, he took up the fight They must’ve thought him crazy, But he hitched a ride, out into the light The navigator wouldn’t be kept down. ‘Cause there’s no rest for the wicked, No home to call his own. No there’s no rest for the wicked, He’s out there all alone. Been to a thousand places Seen many friendly faces But there’s no rest for the wicked, Navigator’s never going home. There can be no doubt, the kid’s heart is pure, You could see it in his eyes, Something about his eyes made sure He meant no harm to none. Whatever it was, that drove him off, A history of pain and lies, We know ‘cause that kid was tough, Navigator will always find the sun. ‘Cause there’s no rest for the wicked, No home to call his own. No there’s no rest for the wicked, He’s out there all alone. Been to a thousand places Seen many friendly faces But there’s no rest for the wicked, Navigator’s never going home. The Navigator’s always watching But the signs are adding up. He’ll find the sun, He’ll find direction, He’ll find his way His way His way His way…. Back ‘Cause there’s no rest for the wicked, No home to call his own. No there’s no rest for the wicked, He’s out there all alone. Been to a thousand places Seen many friendly faces But the Navigator’s not wicked, And the Navigator’s comin' home. So, these are the lyrics that I wrote, sometime around writing chapter 3. A good friend of mine wrote some lyrics as well and he messaged me about them, and I'm going to go invite him to share those lyrics here on the forum so that you guys can enjoy them as well. I have to say that I am incredibly touched that he took the time to write the song, and I have to say that I enjoy his take on the song quite a bit.

That's probably the only reason why it's any good. This is the first time I've written a novel that wasn't fantasy, and I honestly had no idea what to expect from my readers, but I'm glad that everyone seems to like it so far. Stockholm syndrome is an ugly beast, and I think more people suffer it than are willing to let on. I'm actually considering writing a non-fiction "story" and doing a chapter about Stockholm syndrome because of how prevalent it is.

I liked them all for you because I thought they were all brilliant ideas. There isn't much I can add, because nearly everything I'd say has already been said, but I do think there's one more thing that might just help. Unless, of course, it's unneeded, and it very well could be. I think it's important that you try to write with just an idea, as has been suggested above. Many people do write that way. George R. R. Martin calls people who write that way 'gardeners'. If you try that and it works for you, great. It's a wonderful way to write, and there are many amazing stories out there that have been written from a single idea that was allowed to grow and mature into a complex and engrossing story. But if you find that it's hard to simply pick an idea and write, don't fret. It might be that you just happen to fall into the other category that Mr. Martin calls 'architects'. If it's difficult to get your ideas down on paper because they get all jumbled in your head and don't come out the way you want them, try outlining. Outlining is great for a lot of authors, and might just be the right path for you. Or you may find yourself somewhere in the middle, like me, and each story will be different. Some you'll be able to just start from an idea, and some you'll need a complex outline for. All I'm advising is that you don't give up on a great idea just because one method didn't work out. As James said above, 'anybody can be a writer', but you've got to use the method that works for you. Play around, experiment, and have fun.

I actually wrote the lyrics to the song after I had written only a chapter or two, and it will show up later in the story, but it's not like the lyrics are a spoiler or anything. I'd be willing to consider posting the lyrics here on the forum if enough people show interest. Angry, proud, and self-reliant, huh? it sound like you and I need to be friends. Seems like I should go do something about that as soon as I'm done with this post. That was essentially what I replied with. Mrs. Simms definitely suffers from Stockholm syndrome, and it's far too common of a condition in my opinion.

Thanks, Lisa! Chelsea does have a lot to work through now, and Pastor Simms has certainly made a lasting impact on her life. Only time is going to tell exactly what will happen. But you're right, she does have Tara and Silas there. She's bound to smile again.

Amy is one smart woman, but in writing I was often curious if she had met her match in Silas. I won't tell you the outcome, but I do promise there's plenty more to come. As for Chelsea's mother . . . Stockholm Syndrome is a very real and terrible thing.

Thank you for the compliment. When I first began writing this story, I had no idea what Silas' exact path through his emotions was going to be. I could take him so many different ways. But I have a method that seems to work pretty well. When I write from a character's perspective I do everything I can to become that character mentally, and to think through how I would react in the same scenarios if I had their backgrounds and feelings.

The great thing about a logical family is that you can include anyone you want, even those you have blood ties with. Ian and Amy are good people.

Yes, but changes are definitely in store. As to what those changes are, I'll have to leave open to speculation.

Just under 30 hours at this point.

I don't know how to respond to this in ways that wouldn't spoil anything, and so I might just have to leave it alone. You'll learn soon enough just how far the rabbit hole goes. Thanks for the review!

I don't know how to respond to this in ways that wouldn't spoil anything, and so I might just have to leave it alone. You'll learn soon enough just how far the rabbit hole goes. Thanks for the review!

I don't know how to respond to this in ways that wouldn't spoil anything, and so I might just have to leave it alone. You'll learn soon enough just how far the rabbit hole goes. Thanks for the review!

BEING Being evangelical, I never gamble. PORCH

Silas' eyes flashed open and he surveyed the room. Waking up on the couch in Ian's living room was going to take some getting used to, even if he had already had three weeks to adjust. He hadn't spent a lot of time in the place, preferring to remain aloof despite Ian's attempts to reconcile their differences. After the initial emotional moment at the diner had passed, Silas had returned to his old feelings, and wasn't looking forward to connecting with anyone. There was just too much pain to

This is an awesome video on that very subject.

Jack is the one the always looks out for everyone else, but it's Brady's job to include everyone Jack missed on accident. Together they always make sure that music goes in the direction that it should. Jack is the heart of the band. Brady is the soul.

Why is everyone so concerned with chicken when dinosaurs were laying eggs long before?

Oh, I completely agree. I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is known for being the Mormon Capital of the world. While it is certainly a changing climate here, when I was a teenager being gay was just about the worst thing you could be in a Mormon family. It was certainly worse than having sex outside of marriage, though they weren't too keen on that either. I think it is a very progressive point of view, especially considering the time period in which C. S. Lewis was alive, to view all 'sin' as essentially equal, and to also essentially establish that all people are sinners and we should treat each other with equal love as we are taught to love the sinner. (I'm not Christian any more, but last I checked that was still the lesson.) The point that Lewis makes about it being the 'disgust' factor makes a great deal of sense to me as well. I know that there are certain actions I find revolting, and though they are no worse than other things, simply because it engages my gag reflex I do tend to hate it more and therefore speak more ill of it than things that I hate less. For instance, I find that either ketchup or mustard on a hamburger would make the hamburger inedible to me(as a matter of personal preference of course), but I can eat Ketchup in some instances and hate the taste of mustard altogether. You'll never hear me rant about how much I dislike ketchup, but you'll hear me do so toward mustard all the time. I think those that have been trained to think of homosexuality as something that is disgusting are those that are prone to treat it as the most grievous of sins, because it engages that gag reflex as Lewis points out. Of course, my perspective is that it isn't a sin at all and the thought of rejecting people for who they choose to love is completely ludicrous, but I'm far more comfortable with a view like Lewis' than a view like the Westboro Baptists'.

I too found that fact to be quite interesting. Of course, who knows at what stage of his life this interview was held. C. S. Lewis went through many different stages of belief in his life.

Despite the fact that C. S. Lewis considered homosexuality a sin, I find him to have been a rather enlightened Christian for the time that he was alive. This blog article takes from some of C. S. Lewis' words on homosexuality and I found it quite enlightening. http://spiritualfriendship.org/2013/08/23/c-s-lewis-on-homosexuality-and-disgust/