Jack Scribe

I mentioned my "learning curve" on penning erotic content. Character development, intriguing plot lines and creating the scene to 'paint a picture' for the reader go hand in hand (in a non-erotic sense ). Occasionally I fall off the wagon. I remember a reader asking me to include a "docking" scene in a story. You'll find that somewhere in Domes and Teapots. My game plan for story release is as follows: Splash on the Web - Volume III of the Splash series - September, 2008. Shifting Sands - Volume III of the Vegas series - April, 2009. It'll be more like a year's lapse in the story line. Cray will be finishing high school. I'm going through a fallow creative period right now but plan on getting fired up soon. I know why I'm experiencing writer's block...just have to shake it off this disappointment from last month and go forward. Jack

Bi? Bi-coastal, maybe.

Yes...not a good idea. James' posting of Leg Hound cracked me up. However, it sounds like your friend is experiencing personal problems, self esteem issues, sex addiction, mis-directed friendship, etc. Way beyond being just plain horny. As RKnapp said, lots of red flags. I suggest you research what sort of help lines are available that your friend could call (In Spain?) and prepare a heart-to-heart email. You be a real friend and be honest with him. Jack

And don't forget the GPS device. The Land Rover has re-entered the picture.

CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTA. Welcome to the Hosted Author family. Jack

Un, oh. Echidna? Blatant reader pandering. I thought that maybe Vlad would have something to spring on Scar. Now, it looks like his life insurance is almost ready for a payoff to his beneficiaries. Jack

So in today's august New York Times is a feature article about David Hernandez and his job in Phoenix for the past three years. "The 24-year-old finalist from Glendale, Ariz., once worked as a stripper at Dick's Cabaret, appearing fully nude and performing lap dances for the club's ''mostly male'' clientele..." http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Id...amp;oref=slogin. Lets see - good looking dude, sings well, does lap dances for guys...hmmm. Ya gotta wonder if ABC is using this handle to attract a larger gay viewership. Jack

Here's the link: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/college/three-roads/.

Happy Three-Seven! Have an awesome birthday celebration. Jack

Have a big, ole happy birthday and a fabulous day! Since there isn't a birthday thread at Awesome Dude, we'll have to throw a party for adblue right here. Where's Graeme? He's missing in action. Jack

"Chester the Molester" cracked me up. Allow me to amplify. As Nick so succulently put it, intergenerational sexual relationships are taboo. Toss in bestiality, hardcore BDSM, scat, urination...you get the picture. If your material doesn't fall into the aforementioned categories, I'm puzzled as to why some of your stories might not be appropriate? Could you be more specific? Jack

Welcome to the Hosted Authors group! Good looking story page. I look forward to visiting often. Jack

I agree with Kevin and urge you to go with the "spade is a spade" philosophy. Embrace the basics but play with adjectives that embellish on size, shape, unusual physical characteristics, temperature, moisture, etc. Same with ejaculate: use the common slang and play with descriptives. I see something like "baby batter" (or "sticky meal") and just . And while I'm at it, I suggest you treat orifices in similar fashion. Graeme's exotic example is terrific if it is supported by a compatible writing style throughout the story. Jack

Nifty is where I first read gay-themed stories and became encouraged to try my hand at fiction. As Duncan commented, you must wade through a lot of crap to find gems and I became a master of reading the first two sentences of a story to determine if I wanted to spend time with it. For a new author, you can expect huge initial feedback because of reader volume...if your writing shows promise. And, as Nick pointed out in another post, a new author can find eagar beta readers/editors to help you. When I did find a series or short story that was interesting, I would send the author a note. With a few, I sought out advice about a story (eventually,Splash in the Pool) idea I had. In all cases, the authors were very generous with their time and thoughts. The story that's in its present form was well-received and I was on my way. I still post my stories on Nifty out of loyalty...but much later (the just-finished Desert Fantasies on GA is currently in Chapter 11 on Nifty). However, I always put a link to Gay Authors at the end of a chapter and my addy. Is everyone familiar with the Best of Nifty site that Awesome Dude maintains? http://www.best-of-nifty.org/. This is a treasure trove of superior stories. Graeme's estimation of around/under 10% feedback participation from readers is, IMHO, optimistic. My uneducated talley suggests maybe its closer to 3 - 4%. The exception seems to be CJ's readers. His story forums have taken a life of their own. Whatever the case, all of us who 'scribe' away appreciate the readers thoughts and reviews. I always take a moment to send a note to an author...whether it be praise or friendly suggestions. Jack

Fun chapter. I think CJ has made this Eric a basic good guy to make up for creating the evil Eric in the first series novel. With good Eric's enjoyment of heterosexual activity by-the-numbers, I don't think he's bi. He's just very tuned-in and accepts diversity. Jack

Who's going to be dropped tonight? Will hunky Luke bite the dust? Will we say goodbye to the dreadlocks? Danny is being supported by http://votefortheworst.com/. This is the site that kept Sanjeya (sp) in last year's competition. I'll let the members make up a caption for the photo below.

Splash in the Pool was my first story - appearing on Nifty - three years ago. It holds up but I've grown as an author. It was written in first person and initially released without an editor. I didn't know any better. A seasoned author contacted me and tactfully suggested I needed help clean up the story of typos and grammatical errors. At the same time, Brad from Denver offered his assistance. He was very patient and edited the first 12 chapters in the summer of 2005. I changed the format to HTML and re-posted each chapter on Nifty. I thought there had to be a hawt scene in every chapter. But at some point I got a little tired of trying to figure out how to creatively describe 'it' (all of the 'its'. I now have more fun developing an intimate scene and allowing the reader to complete it...in his imagination, that is. The second volume, Splash on the Screen, was the last story written in first person (Other Avenues was developed between the two Splash volumes). U.K. author, Drew Hunt, encouraged me to change to third person limited style in 2006. I'm most comfortable telling stories in this style. Jan is certainly correct in his assessment of the ending. My goal was to allow the reader a peak at the direction of the next Vegas volume. Jack

Happy 30th! Hope your academic and personal life in the Far East is going well and we'll be seeing another great story on GA very soon. You're missed, Chris. Jack

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICK! Sorry to be late. Hope you had a good one. Jack

Way to go, DADDY! Your thoughtful contributions make these forums a little more special. Good going! I'm struggling to get to a millennium. Jack

Thanks, guys, for your support and comments. You're right, Steve; the dad was only mentioned at the beginning when Cray packs for his hasty departure. I should slap my hand, however, for giving a minor character in the middle of the story the name of Jack. For the Nifty edition I'll change the name of the guy who's the friend of the leather bad guy. Perhaps Quentin? Hows that for a B/S dude? I see how it can be confusing when I introduced the Jack Gamble character at the end of the story. Shifting Sands (I liked the play on words from the old soap intro that was pointed out) will bring most of the characters together, one way or another. However, I can assure you that it will take time as several things are going to happen in the new story line. And Las Vegas is a community that is approaching two million citizens with 17 million visiting each year. As MikeL pointed out, the next story coming will be the third volume of the Splash series. I'm not sure when Splash on the Web be ready to roll out...but not for a while. The original characters will be support players. This story that will be a thriller of sorts. I do know that Cray will be a year older when we re-visit all the guys in Vegas. A couple years ago I took the advice of a terrific author, Tim Mead, and now finish the story before it is posted. In addition to having the luxury to go back and modify points in earlier chapters to mesh with the final product, this process gives me the opportunity to do a final edit before posting. Not seeing a chapter for three months is almost reading it with a "fresh pair of eyes". I do think of this ultimate cliffhanger - ending the story with Jack Gamble - as a "coming soon announcement" (at some point). Stay tuned. Jack

And Josh Groban , as he sits at a concert grand piano, gloriously singing "f**k" in his deep, baritone voice.

In response to the Sarah Silverman video clip and Matt Damon, Here's Jimmy Kimmel - with an all-star cast - in "I'm F**king Ben Affleck". Via Towleroad: http://www.towleroad.com/2008/02/jimmy-kimmel-is.html. The talent they rounded up for this hilarity is amazing. When it opens with Brad Pitt as a pizza delivery guy, you know everyone's having a lot of fun. Jack Update: Here's the video with a lead-in. Jimmy Kimmel shows the beginning of the Silverman/Damon clip to set it up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIQrBouWRiE...tubeonline.com/. Sorry about the bleeps but it's American network TV.

Feedback is our payment and I salute those who take the time to contact authors. Most readers, however, maintain a low profile. I roughly calculate that two or three send me a note per 100 readers, per chapter. Many lurkers don't want to get involved in the process. Others are closeted for a myriad of reasons. Some print chapters for later reading away from a computer. Graeme mentioned Drake Hunter. Another author I admired who disappeared is Savoir-Faire. Here's a short story he wrote almost ten years ago: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/brown-eyed-boy. Another terrific story is Dark Angel. For whatever reason, S-F dropped out. BTW, does everyone know about The Best of Nifty site that Awesome Dude maintains? It's a marvelous depository of classics. http://www.best-of-nifty.org/#niftylinks. Personal problems, career/school pressures, time restraints, life priorities, discouragement, creative drought: each of these reasons can seriously challenge a writer's productivity. Throw in a few of these together and the result can be quite disruptive. A couple of my favorite GA authors - Topher and Dom - are maintaining very low profiles right now. Don't get down, BeaSTKid, about the lack of response. I hope you feel that each chapter makes you a better writer. Several stories and updates are posted daily on GA. Add to the mix the flourishing forums with which the members are continually involved and the other excellent story sites that are frequented. We - the authors - daily face volumes of worthy competition for the reader's valuable time. Jack

I've been going through a 'thriller' novel period the past six months for recreational reading. Recently, James Patterson books have whetted my appetite. He's a very prolific, excellent author with perhaps 40 titles in his CV, so far. One series centers around Detective Alex Cross. Each book is written in limited third person (the style I've settled on for my stuff) EXCEPT for chapters involving Alex Cross. These chapters, interspersed throughout the book, are written in first person. Unusual, but the change in style didn't put me off. But, then...Patterson's writing is superb. Jack