Myr

A story does not fail because the writer lacked ideas. More often, it fails because the reader cannot tell what kind of promise the story is making. This week’s Writing Resources focus on the first questions every story needs to answer before the plot gets complicated, the cast expands, or the chapters start stacking up. Who is this story about? What does that person want? What is standing in the way? Why should the reader care now? Those questions sound simple, but they are not beginner questions. They are foundation questions. Every strong story keeps answering them in sharper and more interesting ways. A romance answers them differently than a mystery. A coming-of-age story answers them differently than a fantasy epic. A short story may answer them in a paragraph. A long serial may spend several chapters layering the answer. But the reader still needs enough of a signal to understand what emotional contract they are entering. That is the real purpose of a beginning. It is not only to introduce characters or establish setting. It is to teach the reader how to read the story. If the opening promises a tense survival story, the reader starts looking for danger, pressure, and hard choices. If it promises an intimate character journey, the reader starts looking for vulnerability, change, and emotional cost. If it promises comedy, the reader gives the story permission to be lighter, stranger, or more exaggerated. When the story does not make that promise clearly, readers may not know whether to trust it. They may like the premise and still drift away because they are waiting for the story to tell them what matters. This week’s Start Here article is designed to help authors pressure-test that foundation before they get lost in scenes, subplots, worldbuilding, or dialogue polish. The goal is not to make every story formulaic. It is the opposite. When the foundation is clear, the writer has more freedom. A clear story question gives every later choice more weight. A surprise works better when the reader knows what expectation was being disrupted. A slow burn works better when the reader understands what desire is being delayed. A plot twist works better when the story has already taught the reader what was at stake. So before you ask whether your first chapter is exciting enough, ask whether it is orienting enough. Can a reader tell whose story this is? Can they tell what pressure is forming? Can they feel why this moment matters? Can they sense what kind of experience they are being invited into? This week, we invite authors to read Start Here: Every Story Needs a Promise and use it as a quick diagnostic for a current draft, an unfinished story, or a new idea you have been meaning to start. Read the article, then try the exercise at the end. Take one story you are working on and answer the core questions in plain language. If the answers feel vague, that is not failure. That is useful information. It shows you where the story may need a stronger promise. The best stories do not begin by explaining everything. They begin by making the reader want to keep asking the right questions. https://gayauthors.org/writing/start/start-here-every-story-needs-a-promise-r6/

To be honest, I only look at an author's name if I'm trying to find more stories by an author I've enjoyed. At least so far as story selections go when I'm wearing my reader's hat.

Top Read Non-fiction Stories Since Deep Dive 9 Top 10 Most Read Non-Fiction - Autobiography is a self-written account of one's life. Takes stock of the autobiographer's life from the moment of composition. While biographers generally rely on a wide variety of documents and viewpoints, autobiography may be based entirely on the writer's memory. An Advent Calendar by Aditus Complete Memoirs of a child of the past century by old bob Long-Term Hold It’s Not How I Remember It by Mark Paren Complete Farm Tales by quokka Complete Self-help by northie Complete Shopping by Bokjay Complete There’s Always One Special Kid by Mark Paren Complete The Afternoon at a Schoolyard by and9993 Complete A Summer Happy Place by Lee Wilson Complete A Gay Man on His Own at Christmas by albertnothlit Complete Top 0 Most Read Non-Fiction - Biography is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of their life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. No stories Top 10 Most Read Non-Fiction - Creative Non-Fic writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as academic or technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in accurate fact but is not written to entertain based on prose style. Many writers view creative nonfiction as overlapping with the essay. tim's Bits and Pieces by Mikiesboy In Process Headstall's Reflections by Headstall Temporary Hold Timmy's Journal by Mikiesboy Complete timmy's poetry by Mikiesboy Complete Disasters, Delights and Other Detours by Parker Owens Complete Cozy Contemplations by Headstall Long-Term Hold Musings of a Messed Up Mind by Mikiesboy Complete Lyrical Laments by Headstall Long-Term Hold Boy Story: The Road Taken by Rip Skor Complete Ravings of a Rabid Werewolf - Poetry by Wolf by WolfM Long-Term Hold Top 8 Most Read Non-Fiction - Letter letter is a written message conveyed from one person (or group of people) to another through a medium. [1] The term usually excludes written material intended to be read in its original form by large numbers of people, such as newspapers and placards, although even these may include material in the form of an "open letter". Dear Comicality by Myr Complete Vaya con Dios, Carlos by Bill W Complete Azkarah by Defiance19 Complete Dear Carlos by Mikiesboy Complete Random Musings by Bryson Long-Term Hold You should still be here by Kileoli Complete When the stones breathe by Kileoli Complete Ly's Pandora's box by Kileoli In Process Top 10 Most Read Non-Fiction - Reference books in the reference nonfiction genre contain relevant information on a subject and where you can go to learn more about that subject. The books in this genre can be about anything people might need to know about. They can be marketing guides for writers or lists of travel destinations in a country or area – anything where one can list information in an easy to use way to help people find the information on a topic. WL's Mainstream Gay Book Reviews by W_L Long-Term Hold WL's Gay Manga, Anime, Webnovels Review by W_L Complete Palouse Writing Project by rec Long-Term Hold Naptown 00 - Introduction by Altimexis Complete Why Research Is Important To Me by Mikiesboy Complete Don's Top 10 Writing Tips by Don H Complete How Role-Playing Games Can Help You Write a Better Story by Brayon Complete The Modern Writer as Performance Artist by Libby Drew Complete Plotting with Plugh by Lugh Complete Johnathan Colourfield's Writing Exercises by Johnathan Colourfield Long-Term Hold

Question: How do I have a question added to the Help Center? Short Answer: Read the full answer and comment below or use the help forum View full question

Every writer eventually runs into the same problem: you know something is not working, but you are not sure what to fix. Maybe the middle of the story feels slow. Maybe the romance is not landing. Maybe the characters are doing things, but the scenes still feel flat. Maybe the title, description, or tags are not helping the right readers find the story. That is why we are launching Writing Resources on Gay Authors. This new section is a growing library of practical writing articles built around one goal: helping authors make better stories one useful idea at a time. These are not long lectures. They are focused craft tools. Each article is designed to answer a specific writing problem and give you something you can try in your own work. You will find articles on: story structure character motivation dialogue and voice romance and relationships tropes genre craft serial fiction editing and revision publishing on Gay Authors community and reader engagement Some articles will help you shape a new story. Some will help you revise a story that is already written. Some will help you make better use of titles, descriptions, tags, and posting choices so the right readers can find your work. We are starting with a few articles and will continue adding more at a steady pace. The first spotlighted resources include practical trope articles such as Enemies To Lovers Works Best When Both Characters Are Right and Friends To Lovers: Change The Meaning Of Familiarity. These are examples of what the section is meant to do: take a familiar writing idea and show one clear way to make it stronger. The best use of Writing Resources is simple: Pick one article. Try one idea. Apply it to one scene, chapter, description, or character. You do not need to overhaul your whole writing process. Start with one useful fix. If you are working on a romance, try a relationship article. If your story feels slow, look for structure or serial fiction advice. If readers are not finding your story, start with the publishing articles. If you love familiar patterns like friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, found family, or coming of age, the trope and genre sections will help you use those patterns with more purpose. This library is also meant to grow with the community. If there is a writing problem you want covered, tell us. If there is a trope, genre, or craft issue you think many authors struggle with, suggest it. If an article helps you rethink a scene, join the discussion and share what changed. Writing Resources is not here to tell every author to write the same way. It is here to give authors more tools. Read an article. Try the exercise. Join the discussion. And tell us what writing problem you want us to tackle next. https://gayauthors.org/writing/

Top Read Mystery Stories Since Deep Dive 9 Top 5 Most Read Mystery - Amateur Sleuth Features characters who are not professional detectives but get involved in solving mysteries due to personal interest or circumstance. Reap the Whirlwind by Josh Aterovis Complete Bleeding Hearts by Josh Aterovis Complete Life is Like a New Suit of Clothes, Charlie Boone! by Geron Kees Complete Face Value by empath Temporary Hold SONS OF MAYHEM MC -- HIS TO KEEP by ASH PHOENIX Temporary Hold Top 1 Most Read Mystery - Caper Light-hearted mystery that is easy to read, witty and not too intense. Can also be more comic in nature. Examples: Clue, Scooby Doo, Hardy Boys, or Janet Evanovitch books A Ticklish Thriller (Revised) by Ticklishboy30 Complete Top 8 Most Read Mystery - Classic Mystery Often involves a murder in a closed setting like a village or a manor, with the crime solved by an amateur or professional detective by the story's end. Dust in the Basement by Celian Complete Gabriel's Gambit: Contract Terminated by Jason Rimbaud In Process Bell(e)s in the Woods by Celian Complete The Vanishing Act by E K Stokes Complete The Last Laugh by Celian Complete A salty drop of Magic by Celian In Process Murder in Paradise by E K Stokes Complete The Pink Flamingo by E K Stokes Complete Top 10 Most Read Mystery - Cozy Mystery also referred to as "cozies", are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur off stage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. This is also a sub-genre with strong tropes that define it It's Always Something by Ticklishboy30 Temporary Hold A Ticklish Thriller (Revised) by Ticklishboy30 Complete A Holiday Adventure by Ticklishboy30 Complete Murder on the Playground by ObicanDecko Complete WHISPERS by PhillMakracken Complete Murder of a Moral Man by St. George Complete A Ticklish Thriller by Ticklishboy30 Abandoned River City by Bill W Complete Bellini by Cole Matthews Complete Ticklish Psychic by Ticklishboy30 Complete Top 10 Most Read Mystery - Detective stories where the protagonist is a sleuth of some sort, ranging from nosy neighbor to retired detective that is puzzling out the details of why a crime was committed and who did it. More intense than a cozy, more serious than a caper, but not as hard core has hard boiled/noir. Example: Agatha Christie books Kept Boy to Made Man by empath Complete The Mardi Gras Murders by Mark Ponyboy Peters Complete All Lost Things by Josh Aterovis Complete The Truth of Yesterday by Josh Aterovis Complete Dating Rules And Pretty Fools by Laura S. Fox Complete Keeper of the Rituals by Libby Drew Complete A Change of Worlds by Josh Aterovis Complete Coyote amongst the sheep by Topher Lydon Complete The Jerk-Off by JLynch Complete The Black Aura by Lee Wilson Complete Top 5 Most Read Mystery - Historical Mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a sub-genre of two genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. Raiders of the Lost Ark The Exchange Students by Mark Paren Complete Blades of Ashes by lilansui In Process Here Be Dragons, Charlie Boone! by Geron Kees Complete The House of Storms by Geron Kees Complete A Wolf's Skin by Boy Mercury X Complete Top 10 Most Read Mystery - Light Mystery Contains light mystery elements such as crimes to solve, but solving a crime is not the focus of the story. Circumnavigation by C James Complete The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X In Process The Art of Living by Robert Hugill Complete Bearpaw: An Old West Tale by Headstall Complete What Brings Us Together - Part 2 by Paladin Complete Journey Beyond the Sea by Geron Kees Complete Box Shaped Heart by Laura S. Fox Complete Sidewinder by Headstall Complete Frosted Hearts by Jason Rimbaud Complete Guarded by Wayne Gray Complete Top 1 Most Read Mystery - Locked Room Mystery A sub-genre where the crime, usually a murder, happens in circumstances where it seems impossible for the perpetrator to have entered or left the scene. Green Lightning by Aditus Complete Top 6 Most Read Mystery - Noir/Hard-Boiled (Strong Trope Alert) in noir the protagonist isn't a detective, but a victim, a suspect, and/or a perpetrator of crime. Hard-Boiled is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence of organized crime that flourished during Prohibition (1920–1933) and its aftermath, while dealing with a legal system that has become as corrupt as the organized crime itself. Detectives of hardboiled fiction are often antiheroes. Notable hardboiled detectives include Philip Marlowe, Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, Lew Archer, Slam Bradley, and The Continental Op. Carter's Echo by Topher Lydon Complete Pigsty by Jack Poignet In Process The Theocracy - The Blackened Cross by ValentineDavis21 Abandoned Neon by William King Temporary Hold The Double Hex by Topher Lydon In Process Scene: An Abandoned Alleyway Leading to a Doorway by Young Sage Complete Top 9 Most Read Mystery - Police Procedural is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on either a private detective, an amateur investigator or the characters who are the targets of investigation The Black Aura by Lee Wilson Complete Jail Cell Love Affair by Lee Wilson Complete Happy Fourth of July by Lee Wilson Complete Solitary by RichEisbrouch Complete River City by Bill W Complete The Witching Hour Phone Call by Lee Wilson Complete Unhappy New Year’s Day by Lee Wilson Complete Fairway to Heaven by Jeff Burton Complete A Memorial Day to Forget by Lee Wilson Complete Top 10 Most Read Mystery - Psychological Mystery Delves into the mind, exploring themes of sanity, identity, and often includes elements of suspense or thriller. Kept Boy to Made Man by empath Complete Flame and Frost by lomax61 Temporary Hold The Other Side of Me by DomLuka Complete Monstrum by Laura S. Fox In Process Seagull's Bay by CasualWanderer82 Complete Happy Fourth of July by Lee Wilson Complete Guideverse: The Future by Invnarcel Temporary Hold Hello, Claire Voiance Speaking by Lee Wilson Complete Murder in Paradise by E K Stokes Complete Neon by William King Temporary Hold

The number of recommendations it has received

Thanks for letting us know. it should be fixed now.