Brayon

The first thing I ever wrote was a story. It was about a mouse, named Alfred the Mouse, and he was in a self-titled movie like Howard the Duck. Don't judge, I was in the fifth-grade. From there, it was a few stories, and skits I did for Scouts, and then journalism 1, 2, 3, and 4 in High School for both Yearbook and Newspaper. (They were classes in FL, and not Clubs, like in most states.)

I know and have been in the place where you are at, tim. Your words come from the heart, and I hope that calmer waters come to you soon.

I checked off several of the boxes up top. The key three being: 1. No one will read it. 2. No one will like it. 3. My story is going to be boring, and I won't be able to finish it. And then add-on one that was not on the list: 4. My disabilities will keep me from finishing it. I really don't care about writing rules, I see them as more as tools to be used or discarded as needed to tell your story. To be quite honest, I wish more people would "break the rules" more often. I even tried to get people to do it as part of some "Site Member Writing Prompts" I did on the Forums. I'm a notorious serial poster. This is due to my disabilities, as I "cycle" a lot because I lose focus/interest in things, but pick them back up soon after. I have a few now, that I have posted but "On Hold" as I write other things. I have a current project, that I've been focused on for a while now. So far, it's going well.

I think I'll give it a try.

I almost went with one called: "Opinion: I have no faith in PRIDE." However, while I liked the headline, I thought it may get too political.

AMEN!!! I blame a lot on the Identity Politics and those that embrace it for much of the evils in the good old U.S.A. SJWs are ruining everything, including PRIDE events. I just read over the past couple of days, that there is a Project that already has $200M funding to "Re-Do Star Wars: The Last Jedi" to get rid of all the SJW shite out of it.

I noticed a few times now when viewing the "All Activity" page, that a Blue/White banner at the top mentions something about the Search Index is updating. But it's sporadic when it's up.

I've noticed that GA lags sometimes after I hit the Submit button. From forum posts to comments on stories and blogs, and in private messages. After clicking the submit button, it hangs for a good 15 to 45 seconds. Win10 with latest updates. Firefox v60.0.0 (64-bit) Grammarly installed All ad-blockers off.

Thanks, Myr and Team for the hard work on this, and the update looks, super user friendly. Is there anything as Authors we need to do, to help with this?

Finally found a headline I can use... off the cover of today's paper. A Show of PRIDE.

#676 seems like a good one... Time to add to the list.

Thank you, deville, for reading and for the comments you left over the seven chapters. I'm making an outline for book 3 now, while working on my current project.

Awesome!

Interesting profile form. It does seem useful. Hmm, interesting. I've never thought out about timelines for Birthdays, and major events. I think I'm going to add that to my character development. Thanks, tim. There are minor elements of myself, in almost every story I've posted on GA. I don't think any of my characters are more like me, than the others.

I've not used YouTube to view documentaries, so I've got ask. Are these legit documentaries backed by facts, or are they someone's film class project chocked full of opinion and bias?

I'm feeling old now.

20 years is a long time. I didn't realize Nifty was around that long ago! Happy Anniversary, Comsie.

It was a good movie, and I wish they would o a follow up to it. If you play D&D, it's a good reference for what an Arcane Archer can do.

Ancient Aliens.

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means... time for another Topic Tuesday! This week lets talk about your approach to Character Development. In most stories, there's going to be at least one Character, or you can be like War and Peace, that epic Russian novel that has 600 Named Characters in 1440 pages. That's a lot to keep track of! Character Development is a basic tool and artform that writers quickly become proficient at as they continue to write. I've read several different ways people approach creating a character, that I can tell y'all this: there is no right way, or wrong way to create a character. Let me repeat, there is no right way or wrong way to create a character. If you have an agent or publisher saying that you are doing it wrong, drop them like a bad habit. We each have our own style when it comes to crafting, and we should use what works for us. Makes sense, right? For me, I start with a concept: For my latest project, Timeless the Main Character is an Ex-US Army Ranger, who medically retired after a mission in Afganistan, and lost both of his legs due to an I.E.D. He's in an experimental clinical trial, where he was implanted with a small computer interface system, to help him control some motorized prosthetic legs. While in the Army, he used the G.I. Bill to get a Master's Degree in Computer Science and works as a freelance developer, to supplement his income from Retiring from the Army, VA Benefits, and an extra stipend for having earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. He is also an Avid Gaymer and plays a VRMMORPG called Timeless. Now that is a lot of detail for just a concept, but it's not the final work on the character. After I get the concept, then other details get added: Name: Garrett Sullivan Age: 43-years-old Marital Status: Single, but is dating a 21-year-old Twink. On their 3rd date. Vitals: 6ft., 190lbs., Broad-chested, Muscular, Black Hair, Emerald Green Eyes Basic Likes: Coca-Cola, Cuban Cigars, Cookies-n-Cream Ice Cream, loves Texas BBQ, guilty pleasure of Taylor Swift music, and loves the Disney Movie Frozen. Basic Dislikes: Slackers, People who Disrespect Veterans, Homophobic attitudes, Atheists. Where does he live: Tampa, FL, relocated as part of a joint service with CentCom, before retirement, at MacDill AFB. Lives in a one-story Florida Style Ranch House, that has four bedrooms. Two have been converted into an office and exercise room. Hardwood floors, and predominately in Wood tones, Browns, and Greens. There are more details, and that doesn't include the details of his in-game character, which will be the primary in the story. I keep it listed in my Notes Journal, or in OneNote. I have a document that asks 100 questions to help me collect my thoughts on my character. I do not do all 100 questions. I use them to help inspire me to find what I know about the character, so that I may use him to the best of my ability in the story. This is my approach to character development and creation, and your's might be completely different than mine. So, how about you? How do you craft your characters?

It is a fun little story.

Personally, I liked Spock's Phaser with the four settings: Stun Kill Overkill Pocket Deathstar

The classic tale of a Mary Sue, in all its comedic adventures. Eventually, there is a realization, that all characters are Mary Sues or Gary Stus to some degree. All of them.

Submitted for your reading pleasure... in all three volumes: Ensign Sue Must Die