MacGreg

It's 5-7-5-7-7. Is that what you're looking for?

Just swinging by to say hi. Hope everyone in the DiC is doing well.

These are excellent, Mike! In the first, the crunch of snow beneath your boots seems to demonstrate the journey, while the warmth you receive at the end represents the reward. In the second, your description of the nuthatch is like a metaphor for the human specie's sometimes false sense of courage but strong determination. Very nicely done, my friend, on each of these.

Gentle dreams, molly.

Mmm, that's rough. But, at least you'll get credit for both. My accounting class did not count as a math course, although it most certainly should have. Let me know if you need help with any of it. I may remember a thing or two. (although, my class was business accounting, not personal)

I like both tim's and Kitt's suggestions. Write when you can, wherever you can, when you have a free moment. Turn a grocery list or to-do list into poetry. Find different ways to describe how Baby J's smile makes you feel. Like tim said, write a short fairy tale for J. I, of course, need to take this advice, myself. Maybe not the fairy tale part, but writing regardless. I penned a Tanka poem yesterday. Amazing how much that lifted the veil of writing blues for a moment or two. Let's you and I keep working on this, girl. As for doctors, always seek a second (and third) opinion...

What class are you taking now, A?

His gray eyes met mine briefly; it felt like a mental shove. Wow, what an impacting way to introduce this new character. I felt Max's anger, resentment, pain, heartache and resistance all in that one sentence, that one glance. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it here: you are always good at "showing, not telling" the characteristics and personalities of your characters. Within just a couple of sentences, you familiarized us with Max. Do we want to know more about him? Yes. Eventually. When, and as, you see fit. I know that you' ll weave in the details as we move along. Already, there is a glimmer of hope for Max at the thought of a strawberry milkshake. The simple things can make the biggest impact. Like Reader pointed out, I, too, was pleased to see Louis revisit the rock. That was another impacting introduction of character in the very first chapter of Changes. Looking forward to more, tim.

I agree with others, your mother's short piece is powerful and impressive. Kudos to her, and I hope she continues to write. On a side note, it's a shame you refer to her as a b**ch. Even if you don't mean it to be derogatory, it is.

Thanks, tim. I was, indeed, in traffic. That hawk was like an epiphany. I wrote it in my head, not on paper. Counting syllables helped get me through the mire.

tim, these are all fantastic! Reflective of nature and rife with personal feeling. As a grouping, you demonstrate in them the rises and pitfalls of the season - beauty here, anguish there, and, above all else, the eternal element of COLD. One point of suggestion: in the last Tanka, you use the phrase "as we" twice, which feels repetitive and disrupts the flow. Perhaps changing the last line to "while we wait" might do the trick. Great work, boy.

Floating on the wind, The red-tailed hawk swoops and soars, Brandishing freedom And the luxury of flight, While I sit mired in gridlock.

That's @Mikiesboy, all right.

I'm sure your supervisor will understand.

Yes, the bright side is that you're now 2 steps ahead for tomorrow.

Glad he's got you, Mike.

The bigger question is: why should a gay writer have to align him/her/their self with a smut site in order to be taken seriously as a writer? Good writing can be found in many forms, and GA authors run the gamut. I think it's a great site, writers and readers alike. There's a real community here. Personally, I hate censorship, but I prefer to align myself with quality people here than post my writing on a site where readership is in a vacuum.

Feel better, A.

Paying it forward, even in ways that may seem insignificant, really are impacting. They're positive points in time for both the giver and the receiver, and they put positive juju out into the universe, which is something we all benefit from. So, thanks for doing what you did and talking about it.

That's fucking beautiful, boy.

Very sorry you have to be at the mall. I'd rather stick a screwdriver into the palm of my hand. Be well, molls.

So many of us have waited in anticipation for this sequel to arrive, and here it is, demonstrating all of your best writing skills, tim: providing a powerful prologue that immediately sucks the reader in, shifting our attention about-face to reintroduce main characters, showing us current situations and relationships, brilliantly foreshadowing a challenge, and then announcing that challenge before the end of the first chapter. What an opening! I look forward to reading more.

Per Mike's approval, yes?

One at a time. Choose by priority. Some can probably wait.

That makes for a challenging day!