MacGreg

Hello, Def. Are you getting the wine cellar in order?

Enjoy your coffee on the terrace. I'll be downstairs getting the playroom in order.

Morning, tim. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

Nope.

There are uptight prudes around here? Hehe

Good morning, DiCsters.

Damn.

This was a great lunchtime read, tim. Farris and James make quite a pair. Obviously, they'd do anything for one another, even the crazy stuff. An entertaining story for this All Hallow's Eve day!

Most of my characters have traits of various people I've seen or met. One of the main characters in my larger story Dissonance is based on a guy a saw in Aspen many, many years ago. I was having dinner in a restaurant, and he stood out like a sore thumb among the Aspen crowd. In my story, he's described as a blonde-headed cowboy resembling a cowpoke who took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in Aspen instead of Amarillo. In real life, he wore the same sherpa-lined coat and Resistol-style hat. We shared a few heated glances across the restaurant that night, and he left a mark in my brain. Some time later, a character was born, and from there, a story evolved.

"Such a tiny thing. It fills up my existence and it shatters me completely." You've written several powerful lines in this poem. This stanza really stands out to me. It exemplifies how one seemingly insignificant word / sound /phrase can trigger an unexpected emotional response, surprising even oneself. This is a great piece, thank for sharing it.

I've been hearing great things about this story for a while, and it's on my to-read list. Now, even more so.

I was just eating a snack myself while reading this. What an awesome, gruesome tale, Val. Good job making us all go eww.

It sounds like you've got a lot of this figured out already. You know your personality traits, your strengths and weaknesses, and you recognize your introverted tendencies. Introverts can be just as beneficial to a company as an extroverted go-getter. However, it's imperative to be placed in a position where you can be most effective. As you said, you excel in areas of analytics, numbers and motivating others. Most introverts have an intuitiveness about people that far exceeds an extrovert's skill at being a "people person". Corporate leaders (real leaders, not just bullies) understand differences in personalities and use those differences to advance employees, rather than cut them down. The managers you speak of are not leaders. It's time to find a better place of employment. May I ask what your field of study is at college? Val and Cassie both offer great examples of how to cope with being an introvert in an extroverted work environment. This article has some good info, too. I know countless introverts, I have a vested interest in many of them, and I deal with my own introversion. Don't consider it a negative trait; this type of personality is a strong force in society. It's where creativity and compassion reside. Like ying and yang, introverts and extroverts complement one another.

Good blog, tim, and good on Mike for leading you to the reflection and discovery of these conclusions. No one is perfect - not Dom, not sub, not anyone. We can only aspire to be more conscieteous in our actions and words. It doesn't matter who may or may not see what you've done or said (or written), subs need to be mindful, regardless of who's witnessing (and believe me, a *sigh* is the last thing a Dom wants to hear...) Doms hold subs more accountable for their actions and words than they do others, which ties in with the complexity of the Life we've chosen and the close relationships we share. As a Dom, I am obvservant and quick to correct when mindfulness takes a turn, but the intentions are good, done out of care. The discourse is always open, for whomever wishes to discuss it.

Sounds like a fun way to engage.

Valkyrie said it brilliantly - pretty much everything I just PM'd you. Take her advice.

Victor, I just sent you a PM.

As always, your poetry is strong and deeply perceptive, tim. Thanks for sharing these with us.

Good advice. Writers can't sit on their laurels waiting for the muse to appear (says the one who waits). Inspiration can be found in many ways outside of waiting for the next brilliant thought to hit. Out at breakfast this morning, I observed a couple of young women who were deep in discussion about metaphysical topics. I guessed one of them to be a life coach/mentor to the other. It was an interesting conversation to catch snippets of. I was unconsciously filing information away for possible character development down the road. On a side note - strangely ironic about the cute bag boy in your article. Sounds like you've recently observed my grocery shopping experiences.

Another great installment! I always enjoy learning about authors on GA and what their motivations and processes are. Thanks, Carlos and @Renee Stevens!

No harm meant with the sharing of the pic. Walking into a giant web is never a fun experience.

Thanks for sharing these. We always welcome poets around here.

Especially when the brass ring is attached to a boy. Hehe. I get stuck between productiveness and not reaping the rewards, and that is something I'm working on. Thanks for stopping by to read this.

Thanks for stopping by to read this, WolfM. I appreciate the comment. And I know just what you mean about watching the process. It's fascinating. Cheers