Krista

lets hope not, sardines stink... I mean, I know teenagers don't smell the best at their best.. but still.

I don't knowwwww.... they did spend most of the time kissing. And he did sober up and tried to get her to stay after she removes the hoodie. But yeah, maybe he didn't play into convincing her as much as he should have. Gavin seems to be the only one of the four of them that has any game. Maybe he needs to teach a class.

Hmm... may I try? Roel? Maybe? Joy? Aww.. so cute.. Coel? Sounds like someone trying not to vomit.. but who knows, maybe the relationship won't be a gag. Jolt... could there be sparks? Gavoel... a bit hard on the tongue. Gavel? Maybe they slam their gavels down on their relationship and make it official. Doelt ... unscramble that mess if you're curious. Javin/Jovin/Daoel? Some of those are better than others. Gadaoel = Hard pass no. 😮 Lastly, and maybe most surprising. Joel. And no, he's not alone, this is a pairing. But maybe it may just end up being just Joel.

I can confirm that Roy does have beautiful eyes. 🥰

Let's hope he doesn't become too viscous. 😮

Like a poor wee little chick hatching from an egg...

With Colt, I'd say he's rather deep into heterosexuality. I know that may have been a bit of a downer for some of you. I guess (innocent surprised face) there is something annoying Davin as far as Sierra and Colt is concerned. The rest I'll just dodge like I'm trying to hide the big Amazon shipment from my husband. Especially if I told him no to more hunting stuff...

Softly, or lamely, at least softly sounds better on paper. There were some small interactions in there at least. Maybe not the most desired outcome for the night. Not Colt's bigger plans anyway, or maybe 'he' just wanted out of the house and by force or will 'he' constructed this whole night and didn't really care which way it went... although no tent and Sierra leaving him buzzed and blue balled can't be how he wanted the night to end. Poor guy. And it is true, Davin doesn't have a known girlfriend. And true too, those knuckles can't be missed, battered and bruised as they are.

Luckily for them. I doubt there'd be room if Gavin, Faith, and Sierra stayed. No tents between them... it could have ended two relationships as I doubt the girls would have appreciated such a lack of judgement from their boyfriends.

Maybe. I personally, not saying I'm nosey or anything, would have stuck around to see if Jonny might have mustered up the courage for another ass whoopin or not. Or, maybe I'd go home, because I'm sweet and innocent and didn't do such things of that nature at all. But the after-falls party wasn't the best. There could be room for redemption there, we'll see.

Yeah, an embarrassment all around for that magnitude of party... if I were them, I'd be ashamed of myself. In front of Joel too, first impressions and all that.

Maybeee, or he could be like a cat and not do anything, not one thing, not even a hint of it... that you'd want or expect them to do. They just give you the non-blinking death stare and be like, "what, what are you gonna do about it?"

I guess they would be curious about the gun. Or, maybe not, maybe they saw how much of an ass Jonny is and figured it is rather common for someone to pull out a gun and wave it at him... But yeah, I guess teenage guys seeing another teenage guy beat down their would-be bully could make them open their eyes a bit more to what they're looking at in Joel. Might change some thinking around a bit. We'll see. He did a quick and thorough job of it too.

Or, her "past" or scandal surrounding her would break him in. He may have 'experience' with girls, but 'her' experience, if rumors and gossip are to be believed, would send poor Davin into the next world. But yes, he could also be lacking in all aspects of experience and Gavin wants to rectify that ASAP for his poor brother. and, out of the two I'd go with Javin. But... much like premature ejaculation, it may a bit too soon for that.

Hearing Gavin call out again, I looked around the creek for another way out of the hollow it was slowly carving out. Not seeing one, I sighed and pushed myself off the slate rock, picking up the empty plastic bag. Making sure not to knock anything against my knuckles. Now that the ice wasn’t keeping the pain numb, it began to burn. There was a small gash across the middle knuckle where the impact of my fist broke my skin. Stretching out my middle finger, I made sure the movement was still smooth

I think it may be time for you to sell them on etsy or something similar. Crocheted stuff is a very niche market, but its a healthy one in a lot of circles. And I can't crochet or knit to save my damn life... I've had to cut my fingers free or risk losing function in them, so.

I do not know how I missed this comment, but I am glad I rechecked the chapter... for reasons. The one sentence really hit me, about letting them fly and hoping they don't soar towards the sun. Freedom and faith vs. Teenage decision making skills... there is a lot of conflict within me about that sort of thing. Would I be as chilled out with the drinking trips as Trace and Celia... no. I would not be. Was my mother entirely in the dark about most of what I got up to - absolutely, and I don't want to be so I try to keep that in mind. I want my kids to tell me things they may not think are easy things to tell, I want to feel those burdens along with them and not be caught out knowing they've suffered without me knowing. Now that I'm older and I tell her some of the things I've done (not in earshot of any of my younger siblings or my children), she gets all flustered and she gets to building up to the lecture I probably deserved when I was 16, 17, 18, or 19 years of age. Reminding her that I'm an adult telling her this doesn't slow her down either, mind you, but it is a little fun in the process of things. Would I want that done to me? Absolutely not. I do have a different parenting style than my mother, who did her very best. She had to deal with a lot. I want to think I'm preparing them for a world that won't slow down for them, go easy on them, and all that. But yes, there are a lot of... "If I had..." thoughts. I guess it comes with the job.

I'm of the philosophy that one needs to spare time to write everyday being a complete fallacy. One doesn't need to write everyday to be skilled at writing, or to complete goals, or learn good habits. Do I think practice helps? Yes. You're not going to be good at something challenging without practice. But, you don't necessarily have to trick your mind and body into a daily and/or weekly routine to achieve such a thing. If you look at anything - people will approach it differently almost universally unless it is something restricted by strict rules and regulations/barriers to where there isn't much flexibility. There is a ton of flexibility in the approach to writing. There is never a big reason to fret about it, even hanging it completely up for months at a time can be beneficial if you're too bogged down with it. The end goal is getting the story completed and your happiness with what you have achieved. What you wish to accomplish and how you go about it are for you alone. Only you can truly figure out the system that works best for you. --- Also, I would not write much of anything without my Beta/Editor. If his cheeky butt ever left me alone in this, then I'd retire the day after. I mean, I 'could' write without him, but I'm in this writing thing as a hobby, and I want him there along for the journey. Even when I push up posting schedules every now and then and he throws a tantrum.

Yes, 30k is a lovely number. I wish I could live in a world where I can finish a complete project around 20 - 30k.. lol. Most of the time I am 90k+ into what should have been a silly Anthology story. I 'can't' structure my writing to fit short-story formats. It takes a whole different skillset to do that and I don't think I'll ever get the hang of it. All these fantastic Anthologies and short stories GA has to offer and I can't match that level in the same number of words.

Your Questions: Answer to 1: I do not put any real timeframe for my writing. I will write when I wish to write. I have learned the hard lesson of finishing projects before I commit to them, by posting them here unfinished. It was a hard lesson, as it took me 5+ years to write, "The Best Year," because I kept stumbling around with it, and I lacked motivation at times. So, who needs the added pressures of a deadline or a mindset of, "I have to get this done on such and such day, because..." Unless you're working with a publishing deadline, then don't bother with that kind of thinking, it will do you more harm than good. If you don't have to put yourself into a strict structured mess, just don't do it. Answer to 2: Yes. I lack focus at times. It is easy for my brain to come up with a character and idea for a story. I can do that all day, I have story ideas jumping around inside my head all the time. I have a rule that they need to be in my head more than once. I need to be interested in it multiple times. That tells me that it is a character and/or story I really wish to tell and not something that I think would be fun in the moment. Because, fun in the moment can get you started. It can't carry you through the meat of the writing. It has to be an idea that can carry you through an entire story as you flesh it out and put the real work into it. --- I can do fun moment writing if it is short, like around 30k words. Anything of any length, it has to be an idea that I know will carry me to the finish. Also, it is completely okay to start writing a story and fall out of love with it. We all have them in our documents collecting dust and waiting. I have stories that were started in 2007 and will never be finished. Real life gets in the way of writing. That is life. Sometimes you just can't bring yourself to be in a creative mindset when you're tired, frustrated, or bogged down by things. Some people can set that aside easier than others, I am not one of those people. I need to feel like writing, and when I do I force time to accommodate me, if that means I stay up on a Tuesday night well past 1am to finish a chapter, I will be bitchy at work in the morning... As long as you can do that and keep some sanity and bounce back into a more healthy schedule, that is. Answer to 3: No, I don't write everything down before I flesh out the story. I do a character sheet, I keep the idea in my head. I have goals and themes I want to tell. I do not write those down either. If I write too much in the character sheets, if I write down plot plans, themes for chapters, etc... my motivation to continue to write, or even to start the story will fall away. To me it feels like I've jumped to the last five minutes of a film, or read the last chapter of a book. If I know everything there is to know, because I've fleshed everything out into puzzle pieces, but I can still see the picture I've formed - I no longer feel the need to put those pieces together. That is how I write, some people need details, I live for not knowing the majority of them. I am careful only where I need to be.

You'd be surprised how many people subscribe to them and then forget all about doing so... as well. I used to have Paramount, but I can't remember what the reason for that was. I'm too picky with what I watch to blanket keep something for the sake of the fear of missing out on something. The kids did make me resubscribe to Netflix for K-Pop Demon Hunter. lol.

I wish I could stand Matt Bomer, because it does seem interesting... I also don't have the service that screens it.

Yeah, only worth their weight in bail money, too. He's actually lucky, he has to be 19, going on 20.. and he's not only supplying beer to below drinking age people, as someone not old enough to legally have it himself (at least in the states), he's picking fights with someone below the age of eighteen too. Mind you, he didn't land a punch.

They most certainly do not, a lot of what he went through would linger with him for his lifetime, I'd imagine. Total abandonment from his family, not just abandonment, but shunned and ridiculed. Unless something is resolved there, there has to be a helpless sort of feeling. He loves his family, as far as we know. I couldn't imagine it, even though two of my friends lived it. One friend's family learned to at least "tolerate" him, but he doesn't have much of a relationship, but at least a broken sort of olive branch was offered. The other one is still entirely estranged from his family...

Yes, this was a long one. Made longer if I kept the Falls portion tacked on, but at least that one had more... obvious tensions all throughout. Celia saying what she said to Joel was my voice coming through her. I was afraid that he was getting too heavy, so I wrote those lines of dialog for me. At least in that moment of plot-time and possibly some from the previous chapter. So I was kind of shaking myself there too, telling me to get off some of his heaviness and on to something else, not specifically him, and how he is going forward, but just the writing. But yes, for plot purposes, she put both of us on notice. We'll see if we both listened to her.