Krista

We had bookmobiles here as well. They only came twice a school term when I was in Elementary school. I think they stopped after the fifth grade, or that's when we aged out of the program and were expected to use the school's limited Library. I do not remember earlier books, I knew we were expected to read - the classes that read the most books and submitted the most book reports got parties at the end of the year. I was reading at five, mostly little picture books with two or three sentences per page. I honestly don't count those, but even at that age a kid could speed through them if they wanted to. The first book I remember reading for fun on my own without any expectations or incentives was: My Side of the Mountain. I fell in love with it and read it twice. I was in the third grade. It didn't keep me interested in books though, I had started little league girls basketball, it was the first league for just girls that year. We had mixed teams until then, which I still played on, but the travel girls team took all of my free time. I haven't read that book since pre-middle school. The other book series I read as a kid was the Narnia series, but to be honest the only one that held my interest was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The others I've only read one time and never revisited, but that book I have read multiple times. Harry Potter and to be honest Nifty got me back into reading for fun. Then GA. There is a book I read every other year or so, and that's "Hunter's Horn," from Harriette Simpson Arnow, only because I was at a book store and they had a "Local Authors," section, and I took a chance and bought her book. It isn't an easy read for a lot of people, but I love it.

Oh gosh, there's a ton of them... lol. There's a topic here that lists most of them somewhere if I'm remembering correctly. I have family members that are walking examples of that entire southern slang mess and I love them for it. Where I grew up, it was rather mixed, either the person you're talking to was heavily influenced and had an accent, or there was no influence and little to no accent at all. Where I live now is vastly different, there aren't any southern accents and more northern or mid-western accents. I have heard a lot of different terms, usages, and slang that are distinctly mid-western or north eastern.

From the south I have checked myself, our spoken language is rarely grammatically correct. We use a lot of double negatives for example. It was beaten into us in school in an attempt to break such things. When most of your area speaks a certain way, it is most definitely a difficult thing to break. Growing up it damn near gave me a complex when I let something like a double negative slip. Or, when I used one of the more common southern sayings, like.. "over yonder.." or, "over the holler..." But, as it has slowly disappeared with younger generations no longer speaking like older generations - I tend to miss it. Now I'm finding myself smiling when one of my older patients speak in a way that I was taught made me sound stupid/unintelligent. If I'm a guest lecturer at a College/University, I script my entire lecture to keep myself on task and not to slip. It is a rare time now that I've grown up, that I want to sound distinctly different than how I was raised. So, I tend to stay away from all those listed above, as I also read that article or one similar, years ago and realized I was guilty of damn near all of them. The one that unnerves me from the list above is the overuse of Like. I know it is mostly a nervous habit when someone attempts to organize their thoughts while speaking. The words, "so," "but," and "um," are also in that category, but "um," and "like," are the ones that bother me when hearing it in a conversations. I also think there's nothing more adorable than a country bumpkin toddler that sounds like they came right out of the backwoods or swamps.

You also cannot 'ever' get yourself down, be afraid of failure, or feel ashamed for the words you put to paper. Nothing will come out perfect, most of us are lucky if it comes out halfway comprehensible. So, stop negative thinking, put your mind and fingers to work, and keep trying to hone your writing. Writing is like everything else, the more you do it - if you're open to learning and not just 'doing,' you will get better. A lot of the advice others have offered has been well given though. Just don't allow the negativity to creep in and you give up before you get started. It can seem overwhelming.

I had a good little cry reading this. Thank you for reaching out and leaving this comment. Also, never think it is too late, all us authors like hearing from readers no matter how old the stories are. Socks are the unsung heroes of Christmas giftings as well, your father knew this secret. You can find some really great ones for funny gifts and really nice ones for actual serious ones.

He will be punished. --- I am a cat person if the cat is cuddly, not fussy, or whiny. I am a dog person if they're lower energy, not disruptive/barky, or difficult. It depends on the animal's personality/temperament whether or not I like them. Right now I have zero cats and two dogs, I do miss my Bubbles dearly, but that is because she was just so easy, loving, and seemed to know when I needed her affection and attention. The other two are goofy idiots that my family enjoy the hell out of, and even I have laughed at their antics from time to time. I also feel they would take on a bear to save my children, so I do have love for them... but they're not 'my' type of dog. So I guess I'm neither.. or both.

I like Beautiful Thing better than Heartstoppers. Heartstoppers had one good season, the first one. After that it fell into way too many pet peeves of mine. Netflix needs to understand, or seems to fail to understand - that groups of friends with LGBTQ+ representation, doesn't have to be 100% of that representation to exist. There is not a single straight person in that show anymore - aside from the jackass bully - but I'll put 20.00 on the new season introducing his bullish behavior as a defense mechanism for his homosexual tendencies. It also is attempting unsuccessfully to fill airtime with too many subplots. Sometimes it is better for a show to end when the main plot has become too fleshed out, than to drag it along creating sub-plot after sub-plot to create small tensions. For example: We did not need to know the sexual orientations or sexual relationship of any of the faculty, yet we do and they spent numerous minutes of episodes to bring that to us.

I must admit, I was going to write this one off based on the description. If it is a refreshing take on the very over used sex worker trope in Gay film genres, I will give it a go. Especially if it foregoes the usual endings to those types of films as well.

I say Gif the same way as you, and we can't have that. During your camping trip, I found out my voodoo doll I have for you worked, best $50.00 I ever spent. I enjoy a handful of olympic sports. I watch Triathlons all year though, it is just fascinating the skill these men and women have for three disciplines and having the stamina for it. Also, there's strategy that goes into it with drafting, race dynamics, etc. If it is a warm day, it can get interesting with the suits and water... and such. Anyway! Congratulations to all the Secret Authors that took the time to participate. Hope you fooled everyone of the readers. 😮

That was always one of my favorites to watch growing up...

Yes, you have lectured me for being cruel, and went on to explain the position the guys were in would have squished 2 sets of testicles and it wouldn't have been an enjoyable experience. Hush... you.

For some reason he did it for me too... My favorite sport in the Olympics for years have been the Triathlon, Volleyball, and beach volleyball. French Triathlete Leo Bergere. If you can sit and watch the 2 1/2 hour or so length of the event..

Thank you. Couldn't have said it better myself. I've read a handful of articles that ask why straight men play female characters in RPGs, especially open-world with romantic plots like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc. Also, online RPGs where you interact with other human players, you still have this straight male population that play female characters. We always make this big attempt in explaining why people do 'anything' that may seem 'odd' for who they generally are. As long as you're not hurting anyone in the process, it is your time to spend. We don't have a lot of free time, don't waste it by attempting to force yourself into reading/watching what you already know you don't have a preference being engaged with. It would be a shame if people 'stayed in their own lanes' when it comes to how they should think based on generalizations, or social expectations. You don't like reading about female protagonists, I don't like Science fiction at all. I don't have the patience for a lot of the world building that goes along with the writing. Some of my favorite films and video games would be generalized as Science Fiction though. I'm not worried that I can be entertained by or engaged with one and not the other. As long as you don't bash the authors who write female protagonists, be it male authors or female, it's fine. Just as I don't bash authors for writing Science Fiction, just because I have little interest in the genre. --- As for being a reader here, when I do sit and find the time and the story, I do not read erotic scenes. I don't read them in my own writing either, not past the editing just to make sure I've not squished anything, or made up a new and very unlikely based on human flexibility sexual position. So, for me if the story is less plot/character driven and is more sex or sexual relationship driven, I don't stick with it.

Yeah, I remember it being oddly marketed as a Comedy, but thinking it was too dark. Which, I wouldn't even call it a dark comedy either. It was just 'odd' all around, to be fair. It wasn't something I would honestly like if it was done well, which I don't think it was.

I did, I found it boring up until the final part, then it all went too fast paced. It has been a bit since I watched it, so it isn't the most fresh in my mind. But yeah, the dragged out pacing in the beginning, and then the fast pacing in the end just didn't work well for me. I also knew it wasn't going to end well, but I didn't like it.

Oh gosh... I don't know if I could do either of them justice 20 years down the road. I've not put a lot of thought it what they would be like. Luke would want children, I think. Cindy would most definitely want grandchildren, Luke being her only child, she has to rely on him to give them to her. That would be an interesting dynamic... going from being in the way, to being... 'give me grandbabies!' it would be a leap, for sure. Unless she never gets that far in her acceptance. The story would be drastically different then. Jackson doesn't seem like the parenting type, maybe because he still needed a lot of parenting up until the time jump in the last chapter... lol. So, I honestly wouldn't know. Most films that depict harmoniously and happy gay couples their age, end up with them as bored... or cheaters, or eager to bring in a third into the relationship. A true and nice partnership that spans the time would 'almost' be a refreshing read, but I don't think I'll ever be able to write them in such a way. To me Jackson would be totally different from the Jackson we know now... he would have matured, maybe still be a little cheeky, but... mature. Jackson's immaturity is why I wrote this story, I'd hate to see it changed more than I did when I ended it.

No, I haven't. I've been at a real and true loss for good gay media of late.

I tried to get into Sense 8, but it just got a bit boring and too cerebral at times. It looked really good. The writing didn't hold up in bits and pieces of it. I got halfway into season two before I gave up. I know my attention span is the problem with a lot of television shows, I am far more likely to stick with a film than I ever will a television series. I got three seasons into Grey's Anatomy, about five into NCIS, for example. I can't imagine starting those two series from scratch and watching them all the way through. Prisma might have been the show that kept my interest well past the second season, but alas I may never know since it still isn't available here. *sigh* Detroit would look more interesting if it had a budget, but it was a "free" film for youtube, so it gets a pass. I never watched the other show, but it always looked interesting. I may give it a go, at least the first season, with the track record that I have. ---- The writing for Benedict's character has always been lost. You can tell with how they did him throughout the seasons. Season 1, they wanted to make him interesting, and they gave it an honest attempt. We knew we were getting a possible bisexual story arc with him, he was legitimately interested in what was happening in the unseen world around him. If that had continued better into season 2, he would have been far more fleshed out and ready for Season 3. He was not, the latter half of season 2 he regressed, and he was barely present in the first half of Season 3. When they finally got back to him, it was just a cluster of distractions. I lost all interest in his story. And, I think some of the reason why he was lost, was because they forced the attempt at a heel turn for Cresseda *spelling, where it needn't have went at all. It would have been FAR more interesting of a season if they never touched the fraud story-line they picked for her character. The Blackmail that led to the outing just didn't hit. If that happened in the source material/books, fine then it should have been implemented better. Worse when it was literally interrupted by Benedict's lack of character development leading up to and during the Polyamory story-line. Which ended with more screen time than how it started, to be honest... and that was the major flaw of it. And I still hate they're pulling Francesca into a 'queer' storyline. Especially when Benedict's was already going to be the more interesting one if they had put in the work. Now I feel both characters will fail, when they should have easily flourished. Eloise's character also took a hit, and her and Benedict were the two characters I always looked forward to most on my screen when I watched Bridgerton to begin with. Queen Charlotte, Violet Bridgerton, and Lady Dansbury being closely behind them. --- Edited to continue my rambling: I also watched Barrio Boy last night. Awful. It has moments of nice wrapped up in a jumbled up annoying mess. It is based on a short-film of the same name, I think. Also, the film was made in 2022, but the intimacy level between the two main characters were very sub-par at best. If you're going to make a gay film, make a damn gay film. I don't think the two main characters ever full on kiss. The film doesn't stand alone either, I was confused as to why the main character was so entranced by the irish guy. He kicked a ball over the fence and then BAM, all he could think about was that guy. In the short film, the way the characters meet is that the main character, a barber, cuts the other character's hair. That isn't how the film began. That is probably 'how' the film should have, it wouldn't have looked more like an infatuation. There was just little substance as to why the main character was so motivated in finding the Irish guy. If we knew they had made some sort of prior connection, or had one on screen to begin with, it might have saved the film a lot. Also, the latter half of the film just sucked. The only thing going for the film throughout was that it was nice to look at. All the characters were done well, aside from "Cuz," the drug dealer, he was laughable at best, as he was supposed to be scary, but I just kept rolling my eyes at his antics. Or maybe I'm just not as easily moved when a grown ass man throws a temper tantrum that's supposed to be threatening.

Glad you're having fun, wildthing. I thought about having a fictional character of your likeness make his fictional debut in the 'Oh Sh**' prompts, but decided against it. Knowing you're having too much fun up there... and with so many ways for me to write within the context of the prompt, it may inspire me enough to change my mind. We will see. I will need your approval either way, but since you're up there sweating over men in wranglers, I'll have to wait.

I'm not familiar with Ann Rice, but I thought the acting, pacing, editing, all that was extremely well done. I just didn't care much about the story, they had too many domestics... which, if their relationship and family structure is that toxic in the book and with that weird looking film with Tom Cruise that I also have never watched, then fine. lol. I only watched season 1 I think, I'll have to rewatch, it has been ages.

So, Season 2 of Prisma debuted on Amazon Prime, but only in Italy. I have waited patiently (don't let wildthing spread lies, I am patient) for this second season for ages. It is being shopped for international distribution through a German company. I have checked at least once a week for it to be available somewhere. If you have access to it right now, please tell me that it is worth the wait... I am suffering. Also, the only thing I've watched in ages has been season 3 of Bridgerton. I should have known that eventually the writing would cause the trainwreck that would take my interest away. It was just a guilty little pleasure for me as it was, as I like a period piece every now and then. Season 3 was a cluster duck of small stories that took away from the two main themes of the season. It was also split up into two parts, which I feel made it worse. There was a sex scene that made no sense, it broke the timeline, as it seemed to span days, as the scenes it kept interrupting took place in daytime, and at night? lol... it was so odd. Literally, there was a mini-social media trend where people thought they had accidentally hit the reverse/rewind button on their remotes. I don't know how editing went with that to begin with. It was also a MMF threesome, so I guess we're just going to start openly baiting audiences with stuff that doesn't go anywhere, while writing in Gay themes where we never wanted it in the first place as in Francesca's storyline in Season 4, if the writers decide to go there. I hate poor plotting in writing. -- And I am well aware where I posted this, I don't know if there are any Bridgerton fans on here.. but season 3 was painful, where it should have been a nice and easy season based on source material. Say Yes, I made the attempt to watch a month ago, as I knew it was going to be awful after I read the description. It is about a woman dying of cancer attempting to convince her husband to fall in love with, and begin a relationship with her twin brother. Like sexuality and consent didn't exist in this woman's brain. As she was relentless, even sending her twin brother into the bathroom to seduce her husband while he tried to enjoy himself a bubble bath. The poor husband was reduced to watching gay pornographic material to see what the fuss was about... and she encouraged him when she caught him. The husband and brother also had sex right after she died... so there's that. Literally right after they called family and friends to announce her passing, it was terrible. The casting was also weird, as they were supposed to be twins, but they didn't look racially similar. What makes this worse is there is a Sequel, which I will not watch. Whomever decided this was a good idea, obviously doesn't understand a thing about sexuality. A happily heterosexual man is not going to date a man just because his dying wife wants to manifest it into being. If anything, the response should have driven them apart in a time in her life where she would have needed him and his support the most. Mysteries of Pittsburg is still as artsy and boring as I remember it.

If I counted right, I'm 99k words into this story. Not going to lie, the last two parts have been a strain on me to work through. I want too much for a story I never intended on being much at all. I wanted a length similar to Elias and Ridley, but now I'm approaching AYC levels of commitment. I didn't want to do that, but if it goes it goes, I guess.

this damn heatwave. As I am a lady, I simply glisten, therefore I do not suffer from the horrid condition known as swamp ass. Poor wildthing... I cannot muster up the energy to feel sorry for you until the heat indexes dip below 85 degrees. Even then... I will struggle.

Why continue to write a story that has fulfilled on its purpose? If 'everything' the writer has set out to achieve with these characters and plot. You're merely writing to continue the story. Fundamentally, you may weaken your original idea if you prolong past the conclusion/resolution. And yes, it is 'asking a hell of a lot' continuing a story past its natural end for the sake of continuing. If there isn't much there, it is far easier to move on than it is to stay and make something out of little. You cannot make a meal out of table scraps, it's not feasible and it will never satiate. So yeah, if the story naturally concluded, it is 'a lot.' I said I didn't like sequels, because most of the time the authors are continuing in a world after the resolution, and they never create anything new. It is always fundamentally sound for a story to have 'something' whether it be conflict, tension, unresolved issues, and character development that is necessary for it to continue. If those parameters are no longer an issue, then the story should have concluded. Another major flaw with sequels is that the author forces conflict, but is shallow and weakly supported. Something created out of thin air cannot build a sequel. If the original didn't support it, and it is created, what you have created is a possible plot that makes little sense and has little to support it based on what has already been created. I never said people shouldn't write sequels either and that there isn't a place for them. It isn't 'opinion' for me to say that there has to be something that supports a story for it to be written. If you have no conflict, if you have no unresolved issues that needs a resolution, if you have no tension, and your characters are fully developed through their arc, then you need, or should really, stop and ask yourself why you're continuing with them. If you can answer those questions within the parameters and idea of the original story, and have found issues that are lacking with it, that you can build an entire sequel on, then go for it. If you cannot, maybe you need to edit the original and resolve some of those, you may do your readers a favor than taxing them with an entire sequel. If you can't, all you're doing is 'more' of the same and what mostly ends up happening is that you punish the original with a lot of empty words. It's wasteful and time consuming, where you could have spent them on something new for readers to read instead. Edited to add: If you're only doing it because 'readers' want you to, then you're likely doing it for the wrong reasons. You have Author as your member status, so you know the time constraints and mental ingenuity it takes to craft a story and what is asked of you in doing so. It is a different weight for different people, obviously. But yeah, it is asking a lot, any creative project of any measure is.

There has to be a legitimate reason to do a sequel. Stories have first, Good characters. Second, good conflict/tension, plot, and/or reason for the characters to exist in the world that they do. If all of that is covered in the original, then you're asking a whole hell of a lot for a writer to continue in that world with those characters. As we have to create something 'else' to make the reading worthwhile, as well as the writing. Writers tend to love the characters they create, the plot or world they produce for the characters, and the conflict that drives them along. If we're asked to do it again, you may get more than you bargained. Authors for example... may get a little evil and kill off a character to end the sequel. They could break up a romance that was loved in a sequel. They could turn a seemingly good character into the next antagonist to overcome. Like I said, 'something' has to drive the sequels, otherwise you have more of the same. A story needs conflict and it needs resolution. If the story has naturally moved along and the characters have their end, sometimes it is good to let them keep it. I do not like sequels really. There are authors that can carry them along quite well, without a lot of emotional damage and carnage along the way. I am much more interested in reading stories based in the same world, but with different characters. Those types of ideas will always hold more water with me than an outright sequel.