Krista

Oh gosh, another opportunity to do a Werewolf story... I still have that one on the back burner to rewrite and maybe do a mini-story out of... I don't need a second one. And I have another prompt already saved in my to-do list.. since I kind of half-promised a Wildthing heathen I'd make the attempt. I wonder if he remembers that, in his old age...

Edited the quote to shorten it: You're an A++ reader Gary. And your entire post was wonderful.

Samesies. Although, you 'have' to be consistent in doing it this way, which I am not. lol. But I like to know what people are thinking as they read it, and as I write it. As a guide, but also to know how my major plot points are received.

I'm a little late to the party, but I also am a rather old member. I started in eFiction, saw the transition to Stories, and then another transition when it updated to a new system entirely. I still don't know anything about self-promoting, but I have some ideas as to why people may see lower than expected numbers of views. Views to me aren't as important as far as it being an numbers thing, it isn't a tried and true indication of a sloughing off of readers based on content. There are a lot of factors at play that one may not be considering. The rate a person updates their stories with new content is a big factor. You need to be consistent with that, I am by far one of the worst authors to read based on consistency. I am not consistently updating and writing, at all. People wait months to read the next chapter, and for some people - that is far too long of a wait. So I expect to lose readers, I hate to lose them as I do love engaging with people who want to discuss my writing, characters, and the like. I just don't have the time nor the energy to write on a consistent basis. I am also an author that struggles to stay motivated on a story, I get distracted by other themes. The Genre has a lot to do with it as well. They aren't stagnant, there are shifts in what people tend to want to read. In my eFiction days, Romance, especially Modern Romance was extremely popular. All of the eFiction stories that made the top 10s, Most Popular lists were general fiction with a main theme of modern romance. The community has shifted away from those types of stories, although still extremely popular there has been a branching out to other genres, and some have risen to the challenge. For the better, mind you, but you have to realize that some themes are just more popular than others. If you're not actively engaging in the community yourself, you're doing yourself a disservice. I don't mean this as promoting your own work, but just generally being here. If your online presence isn't felt, you're not all that visible overall. If the Story Archive is the only place you're actively engaging with people, your draw will be limited to just those avid readers. You will remain rather unknown to the general community and unless you have stories that hit a ton of recommendations, reviews, etc, you will remain as such. If you're active within the community though, more people will see you and they will engage with you, if you're a pleasant person to be around. That may bleed out to your stories, but it isn't guaranteed to. (The jury is still out on me, I think) I have in the past picked up stories from people that I've found interesting within the community, that I wouldn't have actively sought out otherwise. If you're not engaging with your readers in the Archive at all either, you may lose readers. Don't leave comments on read, indicate that you've read their comments. Engage with the readers who leave them. Thank them for their contributions. Try not to just sweep their comment aside with a general, "thanks," and nothing else - even though I know I'm guilty of that myself at times. If the reader took the time to read and comment the very least you can do is respond. You may not lose views/readers, but you will most definitely lose comments/reviews. Don't force a reader to just "Like" and move on, because you cannot be bothered or feel you don't need to give them something back. Giving and Receiving criticism is a learned experience. No one comes out of the gate being good at it. It took me months to actually listen to my editors in my early writing. I was young, and I bristled up rather awfully when someone told me anything negative about my writing. My first story sucked, I still have it posted, but it is garbage. I didn't listen and it remained as such. I didn't grow much at all in my Second story either, so me bristling up and not being open to criticism stifled me, and looking back I've realized just how detrimental that was. Habits are hard to break when you allow yourself to stay the course, even though it ends up being the wrong one entirely. Still yet, I am rather critical of negative reviews, or comments. Especially if I feel the content of the comment or review, lacked any critical assessment. Most people will happily digest ALL positive responses though, but the weight of them shouldn't be tipped too heavily in their favor, look for true constructive criticism too. Like I said, learning, we all have to learn to accept true critical assessment and we have to learn to overcome whining/complaints, and the overall negative things people may say that doesn't have a lot of true merit. If you're an author and your response to critical assessments that has actual constructive criticism is poor or defensive - you've lost an asset. You may think you're better off, but glowing comments that overlooks negative impacting things in your writing sets you up for failure and you never reach your true potential. Knowing the difference also takes time. Learning how to give constructive criticism also takes time. The method Myr discussed about doing so privately, is good. But, delivery in the telling also has to be considered. People tend to listen if the tone isn't biting with every word. I believe @Cia has mentioned the sandwiching method. Of praise, critical assessment, and ending with encouragement. You can be critical and kind all at once, you don't have to tear something apart to get your point across. I personally care about readers and want them to stay, but I am also an author that knows what she likes. I will write the stories I want to share. I know my stories are flawed, and aren't to the taste of everyone. This is a hobby for me, nothing more. I have thought about stopping numerous times. I've asked privately in the past for my stories and my rank as signature author here to be removed. Luckily, I was talked out of it. I'm over a million words into this thing, and I still generally like it here, being here for as long as I have. For a lot of people, this is just their place to be when it comes to this sort of hobby. I personally would like to see this place grow - and believe me, this community has had quite a few growth spurts. But, I wouldn't want to see it grow just for the sake of growing, because it gave up on its true purpose.

I need to indulge in a few to keep me from offing you.

I suck at snippets and the like... I'm a horrid salesperson so I never know what to do or how to go about doing those sorts of things.

Overachiever. I may or may not have written the first letter to my story yet.

hmm.. why not both?

Yes, that was my opinion as well. The longer I watched, the less I liked the main characters in Bros. All the screeching one did, and the other was just boring. I guess they were supposed to compliment one another, but I just couldn't. Some of the committee on the project with them were way more amusing for the lesser amount of screen time. At least with these two, you wanted for them to be together and have a happily ever after - even if I did think both of their HEAs were too easily gotten and too unrealistic.

Oh mercy.... I can hear the clock ticking.. lol

Yes, I think most of them have turned the lights off and kept on working.

It's always interesting to read the different opinions, so I'm all for these sorts of discussions. We're all different people with different things we can overlook. I went into this film not knowing the ending of the book, so I can't really judge it based on the adaptation, just what is in front of me. I do feel like I gave the book a solidly good effort to finish it, but I couldn't. I do like hearing that the film does seem to not stray too far from the source material though. I think Authors sell the rights to their stories hoping for that and it irks me when smaller market authors have their stories completely gutted from their vision. It is the risk you take, but it can damage an author. Love, Victor I didn't like. To me, I thought it was okay the first four-ish episodes. After that it felt prolonged for the sake of attempting to stretch it out so it can be billed as a full season. Then for it to drudge through more seasons was rather pointless. They just left shallow unresolved issues linger on and on. I also heard that Season 2 of Heartstoppers is guilty of one of my most disliked tropes, but I've not started season 2 yet...

I was like that with Bros, I got about thirty minutes in, and couldn't go a minute longer. I actually think the larger media/film production companies have lost their way. You look around and people are starved for genuinely original films. The best film I've watched this year was on Netflix, and that was Otto with Tom Hanks. It was adorable and tragic, but I wouldn't call it organically original either. Action films are either sequels to whatever super hero depicted or remakes of decades old films, or whatever number the Fast and the Furious is on now, I stopped watching after the first film. Comedies have gone completely juvenile and completely formulaic from one film to the next. The actors change, that's it. Romantic comedies are the worst offenders and that is across all genres. Dramas for me anyway, have been the genre that's been a bit better at depicting a wider range of topics and themes, but still. Horror, I don't watch horror, so I couldn't tell you. The two most original and wide-audience films in the last two years... was based on Mario and Barbie, that should tell you the state of the film industry. And Television is no better... the U.S either copies from European shows, example: Ghosts. Or has long-winded.. and mind you, long beaten to death shows like Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, etc... and then countless spin-offs from hit shows that lose their luster one or two seasons after the first when the new wears off... it is honestly awful. I do not watch television at all, I have Netflix, Hulu, Disney, Paramount... etc.. all them.. lol.. and I'm paying for those with the television turned off.. and never logging in to watch on my other devices, so much so.. that I cannot remember the passwords and I have to reset them every time. It may just be me... but... when I am starved for something, I do write more... so. The show I'm most looking forward to is on Amazon Prime, and that's Prisma's second season. I tend to seek out foreign films and television more and more, because they feel genuinely more organic and unique... subtitles do give me a headache after awhile though.

I'll get out the brochures for your nursing home, Steven. As you know, I've had them saved up.

I watched the film late last night. The two leads carried the film better than I thought they would have. I thought the pacing was a bit erratic and rushed. It would have been better as a fleshed out mini-series. The book does some time jumps as well, so I understand why they followed along with the film. Didn't like the ending at all. One issue was resolved far too easily, again.. didn't read the book, so if it resolved simply then, fine. The second resolution isn't realistic, but this is fiction so we'll go with it. Since both were rushed, handled in seconds or in moments that didn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense based on the setting and society both the book and film went with (more so the film), it just felt cheap. I don't think the "loosely based" characters are based on Hilary and Henry, so on. I think they're based loosely on the royal family, of sorts, if they were a bit more made-up, AU. It definitely toes the line of Fan Fiction territory when it deals with the Royal family, but not in a significantly obtrusive way. I wish they would have distanced themselves more from it, but since it is based in the not-so-distant future, an entirely made up structure for the Royal Family may have been just as awkward. Especially since it does delve into historical people, jokingly for the most part, but since they're mentioned you kind of have to follow the timeline then, as well as the family tree unfortunately. I feel for the most part the criticism/messaging within the film didn't go too far and were somewhat respectful towards them, but it may not be so to others so that is definitely my opinion. The President and her family are far more based in fiction and fictitious characters. The political system allowed for that, because within four or six years, there can be a lot of shifts and new people entering the fold. Not so much with the Royals, obviously. So they weren't really based on anything, they were structured to represent a certain blueprint of messaging that the book/film wanted to go with. A mixed family and immigrant family, a strong woman from a southern state overcoming a lot to be the first elected woman to the office of president. I wouldn't have ever connected the family to the Clintons loosely or otherwise. I do think these writers and the source material in general handled race better than Love, Victor. Love, Victor irked me mostly, but for entirely different reasons. It fell heavily into tropes that I honestly never cared for. RW&RB does as well, but like you said, the more adult themes made them a little less irritating to sit through. At times the leads felt younger than they were though. Sometimes I had to remind myself that these were college aged characters and not late-high school kids. The maturity level wasn't exactly there at times - and it is mirrored in 'how' the adults in the room treated them. I know that sort of characterization falls heavily into the Comedy genre the movie pushed for in the writing, so it isn't a true criticism just an observation. It did make them fall flat at times. The accent was still laughable. I agree it was completely disconnected to the rest of the family. Not so much the husband, he was an immigrant and his accent wouldn't have shifted far from his parents. The Son's lack of any accent either way wasn't all that realistic. Children learn to speak, their accent, inflections - they come from their upbringing, mostly from their parents, some can be based in geography, cultural influences, etc. You can grow up and take speech, public speaking, and pronunciation, and communication classes to break the accent - which fine, he could have done that. But it would have slipped, it would have almost been a little endearing for him to have some semblance of one, but since Uma Thurman's accent was atrocious, maybe it was a blessing. Overall I liked the film. Not all that deep or groundbreaking. More of the same. There were large sections of it that annoyed me, but not in a way that I wouldn't watch the film again. It is a nicely watchable film. My favorite scene was the "Argument.." in the bedroom. It was followed quickly by a minor scene that annoyed me, then a larger scene that annoyed me more... and then one of my biggest hang-ups about the film altogether happened shortly after. (I do hope all of that was vague enough)

I understand the feelings, I am in the field where I see caregivers and their relatives. I see the commitment and I also see the ones that act like it is a bother. The worry in your words, the time you spent and kept your mother safely living with you, as independently as she could be. I want you to know that trying isn't failing, it never will be. We can only do what we are capable and some things are out of our control. I helped care for a loved one for a time, unlike you though I had a lot more help, more family members to step in and shoulder the mixed emotions, the worries, the negative thoughts, and tough decisions. I hope you find some peace and remember a lot of the happier times, and a little more of the joy you likely had when things were better during the time you cared for your mother.

I did finally watch the trailer, Uma Thurman's accent is awful. My goodness. She sounds like an imitation Kathy Bates in all the worst ways. It almost makes her sound hateful every time she opens her mouth. If that is the intention, then okay, but from what I remember from the half of the book I read, the character didn't feel all that uptight? The one or two tender moments depicted here still sounded off-tone to what she was saying. It has been a bit so maybe I'm not remembering correctly. The acting from one of the leads also sounded rather one-note and wooden as well, but to be honest the first half of this trailer wasn't the best at selling the film. Hopefully the hype behind the book itself will carry it better.

People like Trace are fewer and farther between, too many people stuck to their phones to know how the world really works anymore. How many people would have said, "fine.." and left? Only to make the connection later if they were to hear it in the news the next morning. Anyway, yes.. Trace needs to be more common. At least so far in the story. Aww! It seemed like a lot of us decided to hit hard with these stories. Secrets tends to lean that way. It is torture to keep them, it is usually an explosion when they aren't. So I can see why these themes can be similar. I knew going in that this wasn't going to be a resolved sort of part. I didn't have the time or word-space to do it. I was talked into rewriting this idea.. partly myself, because I wanted to submit something. And a certain Wildthing added his unwanted two-twoonies and convinced me to go through with it. I wouldn't want to leave the story here, I think it is rather skeletal as is. So I will probably work on it, I have plans on doing a second part to see how far I can get when I have more time and freedom to do so. I am glad you liked the story so far! At least enough to want a continuation... Thank you for reading! It does need continuing. I may take the risk. lol 😮 Overall yes, apparently a heavy dosage! Lol. I also agree, at least as far as Joel is concerned, they shouldn't be allowed to call themselves his parents. I doubt his mother would care... at least right now. Hopefully I'll get back to this story whenever I finally finish other things.. Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. Thank you for reading. We're all glad that you are a survivor as well, we're all unimaginably better off for having met you. I could not imagine a decision of that nature ever having to cross a person's mind at that age. I'm glad you took the steps of freeing yourself completely from a bad situation. That you made it out of all of that, and are the better for doing so despite all you probably had to go through. I am so glad you shared this with us. I am also glad after reading this, that knowing that the first thought that crossed my mind afterwards was that I would never. I could never live with myself not knowing where my child was... no matter what they said, done, were. I wouldn't think I was any kind of parent if I could do that. So at least you gave me that as well. Thank you for reading. Hopefully I will continue this in a somewhat timely manner.. lol So much for my retirement after, 'The Best Year...' at least for a bit. Yes, poor Joel was completely blindsided. He knew he had to keep his secret, there was ample evidence there. I'm also glad you brought up the father. I find him at fault in all this too. He never spoke his mind, but he didn't defend his son either. I don't think highly of him either, myself. As the author of the writing, I'll have to make some decisions regarding him more so, I think. Yes, it does happen everywhere. Even in places and in cultures where you may think it doesn't. But it is good to know that you can find the opposite in places where you think it happens more often than not. That's what makes these types of of stories worth reading... I wonder if it would have been more impactful if I had placed them in Boston, New York, or SanFran, maybe London, instead of my usual small town, rural setting where people think the culture supports these things more often for various reasons. But, I would be lost in those cities... so I am not brave enough to write my characters into them for very long at all. A house, culture, society, that has those values are rather frustrating. In my personal life, I know of two friends that have had similar experiences to Joel. They both met and married two men that had experiences completely opposite of them. You can guess where they choose to visit during Holidays, it won't take more than one. Well two, because both families spend time with me during the holidays. They both lived with me for a time, I'm forever grateful that Mom had the means to bring them into the house when they needed a home. ❤️ Thank you, I am glad you liked the start of this story. Maybe I'll get to it one of these days. Thank you for reading and enjoying the story. I'll get to this story some day, I think. You're not wrong. I am tired of scapegoat people using religion as a moral crutch for their own end and not really delving into what it all is about. I am a Christian, I am in the process of reading the bible. It is a bit of a slow process, I must admit. I have a more private relationship with faith, I find it far easier and more fulfilling. His mother didn't do what she did because she was religious. She did what she did, because she was able to bring hate into her heart and she allowed it to live there rent free. In the writing the only "religion" they had was during two holidays. They are no more Christian people than a cow is to a horse, but unlike Cows and Horses these types of people still think they should belong in the Kentucky Derby.. If that made any sense... stay with me, it is difficult answering all of these comments all in one go. Maybe I can sneak in sunshine, rainbows, and puppies, more Trace, and more little brothers into the following chapters. Shouldn't be too hard, I'm not tooooooooooooooo evil. I'm just slow with updating stories. I hope she does too. Lol. Otherwise, I feel I did a bit of a disservice and I guess that's the first step to me continuing the story. Maybe the feeling will linger well past all the writing I still have left to do on another project. The legal aspect is something I am interested in touching on, but not hovering around too much. Maybe since Trace talked Joel off a bridge, he might be able to talk Joel's mother into releasing all of her hang ups and find out she still loves her son... who knows. I don't. It will be a ride for both of us... if you come back to this story when I do. Thank you! It may start sad, it may not end sad. There's hope. I do have some semblance of a plan to continue this story. At least into a second part. It definitely deserves that from me. There's probably a bit of a line, but they need all the 10 minutes they have coming to them.

I actually found this the other day, after I heard someone moaning about not being able to be a Tyler Childers fan.. otherwise, I'm typically months behind. I personally think the song is really pretty, but I'm also a country/folksong sort of fan, and I usually have this sort of playlist playing in the background when I'm writing. But the video is beautiful too. I need to see the full film version of this... wish I had the funding to make it. I'd have to recast Colton Haynes though, I can't unsee the horrid acting from Teenwolf to be confident.. lol

Oh wow, I remember you. Welcome back.

I am of the minority that DNF'd this book, apparently. I just couldn't get into the characters halfway through. If it builds to something worthwhile, let me know and I'll give it another shot. I usually like to read books before I watch films, just so I can be tortured by the fact that the film adaptation isn't all that good.

In your case it is all the above, sweet pea.

Sorry for jumping around with the Status. I forgot that you cannot read reviews or see them... if the story is marked in-process.. or any other status other than complete. So.. oopsies. It is on hold, as I am still dealing with the real life things and... I still have The Best Year to write on. Other than that, we'll see if my motivation to continue this story survives afterwards.

I'm glad you stuck with the story. The story itself started out as an Anthology, that went on too long for me to get it edited and submitted for publishing. A small idea that just got big enough to be what it was. If I knew going in, I would have slowed the first parts down a little bit, did more character fleshing out. I think that is what detracts from the earlier parts a little bit. Thank you for leaving a comment.

It was a fun sort of side-project to jump into. I wish I had more time to flesh out my story a bit better. Now that it is back in my hands, I'll see if I can squeeze it into my schedule a bit. I had the same idea that @astone2292 had, but decided against it, thinking it was too cheeky and dastardly. I won't make that mistake again, I'll see you next go.