kbois

I don't know how I missed this thread when it was first out. Yeah... my krew can be complete PITAs, but like any family, you roll with it. Numbers as they relate to any story on here is just that... numbers. Looking at likes, or comment count, or even how many five star reviews won't tell you what a story is about. That's the crux of it for me. I want a story that's engaging and holds my attention. It needs to be relatively correct as far as structure and grammar, but that's mostly because I find it distracting when it's not. The only way I'm going to find out if I'm going to like a story is to read it. No amount of thumbs up or hearts will make me continue a story if I don't find it interesting. (Or if they kill the dog... nope... I'm out) That being said, GA has a lot of talented writers, even more middle-of-the-road writers, and it's fair share of those who desperately need lessons in grammar. Even writers who may not have the best skills can still find readership. GA is what you make of it. If you're here for stories... you'll find plenty. If you're here for camaraderie, there's a plethora of that. If you're here to get tips on writing, yep, we've got those too. I'm one of those people who came for the stories, took a chance at learning how to write (and making plenty of mistakes along the way), and stay because of the community. I've made some lifelong friends here and I wouldn't trade that for anything. So numbers? They're fun to look at and even more fun to know @Mrsgnomie is panicking when a another story starts racking up recommendations and threatens her top spot (chill G 🤣) but I dont think any of us are under the illusion that we're the next Judith Krantz or Dean Koontz. (Personally, I'd settle for Dr. Seuss) @Darryl62, if there's one piece of advice I can give it's to go for it. Write that story, find a beta, and post it. Engage with your readers, it's more of a reward than any number.

He sucks.

He doesn't need to ask. It finds him.

That's putting it mildly. I'll have you know my new thing is flavored Bailey's. Currently enjoying some hot chocolate with peppermint Bailey's. Aldi's had Christmas sampler box still in stock. 12 mini bottles. Now go put your muzzle back on.

I caved and threw the fixings for chicken enchilada soup into my smaller crockpot. (WHY does autocorrect keep changing it to crackpot?)

Your short little tales are always a good read. This was no exception. It reminds me a bit of an episode of The Twilight Zone that involved a phone booth. I don’t remember much else though, just an impression in my mind of someone recieving a call from a loved one who died. I know people who have saved voice mails of loved ones just so they could hear their voice. When we lose someone close there's always a part of us that doesn't want to let go. I love the fact that you left it up to us readers to determine for ourselves what, if anything was real. Welcome back, tim. It's great to see you posting again.

You should already know how to think twisted from reading my stories. LOL

Everyone who knows me knows that my biggest trigger issue is child predators. Jackson and Zach deserve to have their balls ripped off and stuffed up their a$$es. This was a hard chapter to help out with but I'm looking forward to seeing what torture Lee can inflict. If it's not nasty enough, you know damn well my suggestions will be. 🤬😈

I particularly love it when they're doing other stuff in the house and the moment you go into the kitchen and start pulling stuff out of cabinets..boom...they're in your way. You've had how long to put your coffee mug in the dishwasher? 🙄

I'll tell that to your YouTube Australian dude. 🤣

I like cabbage rolls. I've never made them, constructed or otherwise.

Start with chair squats. Those are the only ones my knees allow me to do. It's amazing the crunchy crackling sounds joints can make. It would be an awesome backing track to a pop song. Lol

I used to have one of those. They're fantastic if you have pets. Now that I don't have rugs anymore, I can't live without my Bissell Crosswave. Vacuums and mops at the same time...... yeah, it's the little things that makes us happy. 😆

Just wait for your 50s and vitamins and ibuprofen in bulk sizes is the highlight of the week.

You'll get there.

Aside from Ansler/Asler issues that an impertinent short-legged mutt had to go and point out, it's a great chapter. It's hard to write what's going on in a character's mind when things aren't going well. Good job of handling Dylans crisis.

I keep a running list on my phone. Hubs will text me when he thinks of something to add. If I relied on a whiteboard, I'd forget it home every time. 😂

Aw... thanks. I just try to do justice to the voices on my head. Don't forget to recommend and leave a review! Hopefully it won't be long until the next adventure begins!

Yeah... wrapping something around you a dozen times will do the trick. Lol My MIL has a habit of gifting me cold weather gear at Christmas every year. Now while I have no use for a scarf/knitted hat combo or a chenille poncho thing, you bet your butt I'm wearing the thick faux sheep's wool nonskid slipper socks she gave me last year!

This will be one of the rare nights I'll put the heat on. It's nowhere near as bad as where the rest of you are, or my son (he won't see double digits for daytime highs until Wed) but it's dropping into the low 50s the next few nights. The house is a manufacturer home which means it's got about 3 feet of empty space under it. The floors get freaking cold. Stay warm and dry everyone!

Ha ha! Just saw this. Not sure if swelling with joy is a good thing. Sounds painful.

@weinerdog. This is for you: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C174WpTuco6/?igsh=aTAzZGp5Z3hmd3Vq

When I see a turtle like that I hear Crush from Finding Nemo: "Taking on the jellies!" I love that movie. Hands down, the best Pixar ever did. Our temps have had a bad case of multiple personality disorder. 70s yesterday, back to 60s today and tomorrow then close to 80 on Friday. I think Mother Nature has hit menopause. Channel your inner turtle and have a good day!

I definitely see threads of similarities between several of my stories. The best way I discovered how to overcome this was to participate in a few challenges and anthologies. Those gave me the chance to try something or a format I wasn't familiar or comfortable with. (Telling a story in 1000 words is much harder than one realizes, as is writing with a specific theme in mind) Once I got my proverbial writer's pen dipped in ink, I tried to write stories that I wished I could read. My favorite stories are ones with depth, twists, and cliffhangers you get blindsided by. That's my goal when new ideas pop into my head. Great article.