LJCC

How dare you remind me that I'm getting older!

There's no espionage. 😢I can't see my story.

Two of my favorite things.

Mr. Penguin looks like someone's divorced uncle who is going through his fourth divorce hearing.

Haha. Thanks for your patronage. That'd be $25.99 for my OnlyFans subscription. I'd probably finish this early next year.

I hate listening to this song. It makes me feel in love with someone I have yet to meet.

I wonder when I will finish my story.

I also have issues like this with the current story I'm writing, where pockets of the narrative are set in the present tense. One line in a paragraph is written in past tense, so I have to be hyperaware. You might have some success passing your work on online editing software (like Grammarly, Quillbot, or Pro Writing Aid) for a quick touchup regarding tense issues, commas, or spelling, even. But treat it with caution. Using it critically can be beneficial. Tools like Grammarly are primarily designed for business writing, not creative work, so it’s important not to follow their recommendations blindly. It's the most basic form of editor's help you can get. It's not very succinct or particular, but it gets the job done.

The tense shifting is really jarring. In one paragraph you have, "Eric said softly, his voice full of sincerity." Then, on the next, the readers get, "I lean in and kiss you passionately, feeling the depth of our connection stir something profound within me. As I pull away, my voice is filled with sincerity." The tense switching is on and off throughout the story. It's really throwing me off .😐

Oh, definitely! The old romantic adage of torn lovers across the generational wealth gaps indeed works. I haven't read a gay novel (written masterfully) about that topic though. But putting it in a modern setting, especially in the 21st century, doesn't work anymore. Like Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland of Sweden was a former fitness trainer who was married to the Crown Princess of Sweden. Even Britain's Prince William is married to a commoner. But I guess the struggles of HOW said commoner is thrust into that life can be a notable novel written into paper, with how these commoners adjust to aristocratic life with their rules and processions that are very unrelatable to us peasants. Haha. I do have an idea for a novel in this genre though: A single gay, father, goes into a gay BIG BROTHER bachelor done live who tries to win the heart of a duke. Turns out they hate each other. Like, they'd punch each other's faces if they could have their way. But the cameras seem to capture their plastic fantastic moments only to pin them together, making the audience think they're the most compatible of the bunch. Instead of the Bachelor choosing who leaves, the audience decides. And, as much as the gay father wants out, and as much as the bachelor wants him out as well, they have no choice but to spend time with each other. Then as they settle out their differences, they realize this hatred may blossom into love. Until, the bachelor's real-life ex-boyfriend joins the fray, and what was not so complicated may turn out to be a mess, after all... But yeah, not ready to be writing that...maybe years from now. I don't want to write romcom after romcom after the current romcom I'm writing that I have still yet to finish.

Sadly, I think the problem with this kind of story is that it is not that these aristocrats (written in the modern age) are living in opulence and wealth but that their lives are riddled with processes, procedures, and rules that require thorough research and adamant knowledge through copious amounts of study—that I don't think a lot of people would have time for or would give their story the research it requires. That's why there are a lot of shite stories about this genre because the focus isn't on the people living in wealth or riches, which most novels written about this genre focus on. There are poor aristocrats, btw (like in England), who treat their castles as Airbnbs or tourist destinations in order to have an income. So the general consensus that all aristocrats are rich is questionable. The thing that makes aristocracy novels interesting is that regardless if one is living in a world of privilege, may that be given priority seats at a restaurant because you're the Vicount Dumarch, or whether you're given a guaranteed loan in a bank because you're the grandson of the Duke of Worthington, or, let's say, you casually dine with Taylor Swift and watch a concert later because you're Princess Sofia of (insert country), the RULES and the procedure of how those stipulations AFFECT your life and how you go about such a world is what makes this genre compelling. Like when King Charles the III (Prince Charles at the time) couldn't marry Camilla because she was a divorcee, aristocratic rules such as these are what made The Crown such an amazing TV to watch because they're literally a select number of people who are bound to live by such rules unless they abdicate their crown, stature, or renounce their position in public. But romcoms are more lenient, I think. However, any romcom in this genre would still require ample research. Unless one is making a Hallmark version with 0 budget or ZERO research. 😂

Light Mode, Dark Mode, and Auto - Theme will be light or dark or switch automatically with your device settings. Yes please. I'm in love with these updates already. My eyes aren't suited to the brightness. I'm a nocturnal animal. So, what would you like to see in Stories? What function are we missing? Personally speaking, this is just me; I want to see updated stories that last more than 24 to 48 hours. Imagine posting a chapter, only for it to be relegated to the back pages of the stories tab, or you find your story on the 5th or 8th page after several days and then no one reads it anymore. It would be great to see your story chapter last for at least a week to help that story gain traction with readers who are TOO LAZY (I'm looking at you, some Lazy McGuire readers out there) in browsing the back pages. Not sure if this is possible, but yeah, I just want some stories full visibility. Because it feels like your story has visibility for the first 48 hours until your next chapter post. I post really long chapters, and I'm planning on posting my story once a week because per chapter is 7k to 10k+. And I'm worried if, let's say, there are a lot of people posting chapters on that particular day, by day 2 after I posted my chapter, my chapter story would be on page 5 or 8. I'm not sure if we'll still have the same format in the new upgrade, but yep. That's what my spider teets are telling me. Like I really like AwesomeDudes presentation of their stories. Their new stories, new authors, updated stories, etc. are all presented in the foreground on their front page. But then they do have curated stories and a lesser amount of X authors so I'm not sure if their site management is easier (I'm not a software programmer so I have no idea what I'm suggesting.) And as I'm about to screenshot their front page, their site is down. Maybe it's just me or it's really down. I'm really excited about this update though. All I want to see is black. 😂

Damn it. I thought my Ancestry was going to slip by and no one would notice! Hail, Queen Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo. God, I'm so gay.

I'll quote a comment from Quora, to piggyback that being a native-born English speaker isn't a prerequisite to good writing. It's understanding its form that makes you good at writing in English. Look at me, I'm not a native English speaker. I come from Genovia in Europe. We speak Genovian and Simlish. It's a very difficult language, harder than Latin, Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian. Even harder than Atlantian. In our language Me-sul-sul means, "Fuck you, your parents, your brothers, your sisters, even your dog, you stupid piece of shite!" Imagine three words having so much meaning. Like our word, Oh-feehbeh-lay which means, "I'm hungry, so you better start cooking something in the kitchen, otherwise, they're gonna be hell to pay." Even our simple woofum which directly translates as dog, which means "You whiny-ass dog, stop barking or no dinner for you." Our language is so complex that it's very hard for me to write in English. ANYWAY... You have to watch shows and movies that make the English language cohesive. Like an Armenian friend of mine said, he used to watch the 90's comedy show, Friends and emulated the way they talk. The weird thing was, he literally has an English-American accent while living in the UK. It's bonkers. For example, the show Succession has probably had the most modern interpretation of the English language made today that has depth and meaning. You can imagine the words in that show being said in everyday life, a modern take, but it has so much humor, zest, and wit that makes the writing excellent: "Forgive me, but are we talking to each other on the poop deck of a majestic schooner? Is the salty brine stinging my weather-beaten face? ... Then why the fuck are you wearing a pair of deck shoes, man?" "Ohhhh, but they are not in fact receipts. Greg! You’re a criminal mastermind…what polyglot genius could ever hope to crack your impenetrable code?" "Don't threaten me, Gerri. I don't have time to jerk off." "Is he nice? You’re asking about the moral character of a man named rat-fucker Sam?" "I would like some suck suck for my dicky-dick" "A small person could fit through there, right?!? Like an attack child?!?" "Do you think it’s possible to sue a person, a grandparent for example.. in an affectionate way? that might convey, like, "I love you and, I’m glad you’re a part of my life but I am taking legal action against you?" "Excuse me I actually have to go watch a fucking satellite launch in Japan, that I’m actually in charge of, that I reorganized for you but you’re to fucking carbon neutral to enjoy." Just reading off these one-liners shows how funny it is and how witty it is, and imagine if you, as a writer, could make up and write words like these in your own novel? And the line written that won the actor an Emmy, apart from this show having won several Emmys: "I wonder if the sad I'd be without you would be less than the sad I get from being with you." Absoute banger of a line, imo.

Aw. Thanks mate. Glad you enjoyed it :-).