FindThySky

Thanks a lot for your support and feedback. I really wasn't sure what people would think as this is my 1st story coming in. I don't think I would extend on this particular story but I could do a separate one. I'll have a look at what I can do.

Thanks for the comment! 😀 The story is meant to be single-chapter with the aim of capturing a moment in their lives, but I could do a series of how these two met or some other multi-chapter work based on exploring their relationship. With short stories like these I don't really manage to develop these characters, so I might have to take a step back and start from the start. What manner of story would you like to see? I've got nothing planned at the moment.

I tipped the contents of the crumb tray into the bin, scraping off the stubborn bits and pieces with a finger. “You know, babe,” I began. “These toasters scare the crap out of me sometimes.” “What?” Nate cracked the final egg into the bowl and cast his gaze back at me in amusement. He stopped humming the tune to whatever song was on loop in his head. “Where’d that come from?” “Oh you know, when the bread pops out. It’s so unexpected it gives me a jumpscare.” I slotted the tray back under

“You know, babe, these toasters scare the crap out of me sometimes." The greatest joys of life can lie in the simplest, everyday things. A morning starts off rather more exciting than Jake had expected as he and Nate prepare breakfast. A short story of two lovers' chemistry with a side of goofy toastiness.

I've always used a laptop. I find it easier to go back and change content if needed, which I often do. I'm not sure if I overwork my stories sometimes but I write very, very slowly and only when I'm in the zone. Being able to both delete and add quickly helps with that. If I'm setting the story at a beach, let's say, it's also convenient to search up images for description on a laptop. When brainstorming, I keep the inspiration in my head and transfer to a Google Doc when I get the chance. It's not the conventional mind map but a series of dot points on a separate planning document from the story draft.

Well, I'm going to have to say this sheepishly, because I don't actually know how to handle a writer's block. The block alone has been the bane of my stories' completion. It's my nemesis that I never found a way around. 😆 I'm not so much invested into recovering from the block as I am preventing it from happening in the first place. For years, I've planned my stories in my head. This is actually very problematic for my writing style because I have such a heavy focus on detail. There comes to a point where my mind cannot contain the little things anymore and I begin to lose track of where it is I wish to go. Apart from short, one-chapter stories, I have never completed works that have spanned multiple chapters. My writer's block happens because of myself. I lose motivation when losing my sight on how the plot progresses. Now, I construct detailed story plans to try to prevent this from occurring. Say, I run into a troublesome plot point in the plan that doesn't seem to fit the characterisations, it's simple to go and change the plan. It's a lot more complicated to try and change the story if I launch straight in. That complexity in the task also causes me to lose motivation. My code from hereon is: unless the plan for the entire story is complete and I'm satisfied, I do not begin writing the actual thing. If this works, I may never have a need to worry about recovering from blocks as a detailed plan allows me to free up space in my head and is a source I can always refer back to if I encounter problems. It's a method of prevention, not treatment. I'm a little concerned I may be making the scaffold too detailed. I'm still in the process of planning my 1st upcoming story and it's already 1500 words. The plan itself is 1500 words and it's not even 20% done with the plot. But, I don't know. I'm still motivated so I guess I should be content with how things are going?

Oh my goodness. I've just been on a rollercoaster of emotion for the last 24 hours as I marathoned my way through this. This story is . . . I don't even know. I can't describe it with a single word. "Incredible" is a gross understatement. It actually managed to make me forget to breathe during some of the more tense moments. It just feels so real, I suppose. You've really conveyed the inner workings of a boy who is to a lesser or greater extent broken. It's almost like Zack's mind is a wanderer in a labyrinth with monsters around every corner. Sometimes his thoughts swirl in circles and other times he clashes with his doubt and insecurities. The shift in his emotions can be so abrupt even I started to have doubts as to how long he can remain happy as the story progressed and whether he's really recovering. I do not mean to pry, but the realism you incorporate into Zack's character, personality and internal dialogue makes me wonder if this story is to some extent drawn from some past experiences. Whether it's a work of imagination or not, it doesn't diminish the story's power. It doesn't diminish your voice that comes through the text. Whatever happens, I hope that eventually, Brody can mend Zack's internal wounds. The little cinnamon roll must be protected! 😄 Brody is having that effect already, but even though the tension is building I personally don't see a fitting end for the villain in this story for quite some time, unfortunately. I would love some more insight into Zack's father's backstory, if possible. Why is he the way he is? Did something happen in his past? At the end of the day Zack is still his flesh and blood. Why does he seem to neglect that entirely? I would still never forgive someone of such qualities, but perhaps there is more to his perspectives than it seems. And goodness me I sincerely hope he never lays a finger on Zack's friends and his mother. That would be terrible but depending on how you wish to develop the plot, that may come to pass. What else is there to say? I know there was a significant gap in the update between chapter 25 and 26, but I hope you don't feel pressured to deliver updates. I'm happy to wait so long as your writing is of this quality. I will follow this story until it is complete, Comsie. This has been a fabulous journey you've given us, and I'm content in knowing we've not yet reached the destination. Thank you for your dedication. 👍

Apologies for not leaving a comment last chapter. There wasn't much for me to say, so I just left a like. 😅 This is a great setup chapter for complications. So here, Rex and Andy are twelve years of age, I believe? Exploring the notion that people grow apart through physical distance and time is a good approach. They are at the age where things can grow rather confusing quickly and there is so much potential for external and internal conflict. Andy still wants to continue their friendship. Rex seems to be adapting to life in Canada and is becoming less and less inclined to travel back and forth. The next chapter should be a very interesting one. Perhaps Andy will confront Rex about his predicament. I was a little surprised when Rex proposed that dare out of the blue. But upon consideration it's not at all unreasonable. It shows that their bond of friendship is close enough—at least for Rex—to speak of such things comfortably. As such, it's a superb setup for how this bond will be challenged in the chapters to come. I'm intrigued to see if there would perhaps be an explanation as to why Rex acted as he had. Maybe he is also figuring out his identity. Maybe he had developed feelings for one of his friends in Canada. There are so many ways the plot can progress from here.

I agree with you there. If I can avoid writing sex scenes I avoid it. Sure, I can describe and understand how it's meant to work, but with limited actual experience that knowledge is always second-hand, gained from other stories. I can try to keep it in tune to how other writers do it, but that is done in the basis of having no knowledge of if it's truly like how it is described. My biggest problem isn't part of what I'm trying to write down. It's part of being motivated to write down what I want to write down. I can be fairly confident in saying that some of the inspirations I've thought up of over the years are of good quality, but I tend to lose interest. Generally, what happens is as follows. I think of an idea and how a story may be constructed, receiving a spike of motivation. I put finger to keyboard but as the story progresses I realise that a plot point pops up I have not considered and there is no real way to resolve the problem without a character being out of character or something in general having to made lesser than what it used to be. That's when I tend to lose motivation. So this time, I'm going to plan out the entire story before writing it to avoid a repeat of this issue. Planning also helps to identify problems in the plot I have not considered when the ideas were in my head and I can make adjustments according in the draft before the real thing. When it comes to the actual content of the stories, I struggle most with realism. I suppose I've just not experienced enough to describe it effectively. As an example, I cannot write a story set on a boat because I've never been on a boat for an extended period of time and do not trust myself to describe it from mere imagination and what others say. My horizons need broadening. This problem isn't just related to the setting; it's also related to the characters. I struggle with characterisation and how they should act and speak. This again stems from the fact that I'm someone with few words and do not fare well with people-to-people interactions. I think one of the most important tools for a writer is their own life. If I want to write better, being able to meet more people and do more things is definitely something I need to work on.

I find the ability to do that rather remarkable. 😁 It isn't as if I haven't tried. I used to get caught up in the inspiration of the story and begin to write straight away. But if the story turns out too sophisticated I begin to lose interest. This is common trend with me: an idea is shorter and easier to think than what I can manage on paper. One chapter turns into two. Two chapters turn into four. Trying to follow a guideline both for plot and character for me is rather new. It can get tedious because I want to write the actual thing instead of planning, but I think it's better like this for me.

It's a pretty good start. You've managed to set up the foundations and introduced us to the characters. I feel the pacing is a little fast but as a prologue I think it is understandable to not delve into too much depth. It'll be interesting to see how you seek to develop Andy and Rex in the "present" when they are no longer together. I don't find the pacing problematic, but it's more the fact that you tend to be telling, not showing. For example: "Cynthia might have seemed strict, but she was actually a great woman." How is Cynthia a great woman? What is it that makes her great? You've done well to show her tone of speech as comforting and that is associated with a positive quality for a character, but I would have loved for a bit more character descriptions and interactions to show what they are like. As a suggestion, one potential I see for this is when you wrote: "Even though our families had already 'officially' said goodbyes over dinner the previous night, I had to go and see Rex one more time." Imagine the dialogue that could have taken place when the families were saying goodbye if you inserted that as a plot point. That offers quite a lot of depth into developing their character profile. For example, would Cynthia be saying goodbye with a smile to show that she accepts the next phase of their life and thus portrays her as someone not afraid of change? Would she have tears in her eyes to mirror the fact that she does not wish to leave this place and is easily affected by emotion? Would her husband Thomas be slightly irritable because he wants to pack the luggage quickly? That can display him as a man who likes to stay ahead of schedule. The possibilities of these little details are endless and really sets up their personalities for what is to come. 😁 In any case, the potential for such a plot has captured me. I'll follow you along on the journey. Remember to always consider what it is you have written and what more you could write to further enhance it. Good luck!

I've always copied the character profile from this website, but I am still working on seeing what additions I can make. In general, I'm still in the process of experimentation. Creating a character is one thing. Creating a realistic, believable character with unique quirks is where I struggle the most. I keep asking myself the same questions. What makes him/her special? What sets them apart from a generic personality? What do they have that others don't? I sometimes need to open my horizons and look at my surroundings in daily life. All people in real life have unique quirks, but often they can be subtle or you don't really think about it since you've known them for a while and that's just "who they are." However, I find that quirks can add to a character's flavour and is an essential part of my characterisation process. Secondly, I believe that main characters need to learn something during the course of my story. They need to change, especially if it's a protagonist or a deuteragonist. I often find myself in a situation where I start writing a character profile, but continually make additions to it as my vision of story progresses because of character development. It adds another dimension or multiple dimensions to the whole structure of not only their personality but the plot as well. If characters are one-dimensional and do not change the plot will grow mundane after a while. That said, I am not yet willing to dismiss one-dimensional characters as unnecessary. I believe it can actually be a tool to set up a comparison between multi-dimensional characters and static characters. A stubborn individual can accentuate the flexibility of another individual. I've not really tried something like this but I am considering the potential. As of the moment, at least the protagonist and the main antagonist need to be multi-dimensional in my story and I put a lot of effort into their development. Maybe I can try a one-dimensional character becoming multi-dimensional as the plot progresses but I don't really know yet. The possibilities are plentiful.

I see myself as someone who can accept many variations in stories and often I don't really think about the tropes. That said, insta-love is a no for me. I'm much more invested in seeing how relationships develop over time rather than any kind of immediate sexual action. It's not that I don't like reading characters taking that step over the line, but sophisticated romance developed over the course of many chapters just makes the final act so much more . . . rewarding? I'm not sure if that's the right word to use, but insta-love to me feels shallow from a plot standpoint. If I plan to write multi-chapter romances, I always look to develop it methodically. Yes, sometimes I could start with a character already in love with a friend from the beginning—in fact I'm actually doing that for my upcoming one—but I hold off on them revealing the truth. I find that internal conflict over if it's right to confess or to wait has potential for characterisation and development. I try and make such a thing work, not "meet for the first time and melt from the hotness." 😅

My very first stories are probably lost somewhere in the exercise books of year four in primary. So, I would've written them when I was around nine or ten years old. What I do recall is that there were often long passages of description and narration. I loved writing descriptions and using imagery; I still do. I don't know what was the very first thing I ever wrote, but at that time we had a textual study on the flooding of Lake Eyre and a story I remember most clearly is me imagining how the salt pan would fill with water and painting an image of it with words.

Yup, that works fine too. Dialogue isn't my strong point, unfortunately. I struggle in making speech seem natural and flow in a rhythm. l plan to trial something of this nature in my upcoming story and hopefully some of the more confident writers can assess it once it's complete.