Wayne Gray

Amazing to hear, molly! It's always great to hear our work is appreciated, and much more so in a public venue. Wonderfully done. Good job.

Part of that is me. My work has ramped up a lot lately, so writing is hard. It's hard, even during my down time, because writing is thoughtful. Good writing is, at least. That takes effort. I'm not saying that for tim's benefit, because he knows. But I'm going to attempt to make time this weekend. I want us to share these people we've created with others, and I need to step up my writing game.

Thanks for taking a read here. This story is a pretty good one, I think. 🙂 You're right. John's influence on Troy can't really be discounted either. I also think you're right that Troy was just about at his breaking point. You can only heap so much on a man until he decides to just lay down and give up completely.

This is a great piece, tim. It paints a picture of longing - not for something external, but rather for the peace born from confidence. Warning: Incoming philosophy and maybe psychology from a guy who's an expert in neither. Maybe you're dreaming of what could be. It may feel cruel, to see this version of you that you "can't have," but ... you seem closer now than you've ever been. To me that doesn't mean you're tortured by apparitions of what will never be, but rather you're glimpsing what is possible now where before it wasn't.

Lively in here. That's good. 🙂 Howdy, all. Home from a rather long day. Nice to unwind a bit. I hope the evening is treating you all well.

I bet Mac would probably know that bit of trivia.

Howdy, everyone. I hope the day/evening is treating you all well. 🙂

Wow, thank you. And ... if you like emotional stories, well ... after you finish this one, you should take a look at Fleeting Eternity. That is definitely the most emotional thing I've ever written. 🙂

High praise! Thank you for that. I hope it continues to hold your interest. This was one of my favorites ... even now, almost two years after writing it. 🙂 Thanks again.

In the process of writing this story, the need for a logo came up. Using the photo editor, BeFunky, I put one together. I really like it. 🙂

This is lovely. Melancholy but hopeful too. Hang on to that rose.

This is so loving, deep, and from the heart. Brilliantly said, tim.

I'm pretty open online. It has yet to bite me, but it certainly could. If one person decided I needed to be found, they could likely do it. The one time when it got worrisome to me was when I was posting "Guarded" on Nifty. The email address I had used back then linked back to some other sites where I had been required to use my real name. Someone ... very clever, and someone with links to a very real mob family wrote me ... using my full name. I'm lucky he liked my work. 😬 I immediately began using Wayne Gray after that, and changed the email address I post from. So ... yeah. Be careful out there, kids. As for the second part ... well, I'm a firm believer that love helps make a home. You've got it. You value it. That's wonderful.

Okay. Now I wanna see that.

Most people there have such an opinion on just about everything. If it's not how they write then it's not the right way. Edit: I call it like I've seen it. 😛

Outline done. Now ... onward! 😀

I need structure to write long stories. tim doesn’t have that same issue, so he’s had to wait for me to finish my crutch. I hope it turns out to be useful to him too, though. 🙂

It's difficult for me. I ride the line between being needing information and stepping away from the mindlessness of it all. There's a paralysis that comes from knowing there are problems that we can't fix, yet I feel the need to know what is happening in the world too. Personally, I check in with the news, then check out of it. I don't wallow there. I can't. Well ... apart from COVID-19. I don't have a choice there - my job depends on my staying aware of public perception, news, and advances on testing and supply chains. I've gotten pretty good at reading the tea leaves and predicting upcoming shortages to reagents and supplies before our own vendors and suppliers know they're coming. I consider that different, though. Because my actions are making a difference of some sort. I really do think it's harmful to us to hear so much terrible "stuff" and feel like we don't have a way to help. It's easy to let it pull us down, and we all have to take a break from it.

Thanks, Parker. I've come to like writing these little beasties.

Since I started, ten of thirteen chapters are outlined. Three more to go. Tomorrow is a day filled with meetings, but I may be able to sneak in a lunch at some point. If I can, I'll get another one done. Almost there. I'll have it done, hopefully by Thursday, so tim will be able to start on chapter fourteen in time for his weekend! 😄

There was a kid suspected of having lice sent to the school nurse. As he sat, dejected in the chair, the nurse asked a pretty standard question. "How are you today?" He looked at her. "I'm feelin' pretty lousy." *giggle* Edit: Sadly, I made this one up. 😮

And @mollyhousemouse sorry it has been a hard day.

I come back to find "Dad Joke" level punnery going on in here. Groanworthy! lol

Indeed! The bee cares only for the bloom, not that other drama. 😄 Thanks for the comment, Mike.

Thank you, tim. The bee's frame of reference is one we can learn something from, I think. 🐝🌹