Graeme

Happy Birthday!

What he said

A lot of people wouldn't have a problem, but I know of one reader for my own stories that remarked that because they were dyslexic the fact that I had two characters in my current story with the same first letter and same length caused them some initial problems. I don't like using names too similar, though it took my editor to point out in one chapter that I had just introduced my THIRD character named Paul.... I'm not very good with coming up with names. I tend to use the same set over and over again.

The traditional cure for something that's turned into a frog is to kiss it, though that usually requires that the kisser be a prince or princess....

*pouts* But I liked going to the effort of capitalising it properly....

No bet. He may want to be back in less than 3 days, but he's also being dictated by what internet access he can get, so he may not be able to get online as much as he would like (that was my problem last week).

Happy 18th Birthday, Nick! Congratulations and best wishes for the future!

Happy Birthday, Miguel! I hope you have a great day

I'll add my thanks to all the authors. Unfortunately, work commitments meant I wasn't able to do reviews for the stories that came in during the last few days before the deadline, but I'm looking forward to reading those stories now that the anthology is out. Also, thanks to C James for doing all the coordinating. While he may not think he did a lot, coordinating everyone involved and communicating with the authors is an important and non-trivial task. Back to reading...

Congratulations, Ieshwar! I think that's an important milestone and definitely deserves celebrating!

Thousands march in Taipei for gay rights It's a useful reminder how this is a worldwide issue, and that progress is being made in different ways in different countries. I hope that legislation passes soon.

It isn't often that someone writes a story in second person, but this story fitted it perfectly. It wouldn't have had the same impact if it had been written in either first or third person. That unusual perspective, coupled with a largely present tense narration, give an unworldly feel to the story -- a feel which is oddly appropriate, considering the ending. By using the second person "you", it feels like the story is telling us what we're to do -- which is how the senator in the story felt. He had been told all his life what to do, by the god of political expediency, and in the end he was still being told what to do, though it was his long forgotten conscience that had the final say. It is easy to focus on one part of a person's life and make a judgement. The senator appears to have voted against gay rights in the past, and some people would condemn him for that. However, I noticed the price he paid for his life in the closet -- three failed marriages, and alienated children. As a gay father, I can't understand or appreciate what it could be like to have children who are distant from you, and I pray that I never find out. That, even more than his last impassioned speech, led me to feel sympathy for the unnamed senator. His life wasn't perfect, but whose life is? He had done some things that he regretted, but who hasn't? Being in a position of power, his mistakes are magnified, but his main sin has been just going with the status-quo. He wasn't a leader -- just someone who stayed around. Did his final act redeem him? That's a personal judgement and one that I don't feel I should comment on. Others may, but to me I just feel sorry for a life that wasn't what it could have been, a life bent out of true. The total sum of good and bad isn't mine to make. Thanks, C James, for another fantastic and powerful tale.

That would make a lovely quote, with a note saying that this was posted in the forums. In other words, an admission he uses cliffhangers. They are a dislike of mine, too That's why I liked the idea that didn't involve one.

Glad to see you again, but I hope those "not so decent incidents" weren't too bad.

Is that what perfume is for? As a sex aid for nasal sex?

The BeaStKid has a similar reason for his low post count. He joined a long time before he started posting regularly. This has dropped his daily posting rate because of the long time without posts at the start. I didn't join until I was ready to start posting, so I don't have that issue. My view was that if I became a member, then I should participate. Okay, I think we can make it official. Despite what CJ may think, the vast majority of people who voted do not consider him to be a lurker.

That's a good idea. My way out of the problem involved a bit of deus ex machina -- if something happened to Chase, such as an accident at the studio, Brandon would be off like a rocket. He just might drag Charity along and I don't think even she would cause a stink at a hospital. I think your idea is better

Who said I never listen to you? I may rarely agree with your opinions but I do listen... Three weeks? I'll see what I can do, but I also need to sleep sometimes -- unlike a certain goat I know who never seems to sleep....

Thank you

May I point out that, according to you, the record number of posts per day is only in the 40s (43, from memory) and that record is held by Kevin (AFriendlyFace). Even that figure would round to zero if you rounded to the nearest hundred. I would suggest that rounding to the nearest ten would be a more useful figure. I would be non-zero in that list, though I wouldn't be the only one. I believe CJ would also be non-zero....

I voted for Dimitri in the first poll, though Vladimir's fascination for kangaroos made him a close second. I think it's because I expect him to be killed in the end that I didn't vote for him. I vote unsure in the second because I really don't 'know' any of them yet. Jerry has had the most airplay, but I haven't been able to warm to him. I may change my mind in the future, but for now I couldn't vote for any of the three listed. Guntar is currently at the top of the list, but even there it's more because I think he has a cool name....

Unfortunately, I missed it. I got on a plane in Los Angeles on the 10th October and got off the plane in Australia on the 12th October.... The International Date Line has a lot to answer for

Yes, I've missed GA and everyone here as well. I wasn't able to safely access the site while I was away since the only internet access I had was when I was in a conference room with lots of people around me. I'm making up for that today...

The detail will vary from person to person, but the following are what I think are a few key points: 1. Have a story in mind. A situation is not a story -- a situation starts a story or helps define a story, but it's not enough by itself. What is the story going to be about? A romance of how two people fell in love? A drama as some situation unfolds? An adventure as the characters are led through a series of events? 2. Have some idea of how the story will end. You don't have to write it up front (though I've seen many recommendations along those lines), but keep it in mind so you have a target to aim for. You can even have several possibilities in mind, and only make up your mind on which to use (I did this with my first story. I had considered having the story ending with David being dragged off to Juvenile Detention after being involved in a bashing... but I found I couldn't write something that dark). 3. When you're writing a chapter, keeping thinking ahead. When I started, I was told to have a good idea of what happens in the NEXT chapter as you are writing the current one. This helps you keep the story direction by making sure you don't close off the story by introducing something that precludes what you want to happen. 4. When you are writing a scene, find a technique that suits you to ensure you add the small detail that lifts a story from mediocre to good. I personally visualise a scene, and then try to include the extra bits -- the background, character movements, etc -- that helps the reader see what I see. I don't try to go overboard because too much description detracts from the scene itself, but include things that show movement or emotion. 5. Practise. I read a recommendation to write something every day. It does NOT have to be part of the story -- even posting at GA helps you practise your writing skills. A blog is another thing that can help. Just like any skill, the more you use it, the better it is. 6. Observe. Look around you. If what you see is a scene in your story, how would you write it? What words would you use? What parts would you describe and what would you leave off? I gave myself an exercise once because I thought I was weak at describing characters. I spent part of a day looking at people and trying to work out how I could describe them. As a result I decided I couldn't do someone justice. I can paint a rough portrait of a person, but I have to leave it to the reader's imagination to fill in the picture as to a person's physical appearance. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Just be alert for the opportunities when they present themselves I can't tell you how to find inspiration because it comes from within yourself. Sticking with a subject you know is a good start, though. Even if you think what you know is boring, it can still be useful. In Stephen King's book On Writing he gave the example of someone who wants to write Science Fiction, but they're a plumber. He suggested a plumber on a spaceship -- and then said that there is a published story with exactly that premise. I can remember a SF story about a dentist....

I know I'm coming in late, but as CJ mentioned earlier, I've been away. There's one point that bothered me that no one seems to have commented on -- Jon and Eric are trying to hide what they are asking Brandon to do from Chase. They are already in trouble for their antics, and for outing Brandon and Chase (I also noticed that Brandon was angry at Chase being outed, not himself ) and now they want to dig their hole even deeper by trying to get Brandon to cheat on Chase. It would be different if they got Chase involved and Chase agreed for Brandon to go with Charity, but Jon and Eric aren't helping the band with what they are doing. It WILL get out and they are seriously risking not only losing their brother but breaking up the band. I agree that getting Helen involved is probably the best bet, but Jon and Eric have almost eliminated that as an option by waiting until the last minute to approach Brandon. I am not looking forward to what happens next -- it's not going to be pretty. Either Brandon and Chase get outed, Jon and Eric get turned into soprano's (with Chase and Helen fighting for the privilege) or Brandon and/or Chase go into a deep funk over what they see as a failing relationship. Unless a minor miracle happens, I'm hoping for the first one. I would prefer for the guys to be outed and be happy (even if that means the band falls apart or loses some of their fan base) than either of the other options.