Graeme

Thank you. It wasn't intended to be a three book series, but that's the way it's turning out. As with this book, I'll make sure I can post chapters regularly before I start posting the new story.

Thank you! This was not where I originally intended to finish the story, but since I wasn't going to be able to keep to a regular posting cycle, I thought it best to end this part of the story here and continue to my original intended ending in a separate book.

Thank you!

Peter scowled at the lopsided distribution of players across the oval. In response to a couple of goals by the Leopards early in the fourth quarter, Footscray had dropped almost their entire team into defence. Since then, it had been ugly football for the Leopards as they tried to locate holes through which to score, but finding them was tough. The clock was running down, and the Leopards were still behind. “Runner!” Neil moved up next to Peter. His anxious attention was on the head coach, tho

Good luck for both of you: you and your new job and your boyfriend's application to medical school! Me, I like living out in the countryside. I also hate driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but I'm an early morning person so if I have to drive into the city, I try to leave before the main traffic starts. That way I only have the bumper-to-bumper traffic in one direction: going home

That's a difficult one. If the problem is real-life issues, then there's not much that can be done. If the problem is lack of inspiration (maybe due to the author writing themselves into a corner), then maybe some friends can read through the story and make suggestions, but that would require the author to share their plans for what they want to happen. But I would advise against having the author make a public request because then it becomes too much like writing by committee. Many authors here use beta-readers: friends who can review a chapter or story before it's released. It depends on the author in question (not all are willing or able to share the creative process), but I know I've used my beta-readers and editors to bounce ideas off at times. I don't always following the suggestions made, but that's because the suggestions often trigger a some new ideas as they kick me out of the mind-rut I'd fallen into. Simply asking for and receiving comments on particular plot points is enough to kickstart things.

Thank you! Is Doug doing things for the wrong reasons or is he saying things because he doesn't want people to know that he was doing them for the right reasons? As I've said several times in these reviews, Doug isn't a simple person. He has a simple way of addressing problems, but that doesn't mean his thought processes are simple.

Thank you! Your fix is scheduled for the regular time next weekend...

Thank you! Yes, Jessica has only know that Jim is gay a couple of months longer than Mary has known about Neil, but Jessica didn't start with a bias against homosexuality. That makes it much easier for her. She does, however, seem to related to how Jessica to reacting, which gives her a better understanding of how to address her concerns.

The brat would probably say that anything that motivates you to exercise harder is good for you... Thanks for the comments. Peter certainly has a talent of knowing how to motivate his players.

Thanks, Tim! Yes, the Leopards have other runners. That was mentioned in the chapters before Neil became one, and also the first time when it was mentioned that the other runners had to make their own way to the game, even though he was allowed on the bus with the team. Today's generation is very quick with their phones. They tend to use them a lot more than someone of an older generation (like me) would normally expect. The idea of having both a music device and a camera (still and video) with them at all times is something the modern generation seems to expect...

Sometimes it's because the author runs out of steam. Sometimes, real-life interferes and takes them away from writing for awhile and then it's difficult to get back to it. There's a lot of reasons for it, but most of the time I think it comes down to either lack of motivation (whether due to lack of feedback or due to lack of inspiration) or real-life issues.

Pirates? That was several chapters ago. I thought I'd gotten rid of all of them... :wacko:

I think I can promise that there will be more

The noise from the crowd was deafening as the umpire bounced the ball. Zach and the Footscray ruckman rushed forward, the two big players colliding in the middle of the ground, as neither was successful in knocking the ball down to one of their teammates. Jarrod was the first of the smaller men to rush in and scoop it up, only to fumble and have it spill out of his hands. A Footscray player was the lucky recipient of Jarrod’s mistake, and the football was soon on its way towards the Bulldogs’ fo

Just enjoy yourself. There's a wide range of stories here so you should find something you like, the forums are great to browse and participate, and the chatroom is always popular.

Thank you! Yes, Neil has changed a lot over the course of the year. He wasn't a particularly likeable person at the start, but that's all changed and almost all of that is due to the Leopards.

Thank you. Yes, the end of this story is on the horizon but I've already started on the next one. It's going slowly, unfortunately, so it won't be ready when this story ends.

Thank you! I don't know what else to say

Thank you! While it has been suggested to me that I never actually end the story, it does have an ending. I don't think I could write something that never ends...but if someone approached me to turn this into a TV show, I'd do my best to keep the story going for several seasons

LOL. Sorry about the fingernails, but there was too much to cover before the game itself started.

Thank you! Yes, I liked Jim kissing Tony, too. It shows how much Jim has developed from the guy at the start of the year who was hiding in the closet, afraid to let anyone know he's gay.

Neil's mother still has some issues that need resolving...

Wow! A fantastic summary, Tim, and I'm not sure what to say in response. Just to make it clearer, the average crowd size in the VFL is around 2000 people. A crowd of 20000 for the grand final would, naturally, be a little overwhelming for the players. By the way, I used the numbers from the actual 2014 VFL grand final where the offical crowd figures was 23816. For the record, Footscray won...but they were playing the Box Hill Hawks, not the Lilydale Leopards

Thank you!