Ieshwar

Sounds great. Would definitely give it a try during my free time. Thanks for sharing.

I don't mind ambiguous endings. I've tried it as an author. I've read it as a reader. It done well, it can add a punch to the story. What I hate is rushed endings. A story has a pace. If the writer spends seven-eight chapters about the problem, repeating it throughout the 20-30 chapters and ending it in one chapter? The reader doesn't even get the time to know what's happening and BOOM, the end. And we are left like "WTF?" And then, of course, we have a nice author's note telling us that yes, this story is done and that the author is working on publishing his next book... Ok, so what I read, "Go, there, I've ended it. happy now? Now, let me look at my published book which is much better than this free one (I'm getting nothing out of it). And yes, do buy my book." Looking back, it was a great story but all that was left was this bittersweet taste about the whole thing. Sorry, if it came off like a rant. I wanted to say that the ending is as important as the introduction, if not more important. It will decide if the reader will read your next or not. (And no, it wasn't a GA story. )

Happy Birthday, Sharon!

Looking at your "demands", the first story that comes to my mind is Heart of The Tree by Graeme. Yes, we all know the stranger will end up with the main characters. But the secret is that you don't know who the main character is till the very end of the Part 1. And if you're looking for new stories, I would suggest the Featured Stories in that GA Blog. Each week, a story is reviewed by a reader and it gives you an interesting insight about the featured story. It's definitely worth a look. Which story is this one?

Is it weird that I actually want to hold them on my hand? Actually, there's no deadly spiders here (Mauritius being a small island surrounded by sand and sea). Never head about any spider bite case anyway, never saw a big ugly spider. Just those harmless ones you find in closets. Maybe if I smuggled a few in...

That was actually really nice. I liked it. And if they are indeed looking someone to dance with, can I have a go? I mean, I don't dance great but it's better than nothing, judging how troubled they seemed. Cheers Ieshwar

Yes, yes, yes! A story that I have already read. And especially one that I really really liked. To be frank, I toyed with such an idea in my mind (kinda close) but never got to write it. Reading this story felt so good and satisfied the reader in me. And Andr0gene did it much more justice than I ever could. Yay!

This was definitely strange. Sometimes, life is indeed weirder than fiction... Thanks for sharing, Fishy.

Happy Birthday, Lacey! Wish you a great year ahead.

I've been in this situation before (the part about receiving mixed signals from a friend). And for me, it was simply my hopes and desires which were seeing things that were inexistent. It's not necessarily your case too. But what I want to say is that it's very hard to be objective and see what's real in these kind of situations. I won't jump on the "I like you. I want you right now." wagon immediately. If he turns out to be straight, it would make things very uncomfortable. My advice would be, first to 'test the waters'. See how he reacts to gays, homosexuality in general. If he's accepting (and you're ready), come out to him. Tell him that you're gay. Then, wait for some while. It's one thing when a friend comes out and another when a friend comes out and say that they have feelings for you. If there's still nothing from his part and if you want to express your feelings, you can say that you have feelings for him. Anyway, that's what I did. It took me one and a half year to trust him enough to come out and another whole year to confess my feelings. It turned out fine in the end. No boyfriend but a best friend. Hope it helps. Best of luck. Cheers, Ieshwar

Add Gaydar to that list of website. *grumbles* How can he say no to "Hispanics", "Black", "Indian", "Brown", "Asian",...? You got to try each flavour before you decide which one you like the best.

Happy Birthday, Bumblebee. Hope that you have lots of fun.

It's 11.00 pm and waiting for the final countdown. 1 hour to go till NaNoWriMo!

Thanks for sharing these great quotes. They are truly inspiring and offer a real glimpse of the authorship world.

Challenge Accepted. (Mind you, I'm 3,856 words done. )

Mild ones: Name calling, snickers, glaring... Strong reactions: Beat them up, kill them (No, not being dramatic here. It happened in real life here. And it's the reaction of a few friends when they talk about gays.) You really need to know what kind of society you're placing your characters in. Since you're thinking about Californian-like situation, maybe you should ask gay Californians or people who had been there. Reactions on homosexuality largely depends on the society. And to be truthful, I'm a bit miffed about your comments concerning 'over the top' reactions. If I can quote your comment on the other site: "I am tired of reading slash stories where the characters find overt and embarrassing hate at every corner they turn to. I've decided to write a little slash ficlet with more realistic reactions from people around them. That said, what ARE realistic reactions?" Having overt and embarrassing hate at every corner is realistic for certain parts of the world. Maybe not your world, but others yes.

Happy Birthday. Hope that you have lots of fun.

Sunday, almost 3 pm. Should be writing right now...

Happy Birthday, Daithi! Wish you a great year ahead.

Happy Birthday, Paya. Have fun!

I was actually scared that the slow pace might make it boring. But like you said, I think in the end it turned out fine. Thanks for this sweet review.

Thanks a lot for this great review, rustle. I didn't want Aiden to be the damsel in distress and Keith to be perfect shining knight. They are both flawed and broken in their own ways but they both are stronger than the horrors they faced. And this story had to end on a hopeful note. Anything else would have been ruthless. Glad that you enjoyed it.

I understand the bittersweet part. The story delves into horrors which are indeed scarring. I love the ending too. It's one of the first scenes I had in my head and that's when I learnt that they never talked to each other. Thank you, KC!

Believe me, it was very difficult pulling it off. I almost gave up several times. Glad that it works in the end. Thank you.

Yes, it is indeed a very peculiar situation I have written about. I wanted to explore a place which goes beyond words. Thank you for the review.