Greg_A

Alex was in a foul mood as he walked across campus toward his apartment. He had been thinking about his relationship with Zach. Or more properly, his lack of relationship. Things had been deteriorating ever since they had come back to school and Alex wasn’t sure why. Alex had had some real hope that Zach was finally going to let him into his life. The night they had got back to college after Christmas Break, Zach had started to pour his heart out. Alex had finally felt that Zach was beginning t

It was happening again. Zach knew it but he couldn’t stop it. He saw the same room full of people, those who were so important in his life. He felt the same sense of impending doom. The same sense of increasing panic loomed. The same feelings of being totally surrounded and still utterly alone overwhelmed him. The scene was so totally familiar, he had been a part of it so many times in the past. Granted, there were always minor variations, subtle changes, occasionally new cast members, but the o

The room seemed full of people Zach knew. His father, mother and brother were sitting together talking and laughing. Cindy and James were there, standing close to his family, listening with interest and occasionally adding comments of their own. Dr. Edwards, Jason and Mark stood to one side, but crossed the room to join the conversation. Not one of them seemed to notice Zach’s presence in the room, no one acknowledged him at all. He seemed to be an invisible bystander, powerless to interact with

It was getting close to ten at night and Zach had been asleep for a couple of hours and showed every intention of sleeping for the rest of the night. Jason and Alex were watching TV, Jason stretched out on the floor and Alex lying next to Zach, absently rubbing his chest when they heard someone clear their throat in the doorway. Alex and Jason both looked up, their eyes lighting up as they saw who was there. "Mark!" Alex nearly shouted. "When did you get here? We weren’t expecting you till late

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great one!

It was late evening by the time Zach woke back up. He was a little surprised to feel Alex’s arms still holding him, he had figured Alex would have eventually gotten bored watching him sleep and gotten up. He looked over only to see Alex had fallen asleep himself. Even in his sleep, Alex was continuing to hold him close and snuggle with him. Zach was struck once again by just how beautiful Alex was. His blond hair, cut short on top but long in back, neatly framed his handsome face. His eyes were

Alex and Zach both looked at each other, smiling wryly. Then Alex sighed. "It’s going to be a long couple of days. I’m gonna go freaking nuts waiting. By the time we get to do anything, I’m gonna last maybe a whole two seconds!" "Yeah, I know. Me too." Alex pulled Zach back to rest against his chest and enfolded him in his arms. Zach was quiet for a few seconds, just happy and content to be held so closely. It was probably one of the happiest moments in his life. And yet there was a little dou

Once the costume contest was over, Alex figured that Zach would be making a beeline for home to get out of the pirate get up. He knew how modest his friend was and how uncomfortable being on display had made him. Privately, he thought Zach had never looked better, not to mention sexy as hell! Alex knew that many shared that opinion, but Zach would never believe it. The fact that Zach didn’t know how good looking he was only added to his appeal. Surprisingly, Zach didn’t show any intention of le

"Alex, wake up son." Alex felt someone gently shaking him and he could hear a voice that sounded like his dad’s, but it seemed so far away. Couldn’t whoever it was tell he was tired? Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? He didn’t need to be bothered right now, he had to wait for his dad to come tell him what was happening with Zach. That thought sent a jolt of energy through his body. Zach! His dad was trying to wake him up. He must have news about Zach. "Dad! What’s happening with Zach? Can

"Alex! Watch out! There’s a deer in the road!" "Shit! Zach - we’re gonna hit him!" Alex frantically tried to swerve around the deer, but it had been sleeting and snowing all day and the road was much too slick. Suddenly, there was a horrible lurch and the sound of shattering glass and screeching metal as the car slammed into the deer. The force of the impact combined with the slippery conditions forced the vehicle off the road and over the embankment, rolling the car completely over. Alex cou

Alex and Zach meet while transfering into a new college as Juniors and quickly become best friends. Alex soon learns that he would like to become more than just friends with Zach, but will Zach's troubled past stand in their way.

Happy Birthday!! Hope you had a great one!

I think you have to use a mix of proper grammar and what a character would naturally say and how they would speak. Which of course makes it a fine line for any author to to try and walk. As an author you want and need to stay true to your character and write the characters dialogue the way they would naturally sound, but at the same time you need to make the conversations readable. For instance, writing a conversation in the speech patterns my ex-brother in law would use would include a ton of his own personal odd ball catch phrases and other assorted non-sense. While those of us who knew him could piece together what he was saying, the average reader would be left clueless if we actually wrote down some of his conversation. So if I was trying to write a story in which he was speaking I would want to use some of his speech to capture the feel of his character, but I would have to go back and 'clean up' a lot of it for the reader to understand what was actually being said. Related to the above is regional jargon. I think as an author you want to include some of this in order to capture the setting your characters are in. But at the same time if you throw too much in you stand the chance of confusing your audience who might not be familiar with local phrases and words. As a minor example, in my area the word "telly" can mean two completely different things depending on who you are talking to - either a telephone or a television. While that one is fairly easy to figure out from the context of the sentence it was used in, heaven help you if you would happen to use it wrong around here! And that doesn't even begin to cover all the verbal pauses people tend to use in natural speech. I'm not sure any author inserts all those "uhm's", "ah's', and "uh's" that are in most people's everyday speech.

I thought it was illegal in the States. After all, didn't the Constitution guarantee no cruel and unusual punishments....

Since it's been a bit since I wrote one of these, and since my mind is wading in the gutters.... For guys that like to run around nude It can be embarrassing when struck with the mood Suddenly throwing a bone To everyone it's shown Chancing arrest for conduct so lewd

I don't know if I would call them my favorites, but a few that really stand out for me are The Trip, Make the Yuletide Gay and I Think I Do. The first one really grabbed me and even though there is a sadness to it, it still left me feeling hopeful. Yuletide is just a feelgood movie all the way around in my opinion - lighthearted, a touch of comedy, and of course a bit of the sap fest. And the last one just brought out the romantic mush boy in me - but I'll deny it if anyone repeats that!

And here is another job inspired one: I work with all things fiduciary In this economy I am quite wary That I work for a bank Sure hope it don't tank Cuz the job market is just plain scarey

The standard joke around my office is that my blood is about 90% caffeine. I sometimes think that might actually be a bit low! I'm a huge tea drinker. As soon as I wake up in the morning I'll make a 32 oz glass of iced tea to drink to wake up with. No sugar - just straight tea. Then when I hit the road for the commute I'll make another 32 oz glass to take with since the first one will be empty. The drive is only 25 minutes long and I've usually finished it by the time I get to work. While I'm at work I drink soda - but only because I'm too lazy to take my tea in with me to make and I really don't care for what's usually available in restaurants. Or that vile stuff they sell in the cans in the vending machines. Just ick! So I have to make do with diet Mt. Dew - I think the straight stuff is a little too sweet. Once I'm home though, I start making the tea again and will usually have consumed at least another 3 of those 32 oz glasses before I go to bed. I tell myself that I'm only doing it because all the studies say tea is good for you though.! Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!

Here's one summing up my day today I just haven't had the time To create an interesting rhyme All day on the job Makes me want to sob My career really should be a crime

Inspired by the recent posts..... Marky is so easy to confuse Cant figure who belongs to which muse Professes he's a top And wont ever stop Braving Lugh's short fuse

Hey now! Illinois has more than just corrupt politicians. We've got....uhm... Well, we've got....uh.... K - give me a couple hours. I'm sure I'll think up something!

I've been on a gay themed kick lately at Netflix so I can make a few suggestions in that genre. I definitely second Latter Days. I know it's almost a cliche for a gay themed movie, but I thought it was excelllent. Defying Gravity also was very good even though the story line was a little stereotypical. Definitely worth watching though. I thought Shelter was excellent too. The Trip was also great - if you'll watch it all the way thru to the end. There are parts that I thought were iffy, but the ending was powerful. I Think I Do was also great for a light hearted movie, a few laughs, and an ending that makes you feel good. I've watched quite a few others that I could suggest, but that's probably enough for now.

Thank you! It really means so much to me to hear people have enjoyed my writing. And it especially means a lot to me when I hear from really talented writers such as yourself. It's a little overwhelming to get such good reviews from all the fine authors here!

One more from me inspired by all your posts and the various back stories: The GA residents have such skills Their talents offer so many thrills A story, poem or post Friendship at it's most A place in our heart it fulfills

Hmmm - seems like a few stories are starting to slip out! Made me think up this little limerick: This limerick thing is such a good game Telling secrets and sharing shame Bringing down the haughty With stories so naughty Besmirching each other's good name!