Comsie

Thank you! And I'll be posting chapter 4 this weekend if I can. Probably on Sunday!

Thanks so much for the feedback! You know what, you guys actually make a really good point. I think it DOES sound more intimate to say 'one another'. It's...classy. I never really thought of it that way before. Thanks!

For me, I do sometimes worry about introducing new characters into my stories (with the exception of "GFD", where I already knew what characters are necessary to propel the story forward from the very beginning). But I do try to integrate them into the story if, and ONLY if, I think it's necessary! usually, if I'm adding a new character to a storyline I'm writing...it's because there was a certain 'angle' or approach to a certain theme in the story that I didn't think that I could reach with the characters I already had. If I had a story with only two gay characters, and wanted to add a 'homophobic' element...I'd need a straight character to make that work. If I had two shy, closeted boys in a story...and wanted to tackle the concept of coming out and displaying gay pride, I might add an 'out' boy to the mixture. So I do it more as a plot point than just as a reason to have a new cute face in the series. So I think that if authors think of the story 'first'...and the character's fit second...then the two should fit in just fine. Because as long as that character has a cause and a purpose...then the story won't suffer from his or her arrival into an already balanced storyline.

What makes a really passionae sexscene for me? It's the story itself, in my opinion. The characters, the dialogue, the situations that brought them to this particular golden moment...where sex is possible A stretched out period of wanting and needing and teasing and taunting..it really heightens the feeling of 'attachment' when the two characters finally have sex. The idea that the main characters are just as excited and surprised and relieved as we are, to finally be touching one another. To me, that the sexiest part of any story I've ever read or written. The idea that the truly passionate pieces of our lives are almost always MORE than worth the wait. So the build up increases the climax....so to speak.

When you're reading a story online, and you consider yourself an avid reader of literature, there are going to be a wealth of mistakes made here and there in the writing. Not that the authors aren't talented, because many of them are. But there are no paid editors or publishing houses here. No professional book of rules and regulations being checked every five minutes, and spell checks can catch a lot, but not everything. Many of us are just amateurs, sharing our view of the world through our words. And that can truly bring a purity and honesty that you might not get in more 'polished' projects. However, mechanics are important. And it's the duty of every author to have respect for the rules of their craft. (Or so it is written somewhere. Hehehe!) And little things like correct punctuation, using correct tenses, spelling, paragraph breaks, definitely matter. Especially when it comes to having an audience completely submerge themselves in the word that you're creating for them. the question this week is...how much do technical writing mechanics bother you when they're off? Do misspelled words and sentence fragments make you tear you hair out? Do they make you stumble for a moment, but allow you to get back into the reading? Or are you one of those people who can see a mistake, but remain so locked into the story that you glance right over it? What are your thoughts? Let us know!

Alrighty! You've gotten your story going for a few chapters now, you're enjoying it, readers are enjoying it...wonderful. You've got the lovable main character, you've got the sex love interest, and maybe a few other surrounding characters to help round out the small family of personalities that you want to write about. It can make for a really entertaining story. However, as time goes on, and you find other issues that you want to tackle or other situations that you want to take place in your storyline...you may find that your current list of characters isn't able to offer you any fresh breaths of air. You certainly don't want to repeat yourself or let the story slow down to a boring stop. And you might decide to add a new character into the center of your story, just to shake things up. The question this week is...how can you smoothly integrate a brand new character into a story? What reasons would you have for even trying to do it? And have you ever been reading a story where the new character arrivals just seemed unneccessary or distracting? Or like they just didn't seem to fit? Trying to adopt new 'friends' into an already established family can be just as difficult in writing as it is in real life. So what are your thoughts on this? Let us know!

There's no way around it...many of the erotic stories that you read online are...well...'erotic' in nature. That means adult situations, adult themes, and...yes, sex. Some times a LOT of sex, told openly and graphically. Even if done in good taste and with direct relevance to the story being told...if it were a movie, it would definitely be an 'R/NC-17' rating at best. There's nothing wrong with that, afterall, that's what writing erotic fiction is all about. But the stories are often about teenagers. Teenagers who are currently going through the exact same struggles and pitfalls, who are curious about love and sex, and who are looking for something to relate to in terms of how they feel. And let's be honest...to think for one second that teenagers aren't thinking about sex or aware of its existence is just plain ridiculous. BUT...there are many rules, everywhere, that clearly state that no one under 18 should be allowed to read these stories. Should there be an age limit on the readers who have access to stories containing sex, alcohol, drugs, violence, adult themes, or any of the other issues that many of these stories contain? Are we causing 'damage' by making them available to people who are considered underage? Or are these stories just as important and entertaining to the younger auience as the older audience? Maybe even MORE so. If a closeted thirteen year old boy is looking for a love story that he can relate to and that he can enjoy and fall in love with...shouldn't he be able to freely participate in these communities and stories too? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know!

There is something so incredibly erotic about the early experiences of young love. The 'first time' can be a memorable thing for both author and reader, and the sex can connect to an audience in ways that will have EVERYONE hot under the collar if it's written in just the right way. I've seen some graphically depicted sex scenes that have been downright explosive. And I've read well written sex scenes that have...well, been 'less' satisfying. What's the difference? What creates a truly hot and passionate sex scene for you? What really makes the difference between a decent sexual experience and a mindblowing sexual experience? Is it the characters and the story involved? Is it the words used to describe the sex itself? Is it the type of sex or the actions going on at the moment? What is it for you that really brings out the hunger and the pasion in an erotic scene? Let us know!

Just another written formality that I usually wonder about while I'm writing. It's the decision between using the words 'each other' or 'one another'. They both mean pretty much the same thing, but I was wondering if there was an actual official rule concerning this. Is there a difference between saying: "We stared at each other from across the room." And saying: "We stared at one another from across the room." Is there a right and a wrong way to use the terms? Or is it just a matter of choice? What do you guys think? And what have you heard?

There have been a lot of times when I've seen a story title, and it was compelling enough for me to click on the link and check it out. I, personally, try to avoid reading the descriptions in the header that tell me exactly what's going to happen in the story I'm about to read. Just because I prefer to let the story guide me blindly as I'm reading. However, I've found myself in some very...umm...'undesireable' places doing that. And it's at times like that when I wish I had known ahead of time what I was in for before getting that particular shock. This week's question is...do you find it helpful to know what the content of a story is going to be beforehand? Through codes or warnings in the header. Or is it distracting to you, and you'd rather find out as you read? Do you want a heads up if the story is going to contain certain fetishes? Do you want to know ahead of time if the story is going to contain sex or not? Do you want to know what 'kind' of sex is going to take place? Oral, anal, masturbation? How much or little warning do you want? Let us know!

I've been having a bit of a....well, I don't want to say that it's really a 'problem'...but it's definitely an issue. I wanted to get your opinion on this. Basically, I can't write a well rounded story without some sort of conflict. Otherwise, they get pretty boring, pretty quick. And in some of these stories, that conflict comes in the form of a rival in the love department. Heartache, envy, betrayal, suspicion, self doubt...it makes for a good storyline, in my opinion. The 'issue' is...that I've gotten a lot of emails from people who end up loving the rival MORE than the main love interest. Sometimes MUCH more! I couldn't tell you how many people are waiting for ("New Kid's") Ryan and Randy to break up, or tell me how Derrick ("Class") should dump Tanner and be with Chris instead. Or how "Billy Chase" should stick with Bobby and be hapy with him instead of his boyfriend, Brandon. Is this a 'defect' in the writing? Or is this a good thing? Please feel free to be brutally honest. I mean, the two main characters are SUPPOSED to be the focus of the story. You're SUPPOSED to cheer and jeer and generally WANT them to stay together? Am I right? That's the point of creating this amazing love affair in the first place. But I've gotten that comment from many different places, on many different stories, and I truly appreciate their input, it's awesome. But I was just wondering if you guys thought that this issue was a 'good' thing or a 'bad' thing. Because if my main love interest is too weak a character, then I definitely want to get better at beefing them up and not letting the 'villain' steal the show here. Hehehe! Let me know your thoughts when you get a chance. The more replies the better. I might copy this into the Shack too... Thanks in advance!

Occassionally, in the plot of a story, there can be a tragic passing of a main character. And sometimes, that loss can be taken pretty hard by the public reading your story. Especially if it's someone that they've truly grown attached to. I suppose that it depends on how 'sudden' the incident is, or how much of an impact it has on the storyline, but the death of a character can be a difficult technique to work into any story. This week's question is...how does the death of a major character in a story affect you, and how should an author handle it? Have there been experiences where you were completely shocked by the death of a character? Have there been times when that tragic passing 'ruined' a story for you? (You don't have to name any stories by title or author, a vague telling of what happened is fine.) What impact did it have on you as a writer or reader? Let us know what happened and why!

I think that creativity, in itself, is endless if you keep it 'moving'. Even if you're 'just' going by events that you've lived through in the past...as long as you're growing as a person, you can take that same event and look at it from a whole new angle. So it's possible to keep writing until you're simply out of life. (Hehehe, "Life is the longest thing you'll ever have to live through"! I like that! ) Occasionally, I'll look back at some of my older stories, and I'll see something familiar that I've put into a much newer story. And I cringe because of it, because I want every single story to have it's own feel and it's own impact. So I definitely don't want to repeat myself or tread over old teritory. It bugs me, and I try hard not to do that, but I know that it can be done. There are characters that I've used more than once. Or at least that I've based on the same person. The second story I ever wrote on the site was called "Boy Next Door", and the love interest in that story was based on 'Ariel' from "New Kid", but I doubt that it would really stand out unless I was a complete idiot and mentioned it publicly. Ahem....shit.... I just believe that if you live life, on TOP of recording it through your writing, then you will always have new material, new ideas, new characters, to write about. I, personally, can't have one without the other. But put them together, and the reserve will never go dry. Now....if only we could solve that 'oil' problem.....

Maybe not two weeks! But I can honestly tell you that I did my 'research' and took note of the stories that were LONG overdue. Those are the ones I worked on first to get a new chapter first. So you'll be seeing them soon. ::Nods::

Hehehe, welllll..... More NEWS? Yes! More conversation? Definitely! Sneak peeks? Ummm....hehehe, we'll see what I'm in the mood for. Maybe you could trade some naked pics for a preview! ::Giggles:: You get a 'peek' when I get a 'peek'! j/k

And "Class 15" is coming soon! You won't wanna miss it! Hehehe! ((Hugz))

I don't know many people who would ever make the claim that writing a story is 'easy'. It can be a long, and sometimes frustrating, process. You have to really love the craft of writing, or have a really deep desire to get the story out of your system, to be able to put up with the aggravation of getting it all down on paper. Hehehe, but for those of us who are psychotic enough to do it...there's a sick pleasure in that frustration, and we ENJOY it! Go figure! However, over time, while developing your particular style or take on the subject...the number of stories you create begin to grow. And grow. And GROW! The more you write, the better you get. But, let's be honest...you've only lived one life. You only have one set of experiences. You only have one language to work with (well...per story, that is). How many different ideas, situations, dialogues, and characters, can you possibly come up with? This week's question is...how can an author keep from becoming repetitive in the stories they tell? How can you keep growing and stretching without using the same words over and over again? Without using the same situations, or drawing from the same experiences? Without creating characters from the same friends and love interest you've known? Is it possible to keep creating and treading on new territory? Or is there a point when an author is cursed with an end to his life material...where everything that needed to be said, has been said? What do you think?

I just wanted to send you guys a little note to let you know that I've gotte a pretty big upgrade in the system that I was using to get online, and that means that the GA boards are much more accessible to me than ever before! I'm literally having a BALL testing this bad boy out! And this is just a 'taste' of what's to come once I get comfortable with this keyboard and all! Hehehe! It'll be so damn good to talk to you all again! And I hope to see more of ya soon! Anytime you guys wanna ask any questions, make any comments, or just wanna chit chat, go for it! I'd love to hear from ya! Cool? seezya soon! And thanks for dropping by the Cafe!

Something that I sometimes write down in a hurry, but have to go back and think about from time to time. Simply because I write the way I think. So I'm saying every word in my mind, and my fingers are trying to translate as fast as they can without interrupting the rhythm or the flow of the writing. When you're writing, what is the correct usage of the word "Passed" and "Past"? I'm pretty sure that I know this one, but occasionally, in the heat of the moment, it'll cause me to stumble momentarily, and I'll have to think twice about it. Anybody have an official ruling on this? "I passed him in the hallway." "I walk past him in the hallway." Is that right? Let us know!

You guys definitely made some VERY good points on this one! Honestly? I was really in the middle about whether or not it would make a big difference if the main characters in the story were gay or not in the past. And I say that because I really was not much of a reader at all until I discovered Nifty, and later on, more gay erotica online. I was convinced that the 'pull' for me was the young ga love aspect. The angst, the fear, the confusion, the forbidden fruit. I LIKED that. But over time, I began to realize that these same stories can be told from a heterosexual point of view as well, and still be just as potent. Now, I haven't gone looking for straight erotica online, nor have I had any real interest in it. But I think it's just because it's so 'common' to me. Seriously, I feel like I can find a good straight love story ANYWHERE! And I might enjoy it, get all mushy, and really take it to heart. But there's something unique about gay fiction that really draws me in and grabs my attention. So...bottom line, while I think the stories would still work as 'boy meets girl', and still have the same basic effect on anyone reading...I 'prefer' the gay version. It has a little bit of an extra 'kick' for me. Go figure.

Thank you soooo much for the post Conner! (Hehehe, I LOVE that name! I've gotta use it in a story somewhere soon!) I'm glad that you liked the first chapter of "Scandalous"! There is more to come, and you'll definitely see how things build up to what happened that night in the rain! The second chapter will flashback to the beginning, and you'll see a side of our main character that I'm hoping people will both admire and despise at the same time! Hehehe! I LOVE to write unlikeable characters! They can be so much fun sometimes! Thanks again man! And I'll be sure to make the next one worth the attention! Seezya then!

Ah yes. I surrender. Guilty as charged. BUT...you'll be happy to know that the new chapter IS finished now, and should be posted this week for Valentine's Day. ::Innocent Eyes:: It'll be good. You'll like it.

Hehehe, yeah, I've got a LOT of work to do to finish off a bunch of the stories that I've started! A LOT! Thanks for the compliment, by the way! ((hugz)) I hope you've found yourself a couple of good stories to keep ya smiling until I finish off a few more. It's my downall, having so much left up in the air. As for finished stories, you might want to check out "Never Again", "Whipered Words", "Someone For Me", or "Final Hour". They're long enough to be a decent read, but they are definitely complete. From beginning to end. (Hehehe, I CAN write an ending! I swear! You'll see!) Also, stories that I am working hard to end in the near future (within the next 2 or 3 chapters, maybe less) are "On The Outside", "Between The Lines", "All Eyes Watching", "Save Or Sacrifice", "My Only Escape", "Dream Lover", and "Left Without Words"! Cool? I hope you like 'em! And let me know what you think!

I do agree with a lot of what you guys said, and that's pretty much what I try to do when I'm writing. I always start off with a very clear idea of what the story is about, what the characters are, and where I want it to go. But while I'm actually 'writing' it out, all KINDS of surprise events come to mind, and if it feels natural, then I go with it. But I always try to keep my head while I'm doing it. Like, I could have an idea for a really cool scene or some really dramatic dialogue...but I have to ask myself, "Does this stay in tune with the story and what I'm trying to say with it?" And I've been forced to toss out a lot of really cool ideas because of that. (Hehehe, and by 'toss out', I mean start a whole other series altogether just so I could use it later! ) The best example would be "GFD". I sat for hours, days, weeks, MONTHS...just planning out that story on paper! I have notebooks FULL of characters, and scenes, and plot points, and dialogue, and fight scenes, that I wrote back before I even started the first chapter. I had a writing teacher tell me that you should always have a definite idea of a beginning, a middle, and an end, before starting out anything new. It's something that I stick to with everything I write. Trust me, all of my stories have 'endings' in my mind...but getting there can be a looooonnnng process most times! And I try not to push anything or skip out on detail, so a lot of new ideas pop up all the time. Sometimes, just reading emails and message board posts about "GFD" can spark a whole new idea. And if it feels right, I follow it. I think it helps to keep the story 'organic' and spontaneous. When I write chapters, especially for the sci fi stories, I alwas imagine the chapter like a 'movie trailer' before I start. Music and all. Hehehe, seriously. I think about what big moments I want to happen in each chapter, what big plot lines I want to introduce, and what major scenes I want to take place. So I create a little movie trailer in my head, and I pick out all of the most vivid parts from the chapter, string them together, and then I start writing...getting from point A, to point B, to point C, and so on...fluidly, and without making it look mechanical or forced. And by the end of the chapter, I hope to have that entire theme played out so I can move on to the next part, and repeat the process all over again. So yes, a 'plan' is necessary, but improvising and allowing your characters some freedom to write a percentage of the story 'for' you is a must. Can I tell ne way or the other? Sometimes, yes. I've read some stories where it feelslike the author doesn't know where the story is going, and the writing seems to just be 'drifting along' with no real direction or purpose for what's going on. I've done it myself before, when I didn't know how to flawlessly jump from one scene to another. So I know it's a challenge to work that out. And there are also times when it feels like the author is 'pushing' you to read the story in a particular way, and it feels like he's rushing to get to an inevitable end no matter what it takes. Those stories can sometimes feel like they're hurrying to get to the end, instead of immersing themselves deeply in the story. So I can 'feel' it sometimes whether it's planned too tightly, or not planned at all. But that doesn't make it a bad story...it's just something you can notice if you look for it. Anyway, thanks for the input, you guys! Sorry it took me a couple weeks to answer this one!

I remember when I first found the Nifty Archive, and being so overwhelmed and so amazed at the wealth of stories there! Stories that FINALLY related to me and my interests and my desires, but not just the garden variety porn stories that I could find in any dirty magazine or gay pay site...but stories of first love, with real emotion and nervousness and confusion. It was like finding heaven with just a few keystrokes. Needless to say, I got addicted to the stories pretty quickly! And once I started writing my own...well, you know how the story goes from there. But there was something that I wondered about, and I want you guys' honest opinion on this. Naturally, the pull of a majority of these stories is the attraction, and the relation to things that I went through when I was going through. At least for me. They bring back memories for me, and they excite me with their content. The question is....would these stories still 'work' if they were heterosexual? If these same tales of young love were 'boy meets girl' instead of 'boy meets boy'...would they be as potent for us as readers? Would they be as relevant? I mean, the 'love' is what matters right? The words would essentially be the same, and the writing would be just as beautiful, but would our needs be fully satisfied if the love story we were reading was on the 'straight' and narrow? Let us know! I'm interested.