Tim Hobson

You sure know how to keep your readers on the edge of their seats!

Wow! This chapter triggered a flashback. When I finally got to college, I was four or five years older than just about everyone else. Joining a fraternity never even occurred to me, until I was approached by a couple of guys from one. They needed to pull up the house's GPA, and they thought having an "older" member would also prove they weren't just a bunch of drunk horny assholes (hint: it didn't work--their grades tanked because they were nothing but drunk horny assholes). Out of respect or because no one wanted to room with me, I ended up with a corner room just like the one Carey occupied for that summer. Unexpectedly, I found myself in the role of Father Confessor + Dr Ruth + Drunk Uncle! At least it made college life interesting. Loved the whole short chapter. There's been a Palace theater, or more than one, in every city I've lived in, although they're becoming rare because of free Internet porn and gay bars. In my experience, what happened to Carey was pretty damn tame! 😜

This chapter touched a nerve. I'll just say that the situation is both familiar and painful. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the concept of "Bi" didn't exist yet--or at least I'd never heard of it. A friend at the time said, "Why should we limit ourselves to just half of the human race?"

For me, characters in stories are always "real persons" -- just in a different dimension! I also hope Apollo is OK and that he and Carey hook up (in all senses) very soon!

I was wondering the same thing. He just shows up at the right house...

I can't honestly say what I think until I read the next chapter...

Just started catching up. I came here from your current in-process story. I like your style of writing. It's snowing to beat the band here today, so I'll binge read as much of this as I can today!

I'm glad you replied, @Mikiesboy! I didn't want to sound like a grammar Nazi, and I make as many mistakes (especially with commas!) as the next writer. I use every tool at my disposal to catch and correct errors, and to smooth out clunky phrases. I rely on web tools and humans (editor and beta reader) to keep me on my toes. Recently, I also became an unofficial (as in "uncredited") beta reader, and I'm learning heaps by helping someone else!

I live in snowy corner of Appalachia (we've had three feet since Christmas and more is on the way), and there's a passle of Thayers living in these parts. It's a surname, though, and one of them was our local judge for twenty-odd years. There was even a town named Thayerville in the old days, but it's now at the bottom of a (frozen) lake! As is the case with Monsieur Rimbaud, I usually eschew stories that are "in process" because I like to binge read the whole thing as quickly as possible. But then it occurred to me that my current story is in fact "in process," and my readers are patiently waiting for it to unfold gradually, even though, like yours, it is already fully fleshed out. I am eager to check out your other story, particularly because it's "complete."

A murder in a story about a sexually confused teenage boy? Wow! Whoda thought? Great writing, @JLynch ! I see I have one more chapter to go to catch up with you. Can't wait for more.

Thayer needs an older, more experienced pal/boyfriend to show him the ropes and introduce him gently to the many pleasurable ways to enjoy his perpetual erection. I fear he's in for a lot worse treatment, though. Great cast of characters, @JLynch. Looking forward to reading more!

I remember those "gas station attendants." They filled your tank, checked your oil, and wiped your windshield! Isn't it interesting how those innocent tasks became shorthand for sex? Of course, those attendants were often so cute you just wanted to lure them into the restroom and get your oil checked or your tank filled! Come to think of it, isn't that the plot line of a lot of porn?

Perfect word picture. And let's not forget all the little "swimmers" he's sending out into the world.

At sixteen, jacking off several times is an integral part of every day. At least Thayer has a place or two where he can do it unobserved -- or was he? With so many people interested in what he's got in his pants, how long will it be before his necessary ritual becomes someone else's entertainment?

Thayer sounds like everyman -- or everyboy. It's going to be interesting watching him figure things out. I wish him well!

I thought it had something to do with timing. So, if an edit is needed, wait until the story is published to make it. Got it. Thanks!

I had my story approved, and prologue and chapter one were ready published with tomorrow's date. Today, I needed to change the story description, so I edited and saved it, and then published it again. The story shows "To be published" with the date and time I selected, but the status bars say the story is not approved and is in the moderation queue and must be approved before I can publish. Is it published or not? If not, what do I need to do? Sorry if this is just a matter of timing. I realize it's evening in England.

Indeed! Perhaps the only real solution is to be selective in which authors I read.

I hope I didn't imply that. I agree and also use all sorts of slang, profanity, and "spoken English" in dialog, but I'm talking about content outside that narrow realm. I could supply actual examples, but that would offend the writers, and it is not my intention to do that. I guess I got up on the wrong side of the bed today. I value the creativity and cleverness of GA writers, but I lose a little respect for those whose work clearly needs at least basic editing (e.g., spellcheck and free Grammarly), and I sometimes get so tired of the mistakes that I don't read further. I suppose it's because I put a lot of effort into the editing process that it irks me when others don't appear to. Now that I think about it more abstractly, I sense that my feeling may be an extension of the national malaise over not being able to persuade other people to "do the right thing." Mea culpa! One more thought: I also read stories on Nifty and a couple of other sites, and the difference between those and GA posts is like night and day. I guess it's a kind of pride in being on GA that makes me want to highlight the professionalism and writing skills of my fellow writers here, and to wish for a little more care and precision from some of them.

OK, I admit this is a rant. Sorry if it doesn't belong in this forum, and @Mikiesboy can delete it if he wants to, but I have to say this. I don't mean to pick on anybody, but I spend far more time time rereading and editing my work than I do writing it. I have an editor and a beta reader, who catch things I miss. In short, I take editing seriously (OK, perhaps it's an obsession). So why do so many of the stories posted here have such glaring errors (e.g., misspelled words, words duplicated or missing, poor grammar -- Who doesn't know the difference between "and I" and "and me"? -- etc.). I'm surprised and disappointed at times when these errors are so obvious, even coming from Prolific writers (does "prolific" only refer to quantity and not quality?) and in Premium content (why should I pay extra for poorly-written stories?). I know we're all amateurs, and perhaps the story is more important than the telling, but it certainly takes away from my enjoyment to have to skip over mistakes that somebody should have caught. I sometimes give up and quit reading a badly-written piece. And I know that my own writing (including my latest story that posts tomorrow) sometimes contains a flub or two, but when someone points them out or I spot them when I'm reading online, I make the correction and re-release the story. At least I make the greatest possible effort to write without such simple mistakes. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I had to get it off my chest. Otherwise, why do I bother to edit at all?

To quote the sage of Liverpool: ...and a Happy New Year. Hope it's a good one... in every sense of the word! Glad to hear the worst is behind you -- or at least we hope it is. Don't try to do too much, too fast, though. A boatload of my relatives had the norovirus, so we stayed home for Christmas and New Year's. Now, it looks like the first major snowstorm in years is headed our way. I'm rushing to the grocery store to buy milk, bread, and toilet paper (and some things I actually need!).

It does sound like Pete has a secret, like the one that sexual abusers tell children to keep. I hope we're all wrong about that. It would certainly complicate Danny's exit plan if he had to confront his parents or talk to Sarge about it. Isn't this just how life fucks with you? Just when a way out seems to appear, it's snatched away and replaced by a ton of shit!

It's pretty clear why Jake is worried about escalating the war with Thommo. He is going home for Christmas--maybe sooner than he had planned.

What a brilliant plot twist! Introducing a white knight just when most needed is a hopeful resolution to the horror of the sexual violence, and it puts the story back on a lighter tack. Reminds me of Huckleberry Finn and other classic coming of age tales.

My favorite Mark Twain has always been The Prince and the Pauper. The 1937 movie version starring Erroll Flinn stills sets my heart a-flutter!