ACFan

Comsie, you're my hero..... (by the way, I still owe you one for talking me into starting writing....... )

I think the secret is that the character has to be convincing enough to put the reader in his shoes. A story that is just being 'read' is not being enjoyed; it takes the story inviting the reader to open their thoughts and imagination to the author for the written word to have impact. Personally, a story that leaves nothing to the imagination turns me off. A writer that points my imagination in the way he / she wants to go then just gives an occasional hint along the way to make sure I'm on the same track as he / she is will usually grab my attention and make me want to continue reading. A perfect example for me is the club in GFD; I can picture it in my head right now because Com gave just enough of a description as the characters interacted in there to be able to piece it together into something real. He didn't give us a detailed floorplan; he dropped hints after the initial quick description the first time they entered the club. Over the lifetime of the story the reader's imagination filled in the gaps and turned it into a familiar place. The same effect is used on characters; you get the basics and then hints to help them become real. Once the imagination is opened up in a story, anything that happens no matter how slight will affect the reader as if they were actually there; the key is already turned on so no attachment is required to make what would be a dry or trivial event by itself into something that grabs the reader and drags them along for the ride.

Add me to the list Com! (BTW, Cory said he's still waiting for a response -- dang fictional kids, they have no patience!!!!)

You know, thats the weird thing - I actually prefer a story surprise me a few times. I try to do that with Memories (Not sure how well, but I try!) That's what intrigues me about GFD so much; no matter what you think MIGHT happen, Com has another trick up his sleeve which nobody expects. Finding a movie that follows that line is getting harder and harder - the major studios have fallen into the cookie-cutter trap with the scripts that they are approving. Like was said on the radio earlier this week --- how many times can you rehash a horror movie where some one reads/watches/opens something and they get killed? Stephen King was a good example up above -- while the content of his stories is definately interseting and usually original, you know that in the end only a couple of people will "survive"; the only real mystery to it is which people it will be.

I agre - just give it time and it will all work out. To give you an idea, my story "Memories" has been going since October of 2002; Ive managed a whole 38 chapters in that time! If you try to rush yourself, you will end up with a sub-par product, let it come to you and it'll be awesome. There have been plenty of times I've went back and re-read what I've done already before I write the next chapter - it helps with keeping everyone in character and sometimes gives me extra ideas.

It is a fact of life that the un-informed end up on the short end of the stick. Be it bad news or even attempts to segregate others different from you, the only way to stop bigotry is for the common people to stay informed of what the people with power are saying. Every one of us has either directly or indirectly suffered from suppression of news; the only way to fight it is to pass it around if the major news carriers won't.

OMG - LOL! those are hilarious!

This may sound ironic - but it was "Gone From Daylight" which really grabbed me and made me realize what the storyline can really be if you try. I STILL strive to get close to the impact of GFD; one of these days I Might manage to write a chapter that meets the high standards which GFD set.

hehehee -- great jokes - (here kitty kitty ..... )

The Annex I want to give a HUGE thanks to all of you! Just over two years ago, I was a reader on Comicality's Shack library. On a whim, I wrote what I thought was going to be a short story; I really didn't think it was very good. Thanks to the support of Comicality and a lot of you out here (Too many to list!) that short story outgrew the Shack Library, then outgrew it's own Voy Forum. After making it through two ad-based hosts, that story is now the centerpiece of the Annex. The story, Memories, still to this day surprises me with the response! Thanks to Myr, I got the extra exposure through the webring; but it would not be what it is today without all of the support I've received as it developed. Comicality, Myr, and all the rest of you who took the time to give an aspiring newbie the push to succeed!

Okay - I managed to sneak out of the woodwork! Gun, you are an awesome writer; just remember, I don't let just anyone write side stories that go with Memories!