Libby Drew

The pleasure is all mine, I promise. I'm so happy to know you've stuck with it, even though I had a posting haitus. Believe me, I was as relieved as you to finally see some hope on the horizon for these characters. I knew it would be doom and gloom through chapter 5 and have been looking forward to this part of the story for some time now. Thanks again for reading and for your feedback.

Thanks for letting me know. I'm still in the watch and wait mode, but you're right about the forums. That would be a great place to start to get a feel for the place. I appreciate the info!

Hi Altimexis! You say the nicest things. As for Between Lives, I had my heart set on working on it for the few days I was without Internet, only to remember my most recent copy, along with my outline and all my notes, were stranded out on Google docs, out of reach . :wacko: It's at the top of my priority list, though. The idea of interconnected short stories is really growing on me. I bet you've had a great time with yours. I'm definitely going to make it a point to carve out some time to read Naptown Tales. I'm curious to see how you tied everything together. Thanks again for the kind words and continued support. It's a great feeling to know that what I create gives somebody some pleasure. ~Libby

Thanks very much, both for the kind words and for starting a thread. I'd meant to do so yesterday when I posted, but got pulled away from the computer before I could. The story behind the story is this: I dashed it off super quick over a period of two days while my Internet was down (hence, no work) for a friend who'd been asking after a certain kind of romantic plot line. I'd had every intention of ending it where I did. Now, however, I'm strangely dissatisfied with that choice. So I think there probably will be future installments, though perhaps not immediately. I'm feeling compelled to say more about Marc's impending struggle, though I'll probably choose to do so in a series of interconnected short stories rather than a chapter-dependent fic. My main focus right now is to finish up Between Lives. Thanks again for the lovely comment. I actually have an Aunt May, and she is every bit like the character in this story. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It's always a pleasure to entertain you all.

Some links with regards to Conflict vs Complication in writing plot. Kristin Nelson, and Tabitha Olsen So, "Conflict is always personal" while "misunderstanding, distrust, and coincidence are all complications (and not conflict)". I honestly don't believe I've ever thought of it that way. As it's mostly agreed that stories require (1) conflict, and (2) some sort of resolution to that conflict

Hi Graeme! This site was brought to my attention again yesterday by a friend on LiveJournal. I reviewed the TOS and feel carefully optimistic that this could be a fun experience, if nothing else. I, too, was encouraged that they included Gay Literature on their genre list. Well, I signed up -- just to read for now, but I'm eager to poke around the site. Did you end up submitting? I'd be curious to hear your experiences, if so. Thanks! ~Libby

Hi, there! Lord, I hope so. I need about an extra twelve hours a day. And then I need a clone so I can spend those extra twelve hours writing. Two months ago, I was contracted to write a novella to accompany a shared universe of novels and short stories. As I know the author well and enjoy her writing immensely, I jumped at the chance. It doesn't hurt that the genre's right up my alley -- gay fiction. The contract was for 50,000 words, but I have a feeling it's going to run longer. It's really been eating up my time, but Between Lives has not been abandoned, I promise. I've managed to eek out a few more chapters in between other projects, but those are still being revised and edited. My heart is still very much with Nate, Sophie, Bran, and Will. Thanks for your interest, and I hope to have something for you soon. Take care.

It's no secret to anybody who knows me. Certainly not to my husband, or my children (the ones who are old enough to understand such things), or to my parents. My siblings and siblings-in-law also know. If anybody takes a specific interest in what I write, I tell them. But many authors I'm friendly with haven't told a soul about their gay-themed writing -- for various reasons, some of which have been mentioned here -- and I certainly respect their choice. I was right there when a good friend came out, and he did so through his writing. It was an extremely brave thing to do, and I'm convinced it was his gift with wordcrafting, with story-telling, that softened the shock and helped pave the way for understanding. Great topic, corvus. Thanks.

Thanks for the review, corvus. Popping over to efiction and seeing how many comments I haven't replied to was just mortifying. I really need to get my act together. I appreciate your feedback, as always. Yes, it feels so different! This is an experiment for me, in a way. I've written plenty of short stories in the present tense, but each of the four novel-length stories I've written have all been in the past tense. To be honest, I'd planned to write this in the past tense. But each time I sat down to write, I'd end up with whole paragraphs in present tense. I'd go back and change it all, only to have it happen again and again. So it was intuition, I suppose, to do it this way, combined with a fair amount of subconscience influence. The alternating POV is a different animal all together. There are two stories being told here, intertwined but very different, and -- barring a decision to split this into two different stories -- I thought a shared, alternating POV was the best way to tell it. I don't know if you remember the thread on POV in the Writer's Corner, but I tend to prefer third-person limited/one character, even (usually) for longer works. So this is also something new I'm "experimenting" with. Not all experiments are successes. But if I've learned something from the experience, and can be even the tiniest bit a better writer, then I'm happy. Thanks again for reading and for your thought-provoking feedback. I greatly value your opinion.

I completey understand the appreciation of silence. When I'm afforded it, it's something to be relished. Other times, when there are other people or activity around, I will listen to music, usually my ipod, something soft and moody.

Okay, I now have this very romanticized picture in my head of you at some quaint Parisian cafe, battered leather journal and fountain pen in hand. I think that's wonderful.

A fair amount of my day lends itself to planning and crafting stories in my head. It just doesn't give me the peace to write them. I don't know about you, but it takes me a while -- I don't know, several minutes at the least, a half hour on the outside -- to calm and order my thoughts to the point where I'm ready to actually write. I do, however, keep a tab open on my laptop and a small journal in my purse for ideas, snippets of conversation, and slices of scenes that come to me at other times of day.

I really appreciated them. Coming from a community where story headers are convention, it was very nice to see a short summary of each of the stories here. I had assumed the authors themselves had supplied them. I'd like to see them going forward for my own selfish reasons, but a solid summary can also draw reluctant readers to click. Another thing that would be really helpful, to me, anyway, would be word count. Sometimes I can spare only a certain amount of time to read. I like knowing what I'm getting into in advance.

So much heartache with this anthology, but the prompt rather lent itself to that. I think the tragedy in this story, equal to that of what Darren went through with being discharged and betrayed by Nelson, is the five long years he endured afterward, apparently still harboring the pain and bitterness of betrayal. I read somewhere up the thread that everyone lost in this story, and I think that's true. But if Darren was able to use the run-in with Nelson as an impetus to shed some of his pain and begin healing, then there is hope. Thank you for sharing this.

Extremely moving, Tiger. I read it last night and then again this morning. What made it especially emotive, for me, was experiencing it in the dark, quiet of night and then again this morning in the swarming chaos of my kitchen. Last night this poem made me incredibly sad, helpless, and silence felt approriate to the end of the day. This morning those feelings were still present, but I was also bolstered to talk about it, to let you know I heard you. That someone is listening.

Had a chance to read this last night, Tiff. It's amazing how you managed to make this both heartbreaking and heartwarming, all in the span of a few thousand words. I had tears in my eyes at several points, but for different reasons. Escaping one's fear is something we all face in life, but for teens -- where so much is close to the surface and the smallest things seem insurmountable -- it can be paralyzing. For that reason, this didn't feel overdone at all. Thank you for having enough faith in people to allow your characters to choose the right path.

I've been frustrated enough recently to want to rant about writing and time management, but I'll spare everybody my temper tantrum. I know there are people who have the freedom to sit down and write whenever they like and others with the opposite situation, but what I'd like to do is put all that aside for the moment and ask: Presuming that time is not an issue, what is your "dream" writing environment? Is there a particular place you like to go? A certain room? A particular table or desk or chair with a window view that inspires you? Do you listen to music? Do you meditate first to clear your mind? Is peaceful and serene your style or is a busy park or restaurant more your thing? Soft, comfortable clothing? None at all? My preferred environment is very much a product of my life. I feel lucky if I can carve out an hour or two of uninterrupted peace a day and make enough room at the kitchen table for my laptop. Unfortunately, this happens mostly late in the evening, when I'm so tired my eyes are crossing. There's not much I can do about the chaos that is my life right now, nor do I really want to. I love it. So ideally what I'd really like is a place

Thanks again, Gary, and I'm not dismayed in the least. I don't expect every chapter to prompt the same reaction as the last. And look at all the shiny fiction that's been posted with the new anthology. I'm loving it myself -- it's a bit like Christmas. Nate and Will's full stories will (finally) be revealed in the next couple of chapters, so all those hints and clues will be explained very shortly. Thanks, as always, for the lovely review and thoughtful feedback.

I really enjoyed this! What captivated me the most was how the modern facets of society (e.g. cell phones) were juxtaposed with such archaic (though obviously not obsolete) ideas. I was so happy to see Mahmoud return again and again to Jean, even though he knew the potential consequences for doing so. A story very true to the prompt. The hopeful ending was exactly what I needed this evening. Thank you for sharing this.

Corvus, it was a fantastic read! Your characters are so rich and three-dimensional. I fell in love with the eccentric oddness that was the Hotel California. Leonard was an intricate blend of cynicism and idealism, I was with him every step of the way. The foreshadowing was subtle, and your prose well-balanced with dialog and expostition. As a whole, it was extremely satisfying -- the end, included. It left me thinking, trying to figure certain clues and allegory, and wondering after the characters' welfare. That's a gift. Thanks so much for all your hard work.

I might have a few suggestions, but before I give them it would help to know from what perspective you'll be "investigating" this crime? Will you need primarily forensic how-to, or legal/justice information? Will the POV character(s) need special knowledge, e.g. are they a scientist? A cop? Victim? It sounds like you'll want bits and pieces of all facets of crime investigation, but knowing who's telling the story may help decide what you need most of. Do you feel like sharing what you have in mind? I'll understand if you want to keep it close to the chest.

Oh, I'm so glad! Thank you, Tiger! Yes, he is suffering. But there's hope on the horizon. Wonderful! I'm thrilled to hear that, Benji. One of the reasons I put this chapter off for so long was because I was afraid it would be a tedious read. I knew what I wanted to do with it, but was afraid it wouldn't satisfy. From a reader's perspective, that is. Thank you very much for the feedback. Firsty, Gary, thank you very much for such rich and heartfelt compliments. I'm overwhelmed. I try very hard to cut everything extraneous I can from my prose, but it's a slippery slope, and I've far from mastered it. I think I often shortchange the narration, actually, but I'm still learning. Bran's a hopeless flirt. That should answer some of your questions, yes? I suppose I'd like to think that, at its heart, this story will end up being as much about what constitutes a family as much as about finding new purpose. We'll see if I pull it off. And yes, Bran becomes as important a figure to Nate as Will does. As always, thanks for reading and for your thoughtful comments. I'm accused of being evil all the time. Funny how a rep like that follows you. Thanks for the commiseration. Between my four kids, every day is a logistical battle, but the last month of school is enough to drive me to drink. I had been holding off writing this particular chapter, and that's what gummed up the works. The four after this -- chapters 4,5,6, and 7 -- are complete, awaiting edits, but this one gave me fits, and I put it off for that reason. I'm sorry to have such a long wait between updates. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such comprehensive feedback. It helps give me an idea of whether I'm doling out the story too slowly or too quickly, and it's always heartening to hear that I've accomplished my goals for a specific chapter. I knew this was going to be an information heavy/action light installment since day one, and I was kind of dreading it. I'm so happy to hear it's been enjoyed. Thanks again, Tiff!

I fall in with Graeme and Kit. I do best focusing on one novel-length story at a time, but I do enjoy writing short stories concurrently to break up the "monotony." Not that I find writing monotonous, quite the opposite! But it's exciting to get a new idea down on paper, especially one that's been niggling me, and I think it keeps the creative juices flowing. It also prevents me from becoming bogged down with one set of themes and characterizations.

Yes, what Tiff said. Yesterday was the first chance I've had to write in weeks, literally. Beyond the usual anxiety of being out of touch with the story for so long, I was actually nervous about whether or not I'd be able to write at all. My life is busy, my writing time limited and sometimes (like now) frustratingly infrequent, so I often need to reread in order to reconnect with the story. Though since many of my chaptered fics are written out of sequence, it's not previous chapters that I'll revisit so much as previously written passages.