moonspenders

Thank you, thank you... Well, I'm actually getting to the writing finally today... I'm on page 5... 1560 words. A long ways away from the 100,000 total I'm shooting for, but it's only the first chapter! LOL

Thanks, Myr! I've just recieved my last email on it.. everyone thinks it's riveting and a great storyline... just have to make those minor alterations tonight and I'm off!!

Hey, all, Well, I figure now's a good time to start talking about this, since I think it's actually starting to take shape. Almost a month ago, I started working on a new fiction book which is intended to become a new gay murder mystery series. Tenetaively, the first book is called "Afterglow". In one month, I have gone from the first initial idea of the main character, Morgan Hathaway, to a completed first draft of the stepsheet/outline. The basic story line is about a gay paranormal investigator who is trying to solve the murder of a psychic. Most of the characters are trying to deal with their past, be it prison, murder, or denying their true self, which brings plenty of twists and turns into the mix. Although the majority of the characters are gay and it is set in a small town, their sexuality doesn't rule their lives entirely. None of them are the stereotypical flambouyant queens too many books have. So far, I've sent out the outline to a few people I trust to give me honest reviews and critiques. My sister responded only today (yes, I know she's family and family is generally biased, but my sister is a copy-editor and avid reader of mysteries and mainstream novels.) I was surpried at her response: good flow, good storyline, a few parts that need more work to give meaning to the characters coming into the story, and a few loose ends. She said overall it's great and reminded her of Diane Mott Davidson, one of her favorite mystery writers. She was also impressed to see a gay main character who was so real and unique. In closing, she told me I was "tapping into a new genre." I'm waiting to hear back from a few other people on their comments and reviews before i edit the stepsheet and start writing, though I have started the first chapter and a few sections of dialogue from later chapters. I'm hoping to start writing the book full-force by the end of the week, giving myself a tentative deadline of 2 months for a completed first draft. I have basic ideas for 5 follow-up mysteries involvingthe same character, so I'm very confident that this could become something great. As i get everything figured out and started, I'll start to post parts of it on here. Any comments, questions, or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Ken

Well, I imaging it's similar... except you don't have to shovel heat off your car, or dress in so many layers you can hardly move to go outside. Either extreme is never a pleasant thing!

I have to say I prefer leaving things up to the imagination myself too... When i write about characters, I prefer to either have a mental image or work from a photograph, but i'd never include it in the work. My idea behind that is using an image to go from to create my descriptions but still leaving it up to the reader to paint their own picture, which usually will be somewhat similar but never exact. We get so used to TV and movies where we don't need to use our imaginations that I think it's healthy to make the gears turn once again. LOL

Nights like that are perfect... "a perfect night for mystery and intrigue.. the air itself is filled with monsters..." Of course, perception is everything. Tonight, we're getting bombarded by the fragile white flakes, making driving treacherous.. Snow can be a thing of beauty and childhood innocence or a white blanket of a prison, trapping us in a world of our own makings...

*weakly* well, it wasn't that bad of a wild guess.... *shrugs*

1. Um, Fight Club?? 2. um, no clue.. lol

Patrick, Morality is always a difficult thing to stew over. There are three perspectives to look at: his, yours, and the managers. Overall, you made the wise choice in ther matter. You telling the manager is brownie point for yourself, since you were being honest in a situation where you could have been deceitful. It shows something about your character. Of course, he may get mad if he does trace it back to you. But, so what? Honestly, if we all stopped worrying about what other people thought about what we did, half our daily stress would vanish. Sure, you may have lost a possible good friend, but is he really the sort of person you would want to have in your life? I personally did my time at McDeath: two years in high school. Hated it. HATED it. Sure, i don't care much for the company, lthe same with Walmart. But overall, the company has no bearing on the situation. it's all about you and how you live your life. I've been in similar circumstances, knowing secrets that risked other people (technically, the manager could have been fired over this as well... the chain is endless), and yes i had played the "nark" when it weighed too heavily on me. It was for the better from experience though. Calm down and don't let it be your burden. He made the mistake, you were merely the soothsayer. The fact that you're on probation is even more reason to be honest. The less chances anyone has of catching you in a lie, the better the odds are that you won't end up going back. Ken

Thanks! Glad to be on board!! I look forward to meeting everyone!

Hello, everyone! I came across this site after spending days trying to find a gay writers group close to me in Cleveland, Ohio (fat chance of that!), but this seemed like a perfect place! Let's see... I wrote an article in 1998 for the Gay People's Chronicle, another article a few years ago for Ghost! Magazine (an online paranormal ezine), and have spent a few years working on a book on local ghost stories which is still awaiting response from the possible publisher on the revised sample chapters. In the mean time, i had a good idea for a murder mystery character so I'm working on the character bios for that, then the plot, then outline.... you get the picture! lol I've started a few short stories based on ex's and friend's relationships, but this is the first major gay character I've written about, not to mention the biggest project I've taken on, and it does scare me in a way. i want to become an author, just seem to criticize my work too much! Can things be posted on here if they're just rough idea? I hate to discuss things without having something sent to a publisher to safeguard myself, but i know talking to other people helps out a lot. If there are any local people on the site, I'd like to get to know them and have a bit of a support system too. lol Well, I'm babbling again! I hope to hear from everyone!! Ken