It would be nice if both writers on cowritten stories would be sent notices of comments on their story rather than just the writer who posted the story.
None of those listed.
Italy, France and Spain in order of preference.
Retire early along with my other half. Find a house in in Italy or France to buy and live a good part of the year there. Spend time travelling to places we love and others that have been our to do list. We would probably fly different friends and family members over to visit us in Europe.
I would want to set up trust funds to educate some young people in our lives and help our families to be more comfortable.
I am certain we would use some of the money to support causes we believe in.
On a more everyday scale, I would buy whatever books I want to read as soon as they come out (and actually have the time to read them) and always have fresh flowers in our homes. Perhaps I would spend more time writing and learning how to paint with watercolours.
Money will not make your life perfect. It will give you the funds to make choices without that being a consideration. The important thing that money can give you is more time to enjoy your life.
I like Dove and Haagen-Daz ice cream bars. There is a local brand of great ice cream - Karwartha Lakes - and I love their strawberry and butter pecan flavours. My other half loves the Bordeaux Cherry and Death by Chocolate. Needless to say, it is good we have a large freezer.
Smart and funny and a gentleman. What else could one want?
Never mind not relying solely on spellcheck or grammarly. Don't bother using them.
Write dialogue all in one paragraph. Let the readers guess who is saying what to whom.
Keep changing how you punctuate dialogue or don't format it at all.
Use lots of ellipses and exclamation points. It makes your story less boring to read. You can also use italics and bold haphazardly to make things interesting.
Argue vociferously with any story moderator who makes suggestions about how to improve your story. It is an insult to an artist to be told to make corrections. You have a style of your own.
Go for what's easy. Use the laundry list to describe your characters, like criminal descriptions, but with improbable stats.
She was medium height, with long blond hair, blue eyes, 38 DD boobs, narrow waist and rounded 36" hips.
He was six feet tall, dark hair and eyes and had an 8-inch cock that expanded to more than ten inches when aroused.
They were attracted to each other's obvious assets.
A Bloody Caesar - it's a Canadian thing.
Peonies, gerber daisies and tulips in that order.
Oh, yes. He would probably want sweet tea like a good Georgia boy, and an Americano for me.
Hello everyone. Almost 5 PM here and it has been a hellish day. So, I'll have a gin and tonic please.
Interesting conversation about writers, stories, and readers. I know that there was a time when it seemed that there was some great writing being published here, and much of it written by strong personalities. For good or for ill, I think that the strong personalities are now shown in threads in the Think Tank, rather than creative writing. I have not written anything new in a long while. I know that my work whether solo or with co-writers like Milik was well received, but not to the extent of some other writers. I believe that I progressed from writing that really strung together sex scenes to writing real stories with characters that have some depth. Maybe that is not what the majority of people want, rather showing up for some quick stimulation and release. Who knows? The number of members on the site has skyrocketed in the time I have been here, and perhaps a good proportion of them are less invested in quality writing than we would hope for.
I am not sure that the issue is really that pertinent, given that the previous category was a thinly veiled version of it, just with the addition of step- to relationships.
Things happen so quickly now with pervasive social media and the short attention spans that they have engendered. Maybe we need a category for readers to get off after reading ten tweets. Of course, I am being facetious. But I do think that the spirit of the time is very different than it was five years ago.
I don't have any answers, but this discussion brings up interesting questions for us all to think about.
Cheers everyonoe.
I am rarely carried away with grief for celebrities beyond saying 'that's too bad" but this death really hit me. Anthony Bourdain was articulate and adventurous. He was a splendid writer and creator of documentaries that showed us so much more than food. That was the entryway to the culture of other people, learning about their lives and countries in the most human way. He was never smug or condescending and could relate with anyone anywhere over a meal. He taught us to walk away from the tourist areas of well known places to explore the neighbourhoods where people live and work and eat. That is how you get to know another country and people.
I will never forget the hilarious episode in Sicily (or perhaps it was Naples) where he arranged to go out fishing. He donned snorkeling gear and when he was in the water dead octopi were being tossed from two boats into the water to make him think that he was fishing for them. His outrage at this stupid scam was well deserved. There were many other episodes that took me to places I had never been and some that I had visited but not seen through his eyes. I recorded his show weekly and watched it with pleasure. I am grateful for sharing his adventures vicariously.
Tony Bourdain conquered heroin and cocaine addiction and various other excesses. He made a life for himself that seemed like a charmed one from the outside. It said he was away over 200 days annually. I wonder if this constant motion was part of being bipolar. Who knows? Clearly there were demons and darkness that he could not overcome, culminating in his suicide. I ache for his daughter and his friend Eric Ripert who found him. I hope his friends and loved ones find peace and that if there is another life somewhere that he too has found peace. He would be at a dinner table having great food, wine and conversation with other interesting people who are gone.
This is so, so sad.
Art - with occasional modelling for life drawing classes
Your friend must decide for herself to take back control of her life and that of her children. She needs support in a few ways. There are support groups for abused wives and families and shelters for those who must leave their homes and have nowhere else to go. She may well need counselling or therapy from an appropriate medical professional. She needs to consult with a family law lawyer to understand her rights in this situation and take the necessary legal steps for support and custody of her children and a separation agreement or divorce. She will have to separate herself financially from her husband and establish credit and bank accounts of her own if she does not already have them. If her husband is violent, she may have to get a restraining order to keep him away from her and the children. It may be necessary to either deny him access to the children or allow it only under strictly supervised conditions. This is all complicated and harrowing for someone going through it with an abusive spouse. No matter how well meaning, friends can only offer moral support, but the decision and carrying through with it are all up to her.
You have given her good advice in telling her to document everything. A journal kept with notes written contemporaneously of her spouse's words, behaviour, actions are a good record for her lawyer and the court. Like many such men, her husband revels in exerting power and control over her and the children. Leaving for good can be a difficult decision and can have some peril for her, but there is a lot of support in the community for women in this position. You can help her find these resources, but again, the decision to act is hers alone.
Congratulations. Very few people have built the body of work that you have. Know that you are a treasured member here.
.jpg)
.jpg)
