Steven Adamson

Beiber in hot water? I doubt it. If he'd been in hot water, he'd have had a much lower sperm count and then this problem wouldn't have happened.

Was wandering the web and then this happened >>>

Well, I was the previous poster asking for help on these forums, I think. I got some detailed and thorough advice that really helped improve my work. So, I'd be happy to pay that forward and lend you some time. email me: stevenadamson40@gmail.com with the details.

Just read this. Tons of fun, but you never lost the feeling that there was genuine danger for the characters from the start. Great dialogue which is a great way to feel like you're in a story. And the imagery worked well too.

Wow, I always enjoy stories I think of as 'new mythology' and this is a premier example of the idea. Fresh but classic. It makes me want to hear fleshed out versions of the story of the moon and the four ants.

No, no, no! You can't ever apologize for this stuff. You see, you have to incorporate it into the subtext of the novel. Meaning is created in the space between the reader and the page. You need to trust your reader to construct what happened using the materials you gave them and they'll quickly realise that somewhere between scenes your characters got a) a deed poll b) a perm c) selective amnesia And they'll congratulate themselves for their cleverness and keep reading. Trust me on this, I'm a literary academic. (comic from xkcd.com)

I like the South Park methodology for this, slipping the word 'hu-man' into random sentences."Hi, Tim, could you lend me one of your hu-man pencils?"

Well, that depends entirely on how the marriage is conducted, I think. Conan's known for cheap laughs, but he's done sincere stuff too, most notably his last show on Late Night. I'm gonna wait and see. I have faith in Conan!

Curiously, while looking at related videos at youtube, I found out that this same school district was highlighted for positive action during the GLSEN awards of 2010. Mostly it was the doing of the students and they met significant opposition from fellow students, but the district administration seemed to have welcomed them: Not sure what to make of that in relation to the bullying incident, but I shows that nothing changes overnight, though it does change.

We should be careful calling for an expulsion immediately or as a blanket solution. (Granted this case looks extreme enough that an expulsion may be warranted, but I'm taking a more general, future-looking view) The problem is that expulsions and suspensions often end up being badges of honor for the perpetrators and zero-tolerance policies for violence often fail for not addressing the root cause of violence. I keep thinking to a story I read here at Awesomedude just the other day: where one kid got beat up by his best friend after the kid revealed he was gay, but the violence came from a place of frustration and pressure that the attacker was not able to funnel, but once he could, ultimately the two boys were able to reconcile. (Can't remember the name of that story! Someone please help me.) Violence is not always based in malice or other clear cut sources, so the solution cannot be clear cut. Sadly, a lasting solution would require a deep commitment on the part of the school to educating students about differences and the limits of a free society (i.e. It's OK not to accept homosexuality as moral, but you can't use harrassment/intimidation/violence to make your point.) Most schools take one of the two inexpensive, politically expedient options: either do nothing/little as in this case, or zero-tolerance expulsions/suspensions.

You sure he's talking about coming out when he says that gay adults in public life need to stand up? Could it just mean speaking up about the problem whether you reveal you're gay or not? I remember the early X-men comics where Professor Xavier passed for regular human while speaking out against anti-mutant discrimination. Seems like he was doing something worthwhile. I do similar stuff from time to time when I see a kid under my care be anti gay, I give a talk without pulling out the "I'm gay" card.

Don't sweat it. Republicans, Democrats, Whatever. Doesn't matter who's in charge, really. The pace of change is mostly dependent on the attitudes of the people, not the other way around. And the attitudes of the people is getting much better, especially the younger people. Gay marriage is close to 50% support nationwide, but that number is mcuh much higher among young people. We got NY! We'll get CA soon (for good this time) We haven't actually lost New Hampshire. Overall and longterm, I'm happy with the direction of things on this issue.

I always feel like Somebody's watching me And I have no privacy I always feel like Somebody's watchin' me

Blue, if you remove your posts, then Merkin's post is gonna look kinda weird.

OK, Cole... I got the edited version back and sent you a detailed thank you with the owl. I just wanted to say here that you've been most helpful and the story will benefit from your input, becoming easier to read and more logical. I'm gonna go look up how our reputation system works here in the forum and give you a +1 of some kind.

It's my brown uniform, isn't it?

Sounds like it might be useful. I'm hoping to do my first nanowrimo this year.

Cole, Sent the e-mail owl with the story last night. Lemme know if there were any problems with receiving it. That earlier bit about UPS and DHL was actually directed at Merkin. I saw him poking his nose in and figured he was volunteering to do some editing. Merkin: Offer still stands. ------------------------------------- Addendum: I read an article a while back that UPS men in their brown suits had become sex symbols. Also that the Other deliverymen (USPS, FedEx etc) had not, because it was the brown outfit that made the difference. Any responses?

You, know, if this is your oblique way of asking to get in on this, then no problem. I can send you a copy of the story by UPS. DHL even. (I'm staying away from Fed Ex, since they seem like they might be controversial around here.) I could always use a second opinion, is what I'm saying.

*I* hope you're home when the package gets there.

There, just typed the last words. Gonna give it a once over and fed ex it to you.

Suffered from debilitating medical attack known as Nephewus Interruptus. Will delay completion. Though I DID reach and pass 2000 words as things turned out. Just have another 300 or so to go.

You've written stories? :-) Actually, Duck Duck Goose was one of my early favorites here. Sent you some praise for it way back when.

Hi Cole I'm not familiar with the forum features at the moment: How do I locate your email address? I checked your profile, but there was no contact info there.

Hello, dear Editors. Got an idea for a horror story in a dream a few nights ago and decided to try completing it for Halloween. The Dude says I need to have the finished product to him by this Friday to guarantee it's on the site by Oct 30. I'm expecting to finish the first draft later today (Monday 24th). What I need is someone who's willing to take up 2000 words right away and get them back to me by Wed 26th, so I can finish a second draft in time for the deadline. I'm looking for basic spelling/grammar/typo proof reading as well as spotting any mis-characterization, plot holes, issues with style etc. Any takers? -Steven PS Sorry to drop all this in my first post. I promise I'll do a proper introduction later. Suffice to say I'm a longtime lurker and fan at Awesomedude.