dude

Well, that's one I picked up on! Had I thought they were unintentional, I would have pointed them out to Pete. A possibility, Pete. You could integrate the daily keeping of the journal into the story line and from time to time highlight some things in it. Also are you thinking of writing in the first person.. as a journal limits you to do, or in the third person? Lots of stuff to ponder. Lots of help available here. BTW. I spoke to Nick today and he definitely plans to contribute some comments very soon.. he has for the past few weeks -since you joined us- been preoccupied with details of the possible publication of his first novel.

Wow... the limerick is not dead. Which is more than I can say for the poor kitty! Hey gang, I think we have something going here. I know Ben Dover loves limericks and always has since -to tell the truth- we went to high school together. If I can remember them, I'll post some he wrote about our teachers and friends back at Riverview High School in St. Louis. We probably won't have to face them as I doubt either of us will set foot in Missouri again after Shameful Tuesday, August 3, 2004. Do you have any classic limericks? Want to try writing some? Go for it! And Gabe, my 5 kitties are asking where to send flowers?

Hi Gang, Here's another jewel I found mining around the moonscape at Nifty. Joey is obviously having as much fun writing Drama Club as I am reading it, and he is interested in YOUR input. Let's give him a big welcome and you can communicate with him right here at AwesomeDude Forums.

Hi Toph, Glad you posted your partial list of musical favorites. And glad you posted some classical stuff. I thought Hoodster and I were the only ones listening to that stuff. And your using your pic for an Avatar is the greatest! Maybe I should require all our members to do that! Of course, some of us already do... particularly Blue and Paul. LOL Welcome to the group!

OK Blue, Go for it man!

Wow... Blue You sure have a way with words. All I know about this group is that I like what they do. They make me feel good and I can close my eyes and escape. It is good.

soooooooooo has anyone seen Spiderman II? :roll:

Pete has been so kind and brave as to be our first author in the New Writers Series. Pete has written other stories on Nifty in the traditional erotica style. This is his first foray into serious character development and I, for one, think he is on to something. Of course the story heats up sexually as it goes along and he writes more in his former style, but I also believe Pete has the makings of a credible writer of fiction. Please add your helpful and constuctive comments in this thread and hopefully we can be of service to Pete and other new writiers.

I was very interested in Pecman's comments on the school massacre segment of Jagged Angel. When I read it, it was not Columbine that came to mind, but young Andy William's case. Both were tragedies but in both Andy's case and the incident in Jagged Angel, it was the authorities who were definitely the heavies. Of course, I am in no way condoning that kind of violence. But we often --thanks to the low level of local television news in the US-- get a totally distorted picture of incidents like this. And never really seem to find out the true cause. I really liked the part played by a dedicated journalist in Jagged Angel getting the true story out. It was one of the better parts of the plot. This is the way it should be, unfortunately not the way it usually is.

Research, like actually seeing the movie, Trent?

Thanks Paul for sharing your essay with us: It is easy for the conservatives to demonize a group as "immoral and evil" as long as that group is "them." It is yet another thing when gays and lesbians turn out to be members of their own work, church, community and even family groups. Other than the personal freedom gained by the individual, that seems to be the biggest argument for coming out. Learning that someone close to them is gay or lesbian -for many- puts a human face on homosexuality and is often the deciding factor in accepting the concept of diversity. Everytime a person, young or old, comes out to family or friends, he or she faces the danger that relationships could be altered permanently, sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. Coming out is not an option for everybody, but each time someone does... it makes it just a little easier for those yet to do so.

This is such a subjective thing it almost defies rational discussion. Most people have a level of erotica in fiction with which they are comfortable. Unfortunately, with sites like Nifty.org (bless 'em) they take all comers and let the chips fall where they may. This can be a real minefield for the casual reader, however. If you are looking for hard porn as a masturbatory tool... you can find it on Nifty. If you are looking for a tender love story... you can also find it on Nifty. The problem is that how many raunchy pud-pounders do you have to sort through before you find that tender love story? I think the recent US Supreme Court ruling barring implementation of the hastily drafted federal law -to keep Internet pornography away from children- because it violates constitutional free-speech rights, takes a lot of the pressure off the websites. That leaves it to a matter of taste.... it is easy in my case... I just post stories that I like. Stories that I am comfortable with or perhaps which push my envelope a bit. Content, to me, is more important than form.... so Pecman and I sometimes disagree about what makes a "good" story. Good intent and creation of a good feeling can sometimes trump "rules" in my opinion. So far, I believe the main appeal of AwesomeDude is the selection of stories we present. Many of our "fans" say they come here because the stories they like seem to be here. And they know that they are likely to find more here, without having to run the gauntlet at Nifty. The site that Pecman alludes to... which won't run "r" or "x" rated stories will have a following of like-minded people, I'm sure. More power to them... but I am looking for a story that can be entertaining on more than one level... heart-warming... humorous... and memorable. And if ,in the process of bringing a certain level or quality of story to our readers, we can encourage readers to try their hands at expressing themselves through writing... all the better. Sex should be the spice that makes a story more tasty... not the whole story itself. Who would like to live on a diet of white bread doused in tobasco sauce?

If you want to see Fahrenheit 911, Jim... you 'll have to go see it in a theater. It isn't being circulated on the web yet. I am sure it is playing in Vancouver, however. It will be playing here soon and I am really eager to see it. I'm on Michael Moore's mailing list and he makes no apologies and says right up front that the movie was produced to rid the US of Bush... but nobody has been able to successfully accuse him of not telling the truth. It is interesting to note that it is the first time a documentary has ever taken the Palme d'Or the top prize for Feature Films and Short Films at the Cannes Film Festival. This is going to be worth seeing! :p

Anybody seen Fahrenheit 911? Won't be to where I can see it until later this month. Comments?

Come on Trent.... rip off means to steal something. If you have ever heard Sigur Ros, Jonsi's bowing his guitar is just another way of playing a string instrument and the perfect complement to his voice and music, which is something totally original. The entire Sigur Ros sound is totally original. Take a listen! But make sure your mom isn't in the room. You may find it hard to explain the wet spot in the front of your jeans! Now if the Icelandic guys had named their band Red Jeppelin... THAT might be a rip off!

Trent wrote You mean "THE Eagles"? I sing The Girl From Yesterday every morning in the shower... Well.... my cats like it!

Not everyone is writing a novel for publication, Pecman. This is the web and people visit it... read a bit... and wander away, then come back to a story if they are enjoying it. If these long, serialized stories posted on Nifty or elsewhere didn't have readers, I wonder how they even make it to the 68th chapter? Four excellent stories I have chosen to feature on AwesomeDude --A Special Place by Sequoyah, Perry and Jesse by Underthehoodster, Storm Front by SF Writer, and New Life/Life Goes On by the Eggman-- all fall into the category of long, serialized stories. Each of them is different, but share two things in common. They are popular and they entertain. Stephen King has been knocked by "critics" so soundly, it is a wonder he can still walk. But still, somehow, he manages to hobble to the bank with his royalty checks. Of course nobody is making a living writing gay fiction on the web, so the only payment most web writers get is the recognition they receive from their readers. They get feedback from their fans and often inspiration. Some people prefer to watch daytime TV dramas (soaps) and some of them have been going on for nearly 20 years. Others prefer to watch slick sitcoms which are often over in a season or two. If you don't like serialized stories... just say so. But this kind of comment -unfairly (in my opinion) comparing apples and oranges- is not likely to win you friends among your peers and more importantly may also be discouraging to young (read that new) writers who might be considering the genre. And this is totally the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish here at AwesomeDude. Lighten up a bit, dude! :)