Triptychs

[Cole Parker]

Doug Grant's final chapter of Triptychs is up today.

I don't recall seeing any comment about this story in the forum. Perhaps people were simply waiting till it was finished. In any regard, it should be talked about, discussed, and in my viewpoint, lauded.

What wonderful writing! Doug is a master of his craft. He not only does the big things, the obvious things, like telling a compelling story, keeping the pace going, keeping the movement and excitement and suspense high, maintaining interest in the characters and plot, but he does so many little things, too. He captivates with style, with punctuation, with sentence structure. He plays with our emotions; he makes us care.

I've always admired his writing. It's hard to improve on excellence, but I feel he has with this one. It's an incredible piece of work.

My hat is off to Doug for this. And maybe my shirt, and . . .

C

[dude]

I can't compete with Cole in coming up with superlatives to describe Doug's writing.

Triptychs is one of the best stories I have ever read. Period. Full stop.

We often 'get used to' good writing here at AwesomeDude with so many excellent writers and stories.

But seldom am in drawn into a story like I have been to Triptychs.

If you've been putting off reading... waiting for it to be complete, be prepared to sit down and enjoy something special.

Mike

[The Pecman]

I agree -- well-done. Link is here:

http://www.awesomedude.com/douglas/triptychs/index.htm

[dlgrantsf]

On the internet, no one can see you blush. But I'm blushing, right now.

Thanks, guys; very much.

And thank you, Mike, for posting the story. Without AD, I'd be reduced to frantically handing out mimeographed copies on streetcorners, getting the pages all mixed up . . . it wouldn't be a pretty sight. Nope.

My warmest hugs, to all of you. I mean it.

[Gee Whillickers]

I waited ever so impatiently for the final chapter of this story to be posted so I could read it straight through. I love Doug's writing and knew this would be good.

I was wrong. It wasn't just good. It was incredible.

I stayed up way too late last night trying to finish the story. I didn't manage that and finished the last two chapters today.

It was so very well done. The characters just ooze realism. The scene setting is incredible. The plot, the build of Trevor's and Noah's relationship, the sub-plot with Trevor's dad, it was all so very well done, so engaging. Trevor's character, outlined so well in previous stories, became one of the most complex and subtle characters I've read about in a story in a very long time.

Well done Doug, and congratulations on another, well, "Awesome" story!

[Merkin]

Like Gee, I waited, and waited, so I could read it all at once. I'd been burned before, reading Here's Looking At You, Kid chapter by chapter, fretting over each installment, waiting for the next revelation (you do revelations so well, Doug). I'd been lucky, earlier, to have discovered Gang of Five when it was fully posted, and I was blown away by its cleverness, its uniqueness. But I soon became convinced that Here's Looking At You, Kid was the work of a master craftsman, and despite fretting over the wait between chapters I read it avidly and sighed with relief and admiration when it reached its "perfect" outcome.

Little did I know what was in store. Triptychs far exceeds my expectations, and I am in awe at the skill of its writer. This tale is wonderful in so many ways, but perhaps the most wonderful aspect of it for me is that it provides a whole new level of understanding to a storyline that I had believed to be already completed.

I think one mark of a truly great story is the knowing, when you have finished reading it, that you will deeply miss the characters now that they are gone. I can only hope that that there is more to be said about them, and that Doug will not hesitate to say it. Soon.

James

[Cole Parker]

James: Me too!

C

[Camy]

Triptychs is brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Once you've read Triptychs- and if you haven't then do - you should read 'Here's Looking at you Kid.' a novel that introduces Trevor, but mainly deals with Cole's and Jeremy's relationship. It's brilliant too.

Yes, I'm a Doug Grant fan and proud of it! 'Please Come With Me' was the first short piece of his I ever read and it scared the pants off me - more so than Orwell's 1984. Then there's 'Gang of Five' which is probably the hottest thing this side of the sun.

[TracyMN]

Hi All:

There is nothing I could say that hasn't been well said here already, or to Doug during the posting of this story. LOL, strictly a reader, I do all the waiting I can reasonably expect of myself between stories. If not for readers in general, posting by chapter and I would still be a match made in heaven.

Well deserved praise for a delightfully original author; wit is a shining star amidst many stand-out qualities in his work,

not the least of which is an attraction to commas, that on appearances only would suggest something closer to compulsion.

I know, (because I asked him, of course) for Doug, it is a natural element of expression, and thus, is as endearing as it is unique.

I expect that I will, occasionally, be alone in my view of some particular thing. This, certainly, was not one of them. <g>

Thank you, Doug, for your effort always; and all of you for saying first and more eloquently what I would have and more.

Tracy

[dlgrantsf]

If I was flabbergasted by the kind words, before - now color me, completely gobsmacked.

My deepest, deepest thanks, to each of you. Heck, all I ever wanted was for someone to READ the frigging thing! You've completely blown me away . . .

(Yeah, I'm easily pleased.)

Thank you all; deeply. Again.

[Cole Parker]

Doug: Please stop answering these silly proclamations of our love and respect and get back to WRITING! You're wasting time here.

I'm sure I speak for everyone who's read your work!

C

[The Pecman]

Cole is just saying that because one of the characters stole his name!

I just finished reading the story tonight and enjoyed it very much. Being the curmudgeonly guy I am, I usually wince at these romantic, character-driven things, but this is a rare case where the story moved along at a good pace, there were enough changes in local to keep it moving, plus the characters didn't get all whiney and clingy. I really loved the local color of San Francisco and Berkley -- the details of the cities were terrific, even though I've only been to the area a handful of times. Al the locations felt very real to me, and Doug made his lead character very easy to empathize with.

I also liked the fact that all the loose ends were taken care of, and everything made sense. This is a rare story that made me think about the characters hours after I'd finished reading it, and that happens very infrequently these days. I also admired the sense of yearning in the story, which I think was very real and heartfelt. And I was very impressed that even some of the easy potential villains in the story (past lovers) were turned into three-dimensional characters, with flaws but also positive qualities. It takes real skill to flesh out characters like this.

I'll tell you the story I'd like to read: Trevor and Cole's high school years. We have a few tantalizing flashbacks in this story, but only enough to whet my appetite. I demand the "Pool Party Days" prequel!

[TracyMN]

It only feels silly, Cole, and that goes away with practice...besides, Doug is a very clever boy; I bet he can write, and write at the same time!

Well said, Pec, and a reminder that there's always more that can be said about a good story.

Tracy

[vwl]

I was going to send you a private note about how much I enjoyed Triptychs, which I just finished. Truly excellent! But I would like to make my approval more public.

First, the writing was fresh, original. I would be reading along and suddenly a verb or a noun or an adjective just caused me to halt and wonder at how different yet appropriate a combination of words became. I think of Cole's email note after the first evening with Noah. The one word that told it all.

Second, the erotic parts were lively and fun to read. In far too many stories the erotic parts are mechanical, something to fast-forward through and seemingly tacked on to what otherwise may be a good tale. To me, good erotic scenes are one of the most difficult writing tasks. You succeeded.

Third, the use of detail was outstanding. Seeing the world through the photographer's eye brought scenes to life, framed them, and made them engrossing. I'm a fan of detail, but it has to be well done. Too many writers add detail without making it interesting. To me, you rank with Rock Lane Cooper in its use.

Finally, you brought Trevor to the page, a young man with wonderful flaws, and you paired him with complex and interesting characters, like his mother, like Noah, like Erik.

The greatest joy of reading is afterwards: sitting back and savoring the soft caresses left by the memories of the printed word.

Well done!