Valentines Stories

[Lugnutz]

Not to give anything away, but this bunch will tear you up. Some more than others. I also don't have a favorite. I like them all, for different reasons.

Is Love A Miracle? by Cynus

http://awesomedude.com/Cynus/is_love_a_miracle.htm

A Strange Warmth by Nigel Gordon

http://awesomedude.com/nigel_gordon/a_strange_warmth.htm

Peters Valentine by Cole Parker

http://awesomedude.com/coleparker/Short_Stories/peters_valentine.htm

A Feast For Love by James Merkin

http://www.awesomedude.com/merkin/feast.htm

A High School Valentine by Lil' Octopus

http://www.awesomedude.com/lil_octopus/a_high_school_valentine.htm

[Cynus]

Just finished the last one! I loved every single bit of all of them.

[Chris James]

You four gentlemen have done yourselves proud with these Valentine's Day offerings. Of course I have blown most of the afternoon reading them so if my next story is a bit late in posting you will have to understand.

I was not surprised that Nigel gave us a deeply emotional story embedded with difficult material. Love doesn't always work out the way you want. Most of the characters we write about don't have the issues that Nigel introduced. That took courage.

Cole writes a wonderful piece. A boy with such compelling life issues who finds a hero when he needs him most. There is so much truth in this story that it left me with a warm smile when it was resolved.

James tells a light and delightful tale including, of all people, Julia Child. Romance doesn't always take the course you plan, but somehow love brings the right elements together. (two points for including the elderly lady).

Cynus gives us a mother any boy would be proud to have. If they are a good parent they already know, or at least have a clue about the lives of their children. But I loved the twist in the story and the shock of recognition that sometimes events in our past lives were preordained. Well done, very well done.

[Lugnutz]

Added Lil' Octopus's contibution today.

[dude]

Added Lil' Octopus's contibution today.

A High School Valentine by Lil' Octopus

http://www.awesomedu...l_valentine.htm

Yes, this is a worthy tale... don't miss it!

[Cynus]

Added Lil' Octopus's contibution today.

Definitely a winner. Very emotional and real.

[Guest Dabeagle]

Slowly getting there - and yes, L'O did a good job and kept my attention the whole way.

Merkin - I hate to cook. I stink at it, but you make it sound so wonderful I almost - almost - want to cook comething. My favorite quote from Julia Child was something lik e'I love cooking with wine! Sometimes, I even put it in the food.'

And Cynus, Jesus...who is chopping the goddamn onions?

And Nigel - very different, very engaging.

I enjoyed them all - thank you for all your hard work.

[Paul Wren]

I was not surprised that Nigel gave us a deeply emotional story embedded with difficult material. Love doesn't always work out the way you want. Most of the characters we write about don't have the issues that Nigel introduced. That took courage.

I have an advantage that I have read some of Nigel's none gay themed writing, he does have a tendency to grab hold of issues and twist them in ways that often leave you wondering and sometimes wishing he had never brought the subject in question up. If you ever get a chance read his short story Child Care.

One reason why I think this story had a bite to it is that it is based on true events. I was able to identify Mike and Steve and hope that one day Nigel will get round to writing the other side of the story and the eventual outcome.

[colinian]

Where are Nigel's non-gay-themed stories posted?

I'd hope he'd post those stories here on AD, or if he's uncomfortable posting it here then how about on Codey's World? About half of what I've written isn't gay-themed. I don't see anything wrong with posting stories that aren't gay-themed. That's been one of my problems with Gay Authors. If someone posts a non-gay-themed story on AD there have been some people who respond negatively and flame the story and the author. They even started a (now unfortunately rather moribund) site, Fiction Stories Online, specifically for non-gay stories.

I'm gay. I write stories. Some are gay-themed, some aren't. I want to post both on the same sites. As far as I'm concerned, that seems perfectly reasonable.

Colin

[Nigel Gordon]

Where is Nigel's non-gay-themed writing?

I'd hope he'd post those stories here on AD, or if he's uncomfortable posting it here then how about on Codey's World? About half of what I've written isn't gay-themed. I don't see anything wrong with posting stories that aren't gay-themed. That's been one of my problems with Gay Authors. If someone posts a non-gay-themed story on AD there have been some people who respond negatively to it and the author. They even started a (now rather moribund) site, Fiction Stories Online, specifically for non-gay stories.

I'm gay. I write stories. Some are gay-themed, some aren't. I want to post both on the same sites. That seems perfectly okay as far as I'm concerned.

Colin

None of my stories have been published on line, a few have be published in some small magazines and writing circle publications. I am wary of publishing on sites I don't know and it does not seem right posting non-gay themed stories to AD, not sure Mike would take them.

[Cole Parker]

Should non-gay stories be so marked? Probably people have expectations when reading a story at what is generally thought of as a gay site. But yes, there are such stories at AD, and they're good stories. I think what marks AD is the quality of the writing as much as the content.

I do think it is a good idea to let the readers know, however, going in, if a story does not have any gay content. That way he won't be disappointed at not finding any, and not spend time reading a story looking for something that isn't there.

Do others have views on this?

C

[Nigel Gordon]

Should non-gay stories be so marked? Probably people have expectations when reading a story at what is generally thought of as a gay site. But yes, there are such stories at AD, and they're good stories. I think what marks AD is the quality of the writing as much as the content.

I do think it is a good idea to let the readers know, however, going in, if a story does not have any gay content. That way he won't be disappointed at not finding any, and not spend time reading a story looking for something that isn't there.

Do others have views on this?

C

I think it would be a good idea to have non-gay themed stories identified maybe they could have their own section. I have written quite a few stories that have themes or issues in them that affect gay people but are not gay specific. The question is how many AD authors are writing non-gay themed stories and do we want to mix it up with the stuff on AD, also how would Mike cope with the additional work? There are a lot of things to consider. At the moment Mike has enough on his hands and I don't think we need to complicate things for him but it might be worth some of use talking (in the Green Room) about possible options. I know I am not the only AD author who has none gay themed material.

[colinian]

If you don't feel that it's right to post those stories on AD (though I don't think that's Mike's POV), you're welcome to post them on Codey's World (an AwesomeDude companion site). It a site aimed at younger kids. The idea is, "if your mother saw you reading on CW would you be embarrassed?" There's nothing explicit on CW, and many of the stories are non-gay-themed and some authors there have no gay-themed stories at all. All of the stories on CW are announced on AD when they are posted on CW. Email me if you want to talk about it.

Colin

[colinian]

Should non-gay stories be so marked? Probably people have expectations when reading a story at what is generally thought of as a gay site. But yes, there are such stories at AD, and they're good stories. I think what marks AD is the quality of the writing as much as the content.

I do think it is a good idea to let the readers know, however, going in, if a story does not have any gay content. That way he won't be disappointed at not finding any, and not spend time reading a story looking for something that isn't there.

Do others have views on this?

C

Cole, I disagree. I don't care whether I'm reading a gay-themed or non-gay-themed story. It's the quality of the writing that's important to me. If I want to be sure to read a gay-themed story then I'll go to Nifty (though I don't want to so I don't go to Nifty).

Also, there are two categories of gay-themed stories. Explicit (i.e., they contain explicit sex scenes) and non-explicit (there are reference to the fact the characters are gay, there may be kissing, there might be hints that they are going off-scene to do something that might or might not be explicit). All of my gay-themed stories are non-explicit. I Can't Tell You and Along Came a Spider are two examples that I've posted here on AD.

Colin

[Cynus]

Also, there are two categories of gay-themed stories. Explicit (i.e., they contain explicit sex scenes) and non-explicit (there are reference to the fact the characters are gay, there may be kissing, there might be hints that they are going off-scene to do something that might or might not be explicit). All of my gay-themed stories are non-explicit. I Can't Tell You and Along Came a Spider are two examples that I've posted here on AD.

Personally, I think that is the better way to differentiate between stories. We should use disclaimers at the beginning of explicit stories, but I don't think we need to establish a difference between gay themed stories and not. After all, isn't the fight for rights about becoming equal? As far as I've understood it, Awesomedude is about providing high quality writing, not about being gay themed. The heading at the top of Awesomedude's homepage says "Stories by, for, and/or about LGBT People of All Ages". If I were to write a non gay themed story, it would still be written by me, one of those LGBT People, and I think that means it fits the criteria for what the site advertises.

[Merkin]

'Stories by, for, and about LGBT People of All Ages" seems to cover it. I know what 'stories by' and stories about' mean, and I assume if I like a story I find somewhere, then it was written for me. I don't think we need categories like: Gay. Somewhat Gay. Not Gay Enough. Plain Vanilla.

[Cole Parker]

Colin, I think you're missing the point. You must realize some people come to a site where by a huge margin most of the stories have gay characters or themes so they can read about these characters and/or themes. If you're such a reader, you would be disappointed if you started reading a story, liked a character, expected him to be gay, or his friends to be gay, or that a gay component would appear, and then, nada. Even if he ended up liking the story, he could certainly be disappointed that there was no gay material at all in the story. Because, as stated, he came to the site to read a gay story.

How does it hurt anything to have it stated at the beginning that this isn't a gay story? I've seen that from writers who have written gay material in the past. I'd like that a lot better than labeling every story on the site either gay or not gay. I also don't like the idea of labeling them explicit or not: sometimes we like to keep that hidden until events blossom. But knowing that a story will have no gay theme whatsoever is something a reader at a predominantly gay site should be able to know in advance.

In my opinion.

C

[Graeme]

I've written a number of non-gay stories that are hosted here. Most of them are short stories (but, then, most of my stories are short stories), but I've got one longer series that's not gay themed -- Family Snippets -- and I'm still being asked to do more on that series.

I see nothing wrong with a good story that doesn't have any gay characters (I've got enough books at home to prove it, too).

[DesDownunder]

The problem I see is that the view of the reader is all important. Some stories have no gay content and yet a reader may, through transference, give a story or character a gay perspective. I remember watching many a movie with a straight romance and thinking that I was the objective of the straight male lead. Okay, so I am fantasizing, but it happens.

I found some books quite erotic even though they were not gay as such. Think about some of the classic literature such as the Satyricon by Petronius of Ancient Rome. It's a novel/poem about a love affair of two males, but nevertheless is revered by straight critics as being well worth reading and also as one of the contenders for being the first novel. Nowhere on the cover do I see the phrase "Gay story".

Other books and films have bromances and straight love affairs without being specific, but it must be said that the erotic element tends to diminish if the story starts to go into specific anatomical descriptions between opposite sex partners. That would correctly be labelled as straight porn, and along with gay porn, is already well documented and segregated from the romantically erotic.

My point is that the lines of demarcation are not always clear, not always what the author intended, and in any case will be in the mind of the reader.

As the site is already labelled as, Stories by, for, and/or about LGBT People of All Ages, the decision would need to be made as to whether or not straight stories should have their own listing under a heading of perhaps, Non-gay fiction. I'll leave that thought to be considered appropriate or not.

[Cole Parker]

Des, that's exactly my point. We agree. We shouldn't be labeling gay stories. But some discussion is needed for entirely and completely straight stories.

C

[Camy]

But some discussion is needed for entirely and completely straight stories.

C

Why? If you're an AwesomeDude and you write, what does the theme matter? 'Stories by, for, and/or about LGBT People of All Ages' doesn't mean this is a site with solely gay themed fiction.

[Cole Parker]

I give up! My point isn't whether straight stories should show up here, and anyway, that's Mike's decision. What I'm asking is. if a straight story is posted, should it have a warning label? That's all.

C

[Paul]

The only reason I can think of for a non-gay disclaimer would be the hope of forestalling potential tirades from the easily-affronted. On the other hand, it's nice to expect that readers can behave like adults. Certainly the regular members here do.

I personally find the warnings that many sites use to be variously amusing and icky. Stories preceded by a litany of subjects and themes: oral, anal, mast, BDSM, frot, scat, nose-picking, littering, gluten abuse, you name it.

[Addym Kehris]

I give up! My point isn't whether straight stories should show up here, and anyway, that's Mike's decision. What I'm asking is. if a straight story is posted, should it have a warning label? That's all.

C

In preface to my response, let me first say that I've been misunderstood before and I want to make it clear from the onset that I'm not responding the person posting. It is simply that this is a suscinct stating of the question and that is why I quote it here.

In response, No. Let's not get started with labels. I come to AD to read well written stories that will never appear in the mainstream publishing. Publishing house paranoia prevents these stories from appearing anywhere but on sites like AD. I'm not the least hung up on the gay/straight label where my reading is concerned. Bring em on. My only requirement is that they be well written, with a stimulating beginning, middle, and ending.

My opinion is that there are many perspectives and messages that we could all benefit from encountering. If some of those messages come in a 'straight' story format, then so be it. I'm a member of the LGBT community and I willing accept that there are many views on any given subject. If someone comes to this site and encounters a story that offends them simply because it does not contain a gay theme or a gay character, then I'd say the individual has issues that need to be dealt with.

Anyway, that's what I think.

[DesDownunder]

I give up! My point isn't whether straight stories should show up here, and anyway, that's Mike's decision. What I'm asking is. if a straight story is posted, should it have a warning label? That's all.

C

I think Warning label is the wrong idea. I'm more inclined to think in terms of a simple descriptor as in Non-gay fiction which I know, I know is a warning in itself. I merely want to get away from censorship as in calling it a warning, when it is really nothing more than a classification.

Camy is also correct, though, when he says that AD isn't a site with solely gay themed fiction. I understand that some readers may be disappointed when a story does not revolve around a gay interaction, at least in some context.

Hence the idea of Non-Gay fiction being in a separate section.

However it isn't always as easy as that. Take the novel, The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It deals with the narcissism of Dorian Gray as an unspoken, not really even alluded to, homo-eroticism. It is a moral story of human depravity; a curse brought upon Dorian by his own desire to always retain his youthful good looks. Is this gay fiction? Or is it a well written book about the taboo of discussing narcissism, and its consequences?

I think the answer might be to talk with the authors to see if they want to classify their story in a certain way. That of course may well be asking too much of both the author and the AwesomeDude. He only has so many hours in a day.

I seem to remember that in the guidelines for submission...ah, yes here it is:

We focus on gay fiction, with emphasis on gay romance, but accept other stories on a case-by-case basis. Proven authors are free to submit on nearly any subject that does not violate our story content restrictions, and even some that do. Quality, originality and style have the potential to trump other considerations. We love a great story, however unusual or weird.

Actually the submission guidelines cover a lot of this discussion, and it is to Mike's credit that we have some of the most lenient and tolerant guides for content on the net, whilst still maintaining appropriate restrictions against gratuitous content including wank porn.

I can see that I am headed toward the idea that new readers should be directed to read the submission guidelines so they know we are more about good stories, written as best we can.