Depends on his attitude for me.
If it means he's aggressive and scary then no. I don't like guys who pride themselves on being a hard nut. But, if it we're talking hot body with control, discipline and confidence... hmm, definitely. (Hypothetically, I'm not single, sigh). For the same reason I also like guys who are into fencing and archery.
The Girl With the Yellow Shoes - by Tommie. Classic rom-com material!
Can I give two?
1. Don't just use pointed tongue flicking, it can get almost painful. Fine in short bursts, but a soft, flat tongue massage is heavenly.
2. Stimulation inside and out is always better than one or the other, so finger that g-spot while you tongue her clit, or the other way around.
That's my take anyway.
Which Lush story do you think would make a good feature film? Post your nominations here.
If you feel like getting creative you can even suggest who could play the characters and what style it would be directed in.
Have fun.
Oh, and btw I'm mostly objecting because it was my idea first ;)
My story Unprofessional is based on my film making group and I have vague plans to take on something based on a Lush story at some point... maybe... If I can convince my group.
I'm challenging myself to write in some of the categories I've never tried before by attempting a story about two straight couples where the two men are also in a relationship together. Much of what I'm writing (if not all) is outside my own personal experience, but trying to put yourself in other people's shoes is what writers do.
I have a question regarding how to categorise the story.
There will be three parts to the story, part 1 will be in the voyeur category, and part 3 will be group sex. Part 2 involves sex between the two guys only. I am unsure whether to categorise it as Gay Male based on the events in the story, or Bisexual, on the basis that the characters also have relationships with women.
Does anyone have any comments or opinions on the matter?
Thanks
Mo
xx
It's a tricky one. While not technically correct it has been used for so long that a lot of people believe it is correct. Since it started in colloquial spoken language, I permit myself to use it in dialogue in my writing, but nowhere else, unless my piece is in a fantasy or period setting in which case I avoid it completely and use all right.
On a related note, did you know the word "okay" has been in use since the late nineteenth century? I always thought it was a late 20th century invention.
Some very good points made there. I agree with the others who've said, if you're not magazine cover material you may have to set your sights a little lower. Consider how you factor in looks and see if you're doing the same thing you're criticising girls for doing.
The truth is, looks can be a very important factor, especially if all the person is looking for is a hook up. What do you actually want out of a relationship? Do you want something serious and long term, or just a bit of fun? As some of the others have already said, consider where you're looking and ask yourself if you really expect to find the kind of girl you want there.
And remember, there are looks and then there are looks[/l]. You can only blame genetics for so much. A little effort to get a decent hair cut, buy clothes that suit (and fit) you and the way you conduct yourself count for a lot. If you've got bad teeth or a crooked nose, distract away from it with a sharp outfit and confident attitude.
Also Open Office has built in PDF capabilities. It's free to download if you don't want to fork out the money for a copy of MS Office.
In many cases you can use a visual break to prepare the reader for a change in scene, perspective or in this case tense. A line break is usually sufficient, but on a site like this where the paragraphs are separated by line breaks anyway, you might want to use something more obvious like a triple star:
***
There are no hard and fast rules, but separating out sections in different tenses in this way prevents the transition from feeling jarring or confusing to the reader.
The simple act of changing tense will tell your reader that they are now reading about events that happened in the past. If you want to clarify when they took place then a line like the one you suggested would work. Try experimenting with a few things to see which ones you like best.
Alyson Noel's "Evermore" is one book that I've read that tells the bulk of the story in present tense with flashbacks in past tense, and I am sure there are more. You might want to look for examples to see how other authors do it.
Hope that helps
Mo
When a story appears on the home page, only the first paragraph or so can be seen, so that's all the space you have to hook someone. The number one biggest mistake authors make on this site is to fill those initial line with notes like:
- repeating the title
- asking for feedback
- asking people to go easy on you with their feedback ("This is my first story so...")
- explaining where you got the idea
etc etc.
BIG turn off. Your opening lines need to hook the reader and make them click the "read more" button.
Other helpful factors are a decent title and a good selection of appropriate tags.
But we all know the easiest way to get more readers, right? Write something in the category ;)
For me the choice of terminology depends on the character I'm writing about and which word I think they would use, more than my own preferences. Although, personally I don't tend to get too purple with my prose so you will rarely find me using terms like love stick or man meat. Things like that just tend to make me giggle.
When books only came on paper, self publishing was a serious commitment, with thousands of {insert currency of choice} invested into even a modest print run before factoring in the cost of any efforts made to sell and promote your book.
Now, with ebooks and ebook readers gaining popularity, the possibility of self publishing in an electronic format seems very attractive. Indeed, why would you let someone take a chunk of your profit just to convert your manuscript to kindle format and stick it on Amazon? You could do that yourself, and chances are your own publicity efforts will be the driving force behind sales anyway.
In print format the benefit of going with a publisher who will absorb the initial outlay to get the book printed is obvious, but where is the benefit when you're talking electronic media?
Okay, so far I've probably given the impression I'm all for self publishing but I'm really only playing devil's advocate here. Personally I find the ease with which aspiring authors can self publish to be detrimental to the whole system.
Getting your book rejected by a publisher is a sign that it needs improvement, not that you should just go it alone, but many writers are now skipping the whole tiring editing thing and going straight to the sale point. In short, a lot of poor quality dross is swamping the market and giving all self published work a bad name. Publishing with a publisher is like slapping a "quality control" sticker on the front of your book. It tells the reader they can expect a certain level of quality in what they are buying.
(I should point out I'm referring to self publishing and then SELLING your work, I am not including sites like this where the work is free to view)
So, what are your views on self publishing? Do you think it is a legitimate route to take?
Would you buy a self published book by someone you didn't know personally?
Do you think it is acceptable for established authors to drop their publishers and go it alone once they have an established fan base?
I'm interested to see what peoples views are on this topic.
Hope you don't mind me offering my two cents. I'm in a relationship with a guy who is not particularly confident or demanding in the bedroom, but like your wife I like to be dominated once in a while. But, for me, having to give instructions on how takes a lot of the thrill out of it. Is it the specific scenario that turns your wife on, or is it the general appeal of being dominated?
If this is something you enjoy doing, you might want to suggest - no wait, don't suggest, demand - different scenarios. Chances are if she likes the scenario you've described, she'd love you taking control in terms of the decision making process. Tell her you don't need to break in through the window, because you stole a key and could enter the house at any time and maybe this time you'll "break in" while she's in the bath or washing the dishes (take her forcefully over the kitchen table maybe?). Perhaps you could arrange to "kidnap" her from the house and take her to a hotel room.
Basically my point is, she's requesting this role play, but the nature of the role play suggests to me she would get even hotter if she didn't have to request at all. Just something to think about.
A couple of other things I know we've discussed here before but I'm not sure they ever got an entire post:
Dialogue Mechanics
Tenses
I see a lot of stories where every single line of dialogue is appended with "he replied", "she demanded", "he stated" etc. I wonder if a piece on dialogue mechanics pitched at a more basic entry level might be helpful.
Regarding tenses, it's all very well discussing the pros and cons of present and past tense and so on, but there are plenty of stories submitted here where the author has struggled to simple stay in a consistent tense. From what I've seen most people get hung up on the "-ing" suffix thinking that it is, in itself, present tense (or past tense), but actually that suffix can be any tense depending on the context. I think an entry level piece on tenses might be be good as something we could point these authors to as a place to get advice, along with explaining why staying in a consistent tense is important.
These are both things I'd be up for taking a stab at myself and posting in the writers resources section, if anyone would be interested.
You know all those insecurities in your head? Well they are the same as the insecurities in everyone else's heads. You are not unique and as soon as you stop seeing yourself as different from other people you'll feel better about yourself.
Right now you're looking at girls (or people in general) and assuming they're thinking "who's this guy, what a winey loser." Or some such. But I bet you nine out of ten are thinking. "I wish I hadn't worn this skirt, I hate my legs. I wonder if I can get the neighbour to feed the cat while I'm away. Ooo, that new movie comes out on..." etc etc
ALL people are self centered, insecure and paranoid (okay, most people, not THAT guy). People are not judging you, they actually don't care about you at all! They care about themselves. And that's the trick, as LadyX said, focus on the other person. Ask questions, be interested, give them your attention. People thrive on attention, it makes them feel better about themselves. Dish some out and you'll get some back, don't wait for people to make the first move all the time.
