Some of the paid companions I saw were more than a decade younger than me (though ages are always fudged in that world). My wife is significantly older but not that much.

HYE gone out just to shop and ended up having sex with someone you met?

Avoid them as much as possible, in fact. We take our groceries to the car in the shopping cart, then transfer them to boxes that we keep in the car. Something we worked out during the pandemic.

Stock image for story cover or AI image for story cover?

Grand Funk Railroad

Anamax doesn't have a question so up to Brittany's

I have not.

HYE had sex while people were near enough to catch you?

Grapes, though raisins have their place

Raisins or Craisins (dried cranberries)?

Fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken and asparagus

Are there people you avoid even though you are around them all the time?

Quote by Meagananne1986

3000 words can be tight although many of the stories currently entered are shorter.

That's kind of expected given how fast they must have bashed them out.

Also focused on the comp right now. Current draft still took lots of editing. Nothing huge, just lots of sentences and clauses that I found ways to improve. Targeting this weekend but we shall see.

Beyond that, back to my major writing project, which kind of got out of some doldrums before the comp distracted me. I am still thinking novella for this one, which has grown as I fleshed out some back story.

No. Never happening in this lifetime.

HYE made love naked on bare ground and had no way to clean up afterwards?

I tried that once. I ended up with my classic one-word story: Fuck. And the ungrateful bastards who run the publishing industry fail to recognize it's brilliance to this day.🤪

Probably calisthenics though maybe I should give weights a try.

Watch movies or binge a premium TV series?

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Congratulations Mr Ape for being one of the winners in the SS writing challenge!

Enjoy your winnings!

Thank you for running that challenge. Been rather sleepy over there since last comp. For those who don't go to SS and don't know what we are on about, here is my winning story, though I encourage you to give the whole thread a read. There's some good stories in there.

https://www.storiesspace.com/forum/stories-space-writing-prompts-challenges/writing-challenge-for-50-end-date-march-17th?post=214342

How about some music that fits the theme of the new comp? Provide a soundtrack, inspiration, and just some takes on the four classical elements.

To start, a song I alluded to once or twice in talking about my story. "Fire" was the first solo release from Dutch metal vocalist Floor Jansen in the run up to Paragon, her first solo album. The song is not metal, more of a pop anthem. This was the live debut on Dutch television.

Floor is the current vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Their first vocalist Tarja Turunen went solo (and mononymous, using just her first name) after parting ways with the band 20 years ago. "At Sea" is the leadoff single for her next album and seems to me to be a good "Water" song.

And a much older song from songwriter Chris de Burgh that hits on two elements, "Fire on the Water". This performance is from 2012 but the song dates to 1986.

Not traditionally speaking. Not really at all right now. I like exploring spiritual and religious ideas but have not found a faith that fits me well since ceasing to be Christian in any recognizable sense.

Do you go to a church (or mosque/synagogue/whatever) regularly?

I have not had it, though the Asian stores around here stock. My wife is Chinese and it is more of a SE Asian thing, I believe. I'd probably try it once (I'll basically try anything once).

HYE hit on a cashier while there was a lineup waiting?

Evergrey

I have never slept, screwed, or even just laid down on one. No reason, just hasn't happened and I have not been inclined to seek it out.

Did you hear about the writer who spent several years in a comma as a result of not using a spell-checker?

Alpenglow - Nightwish

Not really. I am not much of a baker.

What is your favourite type of pie?

I have not, only where it ends (been to New Orleans a few times).

HYE been caught in a storm with no place to retreat to?

Quote by JustForYou

'Grammar is the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit' will always be my favourite, and I don't care how much of an old-fashioned fossil that makes me sound!

Oo, I like that one, too. But, um, I am probably in fossil territory as well. Getting up there, anyhow.🥺

Quote by KimmiBeGood
My cat’s shown me her tail when I read it aloud, so doing lots of adjusting.

Cats are very discerning literary critics, eh. ,😸

Some refinement today but I think I have it basically the way I want. Still have 50-60 words of wiggle room if I need them. Probably won't get to a cover until the weekend but I know what I basically want.

Quote by Meagananne1986

Is it possible to hide a story without actually deleting it? I know in Lush 1.0 you could, but it doesn't seem to be possible in Lush 2.0 unless the procedure has changed.

No, that's a feature that's never been restored as far as I know. Someone once suggested pulling back into drafts but not sure that's really a viable solution, esp. if you're pulling down multiple stories. If they were taking votes on features to add, I would happily upvote this one.

And before anyone unfamiliar with 1.0 asks, the purpose is to be able to take a story "offline" without losing your likes and comments, which is what happens if you delete and then reup it later.

Possible use case: You're submitting the story to a professional market that wants exclusive rights but don't want to delete it from Lush unless it actually gets picked up.

I have ... something. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It has fire (my element of choice). It has sex. Now comes a week or two of me trying to perfect it. I have a few hundred words available, too, so I might expand some things a bit.

While Nightwish are Finnish, Celtic music is a big influence that often shines through. English musician Troy Donockley was brought into the band specifically because, while not Irish, he played things like uillean pipes and tin whistle. This song features Troy on lead vocals and has a definite Celtic lilt to it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! And good morning!

I have a wee bit of Irish in the family tree, less even than Scots (I have a Scottish great-grandmother). Love Irish music and culture, though. Did visit Dublin a few years back and had lunch in a pub.

I was introduced to Irish rocker Gary Moore by, of all people, Finnish metalheads Nightwish, who covered his "Over the Hills and Far Away" early in their history. Here's the original.

🤣

Technologically speaking, old school for me would be WordPerfect 4 on DOS. Though I have experimented with writing in the Linux terminal using VIM which comes close. No alcohol involved but if there was, it would be wine or Scotch.🍷

Quote by LordCephius
Writing it the "Old School" way

On parchment with a quill pen? 😏😋

Oh, for sure. I am looking at my element as an image and tapping (I hope) into something deeper.

That said, I am probably starting over. First attempt headed into territory that I found a bit too familiar (i.e. taps into elements of past stories of mine).

Trip. My salary easily handles the bills.

Swim in a pool or swim in a lake/ocean?