To my US friends, Happy 250th Anniversary... Enjoy your celebration. :worship: :worship:

Happy Canadian Day... to all Canadians... Have a great day. 😊

A mug of Yorkshire tea, please, Bear. Thank you. 😎

I will be cheering on the English football team; we're playing DR Congo at 5 pm GMT today in the World Cup. There won't be much work going on here during the match.

So, Kat, is the half-Canadian... mmm... maybe a British passport next? 😳🤣

A warm welcome to LushStories. 😊

Quote by utterchaos

Hi everyone. It's been so hot in Kent this past week but had a lovely walk this morning in the shade. Watched some great bands and reconnected with one of my old friends from sixth-form last night. It's been twenty years so got a lot to catch up on and hadn't realised she had moved back to the area.

Kent is the county my late parents came from. However, the two towns where they were born are now part of Greater London. I know we have chatted before, but it's always nice to see another Brit in the bar... 😊

A mug of Yorkshire tea, please, Bear. 😎 Thank you.

Still hot and humid over here, Bear. Another record temperature for June in all four UK nations. 😳😈

So how about a cocktail? Any type of cocktail... just lots and lots of ice... 😎 Cheers.

Thank you for opening up, Bear. Yorkshire tea, please, even if it is in the thirties here, but there is a nice breeze coming in off the English Channel. Talking of Lion, does anyone know where he is? Travelling?

Just got my car serviced and MOT'd; felt sorry for the guys working in the garage. Now for a little writing before watching the England World Cup match tonight. 😎 Come on, England!!! 😈

Quote by joe71

Having just now split my recent county fair story into two chapters due to its length, I'm about to submit "A Becoming Man," the sequel that finally shows me the way through Matt's facade to get him to explore his Bisexuality more deeply. And with these entries in the Money genre, I've achieved Prolific Author status! Going for Omnium in 2027.

Good luck on obtaining your Omnium badge, Joe. I look forward to welcoming you to the club. 😊

PS: Congratulations, Joe, on your Prolific Writers Badge. 😈😀

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Rumpies, I’m unplugging a bit until after the 4th, then I’ll be back. Traveling next two weekends.

Have fun and stay safe, Kimmi. 😊

"Bear, I love the bar's new look, very 1960s..." Quietly, I put on a pair of large, round sunglasses to fit in and stop myself from getting a headache. Then shake my head and make note not to use the same decorator.

I've just moved to my outside office to do a little writing... Hot here, a Yorkshire tea and a cold Diet Coke chaser, please, Bear. Thank you. 😎

Quote by Just_A_Guy_You_Know

The grammar in the above example looks fine, but in your case, if it's a scene in a larger work and you haven't made the one-sided dialog your whole thing, you could break up the spoken lines with little actions, maybe twirling a pencil around, picking his nose, scratching an itch on his thigh, or whatever people do while talking on the phone. Those little behaviors can also reveal character and their inner responses to the conversation without having to do it in exposition, which is kind of dull.

"You're pregnant?" He was shocked.

vs

"You're pregnant?" The pencil he had been fidgeting with stopped moving.

Thank you, Just_A_Guy_You_Know, for your comprehensive answer. It is appreciated. The phone scene is part of a much longer scene and serves to keep the reader engaged in the story and, in part, to save unneeded words.

In the past, I have always written both sides of a telephone conversation, but in this case, I feel hearing one side works better. The boyfriend, Hugh, is watching on; his actions of hearing only half the words spoken are an important addition.

I will be revisiting the scene later today, and I will take with me what you have mentioned.

Thank you for the example story; I will read it next. 😊

Quote by allytts

What a great Idea. Love this. Personally, I like your chosen format. It makes perfect sense.

Thank you, it does to me too... 😎

Quote by KimmiBeGood

David, I like the way you did it. Easy to follow.

If you liked it, Kimmi, then it is good enough for me. 😎

I have a scene in a story where I only want the reader to hear one end of a telephone conversation. With regard to grammar and format, what is the acceptable way to write it?

The setting: The wife phones her husband. We hear what she says. We don't hear the husband's end of the conversation; that is left to the readers' imagination. Her boyfriend is standing next to the wife; he is listening to her and observing her.

Atm: I have everything written in standard text format, except for what she says on the phone. That is in italics. Is that acceptable?

Example below:

“Hi John…

Hugh could only hear Janet’s side of the conversation.

“Yes, I am at Hugh's house, and as you can hear, the phone works. There is a strong signal.

“I was surprised to…

“I’m standing naked in the kitchen… Yes, anyone could see in." Janet giggled, “But you like it when I flaunt my body…"

Janet glanced out of the window, causing Hugh to do the same. The gardeners were still there.

Quote by techgoddess

Today is the last day of my lengthy vacation. A couple of days in Atlanta, then 2 weeks on Mackinac Island, followed by a long weekend in Ontario, were all amazing for the soul. But yesterday we arrived in Tennessee, and I'm blown away by the view from our "glamping" geodome. Hubby had to do some work this morning, so I thought I'd pop in to say hi. Heading home tomorrow and then back to reality. But when reality includes a beach, it's hard to complain.

Sorry to hear about the continued medical issues, Kat. I do hope the day will come soon when they are all resolved positively. 😀 I'm pleased to read you both had a lovely long holiday. 😎 I, and I'm sure many others, missed your presence here. A mug of Yorkshire tea, please, Bear. Thank you. ☕️

Will there be any late entries? 🙄😀

Why not give it a go? 😈😈

My main commitment for the rest of 2026 (and maybe into 2027) is to write "Cash in Hand 2", the follow-up to my popular "Cash in Hand" series of stories. My goal is to take the main story characters (JJ and John) on their sexual journey through married life, each chapter being its own little story as the overall story builds. 😊

Quote by simplyjohn

Sorry your ticket has been re-opened. I am still waiting for a response/action from the development team. I will give them a nudge or failing that Jen will likely threaten them.

Thank you, John... that second option will surely work! 😇

Quote by wxt55uk

Is this problem still an issue? I thought it was done automatically. 😇

However, I notice that my Element Competition top 10 result has not been added to my existing Competition Top 10 Badge. There should now be a '2' next to my badge. 😀

This issue is still ongoing even though the support ticket I raised last month was closed! 😳😈

Good Morning, Rumpees. Just for a change, a cup of coffee, please. Thank you, Bear. 😎

We were out with some Australian friends last night, and we had the pleasure of showing them our home town. Always fun meeting and talking to people you meet on your travels. We met them in Melbourne in 2024.

I hope you get your mojo back soon, Ape. 😊 Love the picture, Lina. 😊 I also love your bird nest picture, Kimmi. 😊

Today, I will spend a few hours writing, nothing else planned. The joys of being retired. David. 😀😈

Today is the first really sunny day we had this month, it is also our oldest daughter’s thirtieth birthday party, the theme. Christmas! 🎅🎄😳 Cup of Yorkshire tea, please Bear, thank you. 😎

The error message I keep getting, which has been happening intermittently for years, is... 'There was an error. Please try again later.' I know it has been brought up before and ticketed. But for me, it never totally disappeared, and I learnt to live with it.

Quote by KimmiBeGood

It’s still raining. Boo hiss.

Thunder and lightning here... though warm... and occasionally sunny. 😎

Mug of Yorkshire tea, please, Bear. At least I can work on my latest novel, "Cash in Hand 2." 😈

Quote by Seeker4

I have settled my retirement date with my boss. July 2028. Two more years.

Congratulations, Seeker4. 😊

I've just popped in to say hello, Bear. A mug of Yorkshire tea, please. Thank you. 😊

The weather is better here today, not great, but better. Yesterday was a day when you didn't venture out. It was wet and stormy. It didn't stop raining – a typical British summer. So I did a little writing.

Last week, I learned my youngest daughter is getting married in July, so the twins she's expecting in late September/early October can have the father's surname. I am happy for her. 😀 That's both my daughters getting married this year. 😎

Quote by joe71

Sorry I missed this earlier. Congratulations to you both!

Thank you, Joe. 😊

I'm still recovering from your "everyday", or should I say, "not everyday", Tecilla shots, Bear. 😳

A mug of strong Yorkshire tea for me, please. With the weather wet and windy, I'm working today on the third chapter of my "Cash in Hand 2" story. Now back to the smut! 😀😈

Thank you for opening up, Bear. 😊 A Yorkshire Tea for me, please.

Is it Pride month already? Wow, that came around quickly. It's time to change my avatar! 😎

Quote by Imjin138

I have been told I expound too much and should stick to strictly sex but I find that hard to do sometimes. Does anyone else have this problem?

I would suggest listening to your feedback, but writing what you want to. Do make sure you have sex in your story, but make sure it is meaningful. So, character development and scene setting are things you should consider.

Importantly, if your story is going past 5,000 words, think about breaking it into two parts, so your readers have a natural interlude point.

Waterfall (75 Words)

His testosterone flowing, Ben entered the cave under the waterfall.

He sought the mysterious Viagra spring.

“Stop!” A stunning, naked Amazon woman commanded. “You can only drink if you let me pleasure you for the next 24-hours.”

Smiling, Ben immediately agreed.

He crawled out of the cave the next morning, still parched, grinning and sore.

Ben now realised he preferred to be fucked in the arse, the Amazon woman having donned a large strap-on cock!

Mermaid (75 words)

"Oh, Ronan, this is so romantic: the setting sun, the lighthouse, waves breaking on the rocks below.”

Smiling, Ronan goes down on one knee.

He proposes, hoping the magical setting will help Cora say, “Yes.”

She does.

Then an Atlantic roller crashes below them, its spray refreshing.

“Cora, you’re a mermaid!”

“I know I should have told you, Ronan… but it's only salt water that affects me, and importantly – mermaids are excellent at oral sex!”

Bonfire (75 words)

Jilted on what should have been the happiest day of my life.

With no warning, my fiancée left me standing at the altar.

I was just dressed in my wedding dress and holding my bouquet.

It's time to burn them both and set myself free from him.

Learn from my mistakes, and find a new man.

One with no siblings.

Then I won’t be tempted to fuck his brother on the night before the wedding.