On My Mind Grapes

Some of the most common comments* on my stories include the phrase "please continue!" I'm not intending to brag or complain; most of what I post on this blog or Literotica are parts of a whole. There's nothing wrong with people picking up on that. It's kind of a "I always thought of Dumbledore as gay," situation; there's always more backstory and epilogue than actually appears on the page. Or there isn't. The cranky writer and his hot neighbor were never supposed to be more than a one-off, which is maybe why I've been rewriting the last chapter for the past year. It never sounds right, because they were never supposed to fall in love. But usually my imagination provides far more information than anyone would actually care to read. The hardest part of writing for me is editing down everything that I wrote to make for a good story.

In fact, that's why I started this blog. My writing process benefits from being able to get the snippets out of my brain and onto a page. It's a rare tale that I write in chronological order. Most of them don't even have outlines. Some start with a what-if.
What if all those jock/nerd stories started with the jock already knowing he was attracted to the nerd? What if a guy walked in on his straight crush blowing one of their friends? What next? The rest start with a "how" question. How do I put two strangers in a bathroom stall, which is gross, and still make it hot? How do I write a gay fairy tale? How do I make an unhappy sub without pooh-poohing the BDSM community? How do I write something appealing while making it clear that there is only one story featuring these characters and no more in the works? Suffice to say that I have a lot going on, way more than what shows up here. There's even a story or three featuring heterosexual main characters. Clutch all your pearls.

Every once in a while I have to reread all of my stories. Is Preston too much like Brandon? Is it clear that Aaron has a quick temper, but Philly doesn't? Does the big brute even have a personality other than being nice to Tanners (and given the setting, is that personality enough)? Is Grant's social awkwardness as apparent on page as it is in my mind? It's hard to compare sometimes, and when I'm working on multiple stories at once—as is my wont—the character voices and verb tenses tend to mix detrimentally. That story about the P.A. who's doing his married boss and then goes on vacation with the boss's lovely family: past tense. "Saturday Mornings:" present. Both feature characters about the same age, so when I think, This would be better coming out of Graham's mouth than Adam's, I switch to the other document, write a couple of paragraphs…and then have to spend precious time correcting all the verb tenses to match.

A reader once pointed out to me that several of my stories feature conflict arising from parties that my characters attend, and kindly requested that I quit using parties or drunkenness as a plot device in the middle. Boy oh boy, did that make me think. That phase brought about "Sons of the Underbelly," "No Regrets," "Dreams of a Doormat," "MMM," and whatever the "It Began In Darkness" story's real title turns out to be. No fêtes! No one getting drunk! Until I remembered that in real life I, er, I mean people go to parties, people get drunk and hilarious and say shit they shouldn't, and fuck you, reader. Thanks, but also fuck you. And then came the sequel to Doormat featuring a very drunk Mitchell which I've never finished.

So it goes.

Get ready to see more from me. It will be frustrating because I'll be taking this blog back to its intended purpose: a sounding board for rough drafts. You'll see Kenneth and Mr. Baker's kids interact for a couple of paragraphs, then Lyle talking to Adam and his friends the next. Nothing exciting or stimulating, per se, but it will help me to see these pieces side by side. I can make sure I'm not writing the same story with different names. You might even see the climax between a couple before you ever know what happens to get them into bed. I gotta make sure that not every orgasm gets described the same way. (Never mind that they all basically feel the same: awesome. Also, please don't go checking my sex scenes for overlap.)

Feel free to continue commenting on these bits and bobs of story. Tell me if Cillian's actions don't seem to jive with his personality, or if Jesse's dudebro nature is to high on the Broseph-o-meter to be likeable. When you meet Heather, let me know if she actually sounds like a girl instead of a boy with boobs. Did that hookup come out of nowhere, or can you tell that Richard has been lying to himself the whole time? That kind of shit helps me out. And sure, tell me if there are too many parties. I'll think you're a dick, but obviously I listen anyway.

In other news about me: In a long bout of of self-importance I completed an interview on Smashwords to flesh out my author profile. My answers seem very mercenary…which is about right. I'm not sure that it's particularly titillating, but does tell you how I feel about the Brothers Grimm.

*I wanted to work in a reference to Common in there, but I failed. I'm sorry, Common. I still hold you in the highest regard. Please never read my stories.

P.S. If you don't recognize some of these names or titles—ready your smelling salts—maybe they aren't on the Internet yet/anymore. Ooooh, what's gonna happen when Mitchell goes with Ben to the mooooooviesss!? [insert emoji]