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Hello! I'm looking for a beta for a short Brotherhood of the Wolf slash fic. Pairing is Mani/Thomas d'Apacher, with solo/voyeur Gregoire. No real warnings beyond anal/oral, voyeur. Rating is adult+. I'm really hoping to find someone who loves the movie as much as I do! I'm not as concerned about spelling and typos, (although any mistakes you find are of course appreciated!). I'm looking more for an over-all critique; tone and pacing, sentence structure, word repetition, and helping me get a handle on the cheese factor. Really, just... does it work? If you're interested you can send me a PM, or just reply! Hope to hear from you, and thanks in advance!

Well, this is my long, rambling question.. Lately, I've found that I've really hit a wall with my writing. I write all the time and produce very little, and finish even less. I love doing it but I'm really ready to push myself and take it further. So, I decided to be a bit brave, and sign up for a 6 week writing workshop with a wonderful writing organization here in my city. And now I'm. Freaking. Terrified. See, I write gay, erotic, fiction! I'm a woman, and all I really want to write about is boys getting it on. Not just boys getting it on, but usually boys getting it on in not always the nicest of ways. That's what I love, that's what inspires me, that's what keeps me coming back to the page day after day. But, let's face it.... that's weird. Hanging out in a wonderful place like AFF makes it easy for us to feel like we're part of a writing community. But when it comes down to it, we're really on the fringe. So what do I do? Do I try my hand at some other genre, (I wouldn't even know where to start, though it might be good for me to branch out, I suppose) or do I just be honest up front about what I write? It's going to be a small group of people, and we're going to get to know each other and our writing very well... I don't know if I could pretend to be a different kind of writer, even if I tried, and it would hardly seem worth it if I did. So, I just wondered if anyone else had ever been in this situation. As writers both of fanfiction and of adult content, how do we handle that? I'd love to hear from anyone who's ever faced this in a workshop or a class at school.... help!

Wow. And apparently I can't spell either! *hides under a rock*

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to do. And it is coming out pretty damn badly, lol. But it's good for me, because it helps me feel out the plot and the structure. I'm not very good at plotting either so I usually stick to a single scene. I decided I'm not even going to make an outline or prepare at all, just see where it goes naturally. But even if I DO finish it in time, it probably won't be fit for anyone to read for another six months. Um. And I hate dialog. Hate it. Is it bad that I call myself a writer but I avoid dialog like the plague?

Well, I'm going for it this year. I've been a longing observer for a while now and this year I decided it was time to get off my butt. Though, 6 days in and I'm already totally behind. Heh. But I'm giving it a shot. I usually write short pieces and I'm the type to pick away at something for years, so this is a big departure, and I don't know if I'll finish or not. But I think it will be good for me!

Yay! Someone wants to try. I didn't even notice this post till now. Anyway, good luck if you're still wanting to do it!

lol! Yeah, I agree with this one... the only time I've deleted a review it was one kind of like that. Just a lot of nonsense babbling and obviously spam. I've never gotten a flame before... but I think that as long as they had an actual opinion I would leave it. If they thought the story was horrible or immoral or disgusting or something, or even insulted me for writing it, I feel like they're entitled to think that way. Even if they were really rude about it, I'd probably keep it.

This one drives me crazy too! I hate to see talented people not get any love. Sometimes, I think it can be partly intimidation, and I myself am guilty of that sometimes. I want to leave something more constructive than just 'this is amazing!' but, well, sometimes it just IS amazing.

Oh man, I would LOVE this! Seriously, it's great hearing what readers think about my writing itself, but it would make me SO HAPPY if people were honest about whether my fic actually turned them on. Knowing I had that effect on someone would totally make my day. B) Reviews are tricky. I try to leave them, but I'm not as good as I could be. I also agree with some other posters that the least someone can do is hit the rate button. I always rate, every single thing I read. Then at least the author knows you didn't just read two sentences and hit the back button. Sometimes, the problem seems to be just a lack of exposure. I read and write mostly in Originals, so I can only speak to that, but I worry a little that there is almost too much sub-categorization there. Since the genres are pretty subjective, (unlike, say, pairings in a fanfic) people tend to congregate in a few areas, and the review counts in those places can be high. But if you really follow the subcats and post in the most appropriate place, sometimes your story will hardly be seen by anyone.

I love this one... try it out and share! The Book Quiz I get Pale Fire, every damn time... You're Pale Fire! by Vladimir Nabokov You're really into poetry and the interpretation thereof. Along the road of life, you have had several identity crises which make it very unclear who you are, let alone how to interpret poetry. You probably came from a foreign country, but then again you seem foreign to everyone in ways unrelated to immigration. Most people think you're quite funny, but maybe you're just sick. Talking to you ends up being much like playing a round of the popular board game Clue.

Well, not we've got one... and I'm like the least violent person you'll meet! Although... my fics can be a little violent, and when I get behind the wheel... hmmm... Seventh Level of Hell Guarded by the Minotaur, who snarls in fury, and encircled within the river Phlegethon, filled with boiling blood, is the Seventh Level of Hell. The violent, the assasins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers lament their pitiless mischiefs in the river, while centaurs armed with bows and arrows shoot those who try to escape their punishment. The stench here is overpowering. This level is also home to the wood of the suicides- stunted and gnarled trees with twisting branches and poisoned fruit. At the time of final judgement, their bodies will hang from their branches. In those branches the Harpies, foul birdlike creatures with human faces, make their nests. Beyond the wood is scorching sand where those who committed violence against God and nature are showered with flakes of fire that rain down against their naked bodies. Blasphemers and sodomites writhe in pain, their tongues more loosed to lamentation, and out of their eyes gushes forth their woe. Usurers, who followed neither nature nor art, also share company in the Seventh Level. Here is how you matched up against all the levels: Purgatory Repenting Believers -Very Low Level 1 - Limbo -Low Level 2 - Lustful -Very High Level 3 - Gluttonous -High Level 4 - Prodigal and Avaricious -Low Level 5 - Wrathful and Gloomy -High Level 6 - The City of Dis Heretics -Very High Level 7 - Violent -Extreme Level 8- Malebolge Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers -Moderate Level 9 - Cocytus Treacherous -Moderate

Thanks for the responses, guys! Actually, I think cut probably fits in the best... hmm. I'll keep thinking about it. When it comes down to it, I'm probably just fixating on something minor so I can avoid writing the part I'm stuck on.

Well, I read through this thread, and felt I had to speak up... I'm a long-time AFF reader, sporadic writer, mostly silent participant... but one of my personal resolutions lately is to be less silent, so this is a good chance, yes? I don't know if I have any concrete advice... but I've found this thread to be deeply inspiring. And it made me kind of emotional, so I hope I don't get carried away.. I'm writing from the perspective of someone who writes, reads, and sometimes enjoys fiction involving pedophilia, among many other things that I find unsettling. (And consider to be deeply wrong in practice.) Enjoying fiction like this is something I've learned not to be ashamed of, and this place has really contributed to that feeling of freedom and acceptance. I deeply believe in our freedom to explore, and in the value of going into dark places. Whether it's a mainstream fantasy novel or a rapefic, I read, and sometimes write, precisely so I can go where I could never, would never, go in life. I push my own boundaries, make myself uncomfortable, poke into places I may regret going. But in doing so I feel like I'm exploring what it means to be human. Everything I read teaches me something about myself, and that is an amazing gift. I've always felt that fiction provides the opportunity-- even the obligation-- to seek out that which we don't understand. Knowing that this place exists, a place where I can say anything I want, go as far into those dark places as I want and be able to share that experience with others, is something I value more than I can say. So I guess it comes down to... thanks. It's something worth being proud of, and something worth fighting for.

Ok. I need some help finding the right word. It's driving me crazy! If the mob or a similar, gang-like entity demands a percentage of any illegal business done by other people in their territory, what would that payment be called? I feel like there should be a word. The only thing I can think of is 'kickback', but I think of that as more of a bribe, which isn't exactly what I mean.. Either there's not really a word for it, or there's a really obvious word and I'm just being particularly dense. Any ideas?

Oh man, this one just cracks me up... when my little sister was about three she started calling breasts 'baby pillows' because of snuggling with mom, so that's the only thing it makes me think of. Yeah. If I stumbled across that in a fic it would be a record-fast turn off! What drives me crazy when I'm writing is that I just hate most of the words for female anatomy! Cock is just such a great all-purpose word. Dirty enough without being vulgar, not too clinical or too absurd. There just isn't a word for vagina that does it for me in the same way. Pussy and cunt, or 'flower' and 'womanhood'. Either it's too flowery or too offensive. Bah... I swear that's half the reason I find m/m easier to write than m/f One thing I will admit to is being devoted to 'come' instead of 'cum'. I hate that word. I don't care if that's the technical spelling, something about it just turns me off.

Hello! I just had one small suggestion, and I don't know how this fits into all the restructuring you're doing... but I would love the ability to jump to a specific page in the list of stories, instead of just the 'next' and 'end' options. It may not be as big of an issue once all the stories are moved to their subcats, because then the lists will be much shorter, but I still think it would be a big help. Thanks so much for all your hard work!

Well, this challenge is technically for a fanfic and not a true original, but as far as I know there isn't really a category for song fanfiction, so I'm putting it here for the moment. (And that's not to be confused with songfic, or band fanfiction.) My challenge is to write a m/m story based on the characters from the song Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud by David Bowie. This song has always put all kinds of yummy slashy ideas into my mind… (I mean, it is Bowie, after all…) I just think it has so much potential. Why does the boy come down from the mountain? How does he get caught? Who does he meet along the way? I have visions of a sensitive, misunderstood village boy. I'm hoping for something long-ish but anything would be wonderful! So, I hope someone will go for it… You should check out the song in any case, (it's great) but I'll also post the lyrics so you can see if it inspires you. Thanks! P.S... If anyone has ever seen or heard of a story like this already, I'd love to know about it! Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud Solemn faced The village settles down Undetected by the stars And the hangman plays the mandolin before he goes to sleep And the last thing on his mind Is the Wild Eyed Boy imprisoned 'Neath the covered wooden shaft Folds the rope Into its bag Blows his pipe of smolders Blankets smoke into the room And the day will end for some As the night begins for one Staring through the message in his eyes Lies a solitary son From the mountain called Freecloud Where the eagle dare not fly And the patience in his sigh Gives no indication For the townsmen to decide So the village Dreadful yawns Pronouncing gross diversion As the label for the dog Oh "It's the madness in his eyes" As he breaks the night to cry: "It's really Me Really You And really Me It's so hard for us to really be Really You And really Me You'll lose me though I'm always really free" And the mountain moved its eyes To the world of realize Where the snow had saved a place For the Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud And the village Dreadful cried As the rope began to rise For the smile stayed on the face Of the Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud And the women once proud Clutched the heart of the crowd As the boulders smashed down from the mountain's hand And the Magic in the stare Of the Wild Eyed Boy said "Stop, Freecloud They won't think to cut me down" But the cottages fell Like a playing card hell And the tears on the face Of the Wise Boy Came trembling down To the rumbling ground And the missionary mystic of peace/love Stumbled back to cry among the clouds Kicking back the pebbles From the Freecloud mountain Track.