Weekends and Feedback

[elfs]

Well, this weekend has been quiet. I like weekends like that. The family hit the used bookstore where I managed to score a copy of Blue Shift and Opposing Force for five bucks, and found The 29 Most Common Writing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them. I also got a copy of Charlie Stross's Iron Sunrise and was told that The Atrocity Archives is now available. I have too much to read!

Response to the first episode of Dreamteam Calamaties has been tepid. I can understand that; it's an MM story, where as the rest are all MF or FF, which should make them more popular among the audience. Some people really liked it, though, so I'm still figuring out what I did wrong or right with it. As far as I can tell, I've had about a hundred readers since Friday's launch. But that doesn't count the readers on fur.stories.erotica or alt.sex.stories.moderated.

Saturday, Omaha and did gardening and housework. I cleaned up the laundry room and mowed the lawn while Omaha planted a row of bushes along the retaining wall that lines our property with the guy down the hill. Kouryou-chan continued her tradition of running into the world face-first; she had a storage basket inverted on the ground, tripped on it and hit her mouth on one of the legs, leaving a circular cut right round her lip. Ouch.

I had one of the most self-indulgent lunches ever: grilled ham and cheese, but with real chedder, proscuitto, on Essential Bakery bread.... Mmmmm, salty... Haven't been cooking that much, though, mostly quick stuff: cereal, scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, tuna fish sandwiches. It's been a weekend to either eat or toss leftovers.

Kouryou-chan keyed my damn car! She was bored and trying to get our attention, and she wanted her stuffed animal which she left in the car. It was locked, so she started banging on her door with a rock! Dammit, now I need to figure out how to buff and protect those scratches. It's not as bad as it could have been, she could have gone after the window, but still... *Sigh* Children. And they're just a couple of scuffs, but it's ugly... and annoying. Not to mention that Omaha manged to score a scratch on one of the windows a little later when she tossed a rock out of the line of bushes next to the driveway and it went a bit wild.

It's bug season. The yellowjacket trap in our back yard is full (and I have to clean it out now... lovely!), and we once again have ants. The exterminator showed up and found the nest that's infesting the kitchen, but he said it'll take a few days for the poison to work its way into the soil. In the meantime, it's close up every gap and use a child-safe dessicant in every crack they come through. Also, there's another wasp nest over the garage, with soldier wasps carefully watching us constantly. I got the neighbor's permission to hang another trap on the tree across the street.

Comments

Dreamteam Calamities

[(Anonymous)]

Most fascinating. Like you said, the MM aspect was bit of a turnoff for me (who cheerfully acknowledges himself as a heterosexual male) but the beginnings of the story promise something real interesting. Even on purely SciFi arenawhile ignoring sexual elements.

Can't wait for following installment.

ObIdea: Have you considered marketing possibilities on paper-and-ink media for Journal Entries?

Re: Dreamteam Calamities

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Omaha bugs me to market the stuff, but after reading the SFWA handbook on what it takes to get published on paper, I think just putting them out for people to read is a safer course...

[mouser.livejournal.com]

I'm told that there's a trick with clear fingernail polish on car scratches, but I don't know it.

Actually my response beging less than positive (tepid is too strong - your story was good) dealt more with the sex on someone else's altar.

But that's me.

Dream Time

[(Anonymous)]

The sexual aspects of the Journal Entries these days is probably the last thing that draws me to read them. I'm far more interested in the state of Pendor, the political maneuvers between the various stellar empires, and the transhumanism future that seems to be on an inevitable collision with the rest of the universe. These things really excite me, quite probably because I get so very little of it. Trying to figure out how the world is damnably difficult when a good 30% of a story is taken up by grunting.

Still I'm very interested in exactly how the issues surrounding the mind tampering the girls have had will be looked upon by the rest of Pendor. It also interests me because I've a fascination with the concepts of Mind Control and Free Will (especially how one views the concept of free will) so I'll definitely be reading the rest of these stories.

- Nirrad

Re: Dream Time

[(Anonymous)]

I have to second that, to an extent. The sex is often an noisome garnish to the meat of why I read your work: the story. That's not to say there aren't times when it really does matter, The Visitor and most of the Travelogue series in particular comes to mind. However, some of your, in my opinion, best works are those without any sex; Brienna and The Last Journal Entry are perfect.

BTW, is there any more planned to the world of The Visitor? That seemed to be a really interesting setup.

Maykir/Cot?

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

Any chance of more Maykir/Cot stories?

Re: Maykir/Cot?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about one more, when the Pendorians show up. (Bodily fluids on the statue activate a signalling device, don'cha know...) It was mostly done when I lost the sex scene to a hard drive crash. I'll have to re-write the ending.

Dreamteam Calamaties Ep 1

[funos.livejournal.com]

While MM sex isn't much my thing, I liked that scene.
And with or without sex, the world and characters are just plain
fascinating. I usually point people to the Travellogue/Reunion
story arcs as an introduction.

I eagerly await the next installment.

Well recieved here...

[http://users.livejournal.com/dominic-m-/]

The travellogue series is what got me hooked on pendor. And like many others the nitty gritty is not really what draws me to it. Although its quite often tastefully written(as tastefull as it can get)the main reason I read and continue to read the journal enteies is for the story, no matter who it is about your writings and storyline entrance. I dont particularirly fawn over the MM scenes(being a regular het) but dont exclude or lessen them from your stories just because they are less well recieved by us straighties...Either way great story and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Re: Well recieved here...

[http://users.livejournal.com/dominic-m-/]

please excuse my dreadfull grammer.

Dreamteam Calamaties

[kyriani.livejournal.com]

Sigh, I haven't even had time to read your most recent writings, will have to do that later tonight or tomorrow night. ^_^ Was a busy weekend! I happen to love MM scenes so should be fun reading, will post again after I have gotten a chance to read Dreamteam Calamaties.

Re: Dreamteam Calamaties

[kyriani.livejournal.com]

I have to bug Matt to read your writing as well, hes a good writer but wants to work on his dialogue which you do well. ^_^

[creepingcrud.livejournal.com]

Although I'm mostly straight, I've always liked the Ken/Aaden scenes, and this one was good too. Mainly I didn't read the story over the weekend because I was out of town.

One question, though - what's the "Villa"? Did Castle Shardik get replaced at some point and I missed it, or what?

Oh, also, because I suspect I've been wrong, is the "Aa" in Aaden pronounced like "ah" or to rhyme with "hay"?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Aaden is 'Ah', not 'Ay'.

The "Villa" is, well, a much larger place the family moved into a few kilometers inland after the Castle burned down. What? I didn't post that? How cruel of me... :-)

Dreamteam Calamaties

[darklilith69.livejournal.com]

This is the first time I've read any of your work. At least, lately. :)
I feel you did a very nice job here. Good opening hook and a very nice ending hook.

Being completely bi, myself, I found the male erotica scenes nicely rendered and as arousing as intended. ;)

You did a wonderful job with the plot scenes of the starving little girls. That kept me reading to the end, curious as to what is going to happen with them and why it happened at all.

Nicely done, Elf.

Have you ever been part of a writing group or anything like that? Just curious. I'm part of an on-line writers group that has been immense help to my writing. Some day I hope to publish my work. For now I have a lot of rejection letters.;) Have you ever been published?

Again, good job and thank you for sharing!

Lilith

Re: Dreamteam Calamaties

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope you don't get the impression that they're "little" girls. They're all in their mid-50s, and visually the range is from about fifteen to the late 20's. The pervert in this story may have been a pervert, but he wasn't the sicko from Nudes Defending a Staircase.

Oh, dear. I haven't posted that one, either... :-)

Re: Dreamteam Calamaties

[darklilith69.livejournal.com]

Well, as I'm a fairly active 40+, visual ages 15 will certainly seem little girlish to any maternal instinct I might have but, you're right, the late 20's...well, I should have chosen my words better. I was focused on the description you gave of the younger one. Or am I recalling incorrectly?

Nudes Defending a Staircase? Intrigueing title...you tease. *smile*