Yes, you're reading that correctly. I've finished In This Life, the final chapter has been posted. The Skins Alternate Universe I created is over.
Unfortunately it ended very open so it'd be wrong not to write a sequel! Oops.
Was always my intention really. There were so many undeveloped aspects of the story and unanswered questions, most of which relate to Naomi's world and how Emily fits into that.
Showing posts with label lesbian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lesbian. Show all posts
Friday, 28 January 2011
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Write: Jan 25th/26th
I've spent the last couple of days working on the penultimate chapter of In This Life, a story that has stayed extremely close to my chest and in many ways has broken me before fixing me again.
I have so much I want to write, so many things I feel I have to say. This story sums up a lot of vision of the world. I dint think you'll ever get another story so personal to me.
On a side note, didn't get as much writing done on the 25th as I would have liked. I found out there's a Skins writing competition, finding that out was like being told your life was worth something. Then I read the age limit, I'm 13 months too old. I was and still am devastated that after two years of writing Skins fanfiction, I don't get this opportunity. I've waited for a writing competition for years.
I have so much I want to write, so many things I feel I have to say. This story sums up a lot of vision of the world. I dint think you'll ever get another story so personal to me.
On a side note, didn't get as much writing done on the 25th as I would have liked. I found out there's a Skins writing competition, finding that out was like being told your life was worth something. Then I read the age limit, I'm 13 months too old. I was and still am devastated that after two years of writing Skins fanfiction, I don't get this opportunity. I've waited for a writing competition for years.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Write: Jan 10th - Nameless
No I'm not writing a story called Nameless.
I just haven't got a name for what I wrote. Nor do I have any details about it for you.
I suppose you could say it's a surprise, a little something I'm working on in the background!
For now, all you need to know is that I wrote 640 words from the point of view of a bar man, who also happens to be nameless.
I'm actually in search of a name for him, but more importantly a name for the leading man in this story. He will be a 'nice' guy, he will be religious, he will care deeply, he will be sensitive, he isn't really that manly but at the same time he's not some poor defenceless, weak man.
Suggestions welcome, answers on a postcard (or in a comment box - pretty sure I accept anonymous ones).
I just haven't got a name for what I wrote. Nor do I have any details about it for you.
I suppose you could say it's a surprise, a little something I'm working on in the background!
For now, all you need to know is that I wrote 640 words from the point of view of a bar man, who also happens to be nameless.
I'm actually in search of a name for him, but more importantly a name for the leading man in this story. He will be a 'nice' guy, he will be religious, he will care deeply, he will be sensitive, he isn't really that manly but at the same time he's not some poor defenceless, weak man.
Suggestions welcome, answers on a postcard (or in a comment box - pretty sure I accept anonymous ones).
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Write: Jan 8th - In This Life chapter twenty-one
I finally sat down to the next chapter of In This Life and after a few moments of "oh my gosh I have no idea where this is going or what I'm writing," I managed to make some much needed progress and even posted a new chapter up on Fanfiction.net as I usually do.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5999648/23/In_This_Life
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5999648/23/In_This_Life
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Read: Jan 5th - Short story 'Stone Cold Butch'
January 5th
Read: Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, Short story 'Stone Cold Butch'
Giving up a considerably failing unentertaining book can be easy, doing the same with a short stories anthology is probably a big mistake. After all, you never know what hidden gems you might find.
Today's story started off, shall we say, clichéd (yes, there's clichés in every story). A teenager handing in a video because they didn't want to write an essay, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt in at least two different places. One was a television show. Why do students feel that handing in a video when they've been assigned an essay is acceptable? You might not like the concept of writing an essay, but in education in the 21st Century, we often have to do the things we don't want.
I hate writing a learning review for my college course, doesn't mean I'm recording myself saying it instead. I write it, because that's what I've been assigned to do.
Now, onwards with the story.
It got better...if you can ever call the story "better".
Cam is the main character this time. I'm not sure if all these people go to the same high school or not, but if they did, that's a lot of gay girls they have. There's a feel that they do though, perhaps in different years/at different times.
They wrote Cam being asked on a date as carefree as anything, as though her being gay isn't an issue. Which it isn't. But we know from experience that fiction can portray it in such a way. Being gay in fiction is sometimes tokenistic, other times it's just 'such a big deal'. All very well for a 16 year old who's unsure of herself.
I don't know her age but I placed Cam as about 17/18, vulnerable, has had many girlfriends (well at least one, plus someone she fooled around with).
This story, her story, was not about her sexuality. Sure they mentioned it and her idea that shaving her head would make her look like a boy could be considered to do with her sexuality, but it's not.
It's because her dad has been abusing her since she was six years old.
Who wouldn't want to find ways to repulse him after years of abuse, abuse that stops you being able to have sex or even accept a date with a girl without feeling like he's there, involved.
Unlike the case of the brief 'self-harm' mention in a earlier story, it was surprising how you can actually approach a deep situation in a short story. But it can't be one line, flitted away like it's an insignificant part of every day life. It must be built into the entire story, explored, felt and somehow Cam's story did just that.
Read: Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, Short story 'Stone Cold Butch'
Giving up a considerably failing unentertaining book can be easy, doing the same with a short stories anthology is probably a big mistake. After all, you never know what hidden gems you might find.
Today's story started off, shall we say, clichéd (yes, there's clichés in every story). A teenager handing in a video because they didn't want to write an essay, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt in at least two different places. One was a television show. Why do students feel that handing in a video when they've been assigned an essay is acceptable? You might not like the concept of writing an essay, but in education in the 21st Century, we often have to do the things we don't want.
I hate writing a learning review for my college course, doesn't mean I'm recording myself saying it instead. I write it, because that's what I've been assigned to do.
Now, onwards with the story.
It got better...if you can ever call the story "better".
Cam is the main character this time. I'm not sure if all these people go to the same high school or not, but if they did, that's a lot of gay girls they have. There's a feel that they do though, perhaps in different years/at different times.
They wrote Cam being asked on a date as carefree as anything, as though her being gay isn't an issue. Which it isn't. But we know from experience that fiction can portray it in such a way. Being gay in fiction is sometimes tokenistic, other times it's just 'such a big deal'. All very well for a 16 year old who's unsure of herself.
I don't know her age but I placed Cam as about 17/18, vulnerable, has had many girlfriends (well at least one, plus someone she fooled around with).
This story, her story, was not about her sexuality. Sure they mentioned it and her idea that shaving her head would make her look like a boy could be considered to do with her sexuality, but it's not.
It's because her dad has been abusing her since she was six years old.
Who wouldn't want to find ways to repulse him after years of abuse, abuse that stops you being able to have sex or even accept a date with a girl without feeling like he's there, involved.
Unlike the case of the brief 'self-harm' mention in a earlier story, it was surprising how you can actually approach a deep situation in a short story. But it can't be one line, flitted away like it's an insignificant part of every day life. It must be built into the entire story, explored, felt and somehow Cam's story did just that.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Read: Jan 2nd - Short story 'After Alex'
January 2nd
Read: Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, Short story 'After Alex'
It's all very American. I'm not against US literature but when it reeks in clichés and fakery, it really puts me off. And don't even get me started on having someone play with fire, then another character use that to talk about a sexual fire between the two other girls. Talk about clichés.
So the story is about a girl who was in love with someone called Alex, before the story began she received an email from Alex saying she wanted them to get back together. All very well, but the idea that Alex, who'd been through the process of coming out as gay, couldn't even understand that Rachael needed more time before PDAs. That annoys me.
I appear to have strong issues with this short story. The whole book really. Two stories now have mentioned a Gay/Straight Alliance in school (since they're all set in high school), I should Google that, find out more about if it exists. What I really seem to dislike about the book is how American it is, how PRIVILEGED America it is. Teenage girls going on ski trips on an average day of the week. It reminds me of a romantic comedy where you just know the main characters are loaded.
As I said, I'm not against the book being American but as a British young person I want something I can relate to. I don't relate to pom pom culture full of ski trips and second homes. I relate to honest, well built characters I can actually care about. Yesterday's story felt more real to me, the girl in that was infinitely more interesting. After all, she didn't date someone who dumped her to go back to the ex she dumped to be with her in the first place. What sort of message is that sending out?!
Oh Christ, now there's cutting? If you can't deal with an issue fully, don't even bring it up if you ask me. The idea of that added to the story makes me cringe. That was the only, briefest of mentions. Pointless.
And so the story ends with the girl taking back her cheating ex, yeah, way to go "role models".
I know not all fiction needs to be role model based but I feel something so aimed at teenagers has something of a moral responsibility to represent life in a certain way. For this story there was no message, except don't accept an apology from someone who seems to flit between you and someone else or you'll only get hurt. Actually, that's not the message, it's something I tool from it because I have the maturity to understand that love doesn't mean you're blind to someone's idiocies.
Read: Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, Short story 'After Alex'
It's all very American. I'm not against US literature but when it reeks in clichés and fakery, it really puts me off. And don't even get me started on having someone play with fire, then another character use that to talk about a sexual fire between the two other girls. Talk about clichés.
So the story is about a girl who was in love with someone called Alex, before the story began she received an email from Alex saying she wanted them to get back together. All very well, but the idea that Alex, who'd been through the process of coming out as gay, couldn't even understand that Rachael needed more time before PDAs. That annoys me.
I appear to have strong issues with this short story. The whole book really. Two stories now have mentioned a Gay/Straight Alliance in school (since they're all set in high school), I should Google that, find out more about if it exists. What I really seem to dislike about the book is how American it is, how PRIVILEGED America it is. Teenage girls going on ski trips on an average day of the week. It reminds me of a romantic comedy where you just know the main characters are loaded.
As I said, I'm not against the book being American but as a British young person I want something I can relate to. I don't relate to pom pom culture full of ski trips and second homes. I relate to honest, well built characters I can actually care about. Yesterday's story felt more real to me, the girl in that was infinitely more interesting. After all, she didn't date someone who dumped her to go back to the ex she dumped to be with her in the first place. What sort of message is that sending out?!
Oh Christ, now there's cutting? If you can't deal with an issue fully, don't even bring it up if you ask me. The idea of that added to the story makes me cringe. That was the only, briefest of mentions. Pointless.
And so the story ends with the girl taking back her cheating ex, yeah, way to go "role models".
I know not all fiction needs to be role model based but I feel something so aimed at teenagers has something of a moral responsibility to represent life in a certain way. For this story there was no message, except don't accept an apology from someone who seems to flit between you and someone else or you'll only get hurt. Actually, that's not the message, it's something I tool from it because I have the maturity to understand that love doesn't mean you're blind to someone's idiocies.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Read: Jan 1st - Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, chapter 'Can't Stop the Feeling'
January 1st
Read: Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, Short story 'Can't Stop the Feeling'
A story about a girl called Mariah, it's very American and felt in many ways like a cliché of American teenage life. But the concept was important, significant. Mariah isn't just any teenager, she's gay. Not that she'll admit that. Not to the Gay/ Straight Alliance that meets in her school every Thursday at three pm, not even to herself.
Until the day she faces her fear of stepping through the doorway, entering the meeting one Thursday after doing everything to avoid them for about five weeks. Only it's not so bad.
Not only does the lovely sounding Lily (of course made me think Loveless, but with pom poms haha) make for a very possible future partner, she also offers her not just non-judgement but also the gift of time. There's no rush admitting how she feels and that, I feel, is the greatest message to come out of the story.
You don't have to tell people that you're gay, you don't even have to think about it...but when you do, someone will be there to listen, to support you and to help you come to terms with it.
Read: Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters, Short story 'Can't Stop the Feeling'
A story about a girl called Mariah, it's very American and felt in many ways like a cliché of American teenage life. But the concept was important, significant. Mariah isn't just any teenager, she's gay. Not that she'll admit that. Not to the Gay/ Straight Alliance that meets in her school every Thursday at three pm, not even to herself.
Until the day she faces her fear of stepping through the doorway, entering the meeting one Thursday after doing everything to avoid them for about five weeks. Only it's not so bad.
Not only does the lovely sounding Lily (of course made me think Loveless, but with pom poms haha) make for a very possible future partner, she also offers her not just non-judgement but also the gift of time. There's no rush admitting how she feels and that, I feel, is the greatest message to come out of the story.
You don't have to tell people that you're gay, you don't even have to think about it...but when you do, someone will be there to listen, to support you and to help you come to terms with it.
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