Another afternoon spent on a rocky foreshore watching the tide come in and letting an unforgiving sun burn my skin that little bit darker. Another afternoon wondering where the hell my next piece of fiction is coming from.
You know that feeling when you listen to a piece of music and it says exactly what you want to put across in a story, but no matter how hard you try you can never quite get the same vibe?
It's finally happened! A Briton has won the men's singles title at Wimbledon. The first since Fred Perry 77 years ago. I'm no fan of lawn tennis, but I had to wipe away a tear because this was sporting history.
To make the moment even sweeter, Andy Murray hails from a lovely little town on the edge of the Scottish highlands called Dunblane, which was blighted by tragedy in 1996 when a gunman opened fire on a group of schoolchildren with horrendous results. Andy's triumph has now ensured that the town will be remembered for a different reason.
Well it's sort of about holidays. In a single afternoon I saw two crowded beaches, three lighthouses, two windmills, lots of cormorants and kittiwakes, a funfair and a zoo. It's probably the nearest I'll get to a holiday this year.
I was pointed towards this short film (26 mins) by someone on the FictionMania site. There's no overt tg element, but it's a well-made and nicely acted body-swap tale.
Superman. Not a story but a franchise. As predictable as a McDonalds and just as hard to swallow. Give Lex Luthor a lump of that colour kryptonite that removes his powers permanently, or make Lois Lane his sworn enemy and I might be persuaded to change my mind.
In the myriad ice ages between now and when they finally decide to do something original in Hollywood, here's an idea for a remake.
I'm still waiting for this babe to get her own show. I fell in love with her when I was 9 and you know what they say about first love.
Working on the assumption that if even one user takes pleasure from these tunes then they were worth the trouble of linking to, here's a song for Richard Brookbank/Ruth Pattison and another for Peter Stokes's dad.
'The Cinema Show' is my favourite track of all time. If you haven't heard it before I warn you that at about 2:45 you may begin to experience emotions you'll never be able to communicate for the rest of your life. You'll know what they are, you just won't be able to tell anyone about them. I've tried for 40 years so I should know. Anyway, this is for Richard/Ruth.
I've just watched an excellent show on BBC I-Player called '50s Britannia'. It's a documentary about the British rock 'n' roll scene at that time and compares it to what was going on in the USA, describing it as 'a strange variant on a distant phenomenon'.
Although the Beatles are only mentioned in passing, the programme gives a remarkable insight into the cultural changes that made their fame inevitable.
Did those four young men from Liverpool invent something entirely new? Sounded like it, though I suspect not everyone would agree.
I still get requests to finish the tale I began in 'Goodbye Master Stokes', and not only on this site. Recently I received a message from someone whose praise was so fulsome, and whose analysis of the story was so erudite and penetrating, that I was compelled to look at it again.
I have no 'real world' tg issues. I'm lucky enough to be happy with my gender identity, and to have a wide circle of friends who understand why I write tg fiction and who approve of my reasons for doing so.
Here in cyberspace (way to show your age Rich, you'll be talking about superhighways next!) it's different. I want a female alter-ego because I believe it might help me grow, both as a writer and a person.
I'm being serious. This has bugged me for a while, and I want it settled.
Strange things happen to you on this site. You read a story by a new author and you think hmmm, that wasn't bad. You read it again, determined to offer a detailed review because you remember the first time you posted something here and while it was nice to see someone say 'keep up the good work' you really wanted more.
I'd always considered Savedra to be one of the strongest tg characters modern fiction has produced. Not only is she thoroughly convincing, but her transness (come on Rich, you must be able to think of a better word than that!) isn't immediately obvious.
Clearly this reviewer, who as a trans woman is almost certainly more qualified than me to discuss these issues, has a different opinion. I'll make no comment other than to say it gave me plenty to think about.
You get up with the best of intentions. You write 642 words - good ones, as well. You take one break to check if there have been any new comments to a story you particularly liked. You find one and think yeah, I know a good Moody Blues track to link to. There might be others as well...
Suddenly it's gone six.
Where the hell did the day go?
No one to blame but myself. (Sighs loudly.)
Bugger it, I might as well link to some decent 70s stuff.
The next story I post will not easily fit into the categories available on the 'Create Content' page. I need to choose the right tags so that those who decide to read it understand what they're getting.
I just responded to a couple of posts on the FM site. The replies are there if you click on the original posts, but they don't appear on the main hyperboard page.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
