Having recently completed my entry for the latest competition; it got me thinking about what makes a sucessfull story.

The story was quite long in excess of 22k. Hits and feedback were quite low compared to my other writings.

I have always believed in the 'grab their attention quickly' school of thinking when writing short stories. Perhaps the opening lines may have put people off...

Below are images I created for a few of my stories that will eventually be posted on a new story site I found called Codey's World, which is an online fiction site focused on teens and young adults, although folks of all ages are welcome. Below each image is a synopsis of the story, and you can go to the story here on Big Closet by clicking on the image. :)

I've coped with a fair bit over the last six years of health troubles, so why have just spent the last half hour sitting in my living room crying my eyes out. My left arm was paralysed for more than month, cramps in my hands bend and twist my fingers and I've no control over them, even the drag in my leg that means using a cane to walk, so why does not being able to go to the toilet upset me so much? Everything the doctor has prescribed has had a minor immediate but temporary benefit, and then added added another problem.

Here's the tape of Cathy's radio interview. Use your browser (or iTunes) to download. It's not on the main BC server so it may be slow.

24 Meg MP3 file from WJTN Radio.

So… the adventure continues, or something equally profound or pompous maybe, depending on your point of view.

I was watching one of my favourite series again - CSI Las Vegas. At the end Gil Grissom said something very important I think.
'Men assume, they don't ask about the why. ... It took five people to murder one person, but if only one had asked why he did what he was doing, why he felt unwell, he might have been still alive.'

Having dealt with the IRS and AT&T, I have to wonder who's worse. Personal contact is almost out of the question, and if you finally find a number to call the wait is at least a half of an hour. I had to deal with AT&T since yesterday. I overlooked a bill and a block was put on my fax number. I paid in full at 11:30 AM and service was to be restored in the next six hours.

Okay. Now that I know for a fact

The meeting has been moved up to Wednesday at 11AM, and Cathy is going to be there in all her glory. It IS time my sisters learned that this is not a whim, or something I thought would be cool to do for awhile. Cathy is who I am, Cathy is who I'm, going to be, and that is the long and short of it.

I have to meet with the lawyer Thursday the 17th to settle Mom's will. I am in the second month of my RLT. BOTH my sisters will also have to be there, and they are religiously dead set against me being myself, that is to say, Cathy.

Over on the FictionMania Hyperboard, someone started a discussion of the use of sex-changing viruses in TG stories and someone made a comment about the impossibility of a virus being able to change bone structure. Here's a version of my contribution to that thread:

According to the records, 'Bike' will be one year old on Wednesday, which all being well should be episode number 349. I'm sixteen or so parts missing- not bad I suppose, considering I do have a life outside writing poor fiction. Of those missing I suspect half a dozen were technical glitches, plus a couple of holidays and a hospital appointment.

Aunty Edeyn is all three. She got up for food, earlier and I had to take the computer away to keep her from getting on, anyway.

And yes, I know it's late, but it's Friday AND Summer Vacation... and I'm insomniac.

REW (Roo)

The next part of Totally Insane should be up tomorrow, I have to finish the edit. However, I was a moment ago, looking at the hits list, in eight episodes it has registered 15,205 hits.

It is a segment of a story idea.

A really passable trans woman faces only grief at the hands of her family and has finally given up after years of Artillery duals.

She gets this message from an on line friend to go visit her in Northern Iraq. Very dangerous with the Taliban slinking about like snakes in the night.

I have been editing my story King Of The Rim And have the first two chapters ready. I would like to do a Title Page that has the revamped chapters . Can any body help?

This is what I first wrote as a comment to: Pen Pals, 13 by Anistasia Allread. She wrote: "Hello again from St. George, the hottest place on Earth." This was my reaction. Title was "Hotter elsewhere in AZ"

Maddy Bell(http://www.maddybell.com/page600.html )has posted updates on several stories including her latest Nena-sode, and some fanfics- some of which are not posted elsewhere! Erm, hint, hint, oh yes, that includes one of mine (blushes coyly)Whatever Next part 17, with Drew up to his neck in things again- this time the ironing. If you go to the fanfic page, there are two short stories I wrote for the 2008 Gabycon posted as well. Neither will tax your brain too hard and only one is about cycling - honest!

LONDON TIMES OBITUARY OF THE LATE MR COMMON SENSE

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he
was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red
tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable
lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early

Maggie's new epic about a boy who becomes a "Maiden by Decree" is now appearing at StarDust. I've got permission to post it here but haven't done so yet. If you want to read it right away, as it comes out, the chapters will be on StarDust days before they appear here. And it's good. :)

Hugs,
Erin

There'll not be an episode of OHOP this evening, as I'm a tad rough. There was a certain room in the flat I hadn't visited since Thursday (first time experience for me), and my GP provided a very thorough remedy... I'm not feeling very creative right now :)

I'm almost done with a story. It's a story about my life. I need help to clean it up and make sure I'm not violating to many of the rules of writing. After all, I'd hate to have the union on my ass.lol.

Thanks
Jessica(smorr24)

That was the one sentence reader comment I got on a story of mine published yesterday at Fictionmania.

The race coverage is pretty good here in the US with one of the cable networks (VS. - www.versus.com) showing each stage live and then showing 4 re-broadcasts throughout the day. They have Phil Liggett, Paul Sherman, Bob Roll, and Craig Hummer doing most of the announcing.

I've been dealing with a lot of stress lately when it comes to my sister. I know people are probably tired of me bloging about it. I'm sorry. Today was extremely stressful for me. After talking about it with a good friend, I desided that it was time to come out to my sister. I am not strong enought to tell her over the phone so I sent her a email.

Somehow, the July 3rd episode did not get posted, so, I've posted it today as 15.5, and naturally, I edited it down to only half a drabble using Erin's technique of no descriptions or tags. Sorry about that.

Love,
Lainie

I told folks that as soon as I got them developed, I'd post a pic of my new look. Short hair with streaks, contacts instead of glasses.

Here I am again being ravaged and churning words out but it is so good to be back writing even at the volume I am doing now. I am starting a kids camp story and will be posted in a few days once the story matures. Without a trace is growing by the day and the story is taking some twists.

Tonight on Spike, during T.N.A. Impact [wrestling] they showed where a wrestler was on three blind dates. Unfortunately, they decided to insult the T.G. community with the first date. Why must they portray the T.G. in an insulting way? It will be shown again on Saturday late night.

Just finished up at Mayo and got all the results back. Not sure what to do yet, as I am still thinking about the choices. Do I stop transitioning so that I can get infusions sub-cutaneously every 2-3 days for the rest of my life, or do I see how long I can survive with no immune system but continue on as myself?

I'm back in Kansas City from now until time to head home for school. This is really the only place I know of online that's not, well, dangerous for me. I was just telling someone that we totally need a transkids forum somewhere, y'know? Somewhere safe to be ourselves and talk about things that would get our tails kicked if we even THOUGHT them at school.

REW (or Roo)

my gods i have turned into a word factory three episodes for my stories and the first ten pages of a main stream sci fi book churned out today in basic readable form ready for the cut and slash (apart from the book. today it seems i have not stopped writing but nothing was good enough for the moose and she sat on my shoulder all day moaning.

When I got my new apartment, I was so ecstaic; deleriously happy; almost dancing in the street. I would have a place with real windows! AND, I would finally have a "bedroom"! Did I mention I was beside my self with glee?!?

The Daily Telegraph has an article about a man who has developed abnormally high levels of oestrogen but the doctors don't know why. The report uses the word "natural", but ff this had happened in a story on this site, it wouldn't have been "natural".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2233...

It is time for the annual pilgrimage to see ones grandchild.

I know you say, she can’t be that old, she writes like an overactive teenager on steroids. (you do say that, don’t you?)

Well, the upgrade to the server last night went well. Adding more RAM should buy us another year on this server before we need a CPU upgrade. Traffic growth has slowed down for the summer so things are looking good.

TODAY IS MY FIRST GAY PRIDE PARADE!!!! I'm so excited, I can't wait!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!

My older sister and her son are visiting from alabama this week and I let her use my computer to check her email. When I loged on here this morning several names came up as options in the username slot when I began typing. my sister had been here. I told her to use my firefox browser. All my tg stuff is saved on my windows explorer browser.

Aunt Greta, sexagenarian biker extraordinaire, is feeling pleased with herself, as her hits are climbing. Parts 2 and 4 have both topped 2500 hits, part 5 has been hit over 1500 times and the Plonker episode (#10) has reached over 1000. And the original story, Aunt Greta's Homework, now has over 50 votes.

Subject: NEWS - Congress' 1st hearing on Gender Identity (June 27, 2008)

Gender Identity Discrimination in the Workplace gets First Hearing in Congress

Huffington Post

http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ joe-solmonese/ gender-identity- discrimin_ b_109352. html

Posted June 26, 2008 | 09:58 AM (EST)

well i'm back after a hiatus from everything and getting back into writting and everything else.

there has been a lot of turmoil in this life in the predeing months and alot of trying to cope with mental illness. No i dont count being trans gendered as a mental illness but a state of being.

But first I must travel to a distant Galaxy so they can change my internet service. Hopefully, I will be back on line by Monday afternoon

Many Blessings, and I will miss you all VWEWY MUCh ! SMOOCHES !

Khadija Gwendolyn Brown

The Drabble Saga, "How Could She Refuse?" is now appearing on Stardust in weekly installments, seven drabbles at a time. :)

Love,
Lainie

I will be going out of town tomorrow morning (Tuesday 2008-6-24), and as such, Karen Page will be handling Shortcuts! while I'm gone. I will be back on Tuesday the 1st of July at the latest, but until then I cannot promise regular updates of Dear Diary or anything else I'm working on. I will try to log in and make sure things are going well, but I really don't know!

After reading comments and such from readers, I'm curious as to how many ride motorcycles and if you still ride. Me, I raced them for over twenty-five years. I'm a charter member of the AMA and darn proud of it too. I started racing on triumphs in the 500cc class. I started by riding enduros on a ridgid frame 500 and finally got suspension a year later on my 1965 500.

This night, Sunday the 22nd of June, 2008, will live forever in my memory as the night a 25 year friend finally decided to try to accept me as Cathy.

The last competition entry of the year went in the post yesterday so I'm free to write fiction (I'm poetried out for a few months - I don't write long works but the distillation process is very draining).

Here I am sitting in sunny, if very blowy Lincolnshire, that's in the UK for those, like me who never paid attention in geography lessons.

I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to let Ellie Mae and Biscuit (our cats) in and out of the house today. As soon as they go out, they realise that it's windy and they want to come in again!