I usually enjoy your stories but this one did nothing for me. It felt flat & uninteresting & I really struggled to get through it. Next time perhaps. 2 **
Randi , great talent knows no race , creed , or gender
The fact that no one on this site would even know your ethnicity , age , or gender unless you told them ( very few folks seem to even visit the Bio pages here ) is certainly testament to that fact.
Unfortunately , I don't know if we'll ever get past this race thing in my lifetime (48 , if that's considered old ?) even though it will happen one day . They say that we as a species will one day be pretty much the same .
Of course these same folks said back in the 60's and early 70's that our planet was moving toward a new ice age , and that eggs would clog your arteries so fast that a dozen would be deadly ! ( may have gone off a bit on the eggs , but not by much) .
P.S. when can I buy my official " Team BlackRandl1958 " hat and shits ? The other sycophants keep asking me ! Lol
but am enjoying the comments. I enjoy stories for many reasons. Some because they are technically proficient and evocative although I do not like the ening. Some because I like the plot even though they may not be technically that great. A good story is a good story even when a comma is used instead of a semi colon, which I don't think I've ever seen on LIT. Matt Moreau is generally underrated. There have been many good writers in LW which is all I read and there are some now but maybe not as many as there used to be. I believe there have been some stories on this site which qualify as publishable literature. Blackrandle and RichardGerald,
HDK, Britease, UKR, DQS, BobnBobbi, are just some of the many. Sign me off as one old white guy who likes Blackrandle and hopes she favors us with more LW stories in the future. She is certainly a "wordsmith" in my book and I do a lot of reading and writing albeit normally in a much more technical, legalistic vein.
The Iliad: Some guy stole another guys wife. They got their friends together and had a big fight to get her back. Her husband won but some of his friends and family died doing it. There was a horse in there somewhere. The End
Vs.
"Rage — Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,"
There is a magic in the correct phrase and word. Who is this murderous and doomed Achilles and why the fuck is he so angry? No, not anger. ENRAGED! Rage sufficient to destroy an army!
Then again...has anyone READ the Iliad who did not have to? Or did you see 'Troy' or at least prefer the 'Cliff Notes' version compared to the SEVEN HOURS of reading time, much less declaming time by an Achaean bard?
So, a story can be underspiced and overspiced.
This...was a satisfying meal. Learning a little bit about photographic techniques was the 'juice' of the story for me. Could have used a bit of fresher meat (aka the story of the protag) but we had an adequate meal none the less.
Sufficient length to cover the ideas. It lacked artistry but showed craft.
What do I mean? I do not recall a whole lot of skimming in 'When We Were Married'. I give DQS a lot of shit in his shorter stories with his horrible characters, but he can keep a story going without getting people to drop off who have any kind of attention span. That was MASSIVE and yet I not only read it, but reread large chunks.
I would suggest anyone who can't tell the benefit of wordsmithing to google 'Black Sails, Fruits, Tits and Plants' and watch the one minute video. It highlights this debate perfectly. But hey, if you want that painting on the right, go buy it!
On doing this on your wonderful stories comment section , feel free to delete this if you so choose with my blessing , because I'm about to go outside the scope of this story .
LSD has opened up a very interesting topic . And before people start saying this is more appropriate for the discussion boards , I have found that when I start a thread on something that I'm curious about , one of two things happen there. 1 , crickets . Zero comments when I asked about the similar story function on these stories having gone off the wall in the last couple of years . 2 , they're about oh 10 -maybe 20 folks who monopolize the place , and turn any serious question into jiberish that's totally off the point .
So LSD gave the 10 -6 positions on his top ten LW authors . This has had me pondering for the last 5 hours or so .
Is this all time ? The genre has really changed a lot in the last 10 years., things that were "cutting edge" at that time are now labeled cliche .
Some of those authors of that time started out writing the stock for that time wife sharing and voyeurism that was all the rage then , but soon transcended into other story lines .
I'm thinking of authors like KK, Charlie_Ace , DGHear, and a lot of others. I've always been up front that I prefer cheating & consequences stories , I just do , I'm making no excuses nor do I feel I should . Everyone likes what they like.
Too me , I think it's easier to start at the top ( there's nothing easy about this at all actually ).
But IMHO the top author in this genre is #1 , Rehnquist. In fact his story "Goin' Back Home Again " is my favorite story of all LW time. So that one's pretty easy.
Then at #2 I have qhml1. This guy is simply brilliant , may not be the best technical writer , but he's probably the best Storyteller . To my mind , that trumps technicalities all day long.
Now , it really starts getting difficult . Do you factor in amount of work? , time span of work ? Lots of factors start oozing up here.
This will be very controversial , but I guess #3 is JustPlainBob. Yeah , I know. He has posted some stories that physically make my blood boil , and my stomach churn ! But , and this is why he's my # 3 , on days ( sometimes weeks) when the new postings here offer nothing that I'm into , I hit the archives , and almost everytime I'll end up on his 700 + library. Trick is to never read anything that's 3.5ish or under. He certainly has a style , he bulldozer through like Mike Hammer writing a Mikey Spillane story . I find that I really like this style , but not the Cuck stuff .
# 4 . Maybe this really should be 3 , but anyway Papatoad . What is there to say , he's just a legendary figure in this genre. After JPB , I wind up in his library probably the most.
#5 . Harddaysknight . After JPB and Papatoad , you guys see the pattern here , right ?
A pretty extensive library of works , and nobody does humor in this category as well , with a tip of the Hat to Britease. I almost think of these guys as extentions of each other. Plus with HDK getting accused of being a Brit all the time ! Lol .
Well I'm stopping there for now . Got somemore pondering to do since this days new offerings look bleak. ( hint Big 3 coming up!)
Again all apologies to Imhapless for this ( he's in the running as well) .
( apologies to imhapless as well ) Part 2 of Loving Wives Top Ten Loving Wives Wordsmiths 1-5 ( in reverse order )
5) X_Bishop: 1) Tales from the behind the bar Chapters 1-2 2) Mad Maxine 3) Girlfriends
. ...this probably my least known pick , never had a over a hundred comments on individual story. He's African American don't be fooled by hood vernacular . This guy is sharper then barbershop straight razor but doesn't show it off like a rapper, gets down low as needed, but prefers to aim high. I have no idea what he looks like but in my mind he's Proposition Joe's ( from ' The Wire ' ) older, nerdy brother
4) xleglover
1) ' He Fucked My Girl ' ( series ) ...this was his breakout from nowhere, first cuck series that made me understand the 3attraction to the so-called game 2) ' All in My Head ' ( series ) 3) Losing My Wife ( pts. 1 and 2 ) xleglover started going surreal " All in My Head " with both imaginary and actual . He was at the height of his powers then , hasn't wanted or tried to reach that zenith in years and years. Much like my next choice .
3) Stangstar 06
1) Chrissie 2) Fur 3) Hostile Takeover pts. 1-2 This author did such consistent awesome work when Mikothebaby was his editor. Never quite the same since.
2b ) Richard Gerald 1) The Bridge 2) Jail Breaking 3) On the Lam
2a) Ohio 1) Brisket ( 3 pt. series ) 2) Silence or the Bet 3) The Surrogate ( 3 pt. series....I'm praying that these two accomplished authors don't mind being wedged together. They both often opt for reconciliation against audience wishes and sometimes it seems even against their own wishes as the actual writer . It's as the lead characters hijack the stories and said "sorry boss, we're taking over , we don't care what your precious virtuoso story line , yes we know this is best plot you ever had but screw the logical outcome we've decided to give it one more try. We love each other because...just because. Deal with it. "
1) DanielQSteele1 1) Separate Vacations 2) When We Were Married ( (series) 3) Moment of Clarity , Special Mentions for ' Miracle for Marcy' a true holiday heart tugger and the overwrought, hokey as hell but irresistible ' Paul & Paula '.
There's 500 comments on " Separate Vacations " . I must have made ten of them. As I've said before regular women are so whimsical and inscrutable to us mere men like housecats. Tiffany is a tigress, a lot of trouble , she can NEVER be entirely tamed , perhaps not even trusted and yet ....
@ last comment .... you got it backwards
She came back to HIM. Tiffany admitted she was wrong , accepted HIS terms, begged in front of others for another chance. He gets his daughters back on full time basis as well. Yeah she pulled some low down shit . But she's hot, great in bed like literally no other , earns high 6 figures for her excellence and has learned a lesson.
Bruce had other quality women in the interim and for all Tiffany's faults -...thinks the upside and admittedly the high maintenance is worth it . She's a tigress. If that's what you are into, then there is no substitute. Debbie from " When We Were Married " and Paula from my last DQS choice are much the same.
If you are their man, you BETTER have your A-game like they do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or they turn into Kali the Indian demi - goddess of destruction.
They won't want to annihilate you their husband who has previously served them so well for so long , but they have to. It's just who they are. If you are weak regardless of the reason, then they by association are weak. That can't and won't happen .
Sorry, dude, but your list blows. I know it's all subjective and a matter of taste, but no, just no. MM? Seriously? He doesn't belong in the top 1000. He wrote one story a million times. Short dude with a tiny dong really loves his cheating wife who just wants someone with a giant dong, but really loves him and wants him to be okay with Mr. giant dong. No. JPB wrote 10 or so good stories and a million really crappy ones. SSO6 is the same. One story, repeat. xleglover? Oh, my God!
I agree with Crkcppr on his number one. Renquist is world class. Oshaw is 2, another world class writer, HDK, at three, no one funnier and he's just the master. Francis Macomber at four, and I don't care what you say, BR1958 at five. Aside from loving wives, she won Best Novel last year and was a finalist for most influential writer and writer of the year. No one does romance better and she is the best wordsmith on the site still writing. Ohio is six, just stellar writing. Dreamcloud at seven. He is the man and even better at romance than LW. Castlestone, at eight, PappaToad at nine and Qhml1 at ten. Several others that could go on that list, but I'm way more impressed with mine or Crkcppr's than yours. How can any list leave Renquist and Oshaw off? You lost a lot of credibility in my eyes with that list.
Some very good points raised but personally I think your being unfair to Starstang as while his body of work does follow a certain format he's not afraid to break out every now and again and really surprise the reader. However, I do feel his current editor is a bad influence on his current body of work and a decline can be see since they paired up.
JPB is an odd choice due to how god dammed inconsistent he is and this is from someone who used to love seeing a new story from him show up but now reads the comments first to see if the bloody thing is even finished.
My top 10 listing in no particular order would be.....
I never agree with Rolling Stone's top lists of songs, movies, or artists. I enjoy some writers that are not very good with words and am less than keen on some writers that just might be too good with words. Most of my favorites are both. I will list some of those that have been around a few years at least. Here are some of mine, in no particular order. Ohio, Blue88, Longhorn, Josephus, K.K., TexasTallTales, Rehnquist, Marshalien, QHML1, and Oshaw. I know I have forgotten some that should be included. Some great new talent has popped in the last year or two, but I am only including seasoned veterans on this list. That's how this older white dude sees it.
Cc; Storytellers versus Wordsmiths ( there is no contest per se because when a first class variant of either Loving Wives author holds forth, the audience is in for a treat. But there is a difference. I will " try " to explain to the best of my limited ability , no false humilty. This isn't going to be easy. I KNOW there are things I'm going to want to retract or revise next week, tomorrow or even the next hour.
Reinquist, PapaToad, Qhml1, Dreamcloud, Oshaw, Hardaysknight at their best ( and quite possibly imhapless ) are 'storytellers of the first rank. They " tell " you incidents of heartbreak, true love of lust and rend your heart or inflame it with love, lust or hope with vicarious emotions .
With a Wordsmith - there is negligible separation , you are 'there' thanks to the author's nigh unholy skills . A mind meld is formed and it can be enlightening, wonderful or very unpleasant depending on the intended effect of said wordsmith.
That's why Matt Moreau so effects all those howling critics to this very day. It's like " dude I trusted you , allowed you in my head but you were Fredo ( from " The Godfather ". You betrayed me and made me live thru that perverse and vile shit. I hate you, hate you , hate you . Never again ! "
Yet if the wordsmith is at the top of their game, regardless of the good/ bad ending . Guess what ? They will go through the W.S.'s entire catalog like moths to a flame.
That's not a good idea because first class wordsmiths are like athletes. They have a far more limited shelf life at the top of their respective mountain then storytellers. It's too intense I think. The feedback that a storyteller gets is a notch or few clicks down from the wordsmith.
As said before storytellers " tell you " ...supreme wordsmiths SHOW you. That's the difference.
On a closing personal note my list is going to be different from yours kimi1990 and Crkpekker because an author can be a very , very good one but if they always opt for the happy ending where couple reunites or the main character gets their heart broken but recovers and eventually trades up in terms of material goods or spouse . I can't invest as much in terms of suspense. So Reinquist , Dreamcloud, Oshaw and others don't make the wordsmith cut .
With Homer - Odysseus makes it home to his queen Penelope but Hector and Achilles die. Happy endings for nearly all in Shakespeare with "Taming of the Shrew" and Merchant of Venice " but Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet wind up 6 feet under.
I have to know that there's a distinct chance that things could conclude very badly to fully enjoy a happy ending by designated wordsmiths on my idiosyncratic and highly personal list. Your list is as valid as mine although maybe if you see my storytelling versus wordsmith distinction some small revising is in order.
#6 BlackRandl1958 . By her own admission , she didn't concentrate her writing on the LW category , but she still posted enough for me to place her here.No one ever wrote hotter sex scenes , period ! Would have been higher if the numbers of true LW stories were higher.
#6 B , after I'd finished , I saw a glaring omission ! I'm sure Randi will not mind at all.
Oshaw , just reaches into your heart and twists the strings ! Like Clapton on his Layla solo's ! ( I remembered )
#7 DTIverson , The Old Man and the Sea is enough , but ,thankfully , there's even more.
#8 Vandmonium1 , His straight forward style simply speaks to me. Does his thing in a workmanlike manner . Does his best to come up with original story lines . And is simply a fine bloke . ( said that last sentence in my best Aussie accent )
#9 Maninconn , A wonderful talent , great stories . Only mark against him is he doesn't allow voting or comments.
#10 * Sighs* wow . So many greats that could go here . Imhapless, could go here. Sw_Mo_Hermit definitely could go here.Francis McComber , definitely could go here. Richard Gerald ( on the basis of Jailbreaking , and the Bridge , alone ) could go here. Iron Dragon has a special place in so many's hearts here. One who tragicly lost his life before the age of 30 , but had so much potential was Joesephus. Jidoka was as talented as any author I or anyone else has mentioned , but he only posted 6 stories . Otherwise he'd be in the top 3. I'm leaving out oodles of other very good/great LW authors . I'll change my mind as soon as I hit submit !
But # 10 , Mainefiddleheads. I love all but 2 of his stories ! ( I've let him know at the time which they were ! Lol ) But what lifts him up is his ability to set a scene like no other. A large percent of his stories have an almost Norman Rockwell literary feel about them . I always feel like I've taken a wonderful vacation when I read one of his stories.
OK , there ya go. I didn't participate in the "Wordsmithness" of this . I can barely spell it. I base mine on my emotions , plain and simply.
( I know I'm leaving so many out)
The start is like an abridged version of Another Love
by Richard Gerald. The ending is very different. The DNA caper seems to complicate the story line, I think it would have been a better tale without that distraction.
Interesting conversation. I have to say, I am so surprised that Dreamcloud has ended up so low on so many people's list. Of course everyone's list is subjective to what they look for in a story, but it still surprised me. He/she is number one on my list simply because the stories always leave me thinking about them days after i read them. They stick with me.
I admit that I admire good wordsmithing. I don't really care so much about who the characters are (morally), or whether or not they get a happy ending or justice. I read for the journey that they go through. i have often been disappointed by the endings, but it didn't change my view of the author or the story. My only exception to that is Matt Morreau. He is an excellent storyteller, but I can not read his stories. He has the ability to pull emotions from me, and i always think about them days later, but i will always feel shitty about it.
Of course, Dtiverson is one of my favorite Loving Wives authors. I don't really have a top 10 so much as authors that i will read without even glimpsing at the comments. I don't have them arranged in any type of order. I just know them when i see them. There are the legends of course (Oshaw, Rehinquist, etc). I can't really think of any authors from this past year that fall into that category, but i'm sure that there are some there.
I do understand most of the authors on others lists. I disagree with some, but of we all have our tastes. One of the most controversial (at least for me) is LSD's inclusion of xleglover. His writing skills are on point, but in my opinion he misses the mark of true story telling. He FINALLY ended his series, but in my opinion it is too little too late. On top of that, it was a rushed ending. Nothing really got resolved. Then again, I seriously doubt the story is over. It will stay quiet for a couple of months, then x will once again yearn for his Jen fix. Then we will get another rendition of the most beautiful woman in the entire world, and the smartest guy in the universe. These two addicts apparently have no rock bottom, so there is not really a journey that they go through. They just go through the same series of events over and over again. For another 50 chapters. Then that series will end and another one will begin. Not a fan at all.
I have to say something about the story. It seems kind of wrong to comment on the comments without reading it and giving input.
For one, this story has 64 comments, and none of them are anonymous. If an author can turn off anonymous comments and still generate this much of a buzz, that is commendable. I think some of the thanks is due to the conversation that was started with the whole storytelling vs wordsmithing debate, but the author takes some of the credit also.
However, this story didn't really push my buttons. The feeling wasn't there for me. It was a well written story with a crowd pleaser ending, but it didn't do anything for me. I gave it a four because it was deserve more than a three.
Writing? Technically good. Logical progression of narrative. Fine.
Emotional reaction? Not very much.
This was compared with Richard Gerald's recent story.
Both yours and his had a wife who fell in love with and had a long time affair with a famous artist; his was French or Quebecois; your's was Italian.
In both cases, the kids knew from an early age but never revealed the betrayal to their father.
And, perhaps most critically, in both cases, the errant wife excused her adultery on the basis that her infidelity was "love". Both wives were caught by images (a painting in one case, artistic photos in the other).
The difference?
Richard Gerald's story grabbed my emotions and bothered me for days.
Yours? Not so much. I didn't feel it. It felt like a newspaper article about something that happened to some guy that I didn't know or care about.
I stiil itch to write an alternative ending to his. No compulsion to mess with this one.
Nevertheless, a 4*. Better than a lot of the stuff on LW.
Read Javmor's comment; also, LordSlamDawg's. I'm pretty much in the same place.
There are an infinite number of excuses for cheating. In your story and Richard Gerald's, the excuse is "true love". It's sort of the opposite of "It was just sex and didn't mean anything; therefore you should forgive me or understand and not divorce me."
With the "true love" excuse, it's more like "It was not just sex. I loved him. It was mean't to be. It was a great love. He was a great artist. Our relationship was special and spiritual".
But in both cases, the wives decide the husband wouldn't understand and decide it's best if he isn't told. Your wive told her daughter that they couldn't tell daddy because he was "insensitive". Gerald's wife (and her lover's sister) spent most of his story trying to convince him that "true love" excused all.
Frankly, the "true love" excuse is one of the more difficult ones to pull off in an LW story. From the husband's perspective, it might be more acceptable to just say "I tripped and fell on his prick. A lot."
Immediately after writing what I wrote last night I read the story and there was a semi colon in the first paragraph. I am a great fan of imhapless and rated this a 4 instead of a 5 since it essentially was a re-write of RichardGerald's recent story. Nevertheless, a good story. One thing I like in certain writers is an element I would refer to as "style."I would call their technique sylistic. Examples are Matt Moreau, UKResearcher, Britease, BobnBobbi. I am sure there are many others that I cannot recall. Although I don't always agree with the way the stories turn out I usually enjoy the road to get there.
You can vote one star all you wish. For evidence that the conspiracy theory is incorrect, I refer you to EUREKA, a LW story by Bcoleman, posted a couple of months ago. Its score has risen to the exalted heights of 1.83.
There has to be a lot of 1 scores to take it below 2, because a few people even favourited it !!! so they presumably voted 5.
the self-entitlement of saddlebum is fellini-esque lucridous
It's not enough of imhapless to give him a free story that isn't while isn't personally my favorite authored by him , but has some good humor and is coherent, definitely above the mean quality - wise of average LW story. This guy demands the freedom to potentially troll under anonymous moniker, converse via e-mail to author or the story gets 2-bombed regardless of content.
Does imhapless have to supply you with snacks to gnosh on and tasty beverage as well for the 'privilege' of having you peruse his story gratis?
If you love to write, you write. It is the writing itself which is it's own reward.
And, speaking only for myself, if I do not garner the plaudits of my readership with lavish compliments, reading something like that from Saddlebum at least gives me the warmth of superiority over a person who has such ridiculous metrics.
MM can string words together beautifully but is severely limited by his obsession with his one theme.
He is so locked to that theme he has a story where a mafia capo must behave as a wimp.
A mafia boss?!
To get there you must commit a contract killing which requires a high level of ruthlessness.
To stay there you must never show weakness, as defined by one of the original macho cultures.
The mafia originated in Sicily.
Remember that vendetta is an Italian word, and even the Italians think the Sicilians carry vendetta to extremes.
@calichepit Re: Cheating Excuses: As far as “it was just sex,” the obvious response is, would SHE accept the same excuse? I think we all know the answer to that one! If you want to “just have sex” you propose an “open marriage,” which gives both parties the same option. If an open marriage is refused, you either get a divorce and fuck whomever you want, or keep your legs closed.
Along with that one is “it meant nothing.” Thanks for destroying our marriage for “nothing!”
Then there’s “We just fell in love!” You don’t “just fall in love,” you have to do the same things that got you to fall in love with your partner: Private conversations, lunches, drinks, dinners, etc.
“He’s my true love!” Gee, sorry, I thought that I was! Even if we want to buy the previous excuse for how it happened (doubtful!) what you do then is go to your husband BEFORE going too far (and my personal definition, yours may vary, is if you’ve gone beyond passionate kisses you’ve gone too far!) and offer a FAIR divorce, and if “fair” means he gets a little bit more, as the offended party he deserves it! You don’t try to get him to accept cuckolding! I deliberately used the wife here, because while either sex may cheat, I’ve only heard wives use this excuse.
Re: “Best writers” – I really can’t get into that. Oh, I have my favorites, of course, but that doesn’t mean that they are perforce better than other writers, and it’s so dependent on the story. Probably my all-time favorite story is Oshaw’s “Grief,” I still have to read through my tears at the end, but if I were to rank him after reading “Harangue” he wouldn’t even make my list!
It’s similar to favorite movies: When asked, I usually say “Casablanca,” and given how often it comes first to mind, I guess it is, but as soon as it does I start thinking, “But what about “The Graduate”, or “Star Wars” or whatever.
I do have to say something about DQS: I really got into WWWM, but then he moved it to Amazon, which I have no issue with, except that a couple of years ago he published Book 1 of the second three book series in the saga, with ANOTHER three book series yet to come, and Book 2 of the second series is yet to come!
(and Another Love) to Two Loves by Romantic1. Same long term love triangle concept, (this time with the man at the apex), and an ending that is neither BTB nor RAAC.
Initially I felt that I was rereading a story that was on here some time back. After reading the comments it become clear that the beginning of each story were very similar but that the endings were completely different. I enjoyed each story.
I have to admit that I was amazed to find that in the end Grace chose her father.
In fact if the story had made me very unhappy I would recognize the quality of the author. Note: If I was a publisher, I would go broke.
I personally prefer the Lit version of that story as the other version spins off into some weird werewolf fanfiction. Not saying its bad just seems out of place with the first half of the tale.
I'm not qualified to argue (never stopped anyone here before, LOL!), but I seem to remember Stang saying that the SOL version was his intended version, that he had to tone to conform to Lit standards, so I didn't even read the Lit version.
Damn it, that talk about great authors is getting me sad...remember the fantastic ones aren't with us any more like Josephus,Castlestone,Rehnquist and several others.
I am happy to say that Oshaw is very much alive and kicking. He even speaks to me occasionally. You can imagine what a thrill that is! Renquist, too, I believe is still with us, just not writing. Don't know about DGHear. PapaToad, I understand is to be mourned, along with the others you mention. Plenty of the legends are still around, and some of them are still writing. Hopefully, some of them will post again and they are... resting. HDK just posted a new chapter of a new Lady in Red book in novels a couple of months ago. Ohio comments from time to time, he has on my stories and that's a thrill, too. Cpete, is around, I talk to him, occasionally, several of the legendary writers. Maybe if we, as readers, were to beg, they would be induced to write a story.
Dear sir
i always read your story and like them and after a long wait i love to read another out standing work of your switte writing please write more
The degree of planning and execution of revenge was incredible.
I almost did not read this, but I am so glad I did. Thank you for a wonderfully spun story.
I know that Denham Forrest aka the Wanderer and Papatoad are alive and kicking. Not sure if Papatoad is writing since his hiatus but Denham is, just not posting on Lit (personal reasons). Last time I "talked" with DG was last summer but he was still writing and posting just not in LW.
Great story line, over the top, but believable revenge. Only improvement needed is moving from pure narrative to a more traditional story - some actual action and dialogue.
I'm loving the discussion - but surprised by a few absent from the lists
kezza67 - Songbird et al, Adrian Leverkuhn - Backroads and Vista Dome and many more, woodmanone - too many to list, and moogplayer are some of my favourites not listed on most of the hit parades
Perhaps I have become a romantic in my old age, or just prefer a happy ending. Most of all I want a story that makes me think, ask questions even.
Of course I like many different authors, and many genre, but there are some writers for whom one time was too many and some categories that are just too unpleasant.
I gave it a 5 for your effort. It must be me that has a hard time understanding, how someone who has had his heart ripped out, can think this all through so quickly. I would be in shock for a week, along with anger remorse, and questions bouncing around in my head. Of course this is just a story, and I did enjoy it, but seemed a little too pat, or set.
Most readers will admit that they have heard similar stories before, I loved them both. There was no meeting, because he was too mad, right, but not mad enough to come up with such a plan to destroy his family.
English
Not for me
I usually enjoy your stories but this one did nothing for me. It felt flat & uninteresting & I really struggled to get through it. Next time perhaps. 2 **
Randi , great talent knows no race , creed , or gender
The fact that no one on this site would even know your ethnicity , age , or gender unless you told them ( very few folks seem to even visit the Bio pages here ) is certainly testament to that fact.
Unfortunately , I don't know if we'll ever get past this race thing in my lifetime (48 , if that's considered old ?) even though it will happen one day . They say that we as a species will one day be pretty much the same .
Of course these same folks said back in the 60's and early 70's that our planet was moving toward a new ice age , and that eggs would clog your arteries so fast that a dozen would be deadly ! ( may have gone off a bit on the eggs , but not by much) .
P.S. when can I buy my official " Team BlackRandl1958 " hat and shits ? The other sycophants keep asking me ! Lol
Shirts ^^^^
How did that shit get passed this auto correct that flags everything ?!?!
Haven't read the story yet
but am enjoying the comments. I enjoy stories for many reasons. Some because they are technically proficient and evocative although I do not like the ening. Some because I like the plot even though they may not be technically that great. A good story is a good story even when a comma is used instead of a semi colon, which I don't think I've ever seen on LIT. Matt Moreau is generally underrated. There have been many good writers in LW which is all I read and there are some now but maybe not as many as there used to be. I believe there have been some stories on this site which qualify as publishable literature. Blackrandle and RichardGerald,
HDK, Britease, UKR, DQS, BobnBobbi, are just some of the many. Sign me off as one old white guy who likes Blackrandle and hopes she favors us with more LW stories in the future. She is certainly a "wordsmith" in my book and I do a lot of reading and writing albeit normally in a much more technical, legalistic vein.
Wordsmithing
The Iliad: Some guy stole another guys wife. They got their friends together and had a big fight to get her back. Her husband won but some of his friends and family died doing it. There was a horse in there somewhere. The End
Vs.
"Rage — Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,"
There is a magic in the correct phrase and word. Who is this murderous and doomed Achilles and why the fuck is he so angry? No, not anger. ENRAGED! Rage sufficient to destroy an army!
Then again...has anyone READ the Iliad who did not have to? Or did you see 'Troy' or at least prefer the 'Cliff Notes' version compared to the SEVEN HOURS of reading time, much less declaming time by an Achaean bard?
So, a story can be underspiced and overspiced.
This...was a satisfying meal. Learning a little bit about photographic techniques was the 'juice' of the story for me. Could have used a bit of fresher meat (aka the story of the protag) but we had an adequate meal none the less.
Sufficient length to cover the ideas. It lacked artistry but showed craft.
What do I mean? I do not recall a whole lot of skimming in 'When We Were Married'. I give DQS a lot of shit in his shorter stories with his horrible characters, but he can keep a story going without getting people to drop off who have any kind of attention span. That was MASSIVE and yet I not only read it, but reread large chunks.
I would suggest anyone who can't tell the benefit of wordsmithing to google 'Black Sails, Fruits, Tits and Plants' and watch the one minute video. It highlights this debate perfectly. But hey, if you want that painting on the right, go buy it!
All apologies to Imhapless ,
On doing this on your wonderful stories comment section , feel free to delete this if you so choose with my blessing , because I'm about to go outside the scope of this story .
LSD has opened up a very interesting topic . And before people start saying this is more appropriate for the discussion boards , I have found that when I start a thread on something that I'm curious about , one of two things happen there. 1 , crickets . Zero comments when I asked about the similar story function on these stories having gone off the wall in the last couple of years . 2 , they're about oh 10 -maybe 20 folks who monopolize the place , and turn any serious question into jiberish that's totally off the point .
So LSD gave the 10 -6 positions on his top ten LW authors . This has had me pondering for the last 5 hours or so .
Is this all time ? The genre has really changed a lot in the last 10 years., things that were "cutting edge" at that time are now labeled cliche .
Some of those authors of that time started out writing the stock for that time wife sharing and voyeurism that was all the rage then , but soon transcended into other story lines .
I'm thinking of authors like KK, Charlie_Ace , DGHear, and a lot of others. I've always been up front that I prefer cheating & consequences stories , I just do , I'm making no excuses nor do I feel I should . Everyone likes what they like.
Too me , I think it's easier to start at the top ( there's nothing easy about this at all actually ).
But IMHO the top author in this genre is #1 , Rehnquist. In fact his story "Goin' Back Home Again " is my favorite story of all LW time. So that one's pretty easy.
Then at #2 I have qhml1. This guy is simply brilliant , may not be the best technical writer , but he's probably the best Storyteller . To my mind , that trumps technicalities all day long.
Now , it really starts getting difficult . Do you factor in amount of work? , time span of work ? Lots of factors start oozing up here.
This will be very controversial , but I guess #3 is JustPlainBob. Yeah , I know. He has posted some stories that physically make my blood boil , and my stomach churn ! But , and this is why he's my # 3 , on days ( sometimes weeks) when the new postings here offer nothing that I'm into , I hit the archives , and almost everytime I'll end up on his 700 + library. Trick is to never read anything that's 3.5ish or under. He certainly has a style , he bulldozer through like Mike Hammer writing a Mikey Spillane story . I find that I really like this style , but not the Cuck stuff .
# 4 . Maybe this really should be 3 , but anyway Papatoad . What is there to say , he's just a legendary figure in this genre. After JPB , I wind up in his library probably the most.
#5 . Harddaysknight . After JPB and Papatoad , you guys see the pattern here , right ?
A pretty extensive library of works , and nobody does humor in this category as well , with a tip of the Hat to Britease. I almost think of these guys as extentions of each other. Plus with HDK getting accused of being a Brit all the time ! Lol .
Well I'm stopping there for now . Got somemore pondering to do since this days new offerings look bleak. ( hint Big 3 coming up!)
Again all apologies to Imhapless for this ( he's in the running as well) .
( apologies to imhapless as well ) Part 2 of Loving Wives Top Ten Loving Wives Wordsmiths 1-5 ( in reverse order )
5) X_Bishop: 1) Tales from the behind the bar Chapters 1-2 2) Mad Maxine 3) Girlfriends
. ...this probably my least known pick , never had a over a hundred comments on individual story. He's African American don't be fooled by hood vernacular . This guy is sharper then barbershop straight razor but doesn't show it off like a rapper, gets down low as needed, but prefers to aim high. I have no idea what he looks like but in my mind he's Proposition Joe's ( from ' The Wire ' ) older, nerdy brother
4) xleglover
1) ' He Fucked My Girl ' ( series ) ...this was his breakout from nowhere, first cuck series that made me understand the 3attraction to the so-called game 2) ' All in My Head ' ( series ) 3) Losing My Wife ( pts. 1 and 2 ) xleglover started going surreal " All in My Head " with both imaginary and actual . He was at the height of his powers then , hasn't wanted or tried to reach that zenith in years and years. Much like my next choice .
3) Stangstar 06
1) Chrissie 2) Fur 3) Hostile Takeover pts. 1-2 This author did such consistent awesome work when Mikothebaby was his editor. Never quite the same since.
2b ) Richard Gerald 1) The Bridge 2) Jail Breaking 3) On the Lam
2a) Ohio 1) Brisket ( 3 pt. series ) 2) Silence or the Bet 3) The Surrogate ( 3 pt. series....I'm praying that these two accomplished authors don't mind being wedged together. They both often opt for reconciliation against audience wishes and sometimes it seems even against their own wishes as the actual writer . It's as the lead characters hijack the stories and said "sorry boss, we're taking over , we don't care what your precious virtuoso story line , yes we know this is best plot you ever had but screw the logical outcome we've decided to give it one more try. We love each other because...just because. Deal with it. "
1) DanielQSteele1 1) Separate Vacations 2) When We Were Married ( (series) 3) Moment of Clarity , Special Mentions for ' Miracle for Marcy' a true holiday heart tugger and the overwrought, hokey as hell but irresistible ' Paul & Paula '.
There's 500 comments on " Separate Vacations " . I must have made ten of them. As I've said before regular women are so whimsical and inscrutable to us mere men like housecats. Tiffany is a tigress, a lot of trouble , she can NEVER be entirely tamed , perhaps not even trusted and yet ....
@ last comment .... you got it backwards
She came back to HIM. Tiffany admitted she was wrong , accepted HIS terms, begged in front of others for another chance. He gets his daughters back on full time basis as well. Yeah she pulled some low down shit . But she's hot, great in bed like literally no other , earns high 6 figures for her excellence and has learned a lesson.
Bruce had other quality women in the interim and for all Tiffany's faults -...thinks the upside and admittedly the high maintenance is worth it . She's a tigress. If that's what you are into, then there is no substitute. Debbie from " When We Were Married " and Paula from my last DQS choice are much the same.
If you are their man, you BETTER have your A-game like they do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or they turn into Kali the Indian demi - goddess of destruction.
They won't want to annihilate you their husband who has previously served them so well for so long , but they have to. It's just who they are. If you are weak regardless of the reason, then they by association are weak. That can't and won't happen .
@LSD
Sorry, dude, but your list blows. I know it's all subjective and a matter of taste, but no, just no. MM? Seriously? He doesn't belong in the top 1000. He wrote one story a million times. Short dude with a tiny dong really loves his cheating wife who just wants someone with a giant dong, but really loves him and wants him to be okay with Mr. giant dong. No. JPB wrote 10 or so good stories and a million really crappy ones. SSO6 is the same. One story, repeat. xleglover? Oh, my God!
I agree with Crkcppr on his number one. Renquist is world class. Oshaw is 2, another world class writer, HDK, at three, no one funnier and he's just the master. Francis Macomber at four, and I don't care what you say, BR1958 at five. Aside from loving wives, she won Best Novel last year and was a finalist for most influential writer and writer of the year. No one does romance better and she is the best wordsmith on the site still writing. Ohio is six, just stellar writing. Dreamcloud at seven. He is the man and even better at romance than LW. Castlestone, at eight, PappaToad at nine and Qhml1 at ten. Several others that could go on that list, but I'm way more impressed with mine or Crkcppr's than yours. How can any list leave Renquist and Oshaw off? You lost a lot of credibility in my eyes with that list.
@Kimi
Some very good points raised but personally I think your being unfair to Starstang as while his body of work does follow a certain format he's not afraid to break out every now and again and really surprise the reader. However, I do feel his current editor is a bad influence on his current body of work and a decline can be see since they paired up.
JPB is an odd choice due to how god dammed inconsistent he is and this is from someone who used to love seeing a new story from him show up but now reads the comments first to see if the bloody thing is even finished.
My top 10 listing in no particular order would be.....
1)Qhml1
2)Francis Macomber
3)Oshaw
4)Starstang
5)FinishTheDamnStory
6)D tiverson
7)Todd172
8)IronDragon
9)Britease
10)DFWbeast
Re nquist, Papatoad, Patricia51 and Vulcez get special mentions but seeing as they no longer post, I didn't include them in my top 10.
Top ten lists are always suject to debate.
I never agree with Rolling Stone's top lists of songs, movies, or artists. I enjoy some writers that are not very good with words and am less than keen on some writers that just might be too good with words. Most of my favorites are both. I will list some of those that have been around a few years at least. Here are some of mine, in no particular order. Ohio, Blue88, Longhorn, Josephus, K.K., TexasTallTales, Rehnquist, Marshalien, QHML1, and Oshaw. I know I have forgotten some that should be included. Some great new talent has popped in the last year or two, but I am only including seasoned veterans on this list. That's how this older white dude sees it.
@ Crkpekker and kimi1990
Cc; Storytellers versus Wordsmiths ( there is no contest per se because when a first class variant of either Loving Wives author holds forth, the audience is in for a treat. But there is a difference. I will " try " to explain to the best of my limited ability , no false humilty. This isn't going to be easy. I KNOW there are things I'm going to want to retract or revise next week, tomorrow or even the next hour.
Reinquist, PapaToad, Qhml1, Dreamcloud, Oshaw, Hardaysknight at their best ( and quite possibly imhapless ) are 'storytellers of the first rank. They " tell " you incidents of heartbreak, true love of lust and rend your heart or inflame it with love, lust or hope with vicarious emotions .
With a Wordsmith - there is negligible separation , you are 'there' thanks to the author's nigh unholy skills . A mind meld is formed and it can be enlightening, wonderful or very unpleasant depending on the intended effect of said wordsmith.
That's why Matt Moreau so effects all those howling critics to this very day. It's like " dude I trusted you , allowed you in my head but you were Fredo ( from " The Godfather ". You betrayed me and made me live thru that perverse and vile shit. I hate you, hate you , hate you . Never again ! "
Yet if the wordsmith is at the top of their game, regardless of the good/ bad ending . Guess what ? They will go through the W.S.'s entire catalog like moths to a flame.
That's not a good idea because first class wordsmiths are like athletes. They have a far more limited shelf life at the top of their respective mountain then storytellers. It's too intense I think. The feedback that a storyteller gets is a notch or few clicks down from the wordsmith.
As said before storytellers " tell you " ...supreme wordsmiths SHOW you. That's the difference.
On a closing personal note my list is going to be different from yours kimi1990 and Crkpekker because an author can be a very , very good one but if they always opt for the happy ending where couple reunites or the main character gets their heart broken but recovers and eventually trades up in terms of material goods or spouse . I can't invest as much in terms of suspense. So Reinquist , Dreamcloud, Oshaw and others don't make the wordsmith cut .
With Homer - Odysseus makes it home to his queen Penelope but Hector and Achilles die. Happy endings for nearly all in Shakespeare with "Taming of the Shrew" and Merchant of Venice " but Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet wind up 6 feet under.
I have to know that there's a distinct chance that things could conclude very badly to fully enjoy a happy ending by designated wordsmiths on my idiosyncratic and highly personal list. Your list is as valid as mine although maybe if you see my storytelling versus wordsmith distinction some small revising is in order.
My 6 - 15 , okay 10 are
#6 BlackRandl1958 . By her own admission , she didn't concentrate her writing on the LW category , but she still posted enough for me to place her here.No one ever wrote hotter sex scenes , period ! Would have been higher if the numbers of true LW stories were higher.
#6 B , after I'd finished , I saw a glaring omission ! I'm sure Randi will not mind at all.
Oshaw , just reaches into your heart and twists the strings ! Like Clapton on his Layla solo's ! ( I remembered )
#7 DTIverson , The Old Man and the Sea is enough , but ,thankfully , there's even more.
#8 Vandmonium1 , His straight forward style simply speaks to me. Does his thing in a workmanlike manner . Does his best to come up with original story lines . And is simply a fine bloke . ( said that last sentence in my best Aussie accent )
#9 Maninconn , A wonderful talent , great stories . Only mark against him is he doesn't allow voting or comments.
#10 * Sighs* wow . So many greats that could go here . Imhapless, could go here. Sw_Mo_Hermit definitely could go here.Francis McComber , definitely could go here. Richard Gerald ( on the basis of Jailbreaking , and the Bridge , alone ) could go here. Iron Dragon has a special place in so many's hearts here. One who tragicly lost his life before the age of 30 , but had so much potential was Joesephus. Jidoka was as talented as any author I or anyone else has mentioned , but he only posted 6 stories . Otherwise he'd be in the top 3. I'm leaving out oodles of other very good/great LW authors . I'll change my mind as soon as I hit submit !
But # 10 , Mainefiddleheads. I love all but 2 of his stories ! ( I've let him know at the time which they were ! Lol ) But what lifts him up is his ability to set a scene like no other. A large percent of his stories have an almost Norman Rockwell literary feel about them . I always feel like I've taken a wonderful vacation when I read one of his stories.
OK , there ya go. I didn't participate in the "Wordsmithness" of this . I can barely spell it. I base mine on my emotions , plain and simply.
( I know I'm leaving so many out)
The start is like an abridged version of Another Love
by Richard Gerald. The ending is very different. The DNA caper seems to complicate the story line, I think it would have been a better tale without that distraction.
If I may
Interesting conversation. I have to say, I am so surprised that Dreamcloud has ended up so low on so many people's list. Of course everyone's list is subjective to what they look for in a story, but it still surprised me. He/she is number one on my list simply because the stories always leave me thinking about them days after i read them. They stick with me.
I admit that I admire good wordsmithing. I don't really care so much about who the characters are (morally), or whether or not they get a happy ending or justice. I read for the journey that they go through. i have often been disappointed by the endings, but it didn't change my view of the author or the story. My only exception to that is Matt Morreau. He is an excellent storyteller, but I can not read his stories. He has the ability to pull emotions from me, and i always think about them days later, but i will always feel shitty about it.
Of course, Dtiverson is one of my favorite Loving Wives authors. I don't really have a top 10 so much as authors that i will read without even glimpsing at the comments. I don't have them arranged in any type of order. I just know them when i see them. There are the legends of course (Oshaw, Rehinquist, etc). I can't really think of any authors from this past year that fall into that category, but i'm sure that there are some there.
I do understand most of the authors on others lists. I disagree with some, but of we all have our tastes. One of the most controversial (at least for me) is LSD's inclusion of xleglover. His writing skills are on point, but in my opinion he misses the mark of true story telling. He FINALLY ended his series, but in my opinion it is too little too late. On top of that, it was a rushed ending. Nothing really got resolved. Then again, I seriously doubt the story is over. It will stay quiet for a couple of months, then x will once again yearn for his Jen fix. Then we will get another rendition of the most beautiful woman in the entire world, and the smartest guy in the universe. These two addicts apparently have no rock bottom, so there is not really a journey that they go through. They just go through the same series of events over and over again. For another 50 chapters. Then that series will end and another one will begin. Not a fan at all.
One more thing to add
I have to say something about the story. It seems kind of wrong to comment on the comments without reading it and giving input.
For one, this story has 64 comments, and none of them are anonymous. If an author can turn off anonymous comments and still generate this much of a buzz, that is commendable. I think some of the thanks is due to the conversation that was started with the whole storytelling vs wordsmithing debate, but the author takes some of the credit also.
However, this story didn't really push my buttons. The feeling wasn't there for me. It was a well written story with a crowd pleaser ending, but it didn't do anything for me. I gave it a four because it was deserve more than a three.
Gave you a 4*, was leaning toward 3*
Writing? Technically good. Logical progression of narrative. Fine.
Emotional reaction? Not very much.
This was compared with Richard Gerald's recent story.
Both yours and his had a wife who fell in love with and had a long time affair with a famous artist; his was French or Quebecois; your's was Italian.
In both cases, the kids knew from an early age but never revealed the betrayal to their father.
And, perhaps most critically, in both cases, the errant wife excused her adultery on the basis that her infidelity was "love". Both wives were caught by images (a painting in one case, artistic photos in the other).
The difference?
Richard Gerald's story grabbed my emotions and bothered me for days.
Yours? Not so much. I didn't feel it. It felt like a newspaper article about something that happened to some guy that I didn't know or care about.
I stiil itch to write an alternative ending to his. No compulsion to mess with this one.
Nevertheless, a 4*. Better than a lot of the stuff on LW.
Read Javmor's comment; also, LordSlamDawg's. I'm pretty much in the same place.
There are an infinite number of excuses for cheating. In your story and Richard Gerald's, the excuse is "true love". It's sort of the opposite of "It was just sex and didn't mean anything; therefore you should forgive me or understand and not divorce me."
With the "true love" excuse, it's more like "It was not just sex. I loved him. It was mean't to be. It was a great love. He was a great artist. Our relationship was special and spiritual".
But in both cases, the wives decide the husband wouldn't understand and decide it's best if he isn't told. Your wive told her daughter that they couldn't tell daddy because he was "insensitive". Gerald's wife (and her lover's sister) spent most of his story trying to convince him that "true love" excused all.
Frankly, the "true love" excuse is one of the more difficult ones to pull off in an LW story. From the husband's perspective, it might be more acceptable to just say "I tripped and fell on his prick. A lot."
Sad story
It was really sad. She lied to him for 24 years and what is even worse his daughters knew about it.
Mea Culpa
Immediately after writing what I wrote last night I read the story and there was a semi colon in the first paragraph. I am a great fan of imhapless and rated this a 4 instead of a 5 since it essentially was a re-write of RichardGerald's recent story. Nevertheless, a good story. One thing I like in certain writers is an element I would refer to as "style."I would call their technique sylistic. Examples are Matt Moreau, UKResearcher, Britease, BobnBobbi. I am sure there are many others that I cannot recall. Although I don't always agree with the way the stories turn out I usually enjoy the road to get there.
Wrong, Mr Bum
You can vote one star all you wish. For evidence that the conspiracy theory is incorrect, I refer you to EUREKA, a LW story by Bcoleman, posted a couple of months ago. Its score has risen to the exalted heights of 1.83.
There has to be a lot of 1 scores to take it below 2, because a few people even favourited it !!! so they presumably voted 5.
Lue
the self-entitlement of saddlebum is fellini-esque lucridous
It's not enough of imhapless to give him a free story that isn't while isn't personally my favorite authored by him , but has some good humor and is coherent, definitely above the mean quality - wise of average LW story. This guy demands the freedom to potentially troll under anonymous moniker, converse via e-mail to author or the story gets 2-bombed regardless of content.
Does imhapless have to supply you with snacks to gnosh on and tasty beverage as well for the 'privilege' of having you peruse his story gratis?
LSD
If you love to write, you write. It is the writing itself which is it's own reward.
And, speaking only for myself, if I do not garner the plaudits of my readership with lavish compliments, reading something like that from Saddlebum at least gives me the warmth of superiority over a person who has such ridiculous metrics.
some of these lists
MM can string words together beautifully but is severely limited by his obsession with his one theme.
He is so locked to that theme he has a story where a mafia capo must behave as a wimp.
A mafia boss?!
To get there you must commit a contract killing which requires a high level of ruthlessness.
To stay there you must never show weakness, as defined by one of the original macho cultures.
The mafia originated in Sicily.
Remember that vendetta is an Italian word, and even the Italians think the Sicilians carry vendetta to extremes.
Various
@calichepit Re: Cheating Excuses: As far as “it was just sex,” the obvious response is, would SHE accept the same excuse? I think we all know the answer to that one! If you want to “just have sex” you propose an “open marriage,” which gives both parties the same option. If an open marriage is refused, you either get a divorce and fuck whomever you want, or keep your legs closed.
Along with that one is “it meant nothing.” Thanks for destroying our marriage for “nothing!”
Then there’s “We just fell in love!” You don’t “just fall in love,” you have to do the same things that got you to fall in love with your partner: Private conversations, lunches, drinks, dinners, etc.
“He’s my true love!” Gee, sorry, I thought that I was! Even if we want to buy the previous excuse for how it happened (doubtful!) what you do then is go to your husband BEFORE going too far (and my personal definition, yours may vary, is if you’ve gone beyond passionate kisses you’ve gone too far!) and offer a FAIR divorce, and if “fair” means he gets a little bit more, as the offended party he deserves it! You don’t try to get him to accept cuckolding! I deliberately used the wife here, because while either sex may cheat, I’ve only heard wives use this excuse.
Re: “Best writers” – I really can’t get into that. Oh, I have my favorites, of course, but that doesn’t mean that they are perforce better than other writers, and it’s so dependent on the story. Probably my all-time favorite story is Oshaw’s “Grief,” I still have to read through my tears at the end, but if I were to rank him after reading “Harangue” he wouldn’t even make my list!
It’s similar to favorite movies: When asked, I usually say “Casablanca,” and given how often it comes first to mind, I guess it is, but as soon as it does I start thinking, “But what about “The Graduate”, or “Star Wars” or whatever.
I do have to say something about DQS: I really got into WWWM, but then he moved it to Amazon, which I have no issue with, except that a couple of years ago he published Book 1 of the second three book series in the saga, with ANOTHER three book series yet to come, and Book 2 of the second series is yet to come!
How about comparing this story
(and Another Love) to Two Loves by Romantic1. Same long term love triangle concept, (this time with the man at the apex), and an ending that is neither BTB nor RAAC.
Very good storytelling
Initially I felt that I was rereading a story that was on here some time back. After reading the comments it become clear that the beginning of each story were very similar but that the endings were completely different. I enjoyed each story.
I have to admit that I was amazed to find that in the end Grace chose her father.
In fact if the story had made me very unhappy I would recognize the quality of the author. Note: If I was a publisher, I would go broke.
Stang
I forgot to mention, in the top writer comments Stang's "Fur" was mentioned.
If you read it you should go to the other site, Stang had to tone it down for Lit.
RE Fur
I personally prefer the Lit version of that story as the other version spins off into some weird werewolf fanfiction. Not saying its bad just seems out of place with the first half of the tale.
@VenomXL
I'm not qualified to argue (never stopped anyone here before, LOL!), but I seem to remember Stang saying that the SOL version was his intended version, that he had to tone to conform to Lit standards, so I didn't even read the Lit version.
Are Oshaw and DGHear still alive?
Damn it, that talk about great authors is getting me sad...remember the fantastic ones aren't with us any more like Josephus,Castlestone,Rehnquist and several others.
@PaulHayabusa
I am happy to say that Oshaw is very much alive and kicking. He even speaks to me occasionally. You can imagine what a thrill that is! Renquist, too, I believe is still with us, just not writing. Don't know about DGHear. PapaToad, I understand is to be mourned, along with the others you mention. Plenty of the legends are still around, and some of them are still writing. Hopefully, some of them will post again and they are... resting. HDK just posted a new chapter of a new Lady in Red book in novels a couple of months ago. Ohio comments from time to time, he has on my stories and that's a thrill, too. Cpete, is around, I talk to him, occasionally, several of the legendary writers. Maybe if we, as readers, were to beg, they would be induced to write a story.
hello
Dear sir
i always read your story and like them and after a long wait i love to read another out standing work of your switte writing please write more
Are you sure you are not Italian?
The degree of planning and execution of revenge was incredible.
I almost did not read this, but I am so glad I did. Thank you for a wonderfully spun story.
Update on a few of the LW greats.
I know that Denham Forrest aka the Wanderer and Papatoad are alive and kicking. Not sure if Papatoad is writing since his hiatus but Denham is, just not posting on Lit (personal reasons). Last time I "talked" with DG was last summer but he was still writing and posting just not in LW.
Killian
Imhelpless
Thank you sir for another fine story. I'm always impressed with your characters (even though I might not like them).
Killian
Your Best
Great story line, over the top, but believable revenge. Only improvement needed is moving from pure narrative to a more traditional story - some actual action and dialogue.
Denham Forest aka The Wanderer
His is on SOL under both ID's.
I'm loving the discussion - but surprised by a few absent from the lists
kezza67 - Songbird et al, Adrian Leverkuhn - Backroads and Vista Dome and many more, woodmanone - too many to list, and moogplayer are some of my favourites not listed on most of the hit parades
Perhaps I have become a romantic in my old age, or just prefer a happy ending. Most of all I want a story that makes me think, ask questions even.
Of course I like many different authors, and many genre, but there are some writers for whom one time was too many and some categories that are just too unpleasant.
But that's just me.
Got Too Love It
I just love the revenge, wish to god I could have done something similar
Well Done...
Nice effort...
nice
I gave it a 5 for your effort. It must be me that has a hard time understanding, how someone who has had his heart ripped out, can think this all through so quickly. I would be in shock for a week, along with anger remorse, and questions bouncing around in my head. Of course this is just a story, and I did enjoy it, but seemed a little too pat, or set.
Most readers will admit that they have heard similar stories before, I loved them both. There was no meeting, because he was too mad, right, but not mad enough to come up with such a plan to destroy his family.
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