500 Annies Ch. 02

While I find the idea of a "manual" interesting (and it has been done before in real life with "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"), the idea is rather ridiculous. I'm not faulting the story itself, only the idea of a manual to understanding women.

There is no one size fits all. It's like asking a hundred (in this case five hundred) different women what their hobby is, and expecting just one, instead of hundreds of different ones.

Quick, what food do women like? You're only allowed to pick one kind of food, and that answer will be THE answer in the book, It'll apply to all women according to the book.
Impossible, right? Fact is, there is no one answer, unless Joe makes it SO generic, that you can find the tips in any "dating advice" book.

When I read this chapter, and the idea was discussed, I thought by doing all the interviews, Joe would discover there IS no manual for this, it'd turn out to be a disaster, but in the process of doing all this, OTHER stuff happens (like meeting a new woman). Apparently his book was a success though, so I'm really interested in how everything turned out. Waiting for chapter 3...

Thank you

I am looking forward to the next Chapter. Please don't keep us waiting too long. Thank-you.

UNDERSTANDING IS

like going out for a take home meal, TK U MLJ LV NV

this is a damn good story so far

He got up dusted himself off and is moving on

Nice filler, but

this chapter did not really advance the story. We learned why he decided to write the book. It is setting the story up, but as a chapter, it was bland. You probably have it split into the four days of broadcast, which is a good idea. This was pretty well done, but I just wanted more information. and more action. I have decided that our hero will interview a woman and fall in love with her and all us romantics will be pleased. You may bring Annie back into the mix as an unhappy woman begging for forgiveness. That will please those that always want revenge, but personally, I don't want to see or hear from Annie again. The story is not about her. It's about him. Bringing her back would pretty much be using an over used plot device. This is original and I would hope it remains original. The wife crawling back has been done to death. If our hero writes a best seller and finds a good wife, his revenge will be complete. All in all, this is very well conceived and written. I will vote at the end.

A most interesting read so far. I expect that he will find a new love and frosting on the cake would be news that his wife's lover died a slow painful death from cancer.

Fine Work

I am enjoying every paragraph, every sentence and virtually every word. As for Hdk, you have no sense of mystery, or you would understand that there is NO story without First Annie; she is it's driving force, proof of why men do not understand women, and why he has to write "500 Annies".

More please

Good story so far. - Doc

So far so good......

You've still got my attention and your style is good. I did do a double take on the Jaime/Annie screw up...no big deal.

Ambitious Goal. But Tepid & Unfocused Execution

Look, the concept as a whole is intriguing. Marriage goes staid due to economic troubles & child growing up & out of house. Wife becomes sullen,distant & ultimately unfaithful .Man is devastated by wife's departure . Slowly he reboots himself fiscally & emotionally. Very nice ! I'm quarreling with pace, cretibility & execution. this chapter was DRY .

No news of substance to be had cc wayward wife. There is no hint of a new relationship that would be proof of real healing. The 'idea' is fine but the story is. bogging down very early in it's execution . This doesnt bode well. This author has a track record of proffering up intriguing ideas with flair only to frustrate readers at conclusion.

This particular narrator 'might' be different . qhml1 has given him a dollop more backbone & grit then his usual main characters . But now the actual plot is meandering very early on . Color me hopeful but very wary.

So far...

It's an interesting premise, but starting to read like a tech manual. The minor characters are the most interesting. Annie II, Jane and Howard got fleshed out pretty quickly during the interviews; I like them all. At this point, I'm more interested in their lives than in the protagonist (I honestly can't remember his name right now).

I want the story to succeed so I'm here for the duration.

I like it . . .

Some of the complaints have some validity, but this chapter does seem to advance the story. It just advances it by further developing the main character. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

not loving it but

Not Hating either. Not sure it belongs in loving wives any more. 3 stars.

Good continuation

Kind of got off the drama from the narrator's marital breakdown, but the first two interviews were interesting, especially Jane's. The story about the wedding dance brought tears to my eyes. Very well conceived.
I am interested, and will keep reading. Kind of hoping that this won't become an opus of 27 chapters-a retelling of even a tithe of the 500 interviews could be overwhelming. I also hope we get more than just the summary of the interviews and the narrator's reactions to them: I hope we see them in practice. In other words, I hope we see the narrator moving on beyond the catharsis writing the book may provide. I want a happy ending dammit!
Excellent writing.

Good setup. Looking forward to the execution.

First 2 chapters have given the reader lots of potential for a great story. Hope you have a good Place to take it and don't dwell on multiple chapters of interviews. I won't mind a few but won't read a 15+ chapter story.

So far

So far what we have is:
1. Man's wife leaves him.
2. Man decides men and women think differently (duh)
3. Man decides women are smarter than men (up for debate)
4. Man decides to write tech manual on how to deal with women so alledgedly smarter women will not cheat and abandon men who are too stupid to understand them.
This thing is shaping uplike an Oprah episode or its government equivelent PBS.
We can further deduce
1. That women are justified in cheating on men because men are too stupid to understand them (Yet cheat with another stupid man).
2. Alledgedly smarter women are unable to develope their own manual on how to deal with men. For some reason it is up to to the stupid men to figure a way to make a realtionship with the supposed higher intellect work.

I certainly hope Chapter 3 changes the direction of this potential train wreck.

Excellent -- so far

Excellent development. Fine writing skills throughout.

Hope it doesn't degrade to interviews of six or eight more "Annies". The stage has been set, now let's see some direction, not just drama.

interesting so far...

...HdK is correct to a point. I agree don't have wife come back but some explanation of why she left has to be central to the story.

So far, so good...

The bones for an interesting story (and for a marathon train wreck) have been laid. Hoping for the former!

So far, a good read!

The question of the trying to describe how to handle women in a manual, has for an answer, No it won't work, but it will be fun and interesting reading!

One thing that bothers me from the first chapter is Annie refusing to have contact with her daughter or her grandchild! That does not sound like a woman at all!

I agree with anon up there about the sexist tone in this piece.

Very Interesting

Good read. Now on to the writing of the manual. Still curious about the cheating wife. Will she contact him or the daughter? We'll see...

I feel the wind of reconciliation wafting through this story.

I hope I'm wrong.

The one and only Annie was a treacherous harpie.

There is no way on earth that sociopathic bitch could ever understand, or feel herself, the kind of pain she dished out without a second thought, despite the anguish she claimed.

He's far better off finding a new flame. A second Jane would do nicely. They do exist, but they're rare in the world of older unattached women.

Qh, if you DON'T bring the original Annie in from the cold, I'll give you 5 stars all the way. Awaiting the rest of this tail with trepidation.

A good Romantic Revenge..........

@ Anon I agree you 100% in this story the exwife does not deserves any reconcilation. Here the Second Chance woman is the best solution and a good Romantic Revenge...........the exwife will be lonely and he is not..............

beautiful narrative

This is perhaps the best narrative i've read in quite a while. Please continue. Eagerly waiting for more

nice

cant wait for chapters three and four!

Good story

Though not a lot of insight into women. Its not required or anything...it's just he hasn't said anything that would sell a book

VILE . I mean disgusting offensive hateful anti man shit

could this be ANY more sexist??

"I mean, really, some times it seems like we think on different planes. I way up here and he just hasn't caught up."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I think women are smarter than men. Anyone disagree with me?"

You're right, men just don't get it sometimes. It looks like one of you would be smart enough to write a manual, some guidelines to go by to understand us."

=============================

this story makes me so god dman fucking angry I wish I could find the author and beat the shit out of him

WORKING HARD / EXTRA HOURS IS NOT A JUSTIFICATION TO CHEAT .

the Manuel idea is bullshit

the analogy is clear. This wimp of man apparently did not know HOW to operate biological machine that was his wife.

In other words he did something -- didnt follow directions and / or did not read the manul -- that the SOOOOOOOOO wrong that she cheated om him for 2 years and essentially stole half of his $$$.

bullshit.
And shame on all other other dumbs fucks here who cant see this

Harry, why don't you settle the fuck down and think with your brain, and not your ego? You might get some interesting answers next time instead of the huffing, puffing, and thumping your chest that you seem to do at your computer screen.

Harry

Harry, your reading comprehension is a little lacking. She was a cheating cunt. He didn't do anything different than 50 million other men in America. He loved his wife, had faith in her while he went about his work, and she used his faith against him for two years. Then while she admitted he tried and cried that he was clueless, she crowed about her success in decceiving him.
And in case you didn't notice, that comment he made about women being smarter than men was with his tongue securely in cheek and the whole crowd knew it.

Just reread this again

Good so far. Maybe another slip? First chapter, Daughter AJ has a boy with her new husband. But in chapter 2, hubby and ex-wife have a grand daughter. Did the child undergo a sex change between chapters one and two?

Keep it comng -

Waiting for the pay off with Annie no1

WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME

all tragedy lessens, but to what degree, TK U MLJ LV NV

Thoughts

I’ll never understand these cuckolded husbands who try to discourage their children from cutting off their mother. I wouldn’t ENCOURAGE them to cut her off, but ESPECIALLY in cases like here, where the wife abandoned her daughter as well, I certainly wouldn’t DISCOURAGE her either!

“it feels like we have some sort of physic link.” – Um, I believe you mean “psychic” link!

annie 2

Ed Grocott
edgrocott@gmail.com

Still solid

A really enjoyable read, I'm hoping to pick up some tips! :)
J

a creative use of a unique format

you have turned into true story telling.