Pick of the Day

am glad that Paul Diamond got spotted early. he's new to the site and a very assured writer. a worthy pick of the day.

Crikey, cheers Chant. Been out and about, jus spotted this. Yeah man 'The Awakening' yeah man it's a bit cheesy in places. I was aiming to try and make it a feel good vibe at the end. Maybe I went a little overboard I dunno. It was my intention to make it one of them kind of stories. But if people spot that then it means I communicated the vibe ok. Not always successful at communicating the vibes I'am trieing to create for the reader. Sometimes I get ideas but I can't pull them off properly. Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. But it's all learning. Man I am really fond of that piece. You picked my favourite piece I've written so far mate - cheers dude. I am encouraged.

You don't want to see my world in darkness... hehe

'Fragile Granite' by cokepoet http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=955 I have been reading this one again and again tryna figure it out. Can figure some of it, I think it's about peoples spirit filled ideas being crushed by insensitive folk or something, not sure. Will be reading this one all day. It's really good - full-on coolio style. My favourite verse was this:- Justice with single poppy seed-sensitive scales And both beautiful eyes wide open. wicked man!

27/11/01 My pick of the day - 'Looking out for Mr Stitches' by 'Andrew Pack' i've avoided reading Andrew's work up till now to remove the temptation of learning his style and then replicating it back to him to see if he raves about it. having read this piece, i don't think there's much danger of that. Andrew's much too gruesome for me. this piece reminded me a bit of Raymond Carver's short story 'Cathedral' to start with. i suppose i should have seen the twist at the ending, but i didn't. Andrew changes the gears very smoothly and I got the feeling this could have been a novel just as easily as a short story. a subtle idea to feature an obsessive as the psychopath, as i connected with the descent into darkness very easily. shows a deft touch for comedy too. souped up my lunchbreak no end.

28/11/01 my pick of the day is ' One Stormy Night' by mellow. http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=4203 A good story. I won't go into it though as it's difficult to describe it without giving the plot away. It is edge of the seat stuff; with a sinister twist at the end.

I think I'd probably hate my style if I saw it in someone else. I don't do this for fun you know - I'm stuck with it. But I'm not normally that gruesome, to be fair.

29/11/01 I have 3 picks today. Two poems and one story. 1. 'Alabastar Thoughts.' by prozacdolls http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=5258 A poem cruelly rated as one star by two people. Sometimes I wonder about some readers: the one's who give one star ratings. Whether they actually read the piece at all. I know perhaps I shouldn't do this but I gave her a five star rating twice and I hope this boosted her rating up a bit. 2. InQUIZition by Aurthur Chappell http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=7451 Instead of who wants to be a millionare. How about who wants to be tortured... a gameshow specially for those who like a bit of s+m. 3. 'Y: Antonio Salieris Final Materpiece.' by donignacio http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=11449 A musical composer in a mental hospital dreams of composing one great masterpiece. A symphony that will stay in the minds of the people like something written by Mozart. A funny story that makes you laugh and touches you at the same time.

Paul Diamond is a new writer on the site and a damn good one. Tuppenny Blues, Snapshots and Business is Business all come highly recommended. And a must for Andrea fans. I also like Gingermark, who seems to have slowed down a bit. More from him please.

30/11/01 The Awakening by Funky_Seagull perceptive and well-handled. i don't normally like uplifting messages from God and i didn't really agree with this one. but i thought that this was a thought-provoking story. i was particularly pleased to read the following lines:- "I didn’t want to tell anyone how I was feeling at this time. The silence seemed to pain some part inside me. And seemed to create an inner intensity that was almost un-bearable." i have been trying, inadequately, to describe this state of being for quite some time now. so i was glad to find that Funky had done it for me. well done Funky! now write me a short story like this one, but where there's no divine intervention. i want to see your world in darkness.