Hello Readers!
Once again my deep apologies for keeping you waiting.
I still have not been able to find the time or the frame of mind to resume writing. However, I have not given up. This is my first contribution in this genre and I intend to
see it through completion. I don't want to rush a completion as there is still a lot of the story to unravel before the protagonists move into the happily ever after stage.
I certainly have been thinking about how the story will unfold. As you all know, I started this as a one-of short story. Then I wrote another chapter and then another and now, seventeen chapters later, it took my involuntary break from writing to realize, that I didn't really have a plan. I was just writing each chapter that uncovered a bit more of the plot along the way to a fairly obvious conclusion.
I recently responded to a supportive e-mail from one of my readers. I am partially reproducing it here as I think it is relevant to the situation:-
Larry has always been close to Nora because she and Doug are the one's who knew him from before and who helped him to find his new home and move into their neighborhood. She had been the one to help him initially in getting over Megan. So, it is no stretch that Larry already loves her dearly.
Callie on the other hand has struggled to get close to Larry. This is partly because of Megan's hold on Larry from beyond the grave and Callie's own work schedules. (She commutes to LA). So it is Nora who has to nudge Larry towards her.
Cass is the one who finally took the initiative to get Larry for herself and her Ma. So it isn't hard to tell who the top three women in Larry's life are.
Spoiler alert: (Not really. It's kind of obvious...)
Callie very wisely does not attempt to hem in Larry but instead allows all the various sexual tensions to play out, opting to wait it out before stamping her 'Ownership'. You can see that in her orchestration of things especially with Nora and the three cheer leaders. This causes Larry to rely on her and become closer to her as he realizes that despite all the other temptations, it is Callie who is #1 followed closely by Cass and Nora.
Of course Sue and Tiff and even Linda are part of the mix. However, Larry is not that close to the rest as he is with his top three. Linda is actually not really interested in Larry. She is a naturist who is very comfortable with her own body and nudity. So, she is very blase about sex and treats it more as something of a bodily function that just needs to get done. She doesn't mind helping out Larry and doesn't have any hang ups about it due to her more open lifestyle. Tiff while hungry for the sexual experience is also very comfortable with nudity thanks to her upbringing. Whereas Sue is shy but very horny.
This is as far as I have written already. Now comes the hard part, which is to head toward a happy conclusion of the story and then write an epilogue set in the future.
I think most writers including myself find this very difficult to do. Sometimes, leaving some arcs to the imagination of the readers is better than wrapping it up with a bow tie. But deciding what works and what does not is quite hard.
I also realize that I could go on adding chapters to this story indefinitely and keep pushing the conclusion off. But then, it becomes boring and formulaic after a while for both the reader and the author.
I suspect that this is the reason why there are so many stories on SOL that are unfinished. So, those are some of the things I am struggling with as I attempt to resume my writing.
Messages from readers are an invaluable help in deciding on what to do next. So, keep the feedback coming either via comments or via the direct message system.
Don't worry, I am not done yet and I promise I'll be back with more about Larry and his 'harem'.
Until then take care!
Richard