This is a remarkable story, made all the more so by it being Greg's first time out, not just in an anthology, but since elementary school!

Don't let that deter you though; there is no way you will be able to tell that Greg is not a writer of long experience.

I should add that he even did his own HTML layout.


Now, on to the story!

Stepping into the light has many facets. It begins with a ray of light, a promise of a new day that the protagonist greets with considerable reluctance. What follows next is a rich character development, artfully done. Daryl's two parents were quite a surprise,

The story, to me, has an overarching moral; stepping forward and doing the right thing may not be easy, but it is sometimes, the path out of the shadows and into the light.
Well done Greg!
CJ

Thanks CJ

Well I just wanted to say a little thanks to those that read my story and even more so to those that let me know whatcha think about it!! Sorry for the little twist at the end but ironically that is where my whole story started from and everything else was just to build up to that moment.

I'd also like to say a quick thanks to all those that made the anthology possible. CJ for running the whole thing and countless hours making everything work out. Graeme for doing a lot of html work and I believe beastkid did some too. Rose S. for helping out with reviews along with TL the Writing Tiger. If I missed anyone sorry! (and thanks!)

Finally I'd like to thank GaryInMiami and moonwolf for taking on my story at the last minute and making it so professional, you guys are awesome!!

Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed the read!!

Greg

I just read it. I really like the story. Sometimes people are afraid to stand up for what's right. I wish that wasn't the case. We all need heroes like Daryl in the world, because too often gay teens pay the price for being who they are. Great work, Myk!

I loved reading this again Greg. Thanks for letting Jason and me help you with it.

Whoever did the page design did a really nice job.

This was such a great story. You got all the elements of high school down pat. A lot of social clliques, and a lot of unhappy people who don't fit in, and everyday is just a blah existence.

There was some repetition in the story, like going through Daryl's day of school, following him through his classes, and even dinner with his Dad, Jack. But this was crucial to the story in showing how apathetic Daryl was about school, friendships, and conflicts. He was smart, and just kept to himself. Because of his nature, it was even more astounding that he stood up for Michael. A person who doesn't care wouldn't normally do that, but he felt compelled to do so, and that's always a touching thing. That no matter what, some people can and will do the right thing. Also, it shows that one person can make a difference. He was the only one who stood up for Michael, but apparently the tone of the story was that he would be left alone, for the most part, from then on. Again, it's nice to see courage in a high school student where conformity is so important, and even more so, a guy who is willing to do the right thing and make a difference in one student's life.

I also liked the whole West Side story thing, where social cliques were split in two sides over the case of a homoesexual student. For me, it was a bit of humor. Daryl is a great character, a very mature one, and I liked how he handled the whole situation, especially at the very end when he didn't get angry or upset when Michael laid one on him.

A great story.

Tiff that was a great review. I'm not sure what there was about your review that made me think about something I overlooked both while working on this story and even after reading it online. In addition to the other plot elements, was this also sort of a reverse coming out story? At the end we have Daryl announcing to his two apparently gay parents that he's not gay? Greg, was that intentional on your part?

Thanks TL The Writing Tiger and Tiff I'm glad you guys liked it!!


letting you guys help? haha, its more the other way around, I was honoured that you guys offered. I certainly needed it too!



HAHA ummm not directly no. I did intend that Daryl would help Michael and that Daryl's parents would be a gay couple, although I saved that for the ending. That was sort of what made it believeable that Daryl would understand and help Michael, in my mind anyway. The whole underlying point for me writing this story was to show that you have to stand up for what is right to make the world a better place. Having Daryl turn out straight took a personal connection to Michael for shall I call it 'mutual self preservation' out of it and made it more about doing what was right.

Saving Daryl's sexuality for the end was more about how I decided to fill in the details of the confrontation while keeping Jamie's gender secret until the end. The fact that it turned into a 'reverse coming out' as you put it, is just an ironic and happy coincidence in my opinion. It is probably not often that a kid tells their parents 'I'm straight' and their parents are 'accepting' of it instead of being more like 'thank god' or 'why wouldn't you be?'

Greg

I guess sometimes I read more into a story than is actually there.

Still, I did enjoy the irony of it. To me it was sort of a reminder to gay kids that straight kids don't normally have to go through the coming out process, and that this whole issue of sexuality should be quite irrelevant to one's overall personality.

Maybe you didn't intend it to be like that but take credit for it anyway so it gives the story even greater depth!

The more I read it the more I love it ... and I already loved it when I did the 2nd edit. (gary you did a great job )

really good job Myk!!! The pleasure was ours in accepting that request from you

You're making me think of something. should I try to write for 20 pages of poetry fo the next anthology???!!!

Jason aka Moonwolf

Hey Greg,

This is a long, well developed story, your first time sense Elementary school eh? Well, hopefully someone will convince you to be an Anthology regular + more. This story was to me, a cute as hell story all around. I longed for Jack and Daryl to have a closer relationship and after the story of Jamie that happened and I realized that it became a like father, like son, story in the best possible way. It had a good message about people opening up to the injustices of the world and the bad people that cause them - it was delivered in an entertaining way as well.

I knew that Daryl was straight, but the photo scene threw that thought away momentarily. We don't know if Sam ever came around, but it would've been ok if he didn't as Mikey, would now mean he would have a more substantial friendship, because Sam represented Daryl's blindness and daydreaming side of him that he also had to rid himself of to be completely open to seeing things.

Anyway, again, good job. And, the page looks great as well.

Wow! That is a lot of poetry! Haha, I guess you're more creative than I am


I loved this line! Thanks so much for your kind words Krista


lol, was it that obvious that he was straight? I guess his interactions with Sarah kind of gave it away but that was why I had to throw in the whole photo scene.

Thanks for reading, and the comments!!!

hugs

Greg

Sadly, I had just always assumed Jamie was a guy -- it's much more a guys name to me than a girls name.

For a first story, it is very good. I won't bother mentioning that it would also be good for a twentieth story, because I'm going to wait for your twentieth story before I say that...

Seriously, I really enjoyed it. Daryl was described as someone who could be more than he was letting himself be. As it turned out, he just needed to find something he could step up and act on. It was amazing at how I, as a reader, could see Daryl growing up in just the space of a couple of days.

Congratulations, Greg You should be proud of what you've written, and I certainly suggest you keep writing Otherwise, I'll have to start calling you Daryl -- the guy who wouldn't allow himself to live up to his potential....

Ahhhh...its that 'p' word....potential. It isn't the first time that word has been used on me but it is the first with regards to my writing. It is usually along the lines of me wasting my potential in school

Thanks for your comments Graeme! I'm not sure I will ever make it to a twentieth story but that is a really nice thought.

Greg