I've been waiting for one of the "regulars" to start a thread about Altimexis's latest story in the Naptown Tales sequence, and am really surprised that no one has.
Altimexis has a reputation for not shying away from the tough subjects, the ones people don't like to face. And this story carries on that mode of choosing to ace them head on -- two of them, in fact, in one story.
While there are a few minor flaws from the absolute ideal narrative, they fit perfectly with the conceit of putting the story in the words of a bright, slightly sheltered 14-year-old, Kurt DeWitt, who's been "supporting cast" in a couple of previous Naptown Tales.
It's a powerful story, competently executed. Highly recommended.
Full Version: Summer Camp
Yes, that is definitely a touchy subject. I was horrified. It was difficult to read, but it's true to reality. It's most unfortunate, but situations like that are all too common. Overall, that was a good story even if parts of it made my stomach churn.
Sorry, but I haven't been paying attention to my own forum lately. Too busy writing. 
Anyway, I started out writing a fun summer tail, but stories have a life of their own, and the eventual direction of the story was obvious. Put a couple of gay teens in a church-run camp and there are almost bound to be accusations, but what if there really was a pedophile in their midst. How perfect it would be to frame the gay teens and get away with murder, perhaps literally.
Codey's World is not going to publish this one, and I can't blame them - it's not for younger readers.
Anyway, I started out writing a fun summer tail, but stories have a life of their own, and the eventual direction of the story was obvious. Put a couple of gay teens in a church-run camp and there are almost bound to be accusations, but what if there really was a pedophile in their midst. How perfect it would be to frame the gay teens and get away with murder, perhaps literally.
Codey's World is not going to publish this one, and I can't blame them - it's not for younger readers.
It certainly isn't for the younger ones. By the way, is there going to be a sequel to this one? It seems so unfinished.
QUOTE (Tiger @ August 27 2008, 11:57 PM) 
It certainly isn't for the younger ones. By the way, is there going to be a sequel to this one? It seems so unfinished.
Naptown Tales is an ongoing series and every story stands on its own, yet we often find the continuation of one story in other stories that follow. Right now I'm working on the story of Debbie and Cathy, a lesbian couple who were mentioned briefly in July Fireworks, my Anniversary Anthology entry. David and I didn't include them in one of the interviews because the story was already long as was, and because I imagined they would have declined to be interviewed, as will come out in the story I'm writing. Anyway, the point of this is that at least a quarter to perhaps as much as half the story will be a continuation of Trevor and Kurt's story. My fall anthology entry's coming out in between, so there will be a bit of a wait. So Close . . . and Yet So Far, as I'm calling it, should be released a week or two after the fall anthologies are released, or by the first of October at the latest.
The one thing I haven't decided on yet is Kurt's HIV status. That's really a tough one, and it probably won't be decided in the next story. There is a lot I could do with an HIV+ character in my stories and would like to do, but I like Kurt and Trevor both individually and as a couple, and I really would hate to saddle them with something like this. Such is the dilemma of an author. I want to keep things 'real', and yet I want to retain a bit of idealism. The chance of Kurt actually being HIV+ from this one encounter, assuming Gary is HIV+ and that Kurt either contracted it from his two episodes of oral sex, or that Gary passed it to Sammy and that Kurt got it from the one episode of anal penetration, is actually fairly small. If I make Kurt HIV+, then I have to deal with the likelihood that all of the twelve-year-old campers Gary molested are also HIV+, and that might be too much for my readership to take. I'm not sure I could stomach that. It's one thing to be realistic, but quite another to go overboard attempting to appear realistic, playing the worst case scenario, even when the odds are against it. Still, I could write a really powerful story about how Kurt and Trevor deal with a positive test result come this winter. What do you guys think?
QUOTE (Altimexis @ August 30 2008, 09:12 AM)
Naptown Tales is an ongoing series and every story stands on its own, yet we often find the continuation of one story in other stories that follow. Right now I'm working on the story of Debbie and Cathy, a lesbian couple who were mentioned briefly in July Fireworks, my Anniversary Anthology entry. David and I didn't include them in one of the interviews because the story was already long as was, and because I imagined they would have declined to be interviewed, as will come out in the story I'm writing. Anyway, the point of this is that at least a quarter to perhaps as much as half the story will be a continuation of Trevor and Kurt's story. My fall anthology entry's coming out in between, so there will be a bit of a wait. So Close . . . and Yet So Far, as I'm calling it, should be released a week or two after the fall anthologies are released, or by the first of October at the latest.
The one thing I haven't decided on yet is Kurt's HIV status. That's really a tough one, and it probably won't be decided in the next story. There is a lot I could do with an HIV+ character in my stories and would like to do, but I like Kurt and Trevor both individually and as a couple, and I really would hate to saddle them with something like this. Such is the dilemma of an author. I want to keep things 'real', and yet I want to retain a bit of idealism. The chance of Kurt actually being HIV+ from this one encounter, assuming Gary is HIV+ and that Kurt either contracted it from his two episodes of oral sex, or that Gary passed it to Sammy and that Kurt got it from the one episode of anal penetration, is actually fairly small. If I make Kurt HIV+, then I have to deal with the likelihood that all of the twelve-year-old campers Gary molested are also HIV+, and that might be too much for my readership to take. I'm not sure I could stomach that. It's one thing to be realistic, but quite another to go overboard attempting to appear realistic, playing the worst case scenario, even when the odds are against it. Still, I could write a really powerful story about how Kurt and Trevor deal with a positive test result come this winter. What do you guys think?
The one thing I haven't decided on yet is Kurt's HIV status. That's really a tough one, and it probably won't be decided in the next story. There is a lot I could do with an HIV+ character in my stories and would like to do, but I like Kurt and Trevor both individually and as a couple, and I really would hate to saddle them with something like this. Such is the dilemma of an author. I want to keep things 'real', and yet I want to retain a bit of idealism. The chance of Kurt actually being HIV+ from this one encounter, assuming Gary is HIV+ and that Kurt either contracted it from his two episodes of oral sex, or that Gary passed it to Sammy and that Kurt got it from the one episode of anal penetration, is actually fairly small. If I make Kurt HIV+, then I have to deal with the likelihood that all of the twelve-year-old campers Gary molested are also HIV+, and that might be too much for my readership to take. I'm not sure I could stomach that. It's one thing to be realistic, but quite another to go overboard attempting to appear realistic, playing the worst case scenario, even when the odds are against it. Still, I could write a really powerful story about how Kurt and Trevor deal with a positive test result come this winter. What do you guys think?
......Hard choice on a tough subject, yet because the subject is tough it shouldn't just be swept under the rug. How about Kurt testing non-positive, and Sammy testing positive? Sammy had more encounters with Gary making it seem more plausible if Gary was HIV positive.
QUOTE (Benji @ August 30 2008, 10:42 AM)
......Hard choice on a tough subject, yet because the subject is tough it shouldn't just be swept under the rug. How about Kurt testing non-positive, and Sammy testing positive? Sammy had more encounters with Gary making it seem more plausible if Gary was HIV positive.That's an excellent suggestion, and far more plausible. Kurt would feel a close kinship for Sammy, and I can think of some interesting angles that would bring Sammy into the Naptown fold in an integral way. I'll seriously consider this. Thanks!
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