Welcome to The Gallery

“Find a subject you care about and which you feel others should care about. It is this caring, and not your games with language, that will be the most seductive element in your style.”
~ Kurt Vonnegut, on writing

Why I Write:
I write because I love it. Something about making a story just enchants me. I can't tell you why I spend countless hours in front of this computer, pulling out my hair sometimes when the words won't come or the plot holes just won't DIE. But I can tell you that when I've finally finished a story and look back on it, it's suddenly worth every second I have put in.

If you think about it, with every artist, the work itself is a byproduct. The art is the journey, actually getting there. Once a painting is done there's nothing left for the creator to take from it; for lack of a better word, the finished piece is waste. So where does it go? Into a museum or gallery where the creator hopes other people will enjoy their work as much as they enjoyed making it.

This is my Gallery. These stories are my paintings. I wrote them. I know every inch of every paragraph, every thought of every character, every action, every word, every comma. There is nothing more for me to take from them, but you haven't seen them. And so I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, as much as I still do...except that I know what happens :)

How I Write:
I pour my heart and soul into these stories. Most of them spend months, sometimes even years in production before a single chapter is ever posted for you to read. I feel as an author using a public site it is my responsibility to only put my best works here and save the “cutting room floor” works, as it were, for a private site (I use livejournal). Furthermore, as a fanfiction author, I also feel it is my responsibility to keep the stories as they are. I try very hard to uphold and maintain the original feel of the universes and characters I dabble in. In fact, my ultimate goal is to write fanfiction that is so seamless, it is easily confused with canon. The way I see it: If I don’t know the fandom well enough to convincingly imitate it...I don’t know the fandom at all.

What I Don't Write:
I don't believe in: self-insertions, Mary Sues, and most things that are grossly out of character (OOC), period. Enough said.

On Receiving Reviews:
If you happen to be reading a story of mine and you suddenly find you have something to say—strong, weak, positive, negative, stupid, or smart—say it. I want to hear it. Anything you can give me I will take with open arms for one simple reason: I am desperate to get better, and I feel that every reader has something valuable to offer. I understand the difference between taking comments and using them, and there is no way I am about to let this pool of information at my disposal go to waste. So, go ahead, write me an email, send me an IM. I’m available.

On Giving Reviews:
My reviews are often long and honest. I won't ever review a story unless I have something good to say about it, and I always craft my criticisms to be respectful as well as helpful. I'm not going lie to save someone's feelings, but I'm not going to needlessly discourage anyone either. I feel this is an excellent environment to learn and grow in as a writer and it's one I intend to use as well as uphold.

I sign my name to every review I give. I do this for a reason: If I said it, then I think my name should be on it, just as I think I should be able to reasonably answer for it. Of course if, at any time, you feel I've stepped over a line or would simply like to disagree you are encouraged to please contact me and tell me. We’ll get together, we’ll talk, we’ll sort it out, and then we’ll both walk away all the better for the experience.

Fanart:
Works I've received based on my stories by souls that are talented in pencil and brush. I stand in awe.

Restitution (Chapter 4) by Victoria Hughes

Special Thanks:
Melissa – I don't know if you'll ever see this or not, but I owe you about a quarter of all my writing skills and all of my skills as a beta-reader. You taught me not to take criticism personally which, as I'm sure most authors know, is a huge roadblock in writing. I can't ever repay you for that except to say, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be writing at the level I do now. Thanks.

Mom and Dad – I tell you every day what you mean to me. There's nothing I can say here that will ever compare with that.

My Teachers – From elementary school to high school to college you have been there at the sidelines cheering on the writer I didn’t even know existed. You saw my talent far before I did, and I’d like to thank you for encouraging my inner child to imagine and dream so she would never starve. She owes you her life, and I owe you a big thanks from the both of us.

My Betas – Darkwingpsycho, DelphinBella, Faye Chua, Neptune 47, thejennamonster, threeports: You guys are my crack team, my think tank, my—dare I say it—guinea pigs. I know real life is demanding and bothersome and you have a hundred things to do besides pointing out all my mistakes in my crappy first drafts. But, wouldn’tcha know, you do it anyway. My stories may be good, but you are the ones that make them superb. Thank you.

My Reviewers – Thank you for writing me something. I don’t care if it’s two words or two hundred words, the very fact that you took a moment to read my story and it was worth enough of your time to comment on says a lot. In a perfect world I’d be able to email each and every one of you back to thank you and talk with you for hours on your opinions. But, unfortunately, I can’t, so I’m hoping between my livejournal and this I get the point across: Thank you very, very much.

My Readers – I said before that I write because I love it, and it's true, but if it weren't for you guys my stories would die the second they left my head. You're the ones that keep them going, that give them life after I'm done with them. Thanks.

~ Lael Adair ~

Cutting Room Floor