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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > Literary Merit > The Storm That Turned the Tide
The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77696] Tue, 30 March 2021 21:28 Go to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



The Storm That Turned the Tide is very much a Sean English tale. He has a style that is very different from other authors. His heroes are introspective, hesitant, talk about things that other boys may think about. Sean has the unusual ability to vocalise their hopes and fears.  We're one third of the way in now[/font], far enough in to make guesses and not far enough in to know the turns of the plot.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77697 is a reply to message #77696] Wed, 31 March 2021 06:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Talo Segura is currently offline  Talo Segura

Likes it here
Location: Europe
Registered: July 2019
Messages: 103



There is dust, and then there is dust. It's thickest here, in my memory. This remotest room of my mind has been shut up for years, the windows shuttered, the furniture covered with dust sheets. Light hadn't penetrated into some of these corners for years; in some cases it never has. If something is uncomfortable,  I shove it in here and forget about it. When was the last time I dared look? I don't want to remember, but now it is time to think back. The arrow is arcing through the air and speeding towards it's appointed target.

Then there is the dust of London. When my story begins, in the 1960s, the fog is lifting a little.

So opens Richard Thompson's autobiographical account of being in the band Fairport Convention (1967 - 1975), Losing My Way and Finding My Voice.

Why quote this? Because it is very difficult to critically comment on authors. This is a great example of the kind of opening to a book that grabs the reader. It is a brilliant use of the English language and well written. You might read it, even if the story was not the kind of story you would usually read.

You wouldn't expect online stories to be in the same category, at the same level, but they can get close. Take a look at Sean English, The Storm That Turned the Tide.

What started as a mixture of elaborate red and purple clouds on the distant horizon, was gradually expanding and looming larger, pushing closer as they stretched across the long valley. As they drew nearer, deep accompanying rumbles could be heard in the distance, as the sun's veritable rays weakened behind the oncoming front. There was a penetrating darkness creeping overhead in the cloud cover, intensified along the edges like wisps of cotton as the sunshine highlighted the border. The edge raced forward, all the while some of the clouds rotated along an invisible axis. It was, in effect, a fast-moving front that left little doubt to anyone looking skyward that rough weather would arrive soon. To top that, the transition from the earlier mid-afternoon's fair autumn temperatures, to the overcast, ominous ceiling that approached, led most people to believe this was no common storm on approach.

A perfect comparison between the amateur and professional author, and like the non-league football (soccer) team, the amateurs can aspire to win the cup, and sometimes do!

If you ever ask, "how good is my writting?" look at this as what you might be aiming to achieve, and see that it is possible, and you can have the pleasure of reading stories here for free that are not so far off the professional published books.

[Updated on: Wed, 31 March 2021 06:38]

Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77789 is a reply to message #77696] Fri, 30 April 2021 22:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
joecasey is currently offline  joecasey

Toe is in the water
Location: American Midwest
Registered: December 2017
Messages: 35



I confess that I'm not reading this story, only skimming it (it does rather go on - almost 400,000 words at this point, and more to come, presumably) ... but - unless I'm completely misreading it - are we watching the grooming by a teenaged boy (Noah) of another, pre-pubescent boy (Benji) for a possible sexual relationship? Please tell me if I'm completely missing what's going on.
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77790 is a reply to message #77789] Sat, 01 May 2021 06:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



I think you are misinterpreting what is taking place



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77791 is a reply to message #77696] Sat, 01 May 2021 21:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Sean E is currently offline  Sean E

Getting started
Location: USA
Registered: September 2018
Messages: 13



Quote:
I think you are misinterpreting what is taking place


I guarantee he is misinterpreting what is taking place!
(But then, I guess I might be a little biased in making that statement... Grin)

Seriously though, I won't apologize for the tale being an involved, lengthy one. It does finally come to an end, and all with a much broader purpose.
At least, that was my hope when I started, and ended, the effort.

-Sean
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77808 is a reply to message #77696] Tue, 18 May 2021 12:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chanter is currently offline  chanter

Getting started
Location: Melbourne
Registered: March 2021
Messages: 5



As the story draws to a close I would like to say thank you to Sean. 

There are very few creators (word, music, motion or visual) that I can say that I have found all their works to be of a high quality and enjoyable at multiple levels, but Sean is one of those.

So thank you for another engrossing read, and i look forward to the next.
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77822 is a reply to message #77696] Sat, 22 May 2021 12:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Optimistic Writer is currently offline  Optimistic Writer

Getting started

Registered: June 2020
Messages: 1



It surprises me that there are not more responses and comment on a story which has such quality and depth. Not just this story, but other stories too.

I have very much enjoyed reading Sean's latest series and miss my bedtime reading! He posesses a unique style of writing which far surpasses in crafting that which can be found on other story sites. Relationships come first and physical interactions come second which is the way I think it should be.

To bring into his story a younger boy is done carefully and it is good to read of a brotherly love that perhaps may be ideal. Benji has so much depth of thinking for his age but he is taking after his older brother.

Perhaps in-depth story lines that take can't be skim read are not appealing to all.

So Sean, please be encouraged and I look forward to your next series, with full appreciation as to how much time and effort it must take to write 
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77832 is a reply to message #77696] Wed, 26 May 2021 13:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Sean E is currently offline  Sean E

Getting started
Location: USA
Registered: September 2018
Messages: 13



Thank you, sir! I do take encouragement from that. I get the occasional letter or post from people who find everything to mired in-depth, or with too much of a downer - just as much as I get letters and notes from people who like what I do. As to downers, I totally disagree and will defend myself to the hilt on that one: what good is a story that is nothing but sunshine and roses? There generally has to be a protagonist of some sort, right? Whether it be in a person (Pete) or an act of nature (the tornado), or somewhere in between. That's what makes a story stand out, in my humble opinion. The aftereffect of what it does to people, places and things, too, make for some nice reading sometimes, too.

As I've stated before, in the past, I'm just me. Admittedly, I took a deeper approach in this story to bring out what I could imagine or think about going through the gritty details of a family's mind after the storm hit, with two teenagers who needed to find each other. Depper, in a sense, as to what they think and feel. I don't fret what I've done at all - it's just the way it turned out, truthfully. I worried about parts of it - especially bringing the younger brother in, as you say - because I didn't want to make the story about him, but yet I wanted him to be a part of the story, too. The whole story was laid out, with the arcs from beginning to end before I even started writing this one. I thought it woul dbe a 20-24 chapter effort really. The fact it took me 33 chapters is surprising to me, slightly - but that's what I had to do to get it through all the arcs and get it into a finished state.

Some people, like Tim and others, like to refer to my 'style' as being unique. I appreciate the observation, but really, I don't know if it is or not. I just know its not for everyone. That is a harsh reality that hits me every once in a while, too. For example, there was one site that said they would take on one of my efforts and publish it, but only if I'd allow it to be cut up and changed to fit their "format" and "writing" style. I let them try one chapter, just to see what they would do - but the end result was so far out in left field, I stopped it. It was losing out on me being me. Does that make sense?

I mean, face it: my style is my own, and if that means deep-dives, long chapters or whatever, then so be it. Maybe there are peeps (err, peers) who prefer shorter paragraphs, simplified word phrases and the like. Or, even moreso, s-e-x. Whatever, I say to each their own, really. For me, I'm still an amateur, a learner, a "wanna-be" writer. I've never proclaimed any kind of perfection or professionalism - just a strong desire to put into words my ideas, feelings and more. And yep, I'll keep doing it as long as I'm writing. I'll try to learn more, and get better and be more profgessional as I gain experience - but, I promise, it'll always at least be just me. :)

Thanks IOMFATS and Tim, and everyone, for hosting this. I tip my hat to you. 
-Sean
Re: The Storm That Turned the Tide  [message #77835 is a reply to message #77832] Wed, 26 May 2021 19:41 Go to previous message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



What is unique about your style that I have seen so far is the highly detailed introspection of the heroes. Other authors may attempt  it, but you verbalise the things that others walk right past.

You also bring to the surface something I've noticed about US body culture as represented in many stories today. This is the theme of nudity inside the family being at  best unusual. Set this against mandatory (or at least normal) naked single sex swrmming at the YMCA within relatively recent memory, and you paint a detailed picture inside the head of your chartacters thaty you reveal to us.

Your heroes also  display more empathy  than we are used to with other authors.

Uniqueness is neither positive nor negative. It's as identifiable as the musical style of Queen,  The Beach Boys, Abba, The Caropenters, Status Quo, "He Who Shall Not Be Named" (Michael Jackson), and so many more. We like their music or not, and we like your writing, or not. Since I publish it that is evidence that I like it. 

[Updated on: Wed, 26 May 2021 21:12]




Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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