Queer Writing for a Queer World
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Dr Chapman knows what is causing Finn to have frequent nocturnal emissions and why he is producing such large quantities of semen when he ejaculates. He informs the family and releases Finn. But Finn will still need regular checkups.
The brothers are pleased to be home together. They spend some time together in their room, and come bedtime; they sleep together for the first time in a month.
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We would all like an easy straight road to get where we want to go, but life is seldom like that. For the past few months I’ve been winding my way through the crap life throws at you. On top of that, the Black Dog paid me a visit.
I’m feeling better now, but I’m still navigating my way through many responsibilities that are keeping me very busy. So I had to let a few things slip, unfortunately, Screeve was one of them. I am hoping to get back on track soon and later I will be posting another chapter of the Fletcher family in Cockaigne. I haven’t stopped thinking about them.
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Back in mid-July, I went on holiday to Wales. Since then, I haven’t written anything until today.
When I returned from holiday, I went into a deep depression, and as I was coming out of it, I went to Sweden for work. It’s taken me a week since I got back to feel up to writing again.
It may be travel and illness that stopped me from writing, but I also know that I’m coming to the end of the Max and Min saga. I only have a few chapters left to round things off, and whenever I reach the end of a series, I always find a reluctance to finish it, as it means I have to let go. But, my dear readers, you still have at least another twelve chapters to go.
Max & Min Forever.
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Sorry if I’ve left you dangling this past week. My work sent me to Sweden, and it isn’t easy to do much when you’re in a tiny budget hotel room in the evening. I didn’t even have a desk. But I had a great time. I was working during the week, but I was out with friends at the weekend. Some of you know I used to live in Sweden, and it was great to go back. I’d forgotten how much I miss living there. And I love those cinnamon buns; they are much better than the ones we get in the UK, even in Ikea.
But rest assured, normal service will now be resumed, and I will post another chapter about those beautiful brothers, Max and Finn, later today.
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Well, it seems that Max and Min are controlling my life. I am writing about the boys’ life in Cockaigne, and the story keeps rolling around my head.
I woke up at 5:30 this morning with Max and Min. I couldn’t put their story aside, so I had to get up and start writing. I’m at a particularly moving part of the story. Max is having some difficulties at school, and I needed to continue to write about it to help him get through it. As you can guess, Finn has no problem adjusting to life in Cockaigne, but Max is more reserved and is struggling. Perhaps it’s time for Max to stick up for himself.
There is some fun and some pain to come for the brothers. I can’t wait for you to read about their continuing adventures and reading your comments. Cockaigne is a place where anything can happen, and you can be free to be who you want. I love it.
When I started writing queer stories, it was about sex. I wanted to write erotica. I still do. But as I have grown older, I want to write about what it’s like to be queer and the pleasures and adversity that come with it. Max feels that adversity, and I feel his pain as much as I feel Finn’s pleasure when I write about his life.
Tomorrow will see a new chapter of “Conversations with my Brother” as the boys return from Cockaigne.
//This picture popped up on my Twitter feed, and I couldn’t resist sharing it with you. It reminds me so much of Max and Min when they lie in bed together after spending their day apart, an intimate moment they share at the end of the day, talking and making sense of the world.
The artist is Paul Cadmus, you can find out more about him on Wikipedia. He has created some fine homo-erotic paintings.
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I am not sorry to see the back of 2022. It has been a difficult year for many. And a difficult year for LBGTQ+ people around the world. The world cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, happened without much criticism of the regime, certainly not in the country itself. We had LGBTQ+ advocates ditching their principles to take a reported £150M payout to be a brand ambassador for Qatar. We also had another pundit take Qatari money to commentate in the country despite disagreeing with their stance on homosexuality.
Being an LGBTQ+ advocate is for life, not just a photo shoot.
Needless to say, I was greatly disappointed. Home news did raise the issues in Qatar, but once the tournament started, it all seemed to melt away.
In other countries, women are protesting for their rights. In a different country, the freedom of women and girls to be educated is being made illegal.
Then there is the war in Ukraine and the increased repression of homosexuality in Russia.
2022 tells us we still have so far to go, and we shouldn’t become complacent. We must be continually vigilant to ensure our freedoms and the freedoms of others are not taken away through apathy.
2023 will begin with many challenges. I can only hope it ends with the world as a safer place for all, wherever you live.
After a long period of inactivity, I have come back to Screeve with new energy. I am pleased with the reaction to my series “Conversations with my Brother”. The series will end soon, but I love writing about Max and Min. They are a pair of special brothers. I am now working on a follow-up novella to “Becoming Kes”, which I have titled “Discovering Kes”. Kes is also special to me. He felt like an outsider in the real world and only felt wanted and loved inside the fictional town of Cockaigne. I very much relate to how he feels. I have always felt like an outsider, and only within Screeve have I found a home. A home of my dreams, wishes and fantasies.
Illness may force me to take extended breaks at times, but there is no knowing when mental illness will strike. It is also partly due to the lockdown during the pandemic that awareness of mental illness has been heightened, and we are discussing it much more. We even discuss it in my workplace.
I would like to thank all the readers of Screeve. Whether you like the stories or not, I appreciate that you have taken the time to read them, vote on them and comment on them. I can only hope that my stories enrich your lives, make you consider different points of view and, on occasion, excite you.
You mean more to me than you could ever realise. Thank you.
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Seasons greetings to all, and thank you for visiting and reading Screeve. It has been an absolute pleasure to start writing again, and what I thought would be a short series of a few instalments has grown to 25. I love Max and Min, and their open and honest relationship is something I wish I’d had with my brother. But I can now experience that relationship through my stories.
Once I finish “Conversations with my Brother” I hope to finish the follow-up to the novel “Becoming Kes” in the Cockaigne Chronicles universe.
Next year is going to be difficult for all of us. The economic problems don’t appear to be going away soon, and we are heading to a severe downturn in the UK. Food bank use is increasing, and energy rationing is common for almost every household. I hope my stories will provide some release and an escape from reality, no matter how brief.
I wish all my readers the best and hope you get what you wish. And a huge thank you to those who rate and comment on the stories. All feedback is appreciated.
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I was just about to publish the next part of my “Conversations With My Brother” mini-series when I realised I’d already accidentally published it. The previous part, “Without A Touch”, was published right title wrong text. The text was for the next part, “Caught Looking”.
I have now changed it, so when you click on “Without A Touch, ” you get the right story. So please go back and read and I hope you enjoy it. I will be re-publishing the next part, “Caught Looking”, shortly, but you may have already read it.
Well, at least you got a surprise picture of some testicles courtesy of Wikimedia! And no, they are not mine! I don’t have the balls to show you my balls!
If you read last weeks story, you’ll see that it’s also this weeks story. For a new story you need to check out last weeks story again, which now links to the right story. “Without a Touch” now links to the right place, so check this out for a fresh read.
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It is very disappointing that a young man has felt forced to reveal his sexuality rather than choose when, how, or even if he reveals it on his own terms. Why he feels he was forced out isn’t clear, but he has suffered intense speculation and claims of “Queerbaiting” after appearing in the acclaimed series “Heartstopper”, where he plays a bisexual character. Kit has also spoken about social media pressuring people to come out. I’m all for actors coming out and leading the way in promoting acceptance, but no one should feel forced or obligated to come out. I know we all want positive role models and if you are a teen coming to terms with your sexuality, it’s self affirming when you see actors of a similar age coming out and proving that you can be LGBTQI+ and be successful, and more importantly, happy with who you are.
Back in September, Kit quit Twitter, but he came back at the end of October for a singular, saddening tweet.
If you’re not straight, you are expected to “come out”. Why? I know the world has changed since I came out, but we still have a long way to go where not being straight is not seen as being something different.
If anyone wants to declare their sexuality, let them do it how they wish. We shouldn’t expect or demand to know someone’s sexuality just because they are in the public eye. (There are some notable exceptions, such as a male politician who promotes “traditional family values” and then sleeps with men.)
Perhaps we have a responsibility in this. Maybe we should not engage in idle gossip and speculation of actors’ sexualities. It’s got nothing to do with us.