Cymbalta and lethargy

Languishing in lethargy. 5

In retrospect, I think I (the reader) was providing the energy to this story rather than the story itself.
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Yes, your writing style is efficient enough that, if there were any plot movement, it would flow nicely; but as it turns out, that’s a monumental “if”.
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I really question the possibility of any of these characters or events occurring as described, but since the lethargy of the plot is so overwhelming it’s difficult to give a fair evaluation.

There was a lot if ennui, lethargy... something about this that seemed different from your earlier works. What happened to the crush your windpipe guy? Perhaps the agonizing. drawn out semi arrangement he kept up seemed somewhat pointless. Suppose his second marriage turned into somewhat of a comic relief and a bit more fanciful that the abject reality of the preceding. The reader needed something he could take away. Also, showing that Maria actually turned out a slut offered some relief for the pity she engendered.
Ever get any feedback from JPB? (I know you have.)

Hello: I have not read this part 4. When I read the preface and the pregnancy and likely hormonal issues, I had to come right a note immediately to check on you. That’s what Uncles do, you know😊. Did you have the baby yet? And whatever, if this is your first, do not fret. The moods, depression, lethargy are hormones! You may likely be prone to post partum blues as well. But that too will pass. There are things to help those conditions, but Al doesn’t want to go too far trying to help.
Meanwhile, too noticed the hard enough to hammer nails a lot, it doesn’t bother me a bit. That sounds like a chronic whiner/ complainer . Likely his Mom didn’t allowchim to breast feed long enough and he still has issues. If you want a change up, try “ like a jackhammer tearing up concrete”.
I’m going tonread now, but post a quick note IF you can. Looks like many are genuinely concerned about you.
Al

as someone stuck in a dead sexless marriage -- less than 10 times a year for seeral years --I THINK I know WHY Mark is reluctant to end it all and divorce.



He starts off hoping his wife is just going thru some sort of phase ...or perhaps something is wrong with her? Mark is finally seeing he has to FORCE the issue.



In MY case my wife suffers from depression and migraines which have gotten worse as she moves thru her 40s.



That has left ME in Limbo. IF my wife takes her Cymbalta she is Fine. Her sex drive returns to near normal (for her NOT for most woman) and her depression goes away. But sometimes for some reason she stops taking her meds but I dont find out for several weeks.



What am I to do? I cant force her to stay on her medication but when she goes off of it she becoems an awful person. After 15 years of marriage and a few kids I and the kids all suffer when she does that.

itnal a quandry Still

This tale was about twice the length it should've been. A good story like this should have three to five scenes with some exposition or transition to bind them. The plot and characters should arc from start to finish, with the characters evolving as the devices within the plot act upon them. I ended up speed-reading the final two-thirds, and I really hate to do that. However, this became bloated, meandering, and unenjoyable. I did finish. The middle half of the story could be reduced by 90%.
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The whole death of a marriage memorial invitation was perplexing. Then, he reacted to it, but you don't tell us why he reacted the way he did. I wonder why he didn't call his wife. Perhaps his in-laws. We know that his in-laws were against their daughter cavorting with Charles. How does a man run a dynamic airport terminal operation, yet he freezes up when faced with something adverse?
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To snap out of his lethargy, he goes all Ninja Warrior on us, and we get to see some more LW martial arts pr0n (nobody ever practices a mainstream martial art). In light of the rest of the story, the martial arts scene appeared irrelevant and perhaps a little gratuitous. Think: Chekov's gun, relevancy.
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When texting, some were set off with = and others were in italicized in a paragraph. Or were those texts or inner dialogue? I had to reread and guess. Also, would not the normal response be, 'I took several days off, so you and my children need to come home immediately.' Bending a character's reaction/action to fit the intended story arc can only go so far until it snaps, which this one did. Is he decisive or indecisive? His job and the fact that he's getting prompted, his dependability, and his adaptability fly in the face of his actions. This is like the scary movie scene where they are walking through the pitch-black, ghoul-infested home backward--they are mistakenly doing something that defies logic, and there are blatantly unrealistic acts.
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The story moved well at the outset, but everything bogged down on page 2. The wise parents with the secret, the children who speak with the wisdom of their grandparents and are fearless in the face of family dissolution. And who sent out the stupid mailer? Again, think Checkov's gun. Charles Marsh remains this shadowy figure like some milquetoast Keyser Söze. What good is a villain if he's never seen?
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The passive-aggressive man is a trope in LW tales that is as solid and unbending as any doormat cuckold. Is it a reflection on the writers? Not sure, but one thing it does is to allow the author to create this noble and suffering man who has been wronged, but in doing so, he comes off as pathetic. In the spirit of all passive-aggressive victims everywhere, he presses the Destruct button and slinks off to his very own pity party. Never do these men confront or communicate, often at their own peril. It's easy writing because the writer doesn't have to create complex interactions or conflict, which are the lifeblood of readable fiction. To OP's credit, April didn't react in that LW cheating wife manner by falling down when she was served.
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You need an editor. Every writer needs an editor. I won't plow through 22.5K words for such little reward in the future. Stay away from ALL of the LW clichés (leave some for the other writers).
TJY