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Libby started the topic Season's greetings in the forum Podium 2 years, 4 months ago
A moment to acknowledge all you’ve achieved this year and to jettison regret for what you haven’t. At least that’s my philosophy. Happy Christmas, Denizens.
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RichardB posted an update 2 years, 4 months ago
Seen by MrsB today somewhere, I believe, on Facebook:
‘We used to have empires, ruled by emperors. We used to have kingdoms, ruled by kings. Now we have a country…’-
Just so.
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At the risk of inflaming any anger about this just before the season of peace and goodwill (unless you live in Gaza) here’s an article about the £billions spent on dodgy PPE from people with personal connections to the governing party https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/michelle-mone-disease-corrupting-british-politic
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
Well done Alex. Also, sorry Janette – I had half an entry written when I glanced up and noticed it was all over. Not good enough ????
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Alex started the topic Monthly Competition – December 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
Giving or receiving gifts is a part of this time of year for many people. On that note, have a gift form part of your story. What, who, why etc. is all up to you as long as the story involves a gift.
500 words maximum, by December 31.
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Alex replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
A worthy story, Alex. ☺️
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Janette replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
It’s hardly fair to say ‘by default’, because @Alex, your story merits more than that. I loved the uplifting ending, and the thread you chose in the challenge, which was a pleasure to read. It is with the same pleasure I pass the baton over to you.
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Alex replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
He had seen the changing colors of the leaves which autumn requested. Felt the temperature fall. Of course, he had to haul himself on a plane years ago to experience this. Where he was from, it was hot all year round. No changing colors of leaves where he was from.
This year, he would experience autumn again. See the leaves change. Feel the air…[Read more]
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
Sorry, J. I have the visuals – i.e. can picture in my mind what I want to say, but it appears I have lost the ability to string words together on a page.
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Athelstone posted an update 2 years, 5 months ago
Been watching telly today and I have this to say: NEW CLEAR. that is NEW CLEAR. Two words, new and clear. Not, I should point out, three words: NEW QUEUE LAR.
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New Queue has a hint of birdsong about it. A distraction in these ghastly times? :/
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It’s one of those words. I hear it mispronounced almost as often as it is pronounced correctly. The curious thing about it is that it really only has two parts, both of which are simple word-sounds in their own right: new and clear. I even hear people who work closely with things nu-cue-ler get it wrong.
There’s a theory that the British, and a…[Read more]
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I’d not heard of that one. Do people really say that? Yuck…
I’m always fascinated by the way words change pronunciation and meaning, for example Beaulieu becomes Byoolee but Beauchamp becomes Beecham.
And, speaking of lieutenant, I can see how a word that must have originally meant ‘place holder’ became used like ‘Lord Lieutentant of Wherever,’…[Read more]-
Pronunciation is a curious thing. I expect the list is very long and finds a home amongst both the well-heeled and the down-at-heel. So we have Magdalen College Oxford which we are admonished to pronounce in the medieval way “Maudlin”. This pronunciation evolved over time, but at least the middle-English speakers had the sense to spell it…[Read more]
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I’ve heard the new-queue-lar version. It does sound odd but I’ve wondered if, unlike me, the speaker isn’t old enough to have grown up with nuclear as a familiar word and a consistent threat.
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Hah, that did occur to me. Hardly a day went by from the late 50s to the 80s when somewhere on television, radio, or simply in conversation, the word nuclear didn’t crop up.
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Perhaps it’s the same. Place holder for the captain under whose command the lieutenant is acting. Does that make sense?
Re pronunciation, here’s the OED:The origin of the βtype of forms (which survives in the usual British pronunciation, though the spelling represents the αtype) is difficult to explain. The hypothesis of a mere m…[Read more]
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Speaking of the nuclear threat, I’m reminded that Aldermaston, where the Canpaign for Nuclear (never new=queue-lar) Disarmament used to march to when Ah were a lad, is in Berkshire. Now I wonder when we started pronouncing that Barkshire, because a certain piece of rhyming slang suggests that Cockneys, at least, used to say it the way Americans still do.
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Janette posted an update 2 years, 5 months ago
Only ten more days to go for the November Monthly comp.
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Um, fingers crossed and a fair wind …
It might be more of a description than a story. My brain is full of other stories at the moment. But I’m interested in the task you’ve set @Janette
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
I enjoyed this prompt @Seagreen . At first I thought I wouldn’t have time to enter the comp this month but being able to work on something I’d already written gave me fresh energy. My piece still needs a bit more work but the exercise you gave us was very helpful and one to be remembered.
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
Congratulations @Janette . I loved this excerpt. It feels so realistic. I could really hear her voice too in your brilliant dialogue.
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Thank you, Libby. Like Sea, I loved yours and Sandra’s too. It’s remarks like this that tell me not to give up on Grace, so thank you.
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Janette replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
Just to make clear – this just relates to autumnal references. You can use sight in other parts of the story.
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Janette started the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
Autumn is upon us in all its savage glory, but it is so much more than a paint pallet. I’d like you to theme your story around Autumn, including every sense except sight. I’d like this to be within a 450 word limit, please.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
Alex – I know exactly what it’s like to have life throw a spanner in the works, so no apologies necessary.
Ath – Oh wow! Stalking Leviathan seems so long ago… *dashes off to recharge the Kindle so I can check which story you mean*
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
I confess to not having written much these past few months and my writerly fixes are, for the most part, coming through my involvement with the Den. When I set this prompt, I think I knew it might be tricky – time-consuming, too – but I’m afraid I allowed the need to give my own writing a bit of a shake to get in the way of my common sense…[Read more]
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Oh! I signed in for a glimpse of the next challenge, to find it’s down to me. I did not expect that – thank you. And thank you for the prompt which made me close examine this and another scene I saw improvement possibilities in.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
Apologies for being late back to this and thanks to everyone who entered (as well as those who didn’t enter but found the prompt useful). I’ll get onto the business of judging later today and post results by this evening ☺️
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
You have my apologies too. I also had a busy month, but mainly I have to confess that every time I turned to the prompt I hit brick walls. I admit defeat. And it is a fine prompt. One good thing from my point of view though is that I had another look at my short story from the Random’s anthology Stalking Leviathan. I had some critique that the…[Read more]
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Alex replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
This was a great prompt @seagreen. Unfortunately, this month I have been swamped with obligations from another part of my life and was unable to write anything at all (for the monthly comp or in general).
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