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Squidge replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 5 years, 10 months ago
Aaaargh! Just wrote a reply and it’s thrown me off and lost it all! Will post again tomorrow…
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Tony Lyttle replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 5 years, 10 months ago
I’m not sure you can, or should, avoid perfectionism. Yes, by all means, when you are scribbling down your first draft, avoid it certainly. But not when doing your major edit. (You said ‘revising’ so maybe you’re not editing yet.) But when you are, it’s the perfect word or phrase that you’re searching for and nothing less should satisfy.
Those…[Read more] -
Doug started the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 5 years, 10 months ago
Hi all,
Going through my alternate history Civil War novel and revising it, I’m finding myself zeroing in on sentences, fixating over how they’re phrased, and most of the time thinking this is too dry, too simply or clunkily phrased, this won’t do, etc. etc. And so I find it hard to get work done, wanting to stay away, although I did make good…[Read more]
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Fantasy Anthology in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Excellent news! I will look out for it!
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Tilda and the Mines of Pergatt in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Oh Fabulous!! Can you let me know when the paperbacks are out?
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Squidge replied to the topic Tilda and the Mines of Pergatt in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Thank you x
Ath, I should have some paperbacks soon, after a leetle glitch with the cover (take a decko in RASSA for what happened!)
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition: June 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 11 months ago
Midsummer Madness
The ambush had been crueller for the glory of a wiped-clean sky, slowly coloured-in by a northeast Scotland, half-four sunrise, just three days past the solstice. It side-swiped the pleasures of his journey down, dulling the pearly greyness of the North Sea which had sheened pink then gold as it prepared itself for day. The…[Read more]
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Athelstone posted an update 5 years, 11 months ago
Brilliant “webinar” by @philippaeast tonight. Really interesting insight into the her road to publication. Certainly had me thinking about what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Fantasy Anthology in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Huzzah, Kate! I shall keep my eyes open for it.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Tilda and the Mines of Pergatt in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
I’m SOOOOO late in saying a huge “WELL DONE”. I’ve bought the Kindle edition and hopefully I can get a signed paperback in future – even if I have to wait until York next year.
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Elle replied to the topic Tilda and the Mines of Pergatt in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Happy (belated) publication day!
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Elle replied to the topic Fantasy Anthology in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Congratulations Kate!
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Squidge replied to the topic Fantasy Anthology in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
Yay! Well done!
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Kate replied to the topic 18 Worthy Websites for Writers in the forum Marketplace 5 years, 11 months ago
Thanks, Doug.
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Doug started the topic 18 Worthy Websites for Writers in the forum Marketplace 5 years, 11 months ago
I’m not sure if this is the right place for this, but I wanted to share a weblog I received about some resources for helping us become successful. From C.S. Lakin’s LivWriteThrive:
<i>Apart from your desire to be an author and determination on this thorny path, what makes a successful writer? According to veterans of the industry, it’s lots of r…[Read more]
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Kate started the topic Fantasy Anthology in the forum Podium 5 years, 11 months ago
For anyone who likes a bit of fantasy, here’s a link to a soon to be available anthology. It also happens to contains my Steampunk story The Sky’s the Limit! 😀
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I’ve made a pre-publication order 🙂
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Thanks, Libby.
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Well done, Kate!
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Congratulations, Kate 😊
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Looks worth checking out. Thanks for sharing!
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😀
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Doug posted an update 5 years, 11 months ago
Conveying a lot in a few words…
I’m looking back over Hemingway’s short stories. More than anyone else I’ve read, he was such a master at using sparse language to create vivid pictures. I think my favorite story by him is “Big Two-Hearted River” parts 1 and 2. Like, watching trout:
>Nick looked down into the clear, brown water, colored…[Read more]
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I keep meaning to read more Hemmingway. He has a deceptive way of conveying worlds of meaning in just a few words. And a lot of it seems to be subconsciously understood by the reader until they stop and think about it. I’m not sure he’d ever make my ‘favourite author’ list but he’s definotely a master of thr craft.
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And a great supporter of adjectives and adverbs!
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I’ve only ever read one book by Hemingway, and I don’t know why that is because that one book is a cracker – ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’ I know of no other book that conveys so much in such a simple tale, told in such simple language. It won him the Nobel Prize, and quite right too.
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It’s been on my tbr for years, Richard. I must bump it up the pile!
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I read that, too, and came away dazzled. Strangely, that was the only one of his novels I read. I’ve read most of his short stories, and have them on my Kindle.
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My copy of ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is an old book club edition that used to belong to my parents and is nearly as old as I am. The story is brought to even more vivid life by drawings by two artists specially commissioned for that edition – a note at the front explains that they were supposed to be alternatives but were so good the publishers…[Read more]
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I’ve a ‘picked up because I haven’t read and ought’ ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, but didn’t get very far. Think I need to have another go … sometime.
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Despite being a big fan of stripped back writing, I’m not a Hemmingway fan (although I’ve only read one :Farewell to Arms). But this extract is really fabulous. Perhaps I should try some of his short stories.
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@katemachon you could do worse than start with ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ which is a full novel but at 27,000 words, definitely more novella length as things are reckoned these days – and a short(ish) one at that.
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Thanks, Ath. I’ll give it a try.
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I once tried reading _The Sun Also Rises,_ but couldn’t keep my attention on it. It just seemed like people endlessly talking…his short stories, though, are so engaging.
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I haven’t read ‘The Sun Also Rises’ so maybe I’m talking out of my backside, but I can’t help thinking that dialogue can reveal a lot. I mean, Shakespeare didn’t do too badly out of it…
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LOL dialogue certainly worked for Master Tolkien in Lord of the Rings, too. It was many years ago, maybe it’s time I gave Hemingway’s novel another chance. Maybe listening on audio?
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Hi all,
Since I listen to a lot of audiobooks, I thought, why not give _The Sun Also Rises_ another chance, this time on audio? So I tried it last week.
Well I finished it this time, all right. And it left me dazzled. Stunned, even–he truly was a master. I like to think I’ve matured as a reader and a writer since years ago, and maybe I have a…[Read more]
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Sandra posted an update 5 years, 11 months ago
Congratulations to @Philippa, who’s ‘Little white lies’ has been long-listed for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger award.
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More great news on the Den! Congratulations, Philippa. Long may the success continue!
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Way to go!
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Brilliant news x
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It is great news. And those of us subscribed to Jericho Writers Online Festival can see Philippa talking about her road to publication on 10 June
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Hello everyone, this is my first post as a new member and it is fitting seeing as I learned of the Den through that Webinar with Philippa East at the Jericho Festival. I was inspired by the journey she described and it has been the best event I have attended so far.
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Welcome to the Den, Andrew.
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Squidge posted an update in the group
CoronaMo 5 years, 11 months agoBack on Tilda 3 after some hair-raising stuff with Tilda 2 edits and typesets. Got a longlisting in a comp, and Tilda 2 has been published. Things are more settled, thank goodness. Perhaps I’m just in a better headspace?
How’s everyone else?
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Squidge posted an update 5 years, 11 months ago
Found out I’ve been longlisted for the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize (again – made it in 2017, too). 😀
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Congratulations! Can we read the stories anywhere?
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Ditto, it’d be cool to see them.
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The longlisted stories will all be published later in the year – October I think. But if you want a flavour of previous years selections, the anthologies can be purchased here: http://dahlia-books.kong365.com/en-gb/collections/our-books?page=1
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Congratulations Squidge. Lovely news.
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That’s great news, Squidge. Well done and, I’m sure, well deserved!
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Great news, Squidge. Congratulations!
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