AlanP

It’s a really fab interview – I so want to read this!!

Oh Jane – yes, I can totally imagine that. And Richard – it would be so much easier if they actually had the right info on the signs, wouldn’t it?!

I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only driver who goes through this!! Part of me was thinking I was a real idiot for getting so worked up after over 30 years of relatively trouble-free driving…but maybe getting majorly lost somewhere is a rite of passage that I’ve just managed to delay?!

I’m also curious as to how much scope a house narrator gives you? Would every scene of your book have to be set inside / near the house? So intrigued!

Here’s an article about villain narrators:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/153308-20-books-with-villain-protagonists

Hi Bella,

What a fascinating question!

Such a great thing to ask yourself: who is telling the story? Having the house narrate would certainly be very unique and original.

You would sort of have an omniscient narrator-type voice (presumably the house would have a pretty good ‘bird’s eye view’ of things?) but how fascinating too to think of the…[Read more]

WoW, @kazg, what comprehensive notes! These days, I love this story structure stuff. I’ve recently read “Into The Woods” by John Yorke. In one chapter, he compares lots of the different models of story structure, to show how they are all effectively trying to describe the same thing, just in slightly different ways. The trick (I think) is just…[Read more]

Oh my, Squidge, I sooooooo empathise! I am not a hugely confident driver on unfamiliar roads, and many’s the time I’ve driven around lost, being beeped at by angry drivers (because I’m breaching all kinds of road codes), crying and freaking out. It’s the WORST!!!
So pleased you made it in the end, and the school visit itself went well.

Being a…[Read more]

Thanks both – I can honestly say I have never experienced the stress/panic I did yesterday. Once I knew I was safe – ie at the school – I was OK. Quite cathartic to write it all out though and wonder why I responded like I did when I don’t usually react in this way.

@daedalus Thank you for posting these. And all credit to you for your resilience.

This looks really interesting. Thanks for sharing, Kaz.

How incredibly generous of you to share your notes in this way, KazG. Thank you.

Hi Janette,

Thanks so much for sharing this. Yes, most literary mags use something like “first publication rights” which means they have the right to publish your story for the first time, but after that, the rights remain with you, so you can re-publish / resubmit it if you want.

Definitely must look out for comps / mags seeking to take…[Read more]

Congratulations Stevie! That’s wonderful news! Another highly deserved success.

Richard,
My late father would tell of a train crash in Diggle, then in Yorkshire, in 1923 or 1924. He was four and witnessed the accident whilst out walking with his granddad. He was interviewed by the local newspaper and is reported to have said “It were a grand smash” or similar. I see from google that four people died, so it probably wasn’t so…[Read more]