AlanP

Ath, I know I’ve not been round much recently, but that looks fab! Noticed that blogs and whatever the heading is next to it both go bold when you click on blogs, but it seems so much easier and intuitive to navigate. Thank you xxx

In the place and time I found myself, I had done something wrong.

My punishment? A chain of large metal links, secured around my throat, pressing against my flesh, reminding me of its presence every time I swallowed or turned my head.

A man, with whom I had a connection – were we related? Was he the reason for my wrongdoing? – received the sam…[Read more]

Oh my days…I’m going to be spoilt for choice, the state of my dreams! I’ll avoid the teeth-dropping out ones and see what else weird and wonderful I recorded in my dream diary.

It was the same every year.

She took as many precautions as possible, wrapping everything carefully, keeping the box closed tight until the right moment came, making sure her hands were washed clean when it did.

And then…

Ordering everyone to sit down, sit still. Questioning each participant in turn to make sure she knew their exact r…[Read more]

Wowser…beta reading…

As a beta reader, I do try to find something good to say as well as making suggestions for improvements. I don’t think I go into it with a checklist per se – I use gut feeling a lot as to what feels ‘right’ to me as a reader. But I sometimess feel that I’m not an objective enough beta reader – I don’t always ‘get’ other…[Read more]

Libby and Jane have come up with some excellent questions and I can’t add much except for:

Does the writer have any specific questions? This might be something that’s crucial to whether the story works or not, e.g. Did you work out whodunit? If so, when?

Did you notice any discrepancies / inconsistencies in the story?

Were you conscious of…[Read more]

Sorry, late as usual! Having read through the comments, I think there are lots of excellent points made and, yes, it feels like the site needs sprucing up. For example, there is always a big buzz in the autumn when the annual challenge is announced – but how to maintain that buzz? For a prospective new member, the general lack of activity must be…[Read more]

I don’t post here as often as I perhaps should, though I love knowing it’s here if I need it, or to celebrate good news with other peeps, and of course, to be challenged to write a short story every now and again.

Beyond that, I think because I’m published, working on new material, editing for other people, testing a writing course, I don’t have…[Read more]