Alan Rain

[Wait here while I find out how to post that gif of Catniss bowing from the first Hunger Games film]

I own several wenbikes. They are bicycles in the shed that are only mentioned in the context of when-I-start-cycling-again

That’s a definite yes please Philippa!

Richard – FWIW, you also have us. One of the things I’d like the Den to be, as the Cloud has been at its best, is a place for mutual assistance, advice, support and so on. You may not have a presence on social media, but a lot of us do, and social media is as much about building a network as anything else. We can help you if you want to go down…[Read more]

Excellent point about craft, Philippa. I’ve always been rather, um…informal about how I approach structure etc but the more I learn, the more criticial I find it to be. I think you tend to improve naturally just by writing (and reading) more, but actively learning is essential. The problem I have with throwing myself into addressing matters of c…[Read more]

Well FWIW I know a few writers who have really good publishing deals, a few more who have agents and are subbing to publishers, some more who are subbing to agents, and some who haven’t got to that stage yet. The honest truth is that the vast majority of writers I know well are bloody good. The ones who have the great deals are bloody good, but s…[Read more]

And I’ve literally just seen this thread on perseverance from Joanne ‘Chocolat’ Harros on Twitter, so in case it’s helpful here:

Let's do it! Follow #TenThingsAboutKeepingGoing to collect them all! https://t.co/6AOlwh0AAU

— Joanne Harris (@Joannechocolat) September 3, 2018

I know of another writer who does similar stuff (and is absolutely brilliant) but has had a tough time getting agents interested enough to take them on. I wonder if it would be possible to track genres and styles that are more or less likely to attract attention quicker – not so people can tailor their writing so much as know what to expect when subbing

No problem. It looks like a decent prize at any rate!

I found the Cloud has been slower and more erratic than ever over last few days. Could be coincidental or coukd be increased activity I guess. Suggest that everyone keeps a record of their choices and the story when it comes to it, just in case.

I was wondering that, but it was happening to me just as much before the announcement.

Without wishing to sound too pessimistic, what happens if the Cloud finally breaks beyond fixing before the conclusion of the challenge?

Thanks PB – I realised when I blogged about this on the Cloud it was almost a couple of years ago and there had been some significant developments by then. I’ll put something in the Lifeboat in the next couple of days