Barny

Ath, it’s okay! And you can still have a go, lols. The thread not going nowhere 😊

Alright. Down to the stuff and business. With only two entries, both of which are incredibly well-penned and definitely get to the heart of their most singular matters, this was not an easy choice.

However, I’m going to give this win to @sandradavies, for leaving…[Read more]

I agree that, as a place where we can meet to chat (ever so sporadically) and have monthly (great for writing practice) and especially annual competitions, it would be absolutely sad to see The Den dissolve due to the lack of activity. I don’t think the work anyone has put in should go to waste.

The implemented suggestions have been fun,…[Read more]

My participation is very sporadic, although I do actually pop in here most days and read what’s been written. I’m glad it can continue, at least for now. I would miss it if it went.

Darn it! Sorry Knicks. It’s a great theme and I meant to have a go, but things just got away from me this month 🙁

Thank you, Sandra. I haven’t tried commenting so I don’t know if the link works or not, but thank you for attempting it.

The admin side of writing stories is boring. Looking for submission sites, keeping track of submissions and rejections and keeping my stories filed in an easy-to-find order — it’s all time consuming, and I don’t even write…[Read more]

Thank you!! I keep thinking I must submit that story somewhere.

If you’re in the mood for another, CafeLit published one of mine earlier this month CafeLitMagazine: A Horse, A Queen, Some Crockery by Elizabeth Leyland, homemade lemonade

But honestly only read it if you feel like it.

CafeLit asks writers to name a suitable favourite drink -…[Read more]

Tell me about it! 🙂 🙂

I don’t remember a sex scene in The Offing though if I sense something – anything – which seems a clunky effort to suddenly heighten the drama, I start to disengage. If the author has a crisis of confidence, so do I.

I find it easier to explain why I dislike something than why I like it. Though I very rarely ‘dislike’ anything, I just get…[Read more]

In my notebook I put, ‘Gave up page 82. So many adjectives. Characters insufficiently interesting.’

I don’t know what was wrong with p 82 but I don’t think anything gruesome had happened yet.

Sounds super critical and a bit rich coming from someone so keen on Mrs Dalloway. I think basically it wasn’t my cup of tea, otherwise the adjectives would…[Read more]

‘really good’ 🙂

‘Butcher’s Perfume’ – I could see it was really could but I’m a wimp and I’m not sure I finished it.

Benjamin Myers – I tried The Offing. Historical fiction (which I write), lots of scenery and countryside (fab) and set in beautiful Yorkshire. What wasn’t to like? But I couldn’t get far with it.

I loved ‘How to Paint a Dead Man.’ Also ‘Haweswater’. I find her short stories a hard read – often grisly or too troubling.

I’ll sign up for Sarah Hall, and Graham Macrae Burnet – among others.

Also Mrs Dalloway for whom I seem to have limitless capacity though others may groan 🙂

Awww, thanks @seagreen! I enjoyed writing this piece very much, and it is a very personal one to me. Just an anticipatory imagining of a band festival I attended quite recently, and how I wanted it to go. It went even better than what I wrote 🙂 haha

I too went on a Google search over @alex‘s piece, for the exact same reason 😄😄 It’s too funny you…[Read more]

Well done all of us, especially Knicky. A great read. And well, done Seagreen. Worth waiting for.

Apologies for the lateness of these results. You won’t believe how hard it’s been these past few days to find time to settle down with a cup of tea and a clear mind to give your entries the attention they deserve.

@Sandra – No worries. If you’re in the zone with ‘Mercy’, you’re in the zone.

@Knickylaurelle – This sparked with energy. Loved ‘…[Read more]