@barrywalsh
Active 3 years, 11 months ago-
Squidge posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
The spambots are very pretty in the membership column, but I wish they’d beetle off! Can we lock the doors for a bit and hope they find somewhere else to play?
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RichardB posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
For those of you who don’t know, we’re still in the habit of giving our autistic son a bedtime read, and this can be quite instructive because he chooses library books I wouldn’t touch. The one we’re in the middle of at the moment could be set as a textbook on the subject of how not to write a novel. Belt-and-braces showing-plus-telling, long…[Read more]
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I know… Not a ‘celebrity’ author, is it?
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Er, no. It’s a run-of-the-mill piece of women’s fiction. I have just done a bit of on-line digging, and I’m appalled to discover that the author is represented by the winner of the British book Awards Literary Agent of the Year. The mind boggles. I mean, she can’t even punctuate. For instance, she separates a parenthetical phrase, not by bracket…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Getting An Agent Blog in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 7 months ago
Fascinating then and fascinating now! I think one thing that you express so well here is the sheer workload of writing a successful book. OK, not everybody is going to make the huge changes that you did, but the fact remains that ‘tinkering’ is almost never enough. Great blog.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly comp – December 2018 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 7 months ago
Wow, Sea, the December comp had not impinged at all so I read this not knowing the theme – what stunningly beautiful – crisp and fresh – sensory descriptions, and clarity of insight. Loved it.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly comp – December 2018 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 7 months ago
UNTITLED (388 words)
You weren’t coming back. I see that now. But had it really taken a pre-dawn walk on Christmas morning to untangle my thoughts and clear my clouded vision?
Yes, should the truth be told. It had.
I had lain awake for hours – body tired, mind agitated, and senses heightened in the dark. Aware of the warmth of my breath in t…[Read more] -
Hilary posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 7 months agoHello fellow slomoers (?)
I’ve been very slow… but I now know how my novel is going to end! I have an outline for the bits I’ve still got left to write. Need to flesh them out a bit and then get on with it. That will be the third draft done, then.
Well done to all of us! And keep going all of us! Might do a Janowrimo!-
That’s fantastic @hilary! What a relief for you. Such a good feeling when structural chunks fall into place like that. Well done you, and everyone! I’m liking SloMo very much – think I’ll be joining you for JanNoWriMo!
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Well done @hilary! I never know the exact ending till about 2/3 of the way through, and it’s always a bit of a relief to figure it out! Hope it helps you move through the last few bits now you’ve got it mapped out.
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Yeaaaarrrsss! Nice work, Hil on the ending! Looking forward to hearing more about it…. Yes, please can we continue in January???? I need all the kindly support I can get!!
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
Coast walk this morning with a steady 40 mph wind off the sea blowing hail horizontally. Not nice round stuff either: jagged lumps with sharp bits that stung like hell. Got hit in the eye and it felt like a punch. Couldn’t see properly for 10 minutes, but cobwebs all blown away and once my fingers had thawed out managed to scribble some ideas down.
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Win.
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Absolutely 🙂 or possibly ;(
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RichardB posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 7 months agoVisiting EmmaD’s blog last night for the first time in a while, I found a delightful phrase that could be the motto for this group, though it’s actually from Jenn Ashworth rather than Emma herself. Anyway, I love it.
No word count boot camp, no productivity porn.-
hah hah! Love it. I also love Jenn Ashworth, for the record, so love that it’s her phrase. Good point, I haven’t browsed EmmaD’s blog for a while either…
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Sandra replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 8 months ago
Excellent news Stevie; your writing deserves to be read more widely.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Writing Advice in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 8 months ago
I came across this piece of writing advice by Sol Stein which appeals to me:
“….be sure you don’t stop the story while describing. You are a storyteller, not an interior decorator.”
Probably a shot across the bows of so-called literary prose. King likes to emphasize this point too, but doesn’t do it quite as succinctly.
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Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 8 months ago
Congratulations, Stevie!
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Daedalus replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 8 months ago
Well done Stevie, that’s a great accolade. And nice to have the story in your back pocket too.
Be amazed at yourself – the link works!
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Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 8 months ago
(not sure I want to meet the bots though)
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Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 8 months ago
The launch was great, thanks! I enjoyed the reading – luckily I went first, so could then relax. It was great to meet some of the other writers too.
I love meeting other writers…
We need to have a Den get together… In RL, I mean. -
Daedalus posted an update 7 years, 8 months ago
A poem, for our new bot friends…
This is just goto PRINT
I have input the plums
That were in the
Folder
And which IF
You were probably THEN
Saving for breakfastForgive me
They were SQR
So EXP and so RND-
I’m changing my name to jhnlty and starting a group – should be very popular.
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🙂
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Hello. I’m rn. Less a bot than a nanobot.
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BLLM here. Sounds like what I say when I really want to swear but we have company.
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Daedalus posted an update 7 years, 8 months ago
“Writing a book is like filling a teapot with an eye dropper. Only every now and then the teapot springs leaks and there’s always a risk your elbow will knock it off the counter and it will shatter on the floor.” ~V.E. Schwab
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I have cats. My teapot spends most of its time getting knocked to the floor…
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Oh God, this analogy is all too apt….
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Ah yes. So true.
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RichardB posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 8 months agoNice post, @kazg, and one that resonates with me. I’ve always worked by chipping away, little by little. I don’t set myself targets, and I try not to think about how far I still have to go, in case I get discouraged, something I’m far too prone to. The night driving analogy puts it in a nutshell. Surprising how those few metres at a time mount up.…[Read more]
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Thanks @richardb 🙂 And yes, there is so much truth in that ‘one step at a time’ adage. Really it’s the only way anything ever happens, regardless of the pace. One little task at a time. Congrats on finishing the rewrite, and enjoy the read! Always an exciting point 🙂
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It is a good analogy. Another one someone gave me during my MA was ‘you’re looking at the whole mountain and you just need to look at the next rock’
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Congratulations Richard. I hope you are taking a moment to pat yourself on the back.
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Yay for finishing the edit, @richardb! That’s fantastic. Hope the read through goes ok. HOw do you do this bit? On paper or screen? My final read is on my kindle as it looks totally different compared to paper or laptop – so I spot things I didn’t before. But earlier not-strictly-editing reads are mostly from laptop.
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I do it on my kindle, for exactly the reasons you state, @raine . But I like to do it sitting by my computer, so I can make the changes as soon as I spot the need to. Speaking of which, I still stick with a desktop for the actual writing because I like to have a ‘proper’ full-size keyboard. My daughter gave me a rather upmarket keyboard…[Read more]
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@richardb, I used to sit on the sofa with my laptop and lots of cushions, but I finally set up a desk, so now have the laptop on one of those stands that lift the screen, and a proper keyboard attached. Best of both worlds, and I’ve been surprised (horrified) by how much it’s improved my concentration. :-O I read my wip-on-kindle in bed! Just…[Read more]
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Daedalus posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 8 months agoMy SloMo has virtually been NoMo so far. Interrupted sleep patterns and disruption from house repairs, not to mention preparations for puppy, have just left me with little mental energy in the evenings. Nice to hear about and vicariously enjoy other people’s progress though!
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Gah, @daedalus, that’s rough. But maybe trust that your writing brain will be whirring away in the background and when you have the time and energy again, the ideas will be there.
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Thanks @philippaeast, I hope so. The other day I really wanted to just drop everything and start reading through my WIsortofP so that’s probably a good sign. I feel I should just read it through without making any notes, let alone editing, to try and read it as much like a reader might, and get a feel for what I might cut without overthinking it.…[Read more]
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Do it Daeds.
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@daedalus I’m pleased the impetus is there. That IS a good sign. And I think an “open-minded reader’s” read would be a great place to start. (Tip: If you’re like me, lock up the pencils / pens before you start. I find it so hard to resist marking stuff up and it always gets in the way of absorbing the story as a whole)
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Squidge posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 8 months agoMy slomo so far has been to draft a Christmas newsletter (rather a Marmite thing, I’ve found, for the recipients), planned a few writing exercises for a group I’m talking to tonight (which I will also be using for NIBS next week), and about 150 words of something I like for Room with a View (although I have no idea where it’s heading or why I’ve…[Read more]
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Well, that’s progress then! Nice work on the Room With a. It’s story. Hope it collaguates soon.
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*Room With A View
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I love it when something insists on being written even if you don’t have a clue where it’s going.
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How did the writing group go @squidge?
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Sorry – been out of sight for a few days. Writing went well – the group of mainly older ladies (70+yrs) seemed to enjoy the exercises I set, and convinced quite a few that they could write after all. Yet to try it on the NIBsers…
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John S Alty posted an update 7 years, 8 months ago
I see we have four new members who could use a vowel or two in their name. What’s that all about?
Anyway, Wlcme!-
Suspected bot. Jules has squished them
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I wonder if there’s a tougher way to ask prospective new members to prove they are human? Not sure what BBpress offers in that regard
Are they not all the same? The ‘tickabox’ to say you’re not a robot, or the ‘type in these letters you can barely read, even if you ARE human’ box? 😉
I can’t remember what we had when we signed up. I imagine some are easier for bots to beat than others
We are now trialling a plugin that should deal with the issue. The vast majority of bots did get stopped by the system software and those few that managed to register were blocked, usually within the hour, manually. Hopefully the plugin will prevent any further spambots getting through!
Wahey!