@bellam
Active 3 days, 4 hours ago-
Bella replied to the topic A Want of Discipline: Abergele, 1868 in the forum Blogs 5 years, 9 months ago
Well-written and informative blog, as always. Thank you.
I love seeing Welsh words and working out how they might be pronounced. I knew how to pronounce Abergele because my grandmother, father and aunt were evacuated there during the war, and Gran used to speak of it.
Many years ago, the law firm I worked at acted for a client buying a snooker…[Read more]
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Bella posted a new activity comment 5 years, 10 months ago
I think your approach is fine, though in the interest of saving words I would not bother referring to POV in the synopsis. You could mention the book is seen from multiple POVs in the covering letter, perhaps?
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Bella replied to the topic Planning vs Winging it. in the forum
A place for Stupid Questoins 5 years, 10 months agoIn every case I have started with a main character, a beginning, and end and a rough idea of how to get to the end.
However, my characters have a way of bossing me around.
In one novel the guy gets the girl, but as I wrote it became clear that the girl was wrong for him and I then had to write a sequel getting him out of that fix (eventually the…[Read more]
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Bella joined the group
A place for Stupid Questions 5 years, 10 months ago -
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Thomas Wolfe. Oh, yes, Thomas Wolfe.
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It is great news. And those of us subscribed to Jericho Writers Online Festival can see Philippa talking about her road to publication on 10 June
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Hello everyone, this is my first post as a new member and it is fitting seeing as I learned of the Den through that Webinar with Philippa East at the Jericho Festival. I was inspired by the journey she described and it has been the best event I have attended so far.
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Welcome to the Den, Andrew.
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Never been green – although it suffered a great deal of henna back in the 70s. These days I’m approaching the age where hair-loss is expected, if Paul McCartney is to be believed, so maybe a rug is on the cards. Or my head.
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Bella posted a new activity comment 6 years ago
For me it works, big time. The up-front cost is way less (especially for members) so paying extra for a one to one session is not an issue as far as I am concerned. And it (presumably) keeps the headline price down for those who may not have anything to present to a one to one but simply want to learn.
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That’s a good point. To be honest, I don’t imagine they had much choice and the reduced price is welcome. Plus they promise a session with Neil Gaiman. But never mind that: PHILIPPA EAST in June and AMANDA BERRIMAN in August!!!
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I saw this too – wondered whether to sign up this time.
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I’m not going to rush into it, but it might have some interesting bits – along with those I mentioned earlier 🙂
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I’m thinking about it too although our broadband connection may not be upto it. I’ve told my SE course group about our internet troubles several times recently. I’m becoming a broadband bore. Anyway, a stand-alone 121 therefore might suit me well if I choose to go for one.
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Hello everyone! I’m venturing back into the online writing world, having spent most of my time on Twitter. I see some of you there but not everyone, so this is a means to reconnect. @libby, internect connexions are such a pain. Instead of locking down in our country house where we have oodles of space and nature all around, we stayed in Paris…[Read more]
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Hello @giselle. Lockdown has certainly shown up with extra emphasis the significance of tech in our lives, and especially how its failings can disrupt us. I don’t do social media and live a fairly low-tech life, but making online connections has become vital and so frustrating when they don’t work 🙂
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Bella posted a new activity comment 6 years, 1 month ago
I’ve not written a cheque since October 2019. The one before that was written in April 2019. I haven’t handled cash since 31st March when the pharmacist called round with a prescription I had to pay for. Credit card points are building up nicely. Silver linings and all that.
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Bella posted a new activity comment 6 years, 1 month ago
I hope they are managing to make the most of it. My sister and brother in law were stranded in the Galapagos and it was no fun at all. They got flown to mainland Ecuador last week and should be on their way back to Canada today, all being well.
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His verdict on the situation was, ‘It could be worse.’ Knowing his attitude to life, not to mention his fondness for sardonic humour in e-mails, I rather doubt that they’re suffering unduly.
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Bella posted a new activity comment 6 years, 2 months ago
WTF is so hard to understand about social distancing? It drives me bonkers to see how people behave. I have a very large personal space zone at the best of times, which is serving me well. I have become adept at managing my supermarket trolley to keep people at a distance.
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We’ve a very popular chippy in our harbour. It, and every other food place in the village had switched to take out/delivery only, which seemed doable for keeping them in business. But there were so many tourists day-tripping or holiday-house-visiting at the weekend that the chippy queue went down the street, meaning that they’ve had to take the…[Read more]
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This emergency really does seem to be bringing out the worst in people – and I don’t just mean stupidity. MrsB relayed to me today a news item she’d found on-line, to the effect that refuse collectors are reporting a 30% increase in food waste, some of it still in its packaging. To spell it out, this means that the bastard hoarders are not only…[Read more]
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Bella replied to the topic Good news this time – finally! in the forum Podium 6 years, 2 months ago
Fantastic news. Good for you.
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Bella posted a new activity comment 6 years, 2 months ago
Your post has made me rage! Well done on getting all those requests for the full. But why on God’s green earth would an agent drag you all the way to London for a chat, without first making it clear that she was not going to represent you. You may have wanted to take advantage of the rare opportunity for a face to face anyway, but could she not…[Read more]
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Thanks for your rage! It was an expensive journey, too. Not off peak so I could not even use my SENIOR railcard!!
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To be fair, she did say the meeting was to discuss suggested revisions and talk about how we might work together.
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Gosh @hilary, I am raging on your behalf too! This all sounds so demoralising, and I do admire your fortitude in picking yourself up and starting a new book. I hope you’ll focus on the fact that you had lots of requests for a full ms – even on a weekend!! – and take Raine’s advice and submit again. As you rightly say, many agents have book club…[Read more]
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Bella replied to the topic Mid grade 1st chapter in the forum Critiques 6 years, 3 months ago
I have no experience of writing MG, and it is a loooooong time since I was aged between 8 and 12 (that’s the MG target, right?) but I would say you are slap bang on the money. I’d certainly have gone for this at that age. It’s great fun.
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Bella replied to the topic Class 3 Writing Exercise “I don’t remember” – Hilary in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 3 months agoOh, this packs a punch. The add-on sentences say so much, and the voice is great.
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Bella replied to the topic Class 3: Writing Exercise, Bella in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 3 months ago@janeshuff – yes, Waltraut was trying to escape him. He wasn’t pulling the strings, she had simply tired of him.
@raine – glad you picked up on the unreliability. Waltraut ultimately got him out of her life by framing him for cheating in his exams, resulting in him getting thrown out of school and all manner of other ills. As for the second…[Read more]
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Bella replied to the topic Class 3: Writing Exercise, Raine. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 3 months agoWhat a fantastic voice!
“…who can take my own smiles and undo them, undo them until I forget how they were ever made” – wow. Just wow.I’m very sorry that Abigail had the misfortune of loving someone like John, who, I suspect, may not even be capable of love.
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Bella replied to the topic Class 3 writing exercise "I don't remember", Sandra in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 3 months agoOoh, how interesting. And I like the idea of doing the exercise around a minor character to see what it may reveal about a major one. Even if it does result in the minor pushing in.
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