@bellam
Active 1 week, 3 days ago-
Terrie replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 4 months ago
ODDS AND ENDINGS IN MY LIFE, INCLUDING THE STICKY ONES. .
For me the phrase ‘the end’ invokes a variety of feelings.
Some, such as the end of a candle or bit of soap are not memorable. Those endings flash out of existence in a blink of thoughtlessness, never to be recalled again.
However, dancing along the polar opposite to that, there are…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 4 months ago
As we are in imminent peril of being swamped with things-AI if Mr Starmer and our present government are to be believed, I thought I’d bite the bullet and give ChatGPT a whirl. As an experiment, I thought I’d try for a summary of my WIP. Since that’s something I will have to wrestle with when I come to submit, I wondered whether it might be…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
Regrettably late to this – and non-participant – but what a joy to catch up with those that did make the effort- thank you @ Richard and @Terrie
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Terrie replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
My offering was much the same Richard.
I thought about all the things that cause me difficulty – didn’t know how to start writing about it and ended up making myself smile with a bit of fun.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
Oh Lord. Two entries. Both very different from what I expected. Not that I expected anything in particular, but I know what I mean. Both excellent. Richard’s engrossed me, as the protagonist was engrossed in the model. Terrie’s made me laugh out loud. There’s no winner or loser here, because it was a virtual toss of the coin. Richard, choose us a…[Read more]
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Terrie replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
<p style=”text-align: center;”>DEGREES OF DIFFICULTY IN MY LIFE</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>(when it gets difficult – make it rhyme )</p>
I find it difficult to hide the truth, or say things that are untrue.I can’t fit inside a kayak, or paddle a canoe.
I can’t crochet anything or mend my pushbike brake
and bouncing on a tramp…[Read more]
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Athelstone posted an update 1 year, 5 months ago
Anybody thinking of entering the last Monthly Competition of 2024? Still plenty of time for a few hundred words, but it’s getting closer.
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Athelstone started the topic One Christmas in the forum Coffee Shop 1 year, 5 months ago
Back on the WordCloud I started a group called Advent for Christmas-related posts. It was slightly popular, but back then we had an active wall and plenty of other groups, so it never flew especially high.
I posted a short children’s story. It needs a good edit that I might give it one day, but i think it’s quite fun, so if you’re in need of some…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Happy Christmas in the forum Coffee Shop 1 year, 5 months ago
And many thanks to you, Libby, and to the other happy few who make this place worth keeping. A very happy Christmas to us all.
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Athelstone started the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
I did the first one of the year. Here’s the last. I’ve been fitting a kitchen. Plumbing, carpentry, stuff to a standard I’ve never managed before. Came close to giving up once or twice.
Up to 500 words on doing something really difficult.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
Thanks Seagreen. Glad you laughed. Well, Terrie, there’s a coincidence. I’ve barely been able to write for the last month having been fitting our new kitchen. Completely new from top to bottom including having to rebuild joists under the floor and fit a kitchen to an accuracy of 1mm per metre. As I’ve never done anything to that accuracy except by…[Read more]
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Terrie replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
I popped in a few times but sorry, didn’t managed to post anything for the monthly comp . I’ve been really busy sorting and emptying the kitchen as sparkly new units, sink and other gizmos are being fitted in the new year. the old one is over 20 years old and it’s turned into a major refit having to move pipes, wiring and other thin…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
Sea, I well remember, a couple of years ago admiring your shorter haircut when you picked me up at Markinch station, Promise I wasn’t thinking of the competition we might meet at Craigievar! I did hope to do something more inspired for this great prompt, but ran out of mental space, so well done Ath.
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Athelstone replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
I’m not surprised by this. For some time there have been AI editing features available with Prowritingaid, Grammarly and so on. I have the former, and although I seldom use the AI features, some of which are behind an additional paywall, I have given them a spin in the past. What you get from one of the reports does appear to be a reasonably…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
Argus 26 November 2024
Brighton man grows hair for five years for special reason.
I remember the blonde hair on the windowsill. My hair’s brown, so it must have come from Taz. Her hair is, or was, I should say, long, and rich, and blonde. Curious, I ran my fingers through my hair a few times and then examined what had come loose. Not a lot,…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic New BBC Radio 4 book programme in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
Looks very promising. I shall be donning the headphones when I set about cooking dinner.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
If it has any impact at all on the publishing world, I would be pleased. I can see that it is galling when an author with a genuine passion for writing, say for a young audience, hones their craft and achieves moderate success, and then watches a celeb waltz in like an unoriginal bargain-basement Roald Dahl, have a small fortune spent on…[Read more]
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I wholly agree, though in a fit of madness, I thought that an increased gathering of writers might at least get our voices heard, if not have any bearing on sales. It would be a start if some regulation was brought in regards being able to blatantly claim someone else’s work is your own – but too many influential people are on the opposing side to…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
My view is that publishers are in it for the money, and celebrity sells more – and more reliably – than as-yet-unknown novelists (potentially supplying a profit which might enable them to take more chances on unknowns?) It might be seen as ‘not fair’, but in my view is more honest to trust readers’ appreciation of well-written novels than bombard…[Read more]
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Sandra, it isn’t so much a bombardment campaign, rather a sharing of a meme to ask for support. I appreciate the view that regular novelists are enabled to be taken on because of the success of celebrity books, but the avalanche of them in such an unlevel playing field is instrumental in creating this huge imbalance, and I think the dishonesty is…[Read more]
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I suspect, lacking conviction in my opinions, I’m not a campaigner.
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I have bowed out of this. My intention was to be supportive, but the feelings stirred and opposing views given have me concluding that I should leave it to published authors and their representatives to fight the battle. Lesson learned.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
This is not my take on the headline, but I’ve posted it here because I could not come up with anything more ludicrous.
“Short hair hints may be ‘sabotage” study finds.
Publishing her research on the ’Science Direct’ website, under the heading ‘Personality and individual Differences’ Danielle Sulikowski details how women were asked to giv…[Read more]
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Terrie replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Thank you for setting Octobers comp, Knicks.
I enjoy seeing how differently we all approach the monthly challenges. this months were wonderfully varied.
Congratulations to Seagreen for such an atmospheric winning offering.
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