@bellam
Active 3 months, 1 week ago-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthy Comp – September 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years ago
The marking of a life, or two.
This the second funeral in six days and the mourning very different.
Last week’s was of a mother. Not his, not biologically, but one who had nevertheless mothered him. Had generously included him, enabled him to share in the love she gave her natural sons. Much needed when his own family had been hard and spiky, s…[Read more]
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Athelstone posted an update 6 years ago
“I don’t care where you’ve been, You ain’t been nowhere till you’ve been in – the Things that go Bump writing challenge.”
Find the group. Join. Enjoy.
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JaneShuff posted an update 6 years ago
Just wondering how you are all dealing with the Covid pandemic within your writing. I’m in the planning stages of a new novel and can’t decide. Do I set my novel pre-pandemic? Which feels like a bit of a cop-out. Do I ignore it completely? Same comment. Or do I try to set it in the current situation with the problems and concerns of the pandemic…[Read more]
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I think it depends how optimistic or pessimistic you are about the pandemic. Considering how long it takes between drafting a novel and seeing it in print (if it gets that far), if you take the optimistic view the whole thing will be over by then, it’ll no longer be a part of contemporary life, and nobody will worry much whether you’ve included it…[Read more]
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Not answering your question, exactly, but I’ve read a number of short stories which include reference to Covid and in general I find them offputting, a bit bandwagon, which might be because we’re in the middle of it. I think if your novel is set at the time, a passing reference to its restrictions might be enough. But the same (to include or…[Read more]
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Personally, I’d leave it out. So many people now must be writing pandemic stories, that the mention of it alone might put readers on guard. Also, optimistically speaking, by the time your novel comes out, life may have returned to normal and your story would be dated.
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Interesting. I wasn’t planning on writing a story about the pandemic but was thinking about whether the story I had planned to write should acknowledge the pandemic. For example there is quite a lot of travel in it and it feels weird to have someone just hop on a plane given what’s going on. Have to think a bit more.
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Best of luck!
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Yes, best of luck, Jane. FWIW, I don’t think ignoring the pandemic is anything of a cop-out. I’m choosing to ignore it in my next one for similar reasons to some remarks above, that a) it risks becoming band-wagon and, if it does (hopefully) pass, Covid might age the novel by the time it comes to print. Mostly b) that books are commonly escapism,…[Read more]
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I agree there’s a risk of bandwagon. I think it can be hard, too, to think of something interesting to say about a situation when we’re still in it. Hard for me, anyway.
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Yeah, its a tricky one isn’t it? To ignore it completely, or assume that a book based two years from now can still ignore it completely seems a bit unbelievable to me. This is a world changing event, ignoring it for present/near-future settings would be odd imo. BUT I have absolutely zero interest in novels *about* it. I do think the shifting,…[Read more]
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Thanks @raine. You expressed my quandary much better than I could. Still not sure which way to go!!
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I’m veering towards thinking that a contemporary book which ignores covid is going to date far faster than one which has it/its aftershocks in the background.
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I think I agree and, in any case, I’m finding hard to impossible to plan without the realities of Covid19 informing the action. It is the current reality.
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Sandra replied to the topic Cloudie short story challenge publication in the forum Podium 6 years ago
You’re really on a roll, Raine … proving it’s not just buses. Brilliant news.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthy Comp – September 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Excuse the bizarre formatting, this had indents when I wrote it.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthy Comp – September 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Sunset
The sun melted into the horizon like a knob of butter in a frying pan and behind it the sky was on fire, it’s flames dancing on the restless sea. Soon, for this was the tropics where sunset and darkness are never far apart, a million stars would come out to play. Frank and his sister, Sarah, sat shoulder to shoulder, their feet half b…[Read more] -
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Knicks replied to the topic Choices in the forum
Things that go bump 6 years, 1 month agoHome
Unbeliever
Ring -
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly comp: July 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Congratulations to all (of us), especially @Janette 🙂
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Squidge replied to the topic Monthly comp: July 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Well it was a small select number of entries this month…well, two months! But they were none the worse for being that.
@Athelstone – a tale with sinister overtones… having been on the business end of a cat’s claws more than once, I’m glad my scratches didn’t end up this way.
@Janette – such a poignant story. I fully expected this to be linked…[Read more] -
Athelstone posted an update 6 years, 1 month ago
A bump never hurt anyone – well, unless it did. Anyway, BUMP. Don’t forget the short story writing challenge! If that means little, hurry over to the group “Things that go bump!” and be enlightened (You’ll have to join to read the forum). Preferably make a choice and take part.
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Squidge replied to the topic Monthly comp: July 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Last chance to enter something in the monthly-that-turned-into-two-months competition…
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Susie in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Lovely story, Richard. Funny how some people stay with you over the years while others disappear from your memories.
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Choices in the forum
Things that go bump 6 years, 1 month agoHome believer spoon
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Sandra replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
Things that go bump 6 years, 1 month agoAnd, re-reading my Room with a view entry, I realise it did contain elements of the supernatural … there’s hope yet!
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
Things that go bump 6 years, 1 month agoIt certainly was memorable. A superb short story with two perfectly-flawed protagonists. The first challenge on the new site – started on the Cloud and rebooted here.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
Things that go bump 6 years, 1 month agoHah! Completely unintentional but the choices are taking on something of the evangelical hymn titles I remember from my Methodist upbringing.
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“Onward Denion soldiers” you mean?
Yeah, and for the first time in these challenges, my mind keeps trying to force a story in advance of the theme.
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Away, unbeliever. Watch!
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Lol
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Athelstone replied to the topic Choices in the forum
Things that go bump 6 years, 1 month agoMy selections, chosen for me by our wonderful administrator, Jules, are:
Away, Believer, Watch
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