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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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Seagreen started the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Find an item of news – online, in the local paper, or on TV – and, in no more than 500 words, write the background story.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Thanks, Knicky, for the challenge and for seeing something in my effort I wasn’t sure was there.
Thanks also to Terrie, Libby and Alex. I would have been more than happy to say I’d written any one of yours ☺️
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Darn it! Missed it! A fab selection though.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Fiercely reaching yet afraid of letting go. (756 words)
He wakes. Slowly. Reluctantly. To a feeling of being underground. Air heavy and thick with dust. Throat dry and aching. Eyes full of grit.
He is pinned, lying sideways on a surface, twisted and unforgiving, one arm beneath his hip and the other across his chest. He cannot feel his feet,…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoPlease don’t feel you have to emphasise the differentness. It was a throw-away comment about making me happy. The following remark that making me happy is not a condition of entry to the challenge was intended to say that. What should probably have put is that emphasis on difference will be great, but not emphasising it will also be…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoHow many words would it be? That said, it isn’t against the rules, and this is a challenge to produce a short story in any way you see fit as long as it fits with the theme.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Congratulations, Knicky, a most excellent story!
Thank you, Sandra, for the comp, and for allowing me to imagine another Piety/Freedom Jones episode.
And thanks to all the entrants for being amazing writers and keeping me inspired 🙂
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoI’m interested in how people feel about the different approach this year, i.e. the absence of choices and surprises. It was something suggested to me by a group member and I thought I’d give it a go.
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I have always loved the choices and surprises – they’ve taken me out of my comfort zone and challenged me in ways I didn’t expect. It was always fun in the run up to the reveal and, ultimately, to see who made what of the same (or similar) choices. Last year, however, I didn’t enter the comp because one of the elements completely threw me (can’t…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Fabulous competition! Hooray for all of us, especially Knicks. Thank you Sandra.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoAll sounds promising so far.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
UNTITLED (600 WORDS)
‘Seriously, Dom, you’re going to want to know about this.’
Virgil’s words tumbled out with enough agitation to stir, not only my curiosity, but something in the darker recesses of my mind.
‘Piety’s back.’
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Piety – Prototype 1: Experimental Transcendent Interface. An engineered being of such incredible power, I had…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
What becomes of the broken hearted?
Tomorrow, if I make it through the night, I celebrate my one hundred and ninth birthday. I hate my birthdays. Life’s punctuation. People wander about pretending it’s a secret that there will be a party for me in the day room. The press may attend. The staff will say things such as, “Well done”, as though…[Read more]
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Athelstone posted an update 1 year, 8 months ago
Winter is a-drawing in. Throw another log on the cat and pull up your writing gear. Time to turn your attention to matters of ancient tradition. Yonder peasant is freezing to death looking for Wenceslas’s famously warm footprints, the Daddy Longlegs are queuing up to die on your carpet, and the Winter Short Story Challenge is here! This is a…[Read more]
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Athelstone started the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoPost wherever the fancy takes you – the activity stream is fine. If you want to start something, in the nicest possible way, that will be easily accessible and not scroll out of sight, here’s a good place.
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Athelstone started the topic Q&A in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoIf you have to ask…
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Athelstone started the topic Voting in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoOn the face of it, what you have to do is quite simple. However, those of you have been through this before in previous challenges will know that in fact it is extraordinarily tough.
When the writing stage of the challenge closes on 2 February 2025 at 22:00 UK time, the voting stage begins. No doubt most of you will have read many of the entries…[Read more]
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Athelstone started the topic Rules in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 8 months agoSome Basic Story Rules and Guidelines
The challenge is to produce a short story. In the way that the term is usually understood, what is needed is a work of fiction. By all means stretch this definition as you like, to include, for example, an imaginative account of true events, but please avoid essays, reportage, political polemic,…[Read more]
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