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Daedalus replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 7 months agoRe absence of choices and surprises. I’m not sure really. Sometimes they’ve helped me push myself to do something dramatically different, or have at least significantly shaped what I’ve written. Other times they just made slight complications to writing the story I would have written anyway. Generally it’s the overall theme I have the biggest…[Read more]
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Daedalus replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 7 months agoHope so!!
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Daedalus replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 7 months agoI’ve an idea. Whether it’s a workable idea or not is another matter. Recently my life has taken a slight turn reminiscent of the film Stand By Me, and it’s kind of demanding to be written about. On the other hand, it doesn’t have an obvious narrative shape or all the checkbox things you’re supposed to include to make a story these days, and…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Thanks, Sandra. I’ve started a story – it probably works better with the After the Funeral theme. I doubt I’ll manage two stories. September is a busy month 🙂 I like it, the busyness and back to school feeling.
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Libby started the topic Substack in the forum Coffee Shop 1 year, 8 months ago
Substack has settled in my life. I don’t publish posts and I rarely comment on or even record a like on other people’s posts. But for me it’s a useful and interesting resource on ‘how to write better’ – the nuts and bolts stuff of the craft – and a reinforcement of the impetus to write in the first place. The latter is the exciting part, though…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Thirty Days in the forum
Beta Reading 1 year, 8 months agoHi Ath, I’d be pleased to read Thirty Days if I’m the kind of reader you’re looking for. My experience of speculative fiction is limited. For instance I loved M John Harrison’s The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again but soon gave up the first novel in his Viriconium series. That tipped too far into fantasy for me.
Feel free to see what other offers…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic August 2024 monthly competition in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
There’s a fabulous selection of entries in the August comp, and again it’s hard to pick one winner!
@Seagreen: This very enjoyable story reveals the rich history of a relationship, shown with a clever use of Elizabeth English and rhythm. There’s a satisfyingly wide range of emotion, including the delicious LOL comedy of “Thine exuberance I shall…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic August 2024 monthly competition in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
A terrific set of comp entries. I’ll be along tomorrow morning to reveal the winner.
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Libby replied to the topic August 2024 monthly competition in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Hi Sandra, I was thinking that too!!
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Libby replied to the topic August 2024 monthly competition in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Reminder! The monthly competition closes at midnight on Saturday, 31st August.
Anyone can enter.
Here’s the task:
Our summer weather so far has been an ever-changing experience, almost one extreme to another. For the August comp please write a story about changeability titled ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Thee can refer to a perso…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Richard's Literary Byways: Fragment 31, by Sappho in the forum Blogs 1 year, 9 months ago
Thanks, Richard! This becomes quite compulsive doesn’t it, a new thread of literature (new to me anyway) to follow and think about.
I’m off now for a few days and will read your post fully when I return.
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Libby replied to the topic Richard's Literary Byways: Fragment 31, by Sappho in the forum Blogs 1 year, 9 months ago
I replied in a comments box earlier where it may get lost – so I’ve copied my comment here.
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Definitely good going, Richard. Thank you for this post.
Of these various translations I prefer the ones with shorter lines. They feel more immediate, less worked. That seems to be the magic of Sappho’s lines – the way they leap almost three mil…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Richard's Literary Byways: Fragment 31, by Sappho in the forum Blogs 1 year, 9 months ago
I’m looking forward to reading this, Richard. I became more aware of Sappho when I read Selby Wynn Schwartz’s novel After Sappho, which I enjoyed a lot. Before that I’d hardly known who Sappho was.
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Libby started the topic August 2024 monthly competition in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 9 months ago
Our summer weather so far has been an ever-changing experience, almost one extreme to another. For the August comp please write a story about changeability titled ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Thee can refer to a person, animal or something inanimate. Max 500 words, deadline midnight on 31<sup>st</sup> August.
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly Competition July 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 9 months ago
Thank you, Terrie! This is lovely surprise, and I’m pleased you liked my story.
I really enjoyed Sandra’s and Ath’s stories too. So lifelike. Thank you both of you for being such excellent competitors.
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly Competition July 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 10 months ago
An explanatory note: I saw an exercise which asked for story without verbs and wanted to give it a go, so that’s what I’ve attempted here.
A Delivery
Inside the shadowed arch of a canal bridge: a half circle of water-drips and their echoes, drops and plops, plips, a full saucepan of water on the towpath, someone’s rubbish, new drink…[Read more]
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Gosh, I had to read that last sentence twice! I’m astounded that only one of your excellent challenge stories has been accepted. Really sorry to hear that.
Thanks Thea. In part I’m sure it’s my own fault for not being persistent enough. That said, I can’t help worrying that there’s something indefinably dated or just offputting in my writing. I should add that since I wrote the above, another story based on one of the Den challenge pieces was accepted for an anthology, but for various reasons that…[Read more]
Congratulations on having another story accepted. You say the anthology might be “up in the air”, so I really hope it all goes through alright.
I honestly don’t think there’s anything “dated” or “off-putting” in your stories. I’ve read several in the challenges over the years and they have all been excellent. I’m sure that if you look back at the…[Read more]