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Squidge replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh Jane – yes, I can totally imagine that. And Richard – it would be so much easier if they actually had the right info on the signs, wouldn’t it?!
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RichardB replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Toutes Directions, yes yes, Autres Routes, yes yes yes, but where is the bloody road to [insert town as appropriate]?…
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JaneShuff replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
I parked the car in the middle of Rennes once and after I’d wiped away the tears, got out and walked until I found the road I needed…
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RichardB replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
None of the holidays we used to have in France (we haven’t been there since we’ve acquired a sat-nav) used to be quite complete without getting comprehensively lost at least once.
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Squidge replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only driver who goes through this!! Part of me was thinking I was a real idiot for getting so worked up after over 30 years of relatively trouble-free driving…but maybe getting majorly lost somewhere is a rite of passage that I’ve just managed to delay?!
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Help/brainstorming needed please – using antagonist narrator in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh I think you could make it work @bellam. On one level the house could be a sort of manifestation of the forces inside Molly’s head keeping her imprisoned and I like the duality of it being a safe place and a prison at the same time.
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RichardB replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
You have my sympathy on two counts, Squidge. Fifteen or so years on, I still shudder at the memory of my only encounter with the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris – which will remain my only encounter if I have anything to do with it. And losing the GPS signal just when you need it: I’ve been there too, more than once. So frustrating.
Glad the d…[Read more]
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JaneShuff replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
The Coventry Ringway was designed by someone with a grudge against all mankind.
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Squidge replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Thanks both – I can honestly say I have never experienced the stress/panic I did yesterday. Once I knew I was safe – ie at the school – I was OK. Quite cathartic to write it all out though and wonder why I responded like I did when I don’t usually react in this way.
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JaneShuff replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh dear Squidge. My sister lives in Coventry and I go to great lengths to avoid driving on any part of the Ringway so I sympathise. Sounds as though your day went brilliantly though!
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Squidge started the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
If you’re a parent, you’ll probably have had to rustle up a costume for today – there will have been lots of Wallys, Gangsta Grannies, cats in hats and other favourites going to school to today.
I went to Coventry, for an all day author visit. Although the visit itself went well, it was a bit of a nightmare morning.
I set off at 7.30am, allowing…[Read more]
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Daedalus replied to the topic My Publishing Nightmare – the story of a book deal gone bad (Part 1) in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
So here it is – Part 3, the conclusion of the story of my publishing nightmare, and how I finally recovered the rights to my novel from an intransigent and uncaring publisher. It was financially costly – but not nearly as costly as it might have been, and taught me a great deal about what not to do next time. Final blogpost, with as much in the…[Read more]
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
Writing this now cos I won’t be logging on at 6am tomorrow…
Happy World Book Day for Thursday! I’m spending the day doing authory things in an all-girls’ school in Coventry…
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Daedalus replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
That’s great news Stevie. Wonderful to hear of a RWAV story hitting success so early, it bodes well for the field in general
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Jules replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Congratulations, Stevie. Great news and very well deserved 😊
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Athelstone replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Brilliant news, Stevie. Well done!
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Congratulations Stevie!!
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
I expect many here know about Jericho Writers, the successor to the Writers’ Workshop that hosted the Word Cloud forum. It seems that they are about to offer a one-year Writing a Novel course to include a pass to the Festival of Writing and either the Getting Published or Self-Publishing day. It also includes a full MS assessment, one to one…[Read more]
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Oh yes (part 2): just to show how bad I am at reading things – it’s £4,950 / €5,700 / $6,500
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Well, that just answered my own question for me. At about half that price I might puzzle over whether I could stretch to it, but £5K is way out of reach
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Sounds to me like Harry’s got his head in the clouds again. Who on earth is going to commit that sort of money? Anyone who was confident enough of their abilities to make it seem worth it would be confident enough to think they didn’t need it, surely?
Incidentally, I see Retreat West, partners in this venture, is run by Amanda Saint, who was on…[Read more]
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At least 4 of the people in my self-edit group are publishing away, Richard. One of the our very own Bric. We definitely do not all move at the same pace along our paths!
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You’re as good a writer Richard. Anyway, people on each SE course are naturally at different stages when they come into it. Incidentally I still think that second novel of yours is cracking and would urge you to keep subbing it as well as working on AROS
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Agree with Daed and WB. We all take tge journey or mountain at what speed best serves us. And you should definitely keep going with AROS (as long as you want to!)
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Who the hell is going to pay £5k for that? For £5k you could probably do one of the more prestigious creative writing MAs
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Flippin heck. That is steep. With no guarantee at the end of it that you’d be published…
Amanda does seem to be getting on well – there are some other ex cloudies working with her now as well.
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Interesting… almost feels like they’re trying to offer something similar to the Curtis Brown Creative course. That’s a massive amount to invest.
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Ok that’s mad. For £84 you can join skillshare (having got the first 3 months free) and pretty much learn evetything being taught here from a choice of 100s of different teachers. With a bit of research and determination, you can find professional author groups to join that will give you a lot of the hand holding and help. Ok it includes the…[Read more]
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Yes, Jules, that’s just what I was getting at above. If you’re so near to the start of your writing journey as to need everything in this package it’s still basically a dream/hobby. And how many have that sort of money to blow on a dream?
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Chichester Uni’s creative writing MA costs £5,202, and features some fairly big names on the teaching roster. With all due respect to the people on the Jericho course, they ain’t Jim Crace or Kate Mosse.
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And of course at the end of that you have a postgraduate qualification as well as having received first-class teaching and support
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If I had 5k to spend, I’d spend it on an MA. YOu get the 1:1 tutoring from highly qualified teachers and writers, peer support, much more in depth writing tuition, and you end up with a degree that agents etc will sit up and pay attention to. No contest. (I wish I had 5k. I’d LOVE to study writing at MA level)
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Me too, Raine. And yeah if I had a soare 5k to spend on writing, that’s where my money would go too.
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Same
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Very much the same.
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Tick. I’ve learned that money spent on courses, assessments, etc isn’t necessarily well-spent. I’ve already wasted too much.
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Wow, Daeds, that comparison is a real eye opener. I wonder which will go best on a CV? He really has showed himself up for what he is IMHO.
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It is indeed a lot of money. It is rather aimed at complete beginners as far as I can tell, because somewhere (possibly in a blog about it) Harry has said that if you have completed a novel and are editing it then it probably isn’t for you (at least not for that novel) so it does seem like a write from scratch hand-holding affair. I’m sure that it…[Read more]
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No. I’ve been waiting for it in paperback, not sure it’s out yet, but certainly intend to.
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I’d be very inetrested to know what you think of it when you do. I was really, really looking forward to reading it but I’m a bit disappointed and wondering if I’ve missed something.
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*interested
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I was toying with splashing out on the Kindle edition but Andrew Motion’s review made me think about it. I probably will, though.
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I have now read Andrew Motion’s review and he sums up my frustration with the book perfectly.
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Thanks Ath.
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I think I agreed with Andrew Motion’s review too. Read Warlight when it came out and memory of details is beginning to fade. But, yes, a little disappointing. Sort of changed its nature part way through?
PS Motion’s review of Tessa Hadley’s latest, Late in the Day, pretty spot on too though I enjoyed it a little more than he seems to have done.…[Read more]-
PPS Actually I liked it, but I’m a big Hadley fan. However I didn’t put it down thinking I’d like to read it again.
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Ooh I’ve never read anything of hers. Could you recommend one, @libby?
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Of her novels, I’d go for The Past. Though I also like The London Train for the way it includes contemporary issues and anxieties.
The short stories are even better. I’d start with the last volume, Bad Dreams.
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