@clebs
Active 1 year, 8 months ago-
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Raine posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 6 months agoJanuary update from Fife – Last week I thought that a) I’d never ever in the universe get to the end of the huge wip edits, b) not hit the word count target. And c) not get to write a short for RwaV in time. And d) just meh, really.
But since then, got to end of edits, hitting my word target, and now am mid first RwaV target with DAYS left in…[Read more]-
Wahey! I’ve been working on RWAV too, today, and it’s started to come together. Got an idea for the sting in the tail, too…
Feels good to be able to feel a bit of success in our plans, doesn’t it?
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It so does, @squidge. Celebrate those mini-successes. 🙂
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Ooo! A sting! That sounds great, especially since you were worried your plot was a little linear before. Fab!!
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Poop though, I don’t think I’m going to make the RWaV deadline. I will gracefully bow out, but GOOD LUCK to everyone xx
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Oh, such a shame you aren’t going to make it @philippaeast, I always look forward to reading your stories. But understandable, given the Monster Edit of Doom. 😀
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Well done, @raine! I’m so proud of you, as i know what a daunting task it felt. AND getting that word count down. RESULT! (How do you think you did it, BTW? There might be a useful lesson for all us us about cutting / reducing)
I know what you mean about how impossible it can seem. I honestly couldn’t see how I was supposed to achieve these edits.…[Read more]-
Thank-you @philippaeast. It was a good feeling writing that new word count into my cover letter! I did it partly by stripping out a character, which meant a bit of structural shenanigans but did streamline bits of the plot. I also cut out a minor PoV. But a lot came from just line edits, which is quite scary re how much there was that I could cut.…[Read more]
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Love it! Some big, brave cuts, and then all those little trims of fat round out prose too. And I LOVE a good bit of motivational number crunching!! Well done again. What are the next steps for you, once you are happy with your edited draft?
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Philippa East posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 6 months agoHey guys, how are you all doing? I am crawling very close to the finish line with this latest round of edits. I don’t honestly know how I’ve done it! Sheer bloody mindedness, I think. I’m hoping to do an overall read through over the next week to check it all hangs together, and then I think I’ll be done. Until the next round begins….
How are…[Read more]-
Exciting, Philippa – it’s a great feeling when the end just starts to hove into view isn’t it? Hope the rest of the journey is smooth.
Just signed a contract for three histfic novellas. Which is nice, but now I have to write them
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@daedalus! That’s amazing!! Congratulations 😊 and WELL DONE @philippaeast…what a great feeling. I’m staggering towards my deadline this week too and am hoping I’m nearly there with this round!
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Congratulations to all three of you. Lovely to hear what everybody’s up to. Excellent work @philippaeast and @kazg! Histfic novellas @daedalus – tell more! I’ve been bumbling around in the dark. Trying to find my next novel, working on short stories and feeling fairly down – the result of going into 2018 with such high hopes and having them all…[Read more]
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Thanks @janeshuff! And sorry to hear about your dashes hooes ☹️ All credit to you for keeping going, even if it feels like bumbling right now. Hope you feel more positive soon x
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*dashed hopes
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Oh, @janeshuff, I am sorry to hear that. It’s so hard to get back up from dashed hopes. I SO enjoyed reading the extract from your novel, and am keeping everything crossed for a nice slew of successes in 2019
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successes for you
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Well done Kaz!! Is this for book 1? Sounds like we will be reaching our editing finish lines around the same time!
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Oh WOW @daedalus!!! This is amazing!! Can you tell us more? Who is the publisher?? What are your time scales?? And – of course – what will the books be about? This is such amazing news. Should go on the podium really 🙂
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Yay @philippaeast for reaching the end – that really has been an epic act of bravery, so well done. And I’ll keep fingers crossed Sarah’s verdict is ‘Yes! Out on sub now!’ 🙂
@daedalus three novellas!?!? THat’s fantastic news, you kept that quiet, you sly thing you! So pleased for you, hope that gives you a huge, well earned boost.
And @janeshuf…[Read more] -
Thanks @philippaeast and @raine …um, yes, the novellas. I don’t really want to talk about them too much until I’ve written them. I haven’t even started yet and am a bit panicked about it. Will add more when I’m a bit more comfortable with how things are going.
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I don’t think you have any reason to panic, @daedalus. They will be wonderful.
Thanks @raine and @philippaeast. Encouragement and hugs and tea are exactly what I need!
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@daedalus It’s no wonder you are feeling a little daunted. Funny isn’t it? You’d think having the contract there at the start would be a dream, but it’s a whole different kind of pressure I guess. Sending you lots of good luck. You will do them brilliantly, I know you will. xx
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Absolutely fair do-s
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
OK – question for you. Working on my RWAV story, which is (painfully slowly) coming together.
But – the storyline is obvious if I take it where it’s logically heading. No twists or turns, no surprises. It feels like an A to B kind of story, and I don’t usually write this sort of thing. Is it enough for readers? Do you mind – as a reader – if…[Read more]
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It’s not the destination, it’s the journey 🙂
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Hmmm… hope the journey’s interesting enough then!! 😉
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I wouldn’t be put off. I can often guess the ending of books, or at least of plot lines, but as long as i care about the characters, I’m happy to follow along with them. Keep going – it’ll be grand. X
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Well I got to the end of the story so I know its shape now. Just got to iron out the crinkles and make you invest in the MC now then! 😉
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I agree with Sea and Raine. The characters are the thing that keeps me reading and I’m looking forward to reading your story and all the others in RWAV.
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Ann Enright, for example, writes novels that my son complains has “nothing happening” in them. For me she can do no wrong, part of which is because of the well-writ observations on the way. So I’m sure you’ll be fine.
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Delilah S Dawson on developing an idea in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 6 months ago
PS Great thread @daedalus
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Delilah S Dawson on developing an idea in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 6 months ago
That’s interesting @seagreen. I am still not sure. I don’t think I am but sometimes when I don’t know where something is going, I need to write for it to become clear although what I write at these moments is often utter garbage.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Delilah S Dawson on developing an idea in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 6 months ago
7.
Took me 4 years to discover I’m not the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of writer. -
Daedalus started the topic Delilah S Dawson on developing an idea in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 6 months ago
An epic Twitter thread from author Delilah S Dawson on developing an idea. She does a lot of these and there’s always a lot of interesting stuff in them, so she’s worth following if you’re on Twitter
For today's #TenThings, let's talk about HOW TO DEVELOP A BOOK IDEA. Because they never arrive fully formed, do they? We get a tiny glimmer, if we're lucky. I hope these tips will help you turn your ideas into fully-fleshed stories.
— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson) January 18, 2019
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Raine posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
PSA: from an initial 120k behemoth, I now have a 98k mildly rotund wip. 🎉🎉🎉
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Yee-ha!!
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Sounds good!
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Excellent!
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You did it! Yay for word diets!
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Hooray!
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
I was asked by a local school (I know the deputy head a little) to help open their new school library yesterday (Nicky Morgan was the main attraction, and she couldn’t stay long as she was jumping on a train to London for some kind of Brexit debate and vote…?!) and talk to KS2 about editing your writing.
While I was there, they asked me to be…[Read more]
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That’s amazing Squidge, well done. That’s what it’s really all about isn’t it? Making a difference to people. Good work
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Lovely, Squidge
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Yes, Squidge, that’s lovely. Uplifting, heartwarming and empowering.
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Wonderful. Made me smile.
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That’s lovely Squidge. Just a compliment, and yes, those little things mean an immense amount.
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That’s lovely!
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How wonderful @squidge. It’s definitrly what makes it worthwhile (I imagine 😊). Congratulations!
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
Does anyone else who blogs get hits from unsavoury websites? The Scribbles is getting multiple hits from porn sites. Now everyone’s welcome over at the Scribbles, but I can’t see that I’m offering anything over there that Britney34 or Sophia 23 would be interested in…
It’s a blogger site, and I don’t know whether they can be hacked or…[Read more]
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It’s a new one on me, Squidge. Not sure what the threat is, if it’s just visitors redirected from those sites, but I can see why you’re suspicious. I can only think that there are automatically generated search results posted there and you’ve happened to include some of theit search terms? A headscratcher
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Porn bots follow legit blogs etc because the more connections they have to them, the more hits are shown to be generated by the legit blog, the more the algorithms of search engines see the porn blogs as legit sites, too. (Or some version of that which is accurate about the tech side of it, but basically they are glomping onto you as a way of…[Read more]
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The Prediction Fiction site I host has a similar problem, every now and then a spike of hits, Britney and Tiffany (new to me) I can guess at but occasionally there’re sites less obvious. I’ve only once made the mistake of checking … and was reminded that I’d ever hated pink blancmange.
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A friend posted some info as to how I can filter them out… I’ll have a go if I can understand it. @sandradavies, that made me laugh! And I know EXACTLY what you meant! 😉
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Daedalus replied to the topic TSS Cambridge Short Story in the forum Competitions, Open calls and Writing Opportunities 7 years, 6 months ago
Well done all! Let’s hope a Denizen wins
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Seagreen replied to the topic TSS Cambridge Short Story in the forum Competitions, Open calls and Writing Opportunities 7 years, 6 months ago
I’m in!
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Raine posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
End of first week of term time. How are people bearing up?
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Daedalus started the topic TSS Cambridge Short Story in the forum Competitions, Open calls and Writing Opportunities 7 years, 6 months ago
The TSS Publishing Cambridge Short Story Prize is closing for entries soon, and is apparently short of the number it needs to run the competition. So if Denizens put in an entry, it would surely have a good chance of success, and help TSS make the competition happen. It’s a 2,000-3,000 word limit, so if anyone had any previous Cloud Challenge…[Read more]
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly comp – December 2018 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 6 months ago
Congratulations John, and many thanks Raine for setting the comp. I hope the rest of the month is easier on you.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Speed Kills: Salisbury, 1906 in the forum Blogs 7 years, 6 months ago
Richard, your narrative quality is spot on again. Brilliant read.
Daeds, when I was knee-high to the proverbial grasshopper, we had a mix of streamliners and more conventional looking engines pulling the expresses that rolled into Newbury from London Victoria. I always hoped it would be a streamlined engine that would carry me off to exotic…[Read more]
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RichardB replied to the topic Speed Kills: Salisbury, 1906 in the forum Blogs 7 years, 6 months ago
The usual reason given is for ease of maintenance in WWII. The streamlined casings were a diktat from the LMS publicity department (the LNER’s got them so we must have them too), and the Chief Mechanical Engineer referred to the batch of five un-streamlined ones he insisted on building ‘for comparison’ as ‘proper’ones.
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