Bren

  • Congratulations on the win Ath, and for what it’s worth I found it uncomfortably horrific in its pervasive cult brainwashing manipulation – the sort of thing I usually avoid reading and very definitely cannot write, so am as admiring as I am uncomfortble with it.

    And thanks Squidge for the competition which I took as opportunity to try out a…[Read more]

  • I might be a bit over sensitive, but it’s the kind of trope that surfaces when feelings are being tested: stories about minorities and their secret evil ways. The classic cases would be all the tales of alien mind-control and body take over that were so popular during the anti-communist frenzy in the US during the late 40s and 50s, or the ‘Yellow…[Read more]

  • Ath – really?!

  • I recently found some writing notes that I’d forgotten about. I was surprised by my reaction. That seems like a theme to me. Something (anything) forgotten then discovered. Surprising reaction. 400 to 500 words (tops).

  • Thanks for a fab competition, Squidge. You’ve brought a tear to my eye. I’ve been doing the monthly competition for nearly 10 years, although with fewer entries in the last few months, and this is my first win! There were some super entries this month; I’m really pleased.

    I re-read my entry and worried that it might be steering too close to the…[Read more]

  • Apologies for the delay in posting – life got in the way!

    Well these shades of beige definitely weren’t boring. Thanks to everyone who entered – thin on the ground perhaps (well it is York month) but not thin on quality.

    Some really poignant pieces in this mix (Dreamweaver, Je m’appelle Missy, and Hil’s Tortoiseshell Specs) secrets in Battle…[Read more]

  • Wow! Came across some notes I scribbled down about 5 years ago: events in the life of a character in a book I’ve put aside. Not prepared for how guilty it would make me feel. It really seemed as though I abandoned somebody important – almost like a real person. What are my life lessons here? Stop scribbling stuff down? If I do, don’t read it…[Read more]

    • Perhaps the last question is the right one. Or return to the character if not the same story. It sounds as though the character has life or you wouldn’t feel bothered about them. Someone to come back to when the time is right?

      • I’ve got two notebooks full of random notes on characters or ideas. Most of it will never turn into something, but they’re great for when I’m feeling a bit blank – looking through and seeing what wants to be written. If you’re feeling that guilt, then perhaps that idea wants to be written enough for you to spend a little bit of time expanding on it?

        • I’ve written a fair amount of this character, but killed her before her history unfolded later in the story. It was during that unfolding that I began to like her. I was feeling bad enough about having done her in, but then I came across a load of notes about a chance encounter she has with an old friend after a separation of several years. I have…[Read more]

  • It’s never even occurred to me to reply to form rejections. What’s the point? Who’d bother to read it? I can’t speak for any other circumstances, because I’ve never been there (sob).

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years, 11 months ago

    I know we’ve had an issue with bots at the mo – I’m getting the ‘I’m not a robot’ thing every time I log in, but I thought once we’d done it once, it meant you should be OK to log in without after that?

  • Do you mean that you sent a ‘thank you’ to the agents after they declined? I haven’t done that in the past. Not that I’ve made many submissions lately.

  • Wow, WB – that’s really comprehensive! Thank you. Also makes me realise I need to print out Andrew’s course outline and read it through properly…

    I’d be glad of an October start, cos I’m trying to set new routines around an empty nest, and it’ll be good to focus on something other than the lack of guitar playing and a deserted bedroom… ;)…[Read more]

  • Ok, so. We wouldn’t need to be massively set in stone on a lot of it. I figure the following:

    1) Making each ‘class’ in the craft seminars span 3 weeks actually means that with the odd week taken off as a break, the craft seminars would fit nicely into 2 years without being massively heavy time-wise. A couple of hours a week, it reckons, doing it…[Read more]

  • Oh yes, 373(ish)

  • Tortoiseshell Specs

    I wear tortoiseshell specs. My dear old mum did too. And Dad. A family tradition that I hadn’t really thought about. I mean, we had so many things that I hardly even noticed. Family traditions, that is. There were words we used that I thought were just normal. Mum called me dinny if I did something daft and lairy when I was n…[Read more]

  • It looks to me as though a timetable including discussion and feedback would be good on all three aspects, if we are going the route of having a timetable in the first place.

    For one thing, the writing practice can include the exercises for the craft seminars, or could be some of the ones Andrew suggests but which are not chosen for the craft…[Read more]

  • The only issue with doing multiple units is that we could end up with people later on having no buddies to do that unit with? I’d rather it was ‘organised’ in that there’s a definite time for each unit to be completed over, simply because that means I can be more disciplined about an approach, rather than wondering what’s on and whether I want to…[Read more]

  • Tick tock! Songs of Innocence & Experience.

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years, 11 months ago

    Just a reminder that there’s a week to go for September’s monthly competition…and for you to prove to me that ‘beige ain’t boring!’

    • I’m sorry I’m having to pass on this one Squidge. Combination of holiday and having work done at home. I did like your paint chart idea for prompts.

      • No worries – I know September’s busy for most folk, especially after York. Mean I won’t have such a difficult decision judging 😉

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