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Janette posted an update 1 year, 7 months ago
Phew, Winter comp story posted. Hope it may be forgiven that this is an old monthly comp entry that I have torn apart, expanded and reassembled. It is all I could come up with given my other obligations, and I now hope errors and amends don’t leap out at me!
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RichardB posted an update 1 year, 7 months ago
Just had two days without power, courtesy of Storm Darragh. By yesterday afternoon the house was so cold we were wearing our outdoor coats indoors. The mobile network went down too, so what with the landline going digital we were completely isolated. The power finally came back on just before midnight, and the house is still warming up. The mobile…[Read more]
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Afterthought: when ‘they’ were planning the change to digital landlines did they consider the possible consequences of running the system via broadband routers, dependant on the national grid, or did they simply not care? If I’d had a heart attack or something during those two days I would have died. We had no way of calling an ambulance.
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I hope things are back to normal now, Richard. The lack of means of communication is frightening.
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Yes thanks, we are okay now, though the boiler had to work non-stop for 48 hours to get the house back to normal temperature.
Our ‘local’ pub (about four miles away) were in the same fix. They had hundreds of people booked for Saturday night dinner and Sunday lunch, and the guvnor had to drive five miles to a supermarket car park to get a signal…[Read more]
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Athelstone started the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
I did the first one of the year. Here’s the last. I’ve been fitting a kitchen. Plumbing, carpentry, stuff to a standard I’ve never managed before. Came close to giving up once or twice.
Up to 500 words on doing something really difficult.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Thanks Seagreen. Glad you laughed. Well, Terrie, there’s a coincidence. I’ve barely been able to write for the last month having been fitting our new kitchen. Completely new from top to bottom including having to rebuild joists under the floor and fit a kitchen to an accuracy of 1mm per metre. As I’ve never done anything to that accuracy except by…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Sea, I well remember, a couple of years ago admiring your shorter haircut when you picked me up at Markinch station, Promise I wasn’t thinking of the competition we might meet at Craigievar! I did hope to do something more inspired for this great prompt, but ran out of mental space, so well done Ath.
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Athelstone replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 7 months ago
I’m not surprised by this. For some time there have been AI editing features available with Prowritingaid, Grammarly and so on. I have the former, and although I seldom use the AI features, some of which are behind an additional paywall, I have given them a spin in the past. What you get from one of the reports does appear to be a reasonably…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Argus 26 November 2024
Brighton man grows hair for five years for special reason.
I remember the blonde hair on the windowsill. My hair’s brown, so it must have come from Taz. Her hair is, or was, I should say, long, and rich, and blonde. Curious, I ran my fingers through my hair a few times and then examined what had come loose. Not a lot,…[Read more]
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RichardB replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 8 months ago
Yes, it’s rather chilling, isn’t it?
One doesn’t tend to think of Roald Dahl as a sci-fi writer, but he foresaw something like this. Over seventy years ago one of his early adult short stories, The Great Automatic Grammartizator, told the tale of a nerd who invents a machine that generates stories at such a prodigious rate that he takes over the…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic New BBC Radio 4 book programme in the forum Blogs 1 year, 8 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, 8 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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Sandra replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 8 months ago
My view is that publishers are in it for the money, and celebrity sells more – and more reliably – than as-yet-unknown novelists (potentially supplying a profit which might enable them to take more chances on unknowns?) It might be seen as ‘not fair’, but in my view is more honest to trust readers’ appreciation of well-written novels than bombard…[Read more]
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Sandra, it isn’t so much a bombardment campaign, rather a sharing of a meme to ask for support. I appreciate the view that regular novelists are enabled to be taken on because of the success of celebrity books, but the avalanche of them in such an unlevel playing field is instrumental in creating this huge imbalance, and I think the dishonesty is…[Read more]
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I suspect, lacking conviction in my opinions, I’m not a campaigner.
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I have bowed out of this. My intention was to be supportive, but the feelings stirred and opposing views given have me concluding that I should leave it to published authors and their representatives to fight the battle. Lesson learned.
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Janette started the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 8 months ago
Recently, @Philippa East posted a copy of her letter to the Society of Authors on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2364405197250152&set=pcb.2364405367250135
It refers to the unfair bombardment of celebrity books and their many promotions, especially during a holiday season. Though I am not (yet) published, I wholeheartedly agree…[Read more]
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Hi @janette, thank you for sharing this. As I’m not on FB I can’t read the whole letter on screen. Are you able to copy and paste it here?
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Hi Libby and @janette.
Here below is a copy of my original letter to the society of authors.
I think that a “Christmas appeal” letter, encouraging readers and book-buyers to support ordinary authors by avoiding celebrity titles would be great! I’ve been chatting loads about this issue in my various writing networks, so I think that if we were…[Read more]-
I saw your letter, Philippa, and I’m really pleased you voiced what so many of us are feeling.
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Thank you, @philippaeast for posting this. @Libby hope you agree with the sentiment.
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I’m happy to join any communal effort. I’m an associate member of SoA, because I haven’t sold enough books to classify as a full member. Our Monmouth branch of SoA is very active, and as you can imagine, the subject of celebrity authors comes up a lot, particularly in relation to children’s books. A good friend, Claire Fayers, has just scored a…[Read more]
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On listening to other opinions, both here and on Messenger (FB), I concede that I have perhaps not worded my intentions very well and may have come across as too confrontational. I also apologize to those who feel ‘bombarded’ and will happily remove names from the list of those I have shared into the conversation, or remove the message altogether.…[Read more]
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I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience trying to get the message out Janette. I share your and Philippa’s frustration with the celebrity Christmas book, especially now I’m truing to get my funny children’s book under people’s noses. An unfair situation, but one I doubt publishers will be interested in rectifying.
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Janette posted an update 1 year, 8 months ago
Good to see so many taking part in the Winter comp. I’ve been wrestling with two ideas though one appears to have risen above the other. I was ready to post it … but late corrections reminded me to be a little less hasty and allow some thinking time, when I’ll probably change my mind again.
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I’ve been struggling to come up with anything, because my initial idea seems beyond my ability. I’m going to try something simpler.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
This is not my take on the headline, but I’ve posted it here because I could not come up with anything more ludicrous.
“Short hair hints may be ‘sabotage” study finds.
Publishing her research on the ’Science Direct’ website, under the heading ‘Personality and individual Differences’ Danielle Sulikowski details how women were asked to giv…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Congratulations to Seagreen, and to everyone else who supplied an entertaining and impressive piece to October’s comp. And to Knicks for setting it,
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Darn it! Missed it! A fab selection though.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Apologies, Knicks, I’m not going to submit anything this month – torn three ways with something that will not knit.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 9 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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Daedalus replied to the topic Chit Chat in the forum
A Different Time 1 year, 9 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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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.
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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]
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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]
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RichardB posted an update 1 year, 9 months ago
Back in 1966, while Ralph (Streets of London) McTell was earning his living busking on the streets of Paris, he met a Norwegian girl called Nanna Stein, and wrote a song for her, simply called Nanna’s Song, which is the most moving evocation I know of the joy of young love. By the end of that year they were married. They stayed together through…[Read more]
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Sad to hear. 58 years is a long time, and in the world of arts and entertainment must be close to a miracle. I’ve always liked Ralph McTell, although Streets of London isn’t my favourite of his songs. I have a taste for some of the more “hippy folksy” stuff like Nettle Wine.
Oddly enough, when your post appeared, I was reading about the…[Read more]-
Ah yes. From memory:
Fetching water from the brook
Wondering who it was who took
The stones from the mountain to build this cottage here
Two up and two down
Miles from the nearest town
I don’t know who he was though the reason why is clear.
McTell once said that the reason why there aren’t many love songs in his canon was that ‘I got all that…[Read more]-
They’re very different, but it reminds me of some of the old Incredible String Band stuff
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Ath, listening to this, I was reminded of the songs of Andy Comley who comes from Southampton way and wondered whether you knew of him?
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When you said the name it rang a bell, but after looking at his web site and listening to some songs, I don’t think I did know of him. Might have heard his name from my brother who is more seriously into folk music than me.
Edit: although listening to a couple more songs, he’s not actually that folksy, is he? -
Sandra Davies
11:09 (0 minutes ago)
to DenMy younger son lived in Southampton for a bit; one of his housemates took him along to gigs and I benefitted from 3 CDs, much played in the days I was working in my studio, liking the lyrics.
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I liked Southampton. I lived there from Autumn 1977 to Summer 1985 and always felt at home in the town. Only left because of work.
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Not in Southampton, but I’m lucky to have lived in the New Forest all my life, find it very inspirational.
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I hope you may be forgiven too, because my entry was conceived in a similar way. I don’t even have your excuse of being too busy, but the story asked to be written and so I wrote it.
I look forward to reading yours, Richard.
Me too to a large extent. My entry very much a side/back story of two or three other comp entries all of which stemmed from one or more of my ‘Love triangles with murder series. I did hope for something different but the characters have taken up permanent residence in my head.