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Barny replied to the topic Monthly comp – October 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago
Memories, memories
Through a mane of blonde hair, through streaks of bleached and of darker dyed strands, her eyes flickered upwards. “Can I help you, sir?”
Behind me the door hissed shut expensively, hinges well greased by wills and probates. “Do yer know where Bryant Street is?”
“I umm… don’t know.” She bent her head back down to the screen…[Read more]
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Kate replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years ago
Here is the link to the Corrugated Sky Urban Fantasy book my short story Changing Gabe is included in. Some of you will have come across it in Athelstone’s Room with a View writing challenge at the beginning of the year.
The theme for the anthology was Sass and Magic. If that tickles your fancy, I hope you will go and take a look.
It feels a bit…[Read more]
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Squidge posted an update 7 years ago
OK – sorry to ask again, but…
You know the captcha thing at login, where we say we’re not robots? I’ve logged in on 3 separate occasions today and when that page comes up, it’s counting down the number of attempts I can have, even though I’ve logged on successfully. Does this mean that we either have to stay logged in permanently to avoid the…[Read more]-
I don’t know the answer, Squidge, but I had the same thing yesterday.
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Glad it’s not just me – thought I must be doing something wrong!
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I’ve had this, Squidge, including being locked out for 20 minutes. Chrome and other Google-based browsers will try to keep you logged in and synced across sessions and devices, but it doesn’t always work well – or in some cases at all.
The Captcha plugin isn’t playing nicely with our setup and Jules is looking at it. Unfortunately, the alternative…[Read more]
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp – October 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago
Lost and Found and Lost
Arthur was rooting through a drawer in the garage, the one reserved for plumbing parts, searching for a tap washer. His gnarled hands scrabbled through off-cuts of plastic water pipe, white nylon fittings, a flushing mechanism still in its packaging, old tobacco tins holding copper olives, bolts, nuts and split pins. No…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago
I very much like your story, Ath, exactly because of the problems you comment on. The twist worked really well for me, and I often don’t really enjoy such stories because the twist feels tacked on. This one, though, feels integral to what’s gone before. I also enjoyed it as a horror story but that was secondary for me. I could be over analysing…[Read more]
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Squidge replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago
Ath – really?!
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Squidge replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago
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]
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Squidge posted an update 7 years 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?
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I’m getting that too Squidge. Can never sign in on the main page. Always get diverted and have to do the bot thing.
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And me!
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Although it’s not too much of a problem now I know.
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Do you guys use whatever your browser equivalent of ‘keychain’ is? Usually if you have your password stored in that, it will only periodically check that you’re not a robot. Apologies for needing to add recaptcha but the bot situation was getting a bit dire!
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Um…keychain? I’ve tried clicking the ‘remember me’ but it doesn’t.
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Squidge posted an update in the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years agoWow, 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]
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Kate replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
Fabulous Elle – well done.
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 1 month 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!’
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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.
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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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Libby posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
I’d recommend How Not to Write a Novel to anyone. It’s helpful and very funny. However the lack of index is annoying, unless newer editions have one.
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PS the author’s new novel has had rave reviews too.
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That was the first book about writing I ever read – bought it for my daughter – and one of the very, very few whose advice I remember well enough to follow.
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Me too. Is that because it also pointed out how writing could go horribly wrong? I remember, ‘Wearing only his underpants, she watched her boyfriend swim across the lake.’ :-))
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It’s all the substitute for ‘he said that so resonated with me.
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Oh, yes.
‘Funny?’ she interrogated.
‘Hilarious!’ he expostulated.
‘Surely not!’ she declared.
‘But how to you know?’ he exclaimed.
‘Says you!’ she objected.
‘That’s the last thing I’m willing to say,’ he concluded.And that’s just some of them.
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I love the book. It was reassuring to see mistakes I knew I was avoiding – and be gently reminded of some that I WAS making, without realising!
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Squidge posted an update in the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month agoBeen checking out the required texts… I’m getting a bit bogged down in Sin and Syntax, (for saying the author’s currently talking about brevity, she’s going the long way round to say a lot of it!) but Writing Fiction looks easier to read. Bird by Bird’s one of my most accessible reads (was given it as a gift some years ago), and I’d add How Not…[Read more]
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Squidge posted an update in the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month agoWilling to have a go at this… Not sure how it’ll be structured in terms of posting – presumably a new forum for each unit, with each person posting within the forum? Hope it’s pretty clear, as I ‘lose’ threads so often!
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Squidge joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Kate joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Squidge posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
So it turns out that Amazon can reformat your ebook when you upload it for Kindle. Who knew?
And I’d been blaming the publisher for all the extra line breaks, large text and blank pages…
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Amazon is a menace, but we seem to be stuck with them if we want to sell books
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I’m currently attempting to re-format my novels for publishing as ebooks – fiendishly tricky at times and not sure I’ve cracked it yet – sudden and random centering of paragraphs or indents, to say nothing of the change in fonts. A good reason to stick with print IMHO!
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There’s definitely a knack to formatting ebooks but it’s easy when you’ve got the hang of it. I recommend the Smashwords Style Guide to get yoy started (perma free in ebook). And I might be able to help point people in the right direction if anyone is really stuck?
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Some extra spaces end up turning into extra lines…apparently. SO glad it’s not up to me to do the formatting.
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Kate replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
‘Step do Grave’ was definitely after the distillery! 🙂
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Kate replied to the topic Flash fiction success in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
Thanks everyone. I’m still floating around in the clouds. Hopefully at the end of the month I will be able to put up a link so you can take a look. 🙂
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Libby replied to the topic Flash fiction success in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
Yippee! Brilliant! Fab! I’m so pleased.
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