@gerryfenge
Active 4 years, 12 months ago-
John S Alty replied to the topic A Bad Job: Thirsk, 1892 in the forum Blogs 7 years, 6 months ago
Another hugely entertaining tale of the rails, and very informative too. Thanks Richard.
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John S Alty posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
I sense there is very little interest in the monthly, (or two monthly or three monthly competition), so perhaps we should just bag the whole thing. Put Jonathan out of his misery. It’s becoming embarrassing.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Help/brainstorming needed please – using antagonist narrator in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 6 months ago
Is that video on JW, @philippaeast? I just can’t spot it.
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Julie Cordiner posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
Hello everyone, I’m back (with thanks to Sandra and Raine at Fiona’s fab launch tonight)! So much for my good intentions last year – work took over again – but I’ve now changed things round and I’m determined to focus on creativity in 2019.
First quarter has been spent indie publishing my third nonfiction book on finance for school leaders…[Read more]-
Welcome Julie. There’s a monthly competition running – actually the February comp that has been extended through April, so you could have a go at that. See Monthly Competition.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp: Feb 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 6 months ago
OK, I’ll go first:
Sunday morning
A late breakfast, tea and toast, the paper folded at the cryptic crossword. 22 down, Kathmandu hippie hospital, 9 letters. Michael scratched his head with the pen. Just an average Sunday.
The doorbell rang, startling him. Nobody called on Sunday. Nobody called on any other day for that matter, not since he’d p…[Read more] -
Athelstone replied to the topic Opening of new WIP- 1289 words in the forum Critiques 7 years, 7 months ago
Once I’d read through a couple of times, my overall impression was curiosity, which is generally a good thing, and I felt comfortable with the way the story is moving. When I read through the first time though, I was a bit confused as to what was going on. I don’t mean the bare facts, I mean things like whether Bethany wanted the phone call,…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Opening of new WIP- 1289 words in the forum Critiques 7 years, 7 months ago
Once I’d read through a couple of times, my overall impression was curiosity, which is generally a good thing, and I felt comfortable with the way the story is moving. When I read through the first time though, I was a bit confused as to what was going on. I don’t mean the bare facts, I mean things like whether Bethany wanted the phone call,…[Read more]
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John S Alty replied to the topic Opening of new WIP- 1289 words in the forum Critiques 7 years, 7 months ago
I thought this very well written and certainly not slow. However, as the opening to a novel, in view of what you tell us is going to happen, I feel it needs a hook. Perhaps a short chapter before this one, whetting the readers appetite.
Just my opinion, as always, so ignore at will. -
Athelstone replied to the topic Writers & Artists short story comp in the forum Podium 7 years, 7 months ago
Oh, Raine, that’s just fantastic. You deserve recognition.
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
Goodbye, Ranking Roger. You made me feel cool, which took some doing, when I listened to you.
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Not for me. I would love to see everyone but that price tag is not a great inducement.
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It’s my biggest disincentive. Last year it ruled things out plain and simple. I’ll be honest, I’m thinking about it this year because I may have a viable book to take. That hasn’t been a reason for any of my previous visits,
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Also, I’m going stir crazy as I haven’t been out more than ten times since mid January
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The jury’s out for me as yet, Athers. It depends on whether I get a reply from DHH re Doris. If he doesn’t want it, I might be tempted to take it to York. I’m also mulling over going only Saturday and meeting old friends, though it depends on how many are going.
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I would love to see everybody and if enough people were going and I could combine it with seeing family in the UK, I might think about it…
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I’ll be deciding before the ‘early bird’ offer expires because the cost of the full weekend without the Friday mini-course is actually £40 LESS than I paid 5 years ago.
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Not for me, this year @Athelstone. I’ve actually applied for a bursary for Mslexicon, which is Mslexia’s new writing conference. It’s just as expensive as YOrk but there seems to be a bit more on offer, and the bursaries are open for people like me (chronic illness). We’ll see, would be fun to try a new event, but not at full price.
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@raine Mslexicon looks absolutely brilliant and I wish you luck with the bursary!
In other news, I spotted an agent I’d really like to snag and I have now (impulsively) booked a place at York. Later in September my nephew is getting married in Edinburgh and I have to book flights for family. I WILL BE BROKE BIG TIME.
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Oooh, but if you have time whilst in edinburgh, we might be able to have a wee writer meet-up!! I’m sure @seagreen will come in (if she is in the UK, obv).
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Probably a really packed schedule but it would be sad not to fit in a tea/coffee and a doughnut perhaps!
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Include me too in any Edinburgh meet, please! Bursary sounds fantastic, Raine, best of luck with that, and, Ath, that you’ve a novel ready to go is brilliant. Seems ages since I had contact with writers in person 🙁
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No York for me, but Edinburgh is definitely do-able.
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Do let me know if you do plan that. I am a flight away
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Not this year, I’m afraid.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Regular Den competition – where next? in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 7 months ago
Thoughts:
A quarterly competition? Winner sets the subject for the next comp, but doesn’t judge it. Prize is a virtual Gold Quill.
The judging is either by a panel or a vote of the participants, or an open vote.
Critique of the entries? By who? Needs some ideas. Maybe submit the winning entry to a magazine or competition?Have a good weekend, everybody.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp: Feb 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 7 months ago
Works for me, good idea.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Interesting article about developing your voice in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 7 months ago
Good one, Daeds, thank you.
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
Updates losing comments:
OK, there’s a bug, probably in the BuddyPress code or in a plugin (or somewhere), that is preventing the ‘show all comments’ button from appearing (but only sometimes) after old comments have been tucked away out of sight. Very irritating. Here’s a workaround if you get this. Not pretty, not convenient, but at least you…[Read more] -
Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
Hoorah! At last, after an overload of dithering, I am back on the path that Julie Cohen recommends and writing sh*t.
Don’t you hate it when people put an asterisk in a word, converting a perfectly good piece of Old English into the illegitimate cousin of a euphemism? It’s as though it’s somehow more pol*te.-
Not getting at anybody in particular and I’ve done it myself many times over the years. Anyway – main point, writing!
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Me too Ath. As of this morning. Mine is utterly shit too. 177 words of complete garbage so far. And I don’t care! I might even try to write another 100 words of tosh before lunch!
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But CONGRATULATIONS. If I could remember how to insert an emoji, I would. So just imagine champagne bottles popping, streamers and smiley faces.
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🙂
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I haven’t written any shit today, because I haven’t written anything at all. I’m mulling stuff over. But one H*rry B*ngham once pointed out that he’d spent a whole week in his study mulling things over and not writing a single word, and still counted it as writing time because it produced results later. A murrain on daily targets, that’s wot I say.
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Yes, but my mulling had moved on to how to add to my collection of noir films, or should I make myself another PC and had even reached the outskirts of ‘I wonder what’s on Channel 4’. Luckily that turned out to more Brexit so I started writing again.
The most immediate problem is that my characters are having a conversation and won’t stop bloody…[Read more]
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And congratulations on the tosh, Jane!
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and now I can only see my original update and my own first reply. No other replies and no ‘show all replies’ prompt.
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I’m just getting your two comments, too. So I reckon the rest were so full of swearing that the Den went all puritanical on us??
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Yep, not pointing fingers but somebody here is 100% potty-mouth!
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Your bug work around worked! I managed to find all the comments. Congratulations on all your characters talking. I rewrote the first chapter of my WIP for the thousandth time this morning. It might be getting close to being THE ONE. But there again…
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Hoorah, your kind comment has made the ‘Show all 10 comments’ button to appear, for me anyway.
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Congrats on getting back to writing, Ath. And working round the program glitch.
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
Den of Writers is a FREE forum. That means that nobody pays for membership and if you join you are absolutely entitled to use and enjoy the place as much as anybody – in fact, you are encouraged to.
However, people have enquired about contributing to the cost of hosting the site, so the Donations group will show you how to if you want to.…[Read more]
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