@gerryfenge
Active 4 years, 10 months ago-
Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
I’m trying, guys. PLEASE be careful who you make friends with
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John S Alty posted an update 7 years, 7 months ago
Looks like judging the January competition will be an easy task.
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I suspect it’s because many of us are desperately trying to beat our RWAV stories into submission!
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Aye, that’s the likely thing. And my judging late didn’t help. Could always think about extending the comp to the end of Feb?
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It doesn’t bother me at all to have no takers. I know everyone is absorbed with RWAV. Real life intrudes as well. Priorities.
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Have started a submission. Now I’ve admitted it I’d better get on with it 🙂
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Regarding that Raine, how would Denizens feel about making it a two-monthly comp? I suppose Christmas plus Winter Challenge is going to make Nov-Dec-Jan most difficult for most people, so it might not be a problem in the normal run of things to keep it monthly
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Or even a quarterly competition. Maybe we could look at a judging panel, too. It needs new life breathing into it, somehow.
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Possibly. It might just be the time of year – there were ebbs and flows on the Cloud too, and with a smaller pool of people here we’ll always feel it more acutely when people are busy. But I’ll open a thread, and we can put those suggestions to people and get a sense of what might boost participation a bit.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Speed Kills: Salisbury, 1906 in the forum Blogs 7 years, 8 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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John S Alty started the topic January 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 8 months ago
OK, everyone, we’ll make this short and sweet because the RWAV competition is reaching its finale this month and many will be busy with that.
It’s a new year so the theme is “Looking Ahead” and you have to do it with a mere 200 words.
Good luck! -
John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp – December 2018 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 8 months ago
Well, I didn’t see that coming. Thanks, Raine.
Well done to all the entrants for taking part. -
Tony Lyttle posted an update 7 years, 8 months ago
I’ve just been completing my Tax Return for 2017/18, due in online by 31 January, 2019 and found a very welcome ‘tax break’ for new authors with not too many sales.
I published my first (and only, so far) book in 2016/17. I had to declare the additional income from the sales as ‘self-employment’ income. Lots of stuff to fill in and quite a…[Read more]
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Hi Tony,
Thank you for this post. Very good news about the Trading Allowance. It was a nuisance having to fill in forms about the small profits we might make from our ‘amazing’ self publishing experience. As you say if we keep careful note of our costs it may be a while before true profits are accrued.
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 8 months ago
A reminder to my friends on the Room With a View forum that there are only 18 more days to complete initial endeavours by 22:00 on 25 January. More time than the government has to conclude and present its EU withdrawal agreement on 21 January but I leave you to decide which is the harder task.
Apologies to members not in the Room With a View…[Read more]
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John S Alty replied to the topic Speed Kills: Salisbury, 1906 in the forum Blogs 7 years, 8 months ago
Another interesting and entertaining story from the world of railways – thank you Richard.
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Happy new year, @johnalty and all Denizens.
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Thanks. You too, and all Denizens. May 2019 bring you all you want it to.
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Happy New Year, friends!
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Happy New Year. Que de bonnes choses en 2019
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Happy New year all. May it bring success with your writing
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Happy New Year John!
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Happy New Year, all!
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Happy new year all.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp – December 2018 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 8 months ago
Road to Redemption
It was the hour before dawn on Christmas morning. Robert stood under a pair of bay trees at the far end of the garden and breathed deeply, calming himself. The darkest hour it’s sometimes called, but he could see the light was coming fast now, a sliver of red showing on the eastern horizon and he knew he’d have to hurry. Sho…[Read more]
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John S Alty posted an update 7 years, 8 months ago
I’m working to finish this month’s competition entry (come on, you lot!) and fiddling with the Room with a View thingy. Had a piece published in Across the Margin, always a little boost.
Real life is quite demanding right now, also, so just popped in to say Merry Christmas! -
Athelstone replied to the topic Getting An Agent Blog in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 8 months ago
Fascinating then and fascinating now! I think one thing that you express so well here is the sheer workload of writing a successful book. OK, not everybody is going to make the huge changes that you did, but the fact remains that ‘tinkering’ is almost never enough. Great blog.
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Hilary posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 9 months agoHello fellow slomoers (?)
I’ve been very slow… but I now know how my novel is going to end! I have an outline for the bits I’ve still got left to write. Need to flesh them out a bit and then get on with it. That will be the third draft done, then.
Well done to all of us! And keep going all of us! Might do a Janowrimo!-
That’s fantastic @hilary! What a relief for you. Such a good feeling when structural chunks fall into place like that. Well done you, and everyone! I’m liking SloMo very much – think I’ll be joining you for JanNoWriMo!
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Well done @hilary! I never know the exact ending till about 2/3 of the way through, and it’s always a bit of a relief to figure it out! Hope it helps you move through the last few bits now you’ve got it mapped out.
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Yeaaaarrrsss! Nice work, Hil on the ending! Looking forward to hearing more about it…. Yes, please can we continue in January???? I need all the kindly support I can get!!
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 9 months ago
Coast walk this morning with a steady 40 mph wind off the sea blowing hail horizontally. Not nice round stuff either: jagged lumps with sharp bits that stung like hell. Got hit in the eye and it felt like a punch. Couldn’t see properly for 10 minutes, but cobwebs all blown away and once my fingers had thawed out managed to scribble some ideas down.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Writing Advice in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 9 months ago
I came across this piece of writing advice by Sol Stein which appeals to me:
“….be sure you don’t stop the story while describing. You are a storyteller, not an interior decorator.”
Probably a shot across the bows of so-called literary prose. King likes to emphasize this point too, but doesn’t do it quite as succinctly.
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Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 9 months ago
Congratulations, Stevie!
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Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 9 months ago
(not sure I want to meet the bots though)
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Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 9 months ago
The launch was great, thanks! I enjoyed the reading – luckily I went first, so could then relax. It was great to meet some of the other writers too.
I love meeting other writers…
We need to have a Den get together… In RL, I mean. -
John S Alty posted an update 7 years, 9 months ago
I see we have four new members who could use a vowel or two in their name. What’s that all about?
Anyway, Wlcme! - Load More

No intention of doing any such thing in this case, Athers.
Quite right too 🙂
I wonder if it’d be an idea to insist on a profile for joiners? Can be faked, of course, but is a bit more of a nuisance to compile plus enables a bit more of an informed choice as to whether or not to befriend.
The problem is not insisting on a profile. The problem is the necessary custom code to make it visible. It’s being looked into at any rate.
Ah … thanks, Jules.
Sorry! I was one of the trusting culprits who made friends. It just seemed unkind to refuse. I’ve learned my lesson now.
Not a culprit at all. The name on the profile gave nothing away and I was the first to accept because I thought it was somebody I’d met recently and told about the site (I only knew her first name). Anyway, Jules has sorted “her” out now.
Oo er. ‘She’ must be sore!
Sore bot?
😀