@helen
Active 6 months, 2 weeks ago-
Janette replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Totally unexpected, thanks John. Need to go and put my thinking cap on.
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Barny replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Congratulations, Janette – nice work! And thanks John for the prompt.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Well done, Janette, and thank you John for releasing words I’d not anticipated writing. Thanks also for some brilliantly enjoyable reads.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Well, I’ve read your entries with great enjoyment. Jeanette gave a beautiful allegorical rendition of the passing seasons, Athers made me laugh with his tale of Norman, the folium-phobiac hoist by his own petard, Sandra found a silver lining and Barney completely confounded me with this disturbing narrative – I’m still asking myself, what the h…[Read more]
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Hilary replied to the topic Feedback on the Course in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoJust dropping in quickly to say hello, and to apologise for my absence for the last few weeks. Will try and catch up soon. (Nanowrimo kind of took over).
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Athelstone posted an update 6 years, 9 months ago
“The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered”
The book of my enemy has been remaindered
And I am pleased.
In vast quantities it has been remaindered
Like a van-load of counterfeit that has been seized
And sits in piles in a police warehouse,
My enemy’s much-prized effort sits in piles
In the kind of bookshop where remaindering…[Read more]-
RIP
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Now I know why.
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I met Clive James once. I had long been a fan of the least known – but which he once said was ‘the closest to my heart’ – of his many endeavours, the songs he wrote with Pete Atkin and which Atkin performed. When I first got internet access I discovered and started participating in a mailing list of like-minded souls called Midnight Voices, and…[Read more]
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Sandra posted an update 6 years, 9 months ago
Probably everyone knew this already, but I’ve just discovered George on my new laptop: he reads my novel aloud for me! Gets the names wrong but shows me where commas could be usefully inserted.
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I love my George too. Shows up all my silly spelling mistakes.
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Will I have one? I have an old Mac. Or is there an Apple equivalent?
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Don’t know – it’s Windows 10 I’ve just acquired.
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I love my read-aloud facility, and can change readers and reading speeds. I do have a giggle at the mispronunciations, but it really does highlight the little faults often missed.
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Barny replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Captive No More
Immovable behind a wide table, the five children sat strangely motionless. From tallest on the right to smallest on the left, they patiently faced an audience seated on ten rows of scarlet-topped hotel ballroom chairs.
The tallest child spoke first. “My name is One,” he said quietly, but loud enough. “I am the oldest. I am…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoHa! Thanks @Squidge for the Julie Cohen notes, and I see I commented on your blog back in 2013,
(tho’ never went to one of her workshops) But immediately, with this, I see the beginnings of a character emerge. Admittedly, built onto the murderer I was groping for with the various questionnaires, but certainly growing. -
Squidge replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoOK – here’s the link to Julie’s workshop at York (back in 2013! Yikes…) https://squidgesscribbles.blogspot.com/2013/09/playing-at-being-god-creating-characters.html
In this post is the link to a more creative – literally tear and stick version – way of answering questions about plot, characters etc. At the end of the post……[Read more]
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Squidge replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoI’ll try and dig them out later today. Think I might even have blogged about it, but we’re going back a few years. Also got something that might trigger the unconscious brain into devising your character…
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Squidge replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoWonder if it’s worth doing Julie Cohen’s character idea from York? I’ll have to dig out my notes – it shows the character in action more than anything by posing a series of questions.
Starting to wonder if I read the right bit of Burroway, as I can’t remember reading anything about a waitress! Must revisit…
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Squidge replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoAfraid to say I find Burroway a bit wordy – which is ironic, given that I’m often too wordy myself! Still not had a chance to play with the characters yet…
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Patience undoubtedly a virtue (308 words)
In the same way that Christmas cards seem each year to embrace a different theme – last year it was robins, the year before gold-embossed letters and musical notes – this year’s trend in ‘In sympathy’ cards appeared to be fallen leaves. Drifts of them, beneath trees, along kerb edges, gold and yellow sc…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
Steps of passing ghosts
‘Trees are at their best when they’re turned into timber,’ said Norman as he picked the large golden leaf from his decking, crushing it in his hand. He had searched for ages to find this house with no trees in sight. There had been a spruce in the garden when he moved in, that the previous owner said had been a Chris…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months ago@JaneShuff – I haven’t even started the book yet, just 300 words of random scenes … but glad to hear it works for you.
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Sandra replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoLike Squidge, this is an alien way of working for me, but … I need a murderer. One who isn’t immediately identified as such. (And while I know the (probable) victim I don’t know why or how) so I’ll be attempting to discover him (probably him) with this approach.
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Janette replied to the topic Monthly Comp – November 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 9 months ago
A Coat of Many Colours
Her debut frock had been remarkable enough. Clouds upon clouds of fragrant petals laced together with birdsong; an ode to spring. Dressed for the occasion, she rose from her slumbers to a reveille of golden trumpets, gathered in bands around her heels, and coloured the air with fragrance … though the show soon moved on.…[Read more]
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Squidge replied to the topic Craft Seminar Class 2: Character 1 – Outer Worlds in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoI’ll try…but it feels so unnatural! Maybe I’ll have to do two exercises – one that challenges and one that feels more natural?!
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Squidge replied to the topic Writing Practice: Year 1 in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 9 months agoI bought myself an academic diary and I’m jotting in it things I do connected to writing, especially to do with this MA.
I don’t write every day, so my target is to have at least one, hopefully two sessions a week. I’m currently NaNoing, so that’s changed the focus somewhat over this month.
I also want to go back to blogging more regularly again…[Read more] - Load More