@helen
Active 6 months, 2 weeks ago-
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John S Alty replied to the topic Regular Den competition – where next? in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 5 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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Jules replied to the topic Monthly comp: Feb 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 5 months ago
Something ate Feb and most of March when I wasn’t looking, so I’m all for @raine ‘s suggested course of action.
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Philippa East posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
Currently displacing my editing angst and self-medicating by watching the counter on the Revoke Article 50 petition.
It’s not a great look. *sigh*-
I’ve been exhibiting the exact same displacement activity!!
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I know, it fools me into thinking im achieving something / something is being achieved. Such fallacy, but there we go!
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp: Feb 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 5 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, 5 months ago
Good one, Daeds, thank you.
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 5 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, 5 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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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
I am writing again… One whole chapter further on in The Black Ruby than I was at the start of this week.
About bloomin’ time! Oh – and for those who’ve read Rurik’s story (which is now about Tilda!), remember I said the publisher didn’t like ‘Mage of Merjan’ as a title cos they thought it gave the plot away too much? Am I being daft by…[Read more]
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HUGE well dones on getting writing again! That’s fab news. 😊 Re the title, quest just makes me think of the six BAZILLION dragon quest books, so for me it’s too tied up with that. But given the age bracket, I wouldn’t have worried so much about LOTR overlap. Not much help, sorry.
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I know – Beast Quest too… Ring Hunt sounds a bit dodgy if you say it quickly (!) but the search for the ring is central to the story, and there’s only so many ways you can describing hunting for something! Thinking cap on again…
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Can it just be about the ring, rather than the search? The lost ring, the ring of x, a something in gold (if it’s gold!)…?
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I can’t help with the title. I struggle with them as well, but great that you are back to writing!
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The ring of Ambak… Perhaps.
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Works better for me than Quest etc does. 😊
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Thanks Raine…will see what Bink think… Mind you, not heard from them for ages.
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Philippa East replied to the topic Interview with Fiona Erskine, author of The Chemical Detective in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
Brilliant, can’t wait to read. I’m so sorry, @bric but I don’t think I’ll make the launch, but I will be getting my copy for sure!!
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Philippa East posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 5 months agoHi guys,
Hope you’re all getting on well. I have been mostly crying in a corner since getting a further round of edits from the publisher / editor. 😭
I honestly though I was done when I sent her my draft in January, so this really knocked me for six. I am (once again) slowly working through them. Please send writerly fuel and hugs!-
Oh Philippa, I’m sending tonnes of hugs and tea. That’s a hard thing to face, but you’ve got this. You really have.
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Sorry being brief as on my phone I have the most insanely small typing window! You’re so close now, and your editor must be so invested in your story to be taking such time over it. It’s A GOOD thing, I think. Although it must feel like a kick in the teeth. Hang in there. It’ll be so so worth it. X
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sending hugs and chocolate and repeating everything Raine said.
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oh @philippaeast how bloody EXHAUSTING. I’m sending a lovely batch of re-fuelling scones, some good Ceylon tea (do you like Orange Pekoe?), chocolate and some gin. you can combine as you see fit. But you have definitely got this and this book is going to be polished to a painfully high sheen at the end of all this. It. Will. Be. Worth. It! xxx
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Oh gosh…just when you feel it’s there, and then you find it’s not quite as there as you thought. Keep going. You are this *pinches finger and thumb together with a hairsbreadth between them* close. Sending love and writerly energy x
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So sorry you’re feeling down @philippaeast . I know you know it will be worth it in the end but the road there is hard. Am sending moral support.
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Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. The scones and tea are delicious.
“Exhausting” “painfully high sheen”. I think you’ve got it, @kazg!
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Philippa East replied to the topic You'll find us in the "activity" section….. in the forum
December SloMo 7 years, 5 months agoOh, thanks for sharing @kazg!
I just put this note up on the December SloMo section, because the forums were empty for it so it looked like there was no one here!
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Sandra replied to the topic Interview with Fiona Erskine, author of The Chemical Detective in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
I’m going to the launch on 2nd April. Local bookshop will be there with a goodly supply.
But thanks Daeds, for an excellent interview.
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
@athelstone – can’t find the donations thingy in forum. Thought it might be under admin, but no joy and it doesn’t seem to be listed anywhere else in there?
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Hi Squidge, from login select Groups, then scroll down and select Donations, then select Forum 🙂 There are two topics. the first is a summary of where we are and how to donate. The second is for chat.
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I’ve checked there too Squidge, and it’s showing as not having a forum. No topics Ath.
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That’s odd. There aren’t any settings I can see to make the forum more visible, or even to hide it or anything really. It’s a public group, can you see the forum if you join it?
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Yes, you have to join.
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Ah, well that’s my inexperience with the site then. I should have added ‘join’ as a step.
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Squidge replied to the topic Interview with Fiona Erskine, author of The Chemical Detective in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
It’s a really fab interview – I so want to read this!!
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 5 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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Sandra posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
Help, please – I’m sure this has been mentioned before but I cannot find it. I’ve received a notification that someone has commented on an update in a private group, but all I am able to access is just one (earlier) comment, and not the 7 I am informed exist. How do overcome this?
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I had something like this recently. Got an e-mail notification that someone had commented, but when I clicked on the ‘View the discussion here’ link I found that all but the last few posts had vanished, including the actual post by me that was being replied to. Came over here to check and it was the same. Is this a software issue?
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It should show all your posts but sometimes it ‘folds’ them to save space. This is annoying but there’s not much that xan be done at present. However if you’ve been mentioned in a post using your handle, then select mentions from the main navigational menu (assuming you’re logged in). You can access the post there. Failing that trh actually going…[Read more]
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Thanks Jules – I’ll accept it is an occasional hiccup and work round it.
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Yeah, I got hit by that glitch on that comment thread too, @sandradavies. It does seem to strike at random. :-/
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Not for me. I would love to see everyone but that price tag is not a great inducement.
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,
Also, I’m going stir crazy as I haven’t been out more than ten times since mid January
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.
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…
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.
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.
@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.
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).
Probably a really packed schedule but it would be sad not to fit in a tea/coffee and a doughnut perhaps!
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 🙁
No York for me, but Edinburgh is definitely do-able.
Do let me know if you do plan that. I am a flight away
Not this year, I’m afraid.