@jd73
Active 6 years, 4 months ago-
Knicks replied to the topic Monthly competition March 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 3 months ago
Promise Landing
(410 words*)
The screams tear Seth like cheap paper from shallow, disturbing dreams, and he gasps awake, eyes on the living darkness that writhes, malevolent with secrets, in the corners of the room. His gut can tell itâs way beyond midmorning, though the blackout curtain over the single window could convince him itâs the wit…[Read more]
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Daedalus replied to the topic The Wild West Railway in the forum Blogs 1 year, 4 months ago
Glorious. I’ve been to that part of the world and had no idea there had been a railway there, let alone one with such a remarkable history. It’s a shame it didn’t survive long enough that the preservation movement had got going, though by the sound of things it was probably lucky that they quit while they were ahead.
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Sandra posted an update 1 year, 4 months ago
Six days left before the monthly comp deadline, and three VERY different, exciting and surely inspirational entries already. Make my selection of a winner all the harder by posting your response.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 4 months ago
Thank you Knicks – Seagreen’s prompt really did its job!
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Knicks replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 4 months ago
Congratulations @sandradavies!! Well deserved!
I loved each dragons – real, metaphorical, and felt. This was a delicious prompt to sink teeth into. Thanks lotsly, @seagreen đ
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Sandra started the topic Monthly competition March 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 4 months ago
Apologies for the delay. As is my wont,  I was attempting to find a line or two of poetry to act as opening line and/or prompt which took longer than anticipated. However, in  Andrew McMillanâs âphysicalâ, entitled âTODAYâ, I found
âyou will mistake the gulls
for the screaming of a girl
and run out of your flat
to an empty landingâ…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 4 months ago
Wow, Sea, that is a surprise, especially as I felt completely out-classed by every other entry – but challenged too, which was a Good Thing. I’m away from home at the moment but will aim to post March’s compTuesday evening. Thank you all for the several inspirations.
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Knicks replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
A Draconian Call in the Dark
(400 words, excluding title)
âI donât want anything. Thatâs how I survive. I will never want anything again.â
I wring my head, trying to force the memories leaking out of me back down my spine. I hate the wet upon my face, the ache in my throat, the hollow in my chest. I hate so many, many things.
âYOU WILL NEVE…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
And it looks well worthy of continuing, Terrie!
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
Somehow I missed this entire comp – sorry Richard –Â but am nevertheless rewarded by being gifted four marvellous pieces of writing – thank you each and all.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 5 months ago
Dilemma
So, last nightâs message warning that the Wimps were planning some sort of revolt had been genuine, despite the unlikelihood. As Jack had said, delivering it, something mustâve fired them into action, provided them with   a Warrior script instead of the Wimp one their biology merited.
Freyâs eyes sharpened on noting my arrival (Weâd a…[Read more]
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Daedalus replied to the topic What if I'm a bad human being? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 5 months ago
Oof. Yes. Gaiman. I think a lot of people I know are particularly hurt by that one because he appeared to be a writer of such humanity. I didn’t read anything of his that I didn’t like, and connect with in some way. At first, I did allow myself to give him the benefit of the doubt. Not for very long, and I’m not sure there’s any doubt now…[Read more]
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Daedalus posted an update 1 year, 5 months ago
Finally completed a more-or-less subbable draft of the novel I’ve been working on since 2013. I did the Writers’ Workshop Self Edit course using this novel in October 2014 (back in the days when I hilariously thought of it as ‘nearly finished’). Is anyone still around from that course? Anyway, it just goes to show that if you occasionally put your…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
Regrettably late to this – and non-participant – but what a joy to catch up with those that did make the effort- thank you @ Richard and @Terrie
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Sea, I well remember, a couple of years ago admiring your shorter haircut when you picked me up at Markinch station, Promise I wasn’t thinking of the competition we might meet at Craigievar! I did hope to do something more inspired for this great prompt, but ran out of mental space, so well done Ath.
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Sandra replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 8 months ago
My view is that publishers are in it for the money, and celebrity sells more – and more reliably – than as-yet-unknown novelists (potentially supplying a profit which might enable them to take more chances on unknowns?) It might be seen as ‘not fair’, but in my view is more honest to trust readers’ appreciation of well-written novels than bombard…[Read more]
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Sandra, it isn’t so much a bombardment campaign, rather a sharing of a meme to ask for support. I appreciate the view that regular novelists are enabled to be taken on because of the success of celebrity books, but the avalanche of them in such an unlevel playing field is instrumental in creating this huge imbalance, and I think the dishonesty is…[Read more]
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I suspect, lacking conviction in my opinions, I’m not a campaigner.
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I have bowed out of this. My intention was to be supportive, but the feelings stirred and opposing views given have me concluding that I should leave it to published authors and their representatives to fight the battle. Lesson learned.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
This is not my take on the headline, but Iâve posted it here because I could not come up with anything more ludicrous.
âShort hair hints may be âsabotageâ study finds.
Publishing her research on the âScience Directâ website, under the heading  âPersonality and individual Differencesâ  Danielle Sulikowski details how women were asked to giv…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Congratulations to Seagreen, and to everyone else who supplied an entertaining and impressive piece to October’s comp. And to Knicks for setting it,
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Knicks replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 8 months ago
Heya lovelies,
Apologies for the day-late decision making. I’ve been oout and aboout with my egg, enjoying our midterm break from work and school, and foolishly saved the reading until the final day of the month because I wanted to take in each piece at the same time, rather than read as submitted, and also to give everyone who could, a chance to…[Read more]
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