@johnalty
Active 5 years, 4 months ago-
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KazG posted an update in the group
Songs of Innocence and Experience 7 years, 1 month agoAlbany, Western Australia
Jez, female
Tea-
This needs to go in the Choices topic thread, else it’ll get lost. :-0
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Oh I thought it was! silly me. Thanks chica x
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
Well, here I am looking out at the Haymarket tram stop in Edinburgh from a cosy AirBnB. It would have been nice to catch up with local Denizens but I have my family with me and it’s been a packed weekend around a family wedding so not much opportunity. Flying back to Sussex by the Sea later this PM so won’t be feeling much like doing responsible…[Read more]
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Hilary joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
JaneShuff posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
Every single person in my novel is caucasian (which is a serious problem)and I want to introduce a character who isn’t but I’m absolutely terrified of getting it wrong. He’ll play neither a big nor a stereotypical role and I don’t want his enthnicity to be any more of a thing that another character’s hair colour and Scottish accent. Any pointers?…[Read more]
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Hi Jane, you don’t say where your setting is but for the UK you can give him a non Caucasian name and that will be sufficient?
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@janeshuff, my book is full of varied ethnicity because of the region I’ve set it in. To help, I have gone with what I know. First, I looked at who I knew personally, who might help me factually. Secondly, people I know or have known more remotely, have inspired other characters and I took notes of what I remembered about them. In addition, I s…[Read more]
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I’m inclined towards Libby’s way. You’re not out to solve the problems of a multiracial society, so if you start planting hints and plot devices then you’ll end up with the author waving at the readers.
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Hi Jane, You can tie yourself in knots, trying to be PC and non-culturally appropriative (if that’s a word: it is now) and not offend anybody. I read an article a while ago, suggesting that if you have a walk-on part using someone called ‘Steve’, change his name to ‘Sanjay’ and leave it at that. i.e. doing just what Steve did with Steve’s joys and…[Read more]
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Thank you all. Extremely helpful as always.
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Libby posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
I’d recommend How Not to Write a Novel to anyone. It’s helpful and very funny. However the lack of index is annoying, unless newer editions have one.
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PS the author’s new novel has had rave reviews too.
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That was the first book about writing I ever read – bought it for my daughter – and one of the very, very few whose advice I remember well enough to follow.
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Me too. Is that because it also pointed out how writing could go horribly wrong? I remember, ‘Wearing only his underpants, she watched her boyfriend swim across the lake.’ :-))
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It’s all the substitute for ‘he said that so resonated with me.
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Oh, yes.
‘Funny?’ she interrogated.
‘Hilarious!’ he expostulated.
‘Surely not!’ she declared.
‘But how to you know?’ he exclaimed.
‘Says you!’ she objected.
‘That’s the last thing I’m willing to say,’ he concluded.And that’s just some of them.
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I love the book. It was reassuring to see mistakes I knew I was avoiding – and be gently reminded of some that I WAS making, without realising!
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Daedalus joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Jules joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
URGENT!!! The weekend approaches. If you wish to enter the challenge “Songs of Innocence and Experience” then you only have until Tuesday at 22:00 to join the eponymous group and make your choices.
MORE IMPORTANT STILL there are several Denizens who have joined the group but have yet to POST their choices. You must both join AND post to be in…[Read more]
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PS I’m travelling around until Monday PM (family wedding) so probably won’t be able to answer questions until then.
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Kate joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Seagreen joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Sandra joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Athelstone joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Bella joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
JaneShuff joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Raine created the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago-
OK, I’ve set a group up, as my main wall post will disappear off the page shortly. But I’ve not thought any further than that about how to do things. Jump in with ideas/requirements/etc. 🙂
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I guess we should have a thread starting with the link to his course. Perhaps said thread to be used only to post relevant links to course material.
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Elle replied to the topic What's Past Is Epilogue (word count: 2532) in the forum Critiques 7 years, 1 month ago
Thanks Margaret for posting your story. Sorry I’m in a bit of a rush and cannot read the whole thing.
Not sure what kind of feedback you are after but I wanted to say that you write well and it sounds like an interesting story. It has potential but the first three paragraphs are too much tell and not enough show. Furthermore there are also heavy…[Read more]
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The JW self-edit course, Ath? Yes. I think even a writer as good as you would find it worthwhile. D’you want to check the syllabus first to make sure you don’t know it all already? I can supply basic details, assuming it hasn’t changed much in the past three years.
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Yes!! Even though you know what you’re doing, there are elements of it that are still useful. I think there will be lots you already know, but in reading others’ work and particularly seeing Debi and Emma’s comments (as well as fellow readers’) is like mini-critique course in itself.
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Ta to you both for saying some nice things…but I know I need some pushing and shoving and just straight educating. Here’s hoping the January course is a classic!
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Best l thing I got out of it was the friendship of a core of valuable fellow-attendees; we still regularly meet, though not as often as desired and have done since January 2014.
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YES! I think this course is so good that it will help almost anyone. I would do it again in a flash. And the one to one attention is worth the price alone!
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Definitely not as often as desired! But agreed – the course was great, but the group of friends is greaterer.
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Hell, yes – to all of that.
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All signed up.
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Good luck!! I kind of assumed you’d done it already! Is January the course @johnt3 is also signed up on (for his second time around)?
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No, I’ve just started. It’s a promising and very varied bunch of writers. Good luck, Athelstone, you’ll enjoy it. PS I’d forgotten how hard the first exercise is!
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Nope, never done it, although I’ve been on various workshops etc. that touch on some of the modules. I have a feeling it will be a very different thing to be engaged on my own work and working with a group. When I looked the Sept one was full, but I wanted another few months to write some more crap (as Julie C puts it) before starting anyway. All good.
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Yay! Starting when?
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21 January. Really looking forward to it
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Raine posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
Anyone seen this? I wonder whether it would be possible to ‘run’ this informally here somehow…
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I’m in!
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Well, the Den has private groups so I’m sure it’s possible. We’re hardly over-using the site’s facilities at the moment.
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Also, it looks good doesn’t it. What a star Andrew is. Andrew, missed you at York this year!
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That’s @andrew 🙂
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Thanks! And thanks for sharing this – do put it into circulation with people who might be interested. And too there are plenty of ways to mix up and adapt what’s there.
And yes – I think the Den could be a great place to set up a critique space. What I’d like is to be able to recommend more places where writers can connect with like-minded…[Read more]
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Sorry @andrew, I forgot to tag you in. THanks for pointing people in our direction & hopefully we are/can be one of those safe critique spaces for writers. I think your syllabus + a supportive online group will make a brilliant combination. 🙂
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Me too.
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Certainly the first, writing part for me.
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Oh gosh. That looks really involved… I don’t know whether I’d be able to do all of that.
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what a good idea! I’d be keen.
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@squidge and @sandradavies I’m sure we can set it up so that people are free to participate in the units that interest them, and not the ones that dont. I think there are probably advantages to having a core group that go through the process together, building on what’s been covered. But I also don’t see the point in making it too ‘strict’, or…[Read more]
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Besides, it’s structured as a full MA (two years of work) so I think most of us would rather take it slow and be free to dip out when RL/other commitments get in the way.
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Completely agree with everything you say, @raine. Slow and gentle. Let’s have a go and discuss as we go along….
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Sandra replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
‘Commission & omission’, book three in the series Love triangles with murder, is now available for sale on Blurb.
DIY promotion (which I am strenuously uncomfortable with) takes up a helluva lot of writing time. Book 4 – ‘Drink with a dead man’, whose opening 400 words was declared winner of Raine’s monthly competition, isn’t likely to see…[Read more]
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