Julie Cordiner

  • Raine replied to the topic A gasp escaped me! in the forum Blogs 5 years, 11 months ago

    Totally agree re Boyne, @jillybean. He’s lazy and complacent, and doesn’t care who he hurts as a result.

    Having recently discovered the horrors of researching hist fic, I must admit to struggling with knowing where the line is between really getting stuck on details that don’t matter, and making sure the whole worldbuilding feels authentic.…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted an update 5 years, 11 months ago

    July’s comp is now July-and-August’s comp! If you fancy having a go, check it out here: https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/monthly-comp-july-2020/

  • Jules replied to the topic A gasp escaped me! in the forum Blogs 5 years, 11 months ago

    Pretty sure Stephen King now has a team of fact checkers. But yes I imagine the tone of those letters is gleeful. What I’ll say for King is that even though he’s writing speculative fiction, he portrays characters who’ve had life experiences he has not respectfully. The same cannot be said for Boyne! One of the big problems with The Boy in the…[Read more]

  • Sandra replied to the topic A gasp escaped me! in the forum Blogs 5 years, 11 months ago

    Ah, yes. I take your point Athers. My ignorance obscured it earlier.

  • Sandra replied to the topic A gasp escaped me! in the forum Blogs 5 years, 11 months ago

    Athers, I’ve not read Boyne, so took the passage you quote as from a fantasy novel which, in my understanding, means anything goes in the way of made-up words and facts.
    On the subject of ‘proper’ research; at Newcastle Noir a couple of years ago, one crime writer told of being asked how many specialists he had on call to help him with research,…[Read more]

    • There’s an article in today’s Telegraph referring to this, and mentioning it seems to apply less to film-makers, e.g. Braveheart where kilts were worn 500 years before in use “because they looked better”. Artistic licence, innit?

  • Squidge posted an update 5 years, 11 months ago

    SO sorry, folks – had completely forgotten to check in on the monthly comp! Have no excuse other than I’ve been rather focused on Tilda 3 recently and got carried away.

    As it’s already the 4th August, and there were only three entries, does anyone object to it running through this month too? Hopefully get a few more folk having a go?…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted an update 5 years, 12 months ago

    Any more for any more on the July comp? Not going to be inundated for judging this time unless there’s a last minute flurry…

  • Looking For Paradise

    The mossy church bench had no kids fighting around it. No grumpy, obstinate husbands, or house-din. Just bliss. I breathed deeply as I listened to the trees above, its branches whispering and swaying in a gentle breeze, stirring birds into song. A squirrel wriggled up rough bark and disappeared into the foliage, minding its…[Read more]

  • Raine posted an update 6 years ago

    Our lovely Fiona (Bric) is on this tmrw – register here to watch….
    https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p0_gtnBjRMyAoswPP36ZbQ

  • Raine posted an update 6 years ago

    For those of us in the North – Harper have opened their ‘northern’ (Manchester, still quite south from where I’m standing 😀 ) office & are doing an open submissions to northerly writers. I don’t know how long they’ll be doing that & imagine they’ll switch to agented only fairly quickly so if you’ve got something ready, might be worth a punt?

    • Raine replied 6 years ago

      sorry – forgot to add: Harpernorth.co.uk

      • Libby replied 6 years ago

        Coming from the Manchester area myself I’m pleased one of the big publishing companies thinks this very populous, diverse and influential area is worth direct support. (If I knew how to add an emoji signalling a combination of weariness, irony, relief and some kind of optimism, I’d put it here.) I have to agree, Raine, that Manchester is hardly…[Read more]

  • Thanks Sea – not heard of the ‘7 Cs’ but it makes perfect sense. Perhaps it is that it can’t be immediately applied from the start, i.e. you (meaning one, and definitely I) have to write quite a lot of scenes involving character and events before the story line appears, after which tweaking into shape can take place.

  • I’m relieved to hear I’m not the only one to have been unable to find a theoretical how-to-plot scheme that works for them, and I really have tried because plotting is certainly what I find hardest, not being a natura story-teller.
    Screenwriter Jeremy Sheldon did a brilliant presentation at a Festival of Writing weekend, (2014?) and I’ve been…[Read more]

  • I always sit in on these ‘story arc’ kinds of sessions in the hope I’ll find one that works for me. I never have…

    I do have two that help remind me of the essentials though.

    The triangle…I learnt it on the self edit course (now run by Jericho Writers) and blogged about it here:…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years ago

    Any more takers for the July comp? We’re halfway through the month…

    • Go on! You know you want to. It’s only 400 words. Don’t let me be the winner by default – I want my brilliant words to do it!

  • I normally have a character and and end in sight when I start. Apart from that, I don’t do much planning at all – my brain simply doesn’t work like that. I’d love to be more organised, but personally it’s stifling. I am full of admiration for peeps who do the whole character file/in depth plot/post-it scene arrangements etc!

    I do a lot of…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years ago

    In case Denizens are interested… I’m doing a digital zoom launch for Tilda#2 next Friday – details here: https://squidgesscribbles.blogspot.com/2020/07/you-are-invited-totilda-2s-book-launch.html

    If you can’t make it, there’ll be a recording which I’ll post at some point in the future.

  • I used to begin with a conversation between two characters and spread from there. One book I was ~20K in before I knew who would die, and a further 20K before I knew who did it. Even so it turned out to be someone else.

    Now that those characters have become so familiar and the twists and turns of their lives compelling enough to become a…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years ago

    @knickylaurelle – Hi Knicks…sorry but I can see your question but can’t find a way to reply to it! Glad to hear you’re doing OK in spite of everything…having littlies around while studying is HARD! Well done you for getting through it all x

    I’m good, ta… writing is much slower going, cos my head’s not always in the right place to…[Read more]

  • Don’t know how many of you support the Big Issue, but you might well have heard of Street Cat Bob, who adopted a young homeless man and saved his life. Sadly, James Bowen’s feline saviour died in June after being hit by a car. Many people have been moved by their story, and Bob was quite the poster-cat for the Big Issue.

    I loved the film – A…[Read more]

  • Wowser – thanks, Jill! There were some great interpretations of the theme, so well done to everyone who entered…especially as I think it was Andrew’s first time?

    I’ll have a think about a theme and post a bit later this morning…

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