Julie Cordiner

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    Three sleeps become one [342 words]

    Odd the way memory works, Changes shape and emphasis as one grows older. For me, hearing myself  echoing my mother’s faux cheery encouragement as she told me and Robin, my brother, ‘So, you’ll be staying with Granny and Grandad Trent for a little while. Just three sleeps – ‘ shocked me. That I was  …. not ex…[Read more]

  • Sandra posted an update 1 year, 3 months ago

    March competition winner declared, and I urge everyone to read the half dozen entries as evidence of the strength and breadth of talent in the Den, and thank Athelstone, for providing the venue.

  • And, at close of play, I confess I find myself reeling at the richness of the offerings sparked by this ptompt, and rather than daunted by the necessity of choosing a winner, feeling well rewarded by the pleasures of reading them – thank you all.

    <u>Terrie</u>’s single word of denial sparked instant interest, and maintained it with phrases suc…[Read more]

  • 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.

  • The Prophecy

     

    You will mistake the gulls
    for the screaming of a girl
    and run out of your flat
    to an empty landing

    This dark prophecy will forever haunt me.
    An old neighbour uttered it; a self-proclaimed psychic, who called by to pass on the warning. Such a pathetic attempt, I thought, to scare me from moving to the new flats offered to tempt…[Read more]

  • Thank you Knicks – Seagreen’s prompt really did its job!

  • Sandra posted an update 1 year, 4 months ago

    March competition is up

  • 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 McMillan’s ‘physical’, entitled ‘TODAY’, I found

    you will mistake the gulls

    for the screaming of a girl

    and run out of your flat

    to an empty landing”[Read more]

  • 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.

    • It was a good call, Sandra. Congratulations. And thank you Seagreen for the inspiration to put pen to paper again.

  • This is my second attempt – lesson learned in posting too hastily without allowing time to edit (not that this one fared much better). Please feel free to disqualify if this is outside of the rules.

     

    Snuffle and the Tylwith Teg

    Brittle scales fell from his body as he staggered to the edge of hanging rock. Laughter rang out all around, but I…[Read more]

  • And it looks well worthy of continuing, Terrie!

  • Somehow I missed this entire comp – sorry Richard –  but am nevertheless rewarded by being gifted four marvellous pieces of writing – thank you each and all.

  • Dilemma

    So, last night’s message warning that the Wimps were planning some sort of revolt had been genuine, despite the unlikelihood. As Jack had said, delivering it, something must’ve fired them into action, provided them with   a Warrior script instead of the Wimp one their biology merited.

    Frey’s eyes sharpened on noting my arrival (We’d a…[Read more]

  • 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

  • Janette posted an update 1 year, 7 months ago

    Phew, Winter comp story posted. Hope it may be forgiven that this is an old monthly comp entry that I have torn apart, expanded and reassembled. It is all I could come up with given my other obligations, and I now hope errors and amends don’t leap out at me!

    • I hope you may be forgiven too, because my entry was conceived in a similar way. I don’t even have your excuse of being too busy, but the story asked to be written and so I wrote it.

      • I look forward to reading yours, Richard.

      • Me too to a large extent. My entry very much a side/back story of two or three other comp entries all of which stemmed from one or more of my ‘Love triangles with murder series. I did hope for something different but the characters have taken up permanent residence in my head.

  • 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.

  • 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]

    • 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]

      • I suspect, lacking conviction in my opinions, I’m not a campaigner.

        • 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.

  • Recently, @Philippa East posted a copy of her letter to the Society of Authors on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2364405197250152&set=pcb.2364405367250135

    It refers to the unfair bombardment of celebrity books and their many promotions, especially during a holiday season. Though I am not (yet) published, I wholeheartedly agree…[Read more]

    • Hi @janette, thank you for sharing this. As I’m not on FB I can’t read the whole letter on screen. Are you able to copy and paste it here?

      • Hi Libby and @janette.
        Here below is a copy of my original letter to the society of authors.
        I think that a “Christmas appeal” letter, encouraging readers and book-buyers to support ordinary authors by avoiding celebrity titles would be great! I’ve been chatting loads about this issue in my various writing networks, so I think that if we were…[Read more]

    • Thank you, @philippaeast for posting this. @Libby hope you agree with the sentiment.

    • I’m happy to join any communal effort. I’m an associate member of SoA, because I haven’t sold enough books to classify as a full member. Our Monmouth branch of SoA is very active, and as you can imagine, the subject of celebrity authors comes up a lot, particularly in relation to children’s books. A good friend, Claire Fayers, has just scored a…[Read more]

    • On listening to other opinions, both here and on Messenger (FB), I concede that I have perhaps not worded my intentions very well and may have come across as too confrontational. I also apologize to those who feel ‘bombarded’ and will happily remove names from the list of those I have shared into the conversation, or remove the message altogether.…[Read more]

    • I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience trying to get the message out Janette. I share your and Philippa’s frustration with the celebrity Christmas book, especially now I’m truing to get my funny children’s book under people’s noses. An unfair situation, but one I doubt publishers will be interested in rectifying.

  • Janette posted an update 1 year, 8 months ago

    Good to see so many taking part in the Winter comp. I’ve been wrestling with two ideas though one appears to have risen above the other. I was ready to post it … but late corrections reminded me to be a little less hasty and allow some thinking time, when I’ll probably change my mind again.

    • I’ve been struggling to come up with anything, because my initial idea seems beyond my ability. I’m going to try something simpler.

  • This is not my take on the headline, but I’ve posted it here because I could not come up with anything more ludicrous.

     

    Short hair hints may be ‘sabotage” study finds.

    Publishing her research on the ’Science Direct’ website, under the heading  ‘Personality and individual Differences’  Danielle Sulikowski details how women were asked to giv…[Read more]

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