-
Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years ago
Fabulous competition! Hooray for all of us, especially Knicks. Thank you Sandra.
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years ago
@ Richard, glad to hear you were inspired, and hope it becomes a (good) habit. I did try to make sure I’d the time-line correct for Rebecca, but whichever, it worked as far as impact was concerned.
-
RichardB replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years ago
Thank you, Sandra, for a prompt that actually got me writing. It’s ages since I last entered the monthly comp, possibly not since the Cloud imploded.
Just to clarify, this is a prequel to my earlier stories about Rebecca rather than a continuation, set ten years earlier. Rather like Athelstone with Teabreak, I can’t leave her alone. I love her to…[Read more]
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years ago
I should’ve known better than to panic – what I took for drought was silent fermentation which resulted in an uncorking and a fizzing cascade of sparkling wines. Knick’s violently vivid tale of betrayal dangerously intoxicating with an awe-inspiring detonation of language.
Richard B’s continuation of his ‘Whodunnit’ tale and Rebecca’s stoi…[Read more]
-
Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years ago
What becomes of the broken hearted?
Tomorrow, if I make it through the night, I celebrate my one hundred and ninth birthday. I hate my birthdays. Life’s punctuation. People wander about pretending it’s a secret that there will be a party for me in the day room. The press may attend. The staff will say things such as, “Well done”, as though…[Read more]
-
-
RichardB replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years ago
This is in response to the original prompt, ‘What becomes…’
599 words (Phew!)Glan-y-Nant
She’s the reason I’m so far from home in this quiet corner of Carmarthenshire where the tourists don’t come, driving along this grass-grown lane to nowhere, neither knowing nor caring where I’m going. Walking-on-air. light-in-the-face, ice-in-the-heart…[Read more]
-
-
-
-
-
Athelstone posted an update 2 years, 1 month ago
Winter is a-drawing in. Throw another log on the cat and pull up your writing gear. Time to turn your attention to matters of ancient tradition. Yonder peasant is freezing to death looking for Wenceslas’s famously warm footprints, the Daddy Longlegs are queuing up to die on your carpet, and the Winter Short Story Challenge is here! This is a…[Read more]
-
-
Athelstone posted an update 2 years, 1 month ago
Well, it’s September. Something is usually afoot by now, but I’ve been tied up with finishing a draft and editing, amongst other things. Is the formula too tired? Anybody up for another spot of winter writing?
-
I’m up for it, Ath. I find the comp helpful and reading other people’s stories helps my writing too. What about setting a choice of three general topics but without the choices about objects – would that make your and Jules’ lives easier? So, I don’t know, a story concerning either love, crime or war. Maybe too a longer deadline for joining the…[Read more]
-
I’m up for winter writing, Ath. I haven’t been around here much because I’ve been busy with both book two (currently being typeset by Leigh Forbes) and three (less than halfway through first draft) as well as trying to promote and sell book one. Several book fairs and talks about using my own epilepsy in fiction lined up in the near future. But I…[Read more]
-
Jolly good! I shall put my thinking-cap on.
-
Brilliant!
-
-
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 1 month ago
As I well know, Ath, but returning from a week in Orkney to nil activity I thought I’d give everyone a second possibility of inspiration.
-
Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 1 month ago
I’m usually a late respondant, and as Libby says it is a busy month.
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 1 month ago
Thank YOU Libby – as ever I look forward to reading your entry.
-
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition, September 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 1 month ago
UPDATE/ALTERNATIVE TO SEPTMBER COMP.
In view of lack of response so far, I wonder whether Tessa Hadley’s new collection, ‘After the funeral’ might be more inspiring? If so, give it a go – give them both a go if you feel so inspired – you’ve still a couple of weeks.
-
Athelstone replied to the topic Substack in the forum Coffee Shop 2 years, 1 month ago
Well that’s excellent. I don’t think she’s the kind of person who makes that stuff up!
If it’s any help (it won’t be) I had good vibes from a couple of book doctor people, followed by disasters with agents. I think I picked badly.
-
I think it’s hard to know how to pick well. As with Richard’s experience of agents, it seems the unadmitted part of their job description is to have narrow vision. We know they will want MSs that are often versions of what already sells but they don’t add that this discrimination can be taken to a fine degree.
-
Which isn’t to deny the pressured commercial environment they work it, just that authors can be turned down for seemingly odd or circular reasons, the ‘nobody reads stories about [insert topic of novel]’ type of response.
-
I think you’re right on all points. I know that it’s probably more a tendency of agents from the larger, more commercial agencies, and that it isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s clearly a factor. We live in a world where many shops and stores no longer choose what to stock; the algorithms determine what is or is not delivered to the shelves. So…[Read more]
-
-
-
- Load More
