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A place for Stupid Questions 6 years, 4 months ago -
RichardB replied to the topic Where to start? in the forum
A place for Stupid Questoins 6 years, 4 months agoGood point, Squidge. It can also help if your think about how you perceive things in real life. When someone becomes angry, for instance, no one tells you ‘this person is angry.’ It’s shown to you as you see their brows come down, as you hear their voice rise.
And for all ‘novices’ reading this, another plug for Emma Darwin’s blog, the finest…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Where to start? in the forum
A place for Stupid Questoins 6 years, 4 months agoWhat a brilliant set of answers and examples to a most important question, I’ve been writing fiction ten years now but still forgetting how this one works. Thaks fir asking it, Andrew. And well done Jane for mentioning Emma’s blog – taught me so much.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Where to start? in the forum
A place for Stupid Questoins 6 years, 4 months agoShowing and telling is a tricky one and there are many situations where telling something is 100% right and others where showing is 100% right. The reverse is also true.
Jake was acting suspiciously when I met him at the cafe. He looked cagey and only told me about Jane when he was sure nobody else could hear him.
Jake sidled through the cafe…[Read more]
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Where to start? in the forum
A place for Stupid Questoins 6 years, 4 months agoHi Andrew. The only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask and it doesn’t matter how ‘far’ along the learning the craft of writing journey you are, there are still more things to find out about and old things to be reminded about.
Emma Darwin’s blog The Itch of Writing has a host of useful blogs if you haven’t come across it already. This…[Read more]
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A place for Stupid Questions 6 years, 4 months ago -
Kate replied to the topic Where to start? in the forum
A place for Stupid Questoins 6 years, 4 months agoHi Andrew
I’ve got lots of that toilet paper with little black writing on it stashed all over the place too. It wasn’t until I began to interact with other writers and receive feedback that I started to learn. There’s a daunting amount of craft to get to grips with and I don’t think you ever stop learning.
As to your question, the way I look at…[Read more]
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A place for Stupid Questions 6 years, 4 months ago -
Kate joined the group
A place for Stupid Questions 6 years, 4 months ago -
JaneShuff replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 4 months ago
I like character questionnaires but I don’t do them slavishly. If there are questions where I don’t know the answer and I don’t care, I leave them. However other questions may provoke a stream of thoughts that go off on a tangent and I follow them. I find they are a useful tool (and that is all) when I want to work on a particular character and…[Read more]
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RichardB replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 4 months ago
I once tried out a character questionnaire from Emma Darwin’s blog on a principal character of mine, and my answer to seven out of twenty-one questions was ‘Dunno’ and/or ‘Does it really matter?’ Some of the other answers were pretty vague. But while writing the story I never had any difficulty in imagining what she’d say or do.
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RichardB replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 4 months ago
Everybody has their own way of working; mine is very like Tony’s above. The important thing, I believe, is to find out which way suits you best, and not put yourself in a creative strait-jacket by blindly following some ‘rule.’ What works for some people may not work for you.
For example, we keep hearing ‘cut, cut, cut’ when it comes to editing,…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 4 months ago
Am I allowed to agree with all of you? When a writer like Stephen King just says something and it works, it’s because he is utterly confident with his voice. I’m not his biggest fan, but I have read a lot of his work and I do appreciate the extraordinary flow of his prose. I’m willing to bet he’s not on the heavy side when he edits.
I’m terrible.…[Read more]
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Tony Lyttle replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 4 months ago
I’m not sure you can, or should, avoid perfectionism. Yes, by all means, when you are scribbling down your first draft, avoid it certainly. But not when doing your major edit. (You said ‘revising’ so maybe you’re not editing yet.) But when you are, it’s the perfect word or phrase that you’re searching for and nothing less should satisfy.
Those…[Read more] -
JaneShuff replied to the topic Fantasy Anthology in the forum Podium 6 years, 4 months ago
Excellent news! I will look out for it!
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Tilda and the Mines of Pergatt in the forum Podium 6 years, 4 months ago
Oh Fabulous!! Can you let me know when the paperbacks are out?
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competition: June 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 4 months ago
Midsummer Madness
The ambush had been crueller for the glory of a wiped-clean sky, slowly coloured-in by a northeast Scotland, half-four sunrise, just three days past the solstice. It side-swiped the pleasures of his journey down, dulling the pearly greyness of the North Sea which had sheened pink then gold as it prepared itself for day. The…[Read more]
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