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Athelstone posted an update 6 years, 10 months ago
Wow! Came across some notes I scribbled down about 5 years ago: events in the life of a character in a book I’ve put aside. Not prepared for how guilty it would make me feel. It really seemed as though I abandoned somebody important – almost like a real person. What are my life lessons here? Stop scribbling stuff down? If I do, don’t read it…[Read more]
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Hilary replied to the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 10 months ago
Thanks, all. I think from now on I won’t reply to form rejections. Certainly I shouldn’t have done it so long after I received them. It was just that tweet making me think I’d been rude! Perhaps she wasn’t talking about form rejections.
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RichardB replied to the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 10 months ago
It’s never even occurred to me to reply to form rejections. What’s the point? Who’d bother to read it? I can’t speak for any other circumstances, because I’ve never been there (sob).
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Raine replied to the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 10 months ago
Hurrah for the fulls, Hil. A great sign, even if they don’t lead anywhere (yet). I’ve heard the ‘don’t reply to a form rejection’ from a lot of agents, so I’ve never done that. If the rejection is noticeably personalised, then I’ve sent a quick thankyou, and I always thank them after a full MS rejection. After moping for a bit!
I’d also guess that…[Read more] -
JaneShuff replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoI’ve bought the books and I’m looking forward to starting. Thank you WB!
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JaneShuff replied to the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 10 months ago
I’ve generally replied in the past to agents who have read the full and the type of reply has depended on the type of mail they’ve sent. if it’s been a fairly short ‘not for us’, I’ve just thanked them but if they’ve gone to the bother of giving me some feedback, I’ve normally thanked them for it specifically and told them how much I valued it,…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 10 months ago
Do you mean that you sent a ‘thank you’ to the agents after they declined? I haven’t done that in the past. Not that I’ve made many submissions lately.
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Hilary started the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 10 months ago
What’s your experience? What are your thoughts?
I’ve been submitting to agents this summer and had a few full requests (all subsequently declined) and several other declines. Initially I replied (just thank you) to the ones who’d requested the full, and one or two others I’d met, and not to the others since I’d read somewhere that agents don’t…[Read more] -
Hilary replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoFantastic @woolleybeans. Thank you so much for this.
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Kate replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoGreat analysis @woolleybeans. Thanks for the work. I’d better go get those books.
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Raine replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoSpot the person with lots of actual experience structuring study programmes! Thank you so much @woolleybeans this is just what we needed, and sounds like it should accommodate everyone’s needs.
I say we go with this & if we need to review how it’s working after the first few 3 week blocks, then by that point we should have a much clearer idea of…[Read more] -
Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 10 months ago
Oh yes, 373(ish)
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Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 10 months ago
Tortoiseshell Specs
I wear tortoiseshell specs. My dear old mum did too. And Dad. A family tradition that I hadn’t really thought about. I mean, we had so many things that I hardly even noticed. Family traditions, that is. There were words we used that I thought were just normal. Mum called me dinny if I did something daft and lairy when I was n…[Read more]
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoI’m in the camp that would prefer a bit of a timetable but can I just clarify something and sorry if this has been dealt with elsewhere.
Year 1 consists of the Craft Seminars,the first year of writing workshop and the first year of the professional development masterclas.
The Craft Seminars of which there are fifteen IMO lend themsleves to a…[Read more]
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Raine replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoOk, I can understand that. I guess it’s a balance, isn’t it? Between providing a timetable for those of us who like structure (I prob count myself there), and not excluding people whose other commitments make that timetable unfeasable. … And getting caught in an infinite loop of trying to decide a timetable that fits everyone! … AND not…[Read more]
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Kate replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Fabulous Elle – well done.
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Fantastic achievement @elle! Congratulations
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Hilary replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoI think I like Squidge’s idea, because I’d be better with some discipline.
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Raine replied to the topic Syllabus and course materials. in the forum
Andrew Wille's DIY MA course 6 years, 10 months agoYeah, the time commitment/coordination is the challenge with something like this. I’ve been thinking about how it might work, having jumped in enthusiastically without doing any thinking first! I guess for me, the best way seems to be to look at it as a series of group exercises, rather than a whole MA.
Maybe the way to do it would be if someone…[Read more]
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Perhaps the last question is the right one. Or return to the character if not the same story. It sounds as though the character has life or you wouldn’t feel bothered about them. Someone to come back to when the time is right?
I’ve got two notebooks full of random notes on characters or ideas. Most of it will never turn into something, but they’re great for when I’m feeling a bit blank – looking through and seeing what wants to be written. If you’re feeling that guilt, then perhaps that idea wants to be written enough for you to spend a little bit of time expanding on it?
I’ve written a fair amount of this character, but killed her before her history unfolded later in the story. It was during that unfolding that I began to like her. I was feeling bad enough about having done her in, but then I came across a load of notes about a chance encounter she has with an old friend after a separation of several years. I have…[Read more]