Kate

Very clever in the first one how the letter gives one impression of this inappropriate relationship, and then the following comment throws a whole new light on the situation.

Two fabulously disconcerting letters, Bella. The first one couched in the appropriately formal language of a teacher to a pupil but revealing a wholly inappropriate relationship and posing a lot of questions. The more I read it the more I began to think that Maximilian was the one pulling the strings and Waltraut was trying to escape him.

It occurred to me two minutes after posting this that I have an actual break up letter in my other WIP. So here it is for good measure. If anyone wants to comment don’t feel obliged to comment on both. I’m just putting it here since it exists.

Dear Lucien,
I don’t know how to soften the blow so I’m just going to tell you what happened on Saturday…[Read more]

Hi @Squidge. I didn’t always think her examples showed what I thought she was talking about but as I read the chapter while travelling yesterday was going to reread some of them to have a second look. The one about the burying something in the garden springs to mind.

Is anyone else getting bogged down with some of the examples in Burroway? I read them and just can’t make the connection to what she’s trying to portray. Beginning to think that it’s me at fault – that I haven’t got the ability to understand the more subtle nuances of the techniques. And if I did understand them, would it make me write any…[Read more]

About to spend all day travelling so hopefully should be able to read it today!!

I haven’t started the chapter so very relieved we have an extension! Same as you @janeshuff.

Two would be great. Somehow Christmas ate up so much time… Plus I haven’t even started my Winter Competition Story.

I haven’t even got around to reading the chapter yet. Can we have two?

Yep. Of course.

I figured I’d check as it is scheduled for tomorrow, but no posts have been made on Class 3, and I wondered if that meant people had been too busy with Christmas things etc.

Is a week longer enough time?

No. Can we have an extension?

Are people ready for the next class?

@katemachon. The questions come from Andrew Wille’s questionnaire but there are lots of others about. Personally, I don’t find the What is their favourite colour sort of question very helpful. I think the best ones work a bit like writing prompts, sparking ideas off or pulling ideas together. Anyway I’m glad it was interesting!

@janeshuff Heavens, what a hugely impressive amount of insight. I’m not sure I know that much about my main characters who have been around for four books (but it would be interesting to see what I DO know, so I’ll spend some time with this – thank you, really enlightening.

Thanks @JaneShuff. It’s really fascinating the amount of detail you’ve gone into, and you’re asking all sorts of questions that would never have occurred to me. I’ll have to ponder this for a while and try and apply it to a character. Many thanks.

Hi @katemachon. Here’s the character questionnaire I did for Dipsy. You’ll see that I ignored some of the questions – basically if nothing comes to mind, I don’t beat myself up about it. I also don’t worry about the answers being particaulrly interesting, so some of it is pretty dull. But I do find them helpful for clarifying and focussing…[Read more]

Thanks Sea! Maybe the bony restless fingers aren’t right… And she is named after a Teletubbies character!

Just skimmed this, Jane, but I love Dipsy!
Yep, I also found the ‘bony, restless fingers’ at odds with her large hips, (although possibly also influenced by her having the same name as a teletubby :))

Thanks @katemachon and @sandradavies. I realise that I should have given some context to this as it’s actually an excerpt from my WIP and, although this is the first time Dipsy actually appears, the reader would know her age and her relationship to the narrator. So sorry.

I will tidy up Dipsy’s character questionnaire and post it if you’d like,…[Read more]