KazG

I agree that, as a place where we can meet to chat (ever so sporadically) and have monthly (great for writing practice) and especially annual competitions, it would be absolutely sad to see The Den dissolve due to the lack of activity. I don’t think the work anyone has put in should go to waste.

The implemented suggestions have been fun,…[Read more]

Darn it! Sorry Knicks. It’s a great theme and I meant to have a go, but things just got away from me this month 🙁

Read, enjoyed and commented, but comment didn’t appear. I thought it very well captured the claustrophobia of village life. I haven’t got into the habit of submitting any of my stories; just  self-published a collection so as not to lose them.

How long have you got?  btw, I re-read your story for ‘Bump in the night’ yesterday, and was much impressed , all over again. Good stuff.

Know what you mean about ‘just nice’. Sarah Winman’s ‘Still life’ had that effect – a thoroughly ‘feel good’ effect, in part for location. Which is no bad thing, since I do re-read for comfort. And also find that writing that takes my breath away one day, might not  have the same effect on another.  No wonder this writing lark is so hard!

A quick glance at p.82, and I suspect it was the  brutal blowjob (but more subtly described). I am aware of a degree of wariness with each book of hers I buy but she always does it for me in the end. I am also very aware (in a science-minded family) I lack analytical skills, so can’t always justify my reasons to like or dislike (and hence am crap…[Read more]

He can also be stomach-turning gruesome!

Same here, with stories, although ‘Butcher’s perfume’ in ‘The Beautiful Indifference’ blew me away.

Have you discovered Benjamin Myers?* I’ve just finished his ‘Male Tears’ which is short stories and much less impactful (to me) than his novels.

*not at the Festival!

I confess I’ve never read Mrs Dalloway, but have ‘Burntcoat on my tbr pile. Fell heavily for Sarah Hall having picked up ‘How to paint a dead man’ in a charity shop, some years ago.

Quick count says I’ve bookmarked 19, but I don’t know if all are online, which they need to be because I’ll not be there in person :-(.

Thoughts for today

Writing this on the fifth day of June – my daughter’s 51st birthday and the third day of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations of a reign of 70 years – my memories span a similar length of time. In June 1953, once again off school and suffering with the recurring pain of a persistent ear infection, my mother attempted to divert me…[Read more]

Well done @ Knicky – I agree with Sea, there should be more, because the writing was, as ever, fabulous. And I too had to check @Alex‘s on Google that my my guess was right. 1961, eh?

Awww, thanks @seagreen! I enjoyed writing this piece very much, and it is a very personal one to me. Just an anticipatory imagining of a band festival I attended quite recently, and how I wanted it to go. It went even better than what I wrote 🙂 haha

I too went on a Google search over @alex‘s piece, for the exact same reason 😄😄 It’s too funny you…[Read more]

Well done all of us, especially Knicky. A great read. And well, done Seagreen. Worth waiting for.

Apologies for the lateness of these results. You won’t believe how hard it’s been these past few days to find time to settle down with a cup of tea and a clear mind to give your entries the attention they deserve.

@Sandra – No worries. If you’re in the zone with ‘Mercy’, you’re in the zone.

@Knickylaurelle – This sparked with energy. Loved ‘…[Read more]

Sorry, all. The day has not gone to plan. I’ll try to get a look at your wonderful entries later tonight 👍