Activity – Libby – Den of Writers

Libby replied to the topic Monthly comp – February 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 2 months ago

Congratulations, @janette . Two shivers for the price of one. A very enjoyable story.

Janette replied 5 years, 2 months ago

Thank you, Libby x

Libby replied to the topic Comments from an Editor in the forum Blogs 5 years, 3 months ago

Oh, it has worked!

I’ll go back to my quill and parchment.

Libby replied to the topic Comments from an Editor in the forum Blogs 5 years, 3 months ago

Thanks, Richard. I tried to copy the link first of all and couldn’t make it work. Thank you for a working link to Emma Darwin.

BTW have you seen this on the BBC news website today?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55937512

Blast, link not working. BBC news website, go to the Wales tab. “Station reopening at Bow Street brings first trains for…[Read more]

Libby replied to the topic Comments from an Editor in the forum Blogs 5 years, 3 months ago

As Richard says, this is seems more about style, and a rigid editor, than about the rich possibilities of first-person narrators.

I’m the first to agree that repetition of ‘I’ can be a problem, just as repetition of any word can trip up the reader. And the over-repeated ‘I’ can be hard to get rid of, as I know from my own efforts.

It can also…[Read more]

Libby replied to the topic Good news on the lyric writing front in the forum Podium 5 years, 3 months ago

That’s brilliant, John! Huge congratulations. What an achievement – I’m really pleased.

John S Alty replied 5 years, 3 months ago

Thanks, Libby

Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 3 months ago

What a tantalising range of stories and good use of the prompts. The standard is so high, and having a small number of entries paradoxically doesn’t make it any easier! In all of them I particularly enjoyed the voices both in the dialogue and the narration. I know Sandra’s piece is an excerpt from a longer work and Ath’s and Kate’s could be comp…[Read more]

Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 3 months ago

Three days to go before the monthly competition deadline! I know many Denizens are busy with the annual challenge. Still, as my grandmother used to say when spooning out seconds at the lunch table, any more for any more?

Athelstone replied 5 years, 3 months ago

Come on – it’s a super challenge this month! Just a few hundred words and still 2 and a teeny bit days left.

Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 4 months ago

A half-time reminder, for anyone thinking of entering this month’s Den competition, that we’re half way through January.

I hope everyone’s year is going well/reasonably well in the general Covid circumstances.

Athelstone replied 5 years, 4 months ago

BUMP!!! Not that I want to make tons of work for Libby, but only 2 entries so far and only 4 days + today left

Libby started the topic Copyright question re Den entries in the forum Competitions, Open calls and Writing Opportunities 5 years, 4 months ago

My resolution this year is to enter a couple of short-story competitions beyond the Den. To boldly go …

Please can anyone advise on a couple of things. Most competitions won’t accept entries previously published anywhere online except on password-protected sites, but what if I wanted to develop a story idea from something I’ve previously posted…[Read more]

Squidge replied 5 years, 4 months ago

I’ve developed bits from monthly comps into full stories – and even short stories and submitted them. Never had an issue because the end results which are submitted are often very different to how they started. So I don’t consider the end result to be what has already been published, if you see what I mean?
And re getting publisher’s permission -…[Read more]
- Libby replied 5 years, 4 months ago
  
  Thank you, @squidge. That’s very helpful.
  - Raine replied 5 years, 4 months ago
    
    Hiya @libby Yeah, I’ve published several things from monthly comps before. Whatever we post on here, we retain all copyright, so there is no need to call a piece from here ‘previously published’ as such. As long as its been noticeably revised then I’ve never worried too much about submitting it as as an unpublished piece. Can you go back and…[Read more]
    - Libby replied 5 years, 4 months ago
      
      Thanks, @raine

Libby replied to the topic Monthly comp: December 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 4 months ago

Thank you, Seagreen, Sandra, Janette and John.

And happy new year to all Denizens.

Libby started the topic Monthly competition – January 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 4 months ago

Happy new year, everyone.

We haven’t had a list of choices for a quite a while in the monthly competitions.
For the January competition please write a story to include two of the following:
– a road atlas
– something made of wood
– aontrariness
– a light switch; this can be literal or metaphorical

Between 250 and 450 words.

Libby replied 5 years, 4 months ago

That’s meant to be ‘contrariness’. I’ve edited the post on the monthly comp thread but out here in the Den window, changes don’t appear! (A little bit of Den contrariness? 🙂 )

Libby replied to the topic Monthly comp: December 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 4 months ago

That’s a lovely surprise, and for the new year too! Thank you, Ath.

Thank you also to everyone who entered. A very compelling selection of stories, as always, and a wide range of styles. I’ll have a think about what to set for the January competition.

Happy new year, if we’re allowed to say that after 2020 🙂

@libby