Libby

There’s a fabulous selection of entries in the August comp, and again it’s hard to pick one winner!

@Seagreen: This very enjoyable story reveals the rich history of a relationship, shown with a clever use of Elizabeth English and rhythm. There’s a satisfyingly wide range of emotion, including the delicious LOL comedy of “Thine exuberance I shall…[Read more]

A terrific set of comp entries. I’ll be along tomorrow morning to reveal the winner.

Hi Sandra, I was thinking that too!!

Reminder! The monthly competition closes at midnight on Saturday, 31st August.

Anyone can enter.

Here’s the task:

Our summer weather so far has been an ever-changing experience, almost one extreme to another. For the August comp please write a story about changeability titled ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Thee can refer to a perso…[Read more]

Thanks, Richard! This becomes quite compulsive doesn’t it, a new thread of literature (new to me anyway) to follow and think about.

I’m off now for a few days and will read your post fully when I return.

I replied in a comments box earlier where it may get lost – so I’ve copied my comment here.

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Definitely good going, Richard. Thank you for this post.

Of these various translations I prefer the ones with shorter lines. They feel more immediate, less worked. That seems to be the magic of Sappho’s lines – the way they leap almost three mil…[Read more]

I’m looking forward to reading this, Richard. I became more aware of Sappho when I read Selby Wynn Schwartz’s novel After Sappho, which I enjoyed a lot. Before that I’d hardly known who Sappho was.

Thank you, Terrie! This is lovely surprise, and I’m pleased you liked my story.

I really enjoyed Sandra’s and Ath’s stories too. So lifelike. Thank you both of you for being such excellent competitors.

An explanatory note: I saw an exercise which asked for story without verbs and wanted to give it a go, so that’s what I’ve attempted here.

A Delivery

Inside the shadowed arch of a canal bridge: a half circle of water-drips and their echoes, drops and plops, plips, a full saucepan of water on the towpath, someone’s rubbish, new drink…[Read more]

<p style=”background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 21.0pt 0cm;”>These three pieces are all so interesting and satisfying, and such good uses of ‘electricity’ that, as usual, I’ve struggled to decide on a winner because the standard is so high. I’m intrigued by how something as impersonal and powerful as electricity has resulted in intimate pieces,…[Read more]