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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly comp – July 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 10 months ago
Congratulations Kate!
Well done Sandra, really good competition, thanks. -
Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly comp – July 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 10 months ago
Really enjoyed this one and it certainly got the words flowing. Congratulations to Kate and to the honourable mentionees! And very well done Sandra.
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Monthly comp – July 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 10 months ago
Great competition Sandra! Congratulations to all the entrants! I’m looking forward to the next one.
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Thanks John – make my job harder, why don’t you? 😉
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John S Alty posted an update 6 years, 10 months ago
My activity page is now completely occupied by bots!
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We’ll have to sneak in via the closed groups …
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Ditto – replying before you disappear…
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Now I’m the meat in a bot sandwich.
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Athelstone posted an update 6 years, 10 months ago
Feeling a bit hacked-off. Just heard that my number one choice of agent to meet at York is no longer going to be there. To be honest, she seemed like such a good fit for my writing that she was a large part of my decision to go this year. My number two choice is a perfectly nice and doubtless excellent agent, but seems interested in rather more…[Read more]
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Sorry to hear this, Ath. Afraid I don’t know anything about Hal Duncan. I suppose that if you submit your MS to the agent at some later date, you can tell them you’d applied to meet them at York and that would catch their attention favourably.
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Hal Duncan? Think he’s the Scottish bloke. Talks nineteen to the dozen in his sessions, but knows his stuff. Can come over a bit abrasive, and I can’t remember what he writes himself. I have a feeling it’s a bit quirky, so you might be OK with him for your non-genre stuff…?
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Yep, just had a look at his website and it is the chap I remember. His how to write a sentence session was brilliant.
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I had a session with Hal Duncan 2/3 years back. Not easy because he knew nothing about my genre. While his sessions were hi-speed and he promised notes (because taking them was impossible), they never materialised. I can’t find my feed-back sheet but though what little he did say was useful.
Bummer though, big time, for you.
My review of Vellum…[Read more]
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That is frustrating, Athers, especially as your other options are now limited and less appealing. I did a sentence structure workshop with Hal Duncan at York years ago. I’m afraid to say I got bored because he was being too methodical (my flaw probably, not his), but that’s not to say he wouldn’t be a good fit as a Book Doctor. Looking at his w…[Read more]
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Heyoop. Just seen I’ve been name-checked here. I do check the Den regularly but missed this. Sounds like you’ve sorted something out, At hers. Bummer though. Hope you’re not regretting coming to York. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you there.
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Ah well, thanks all – just letting off steam. The chance to actually get read by an agent and then meet them is very different from submitting into the dark and if things go wrong it shouldn’t be just a logistical exercise to ‘fix something up’ for the unlucky delegate. I’ve seen similar things happen in previous years and the outcome is never…[Read more]
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And the decision I made is to have a chat with a book doctor who I trust to tell me if I’m being boring, or brilliant, engaging or execrable. I’ve done a bit of research (which is a posh spin on ‘checked the internet’) about Hal Duncan. Seems to be a very fine writer and all-round star, but I’ll stick with my choice.
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Oh no, Athers, I’d seen that one or two might have been cancelled and it sucks that one was ‘the one’ of yours. I haven’t heard anything, so presume mine are okay, but that doesn’t help you. Nor does having to pick from the remaining places available so late in the day. I really hope you get something out of coming to York and as mentioned above,…[Read more]
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Look forward to that, Janette!
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The same thing happened to me, Ath. The replacement agent I’ve found I don’t know at all, but she looks quite interesting.
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I had something of a false start with my WIP. After getting 40K plus into it, I’ve restarted with a new MC (wildly different character) and a change from past to present tense. The net result is that I’m way behind where I intended to be for York. I’ve decided that if I can’t get an agent who’s a good match then I’ll try a book doctor.
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I know all about changing tense, having changed a whole novel from first person present to third person past (and still not getting it published). One possibility at york is to go for an editor. I had a brilliant session with a commissioning editor: I didn’t expect or get a deal, but she helped me pick out underlying themes in the book. One of the…[Read more]
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Kate replied to the topic Monthly comp – July 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 10 months ago
Bringing a gun into a house changes it. The fear that used to coil in your stomach like writhing vipers has stilled. No need to jump at every squeak and clonk. Now, a strident voice in the street or the sound of smashing windows makes you smile. A slow, secretive smile.
You think it’s power, and the gun feels like it. The slick weight in your h…[Read more]
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JaneShuff replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Please would you send it to France, Sandra. I’ll PM you my address and it would be easier for me to do a trasnfer if you don’t mind PMing me your bank details.
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JaneShuff replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Brilliant! Let me know about the P&P and I’ll send you a cheque. If it’s hideously expensive to send to France, I’ll get it sent to my sister, or one of the sons…
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JaneShuff replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Congratulations, Sandra! I was going to order a cpy but would love to have a signed one. Can I order one too? Let me know how much.
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JaneShuff posted an update 6 years, 10 months ago
PS Bought myself a range of nit and head louse treatments and am doing a different one everyday plus washing everything I’ve been in contact with everyday. I can’t bear the thought of giving them to him…
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Oh, bless you! All I can say is that from experience in school (we were lucky – yes, we had nits at times, but managed to get on top of them pretty quickly by just wet-combing with a nit comb) if they keep coming back, there’s a source somewhere that you’re coming into regular contact with. In our case, a girl in the class who…shall we say that…[Read more]
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Squidge – noooooo. Not in a beard. I can’t bear it!
Jane – hope your sterling efforts keep the blighters at bay.-
My Dad hasn’t started scratching yet!
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An excellent point about the source, Squidge … but a beard? Ugh!!!
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I know… *shudders again*
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JaneShuff posted an update 6 years, 10 months ago
I am now at my Dad’s looking after him for a week. I am trying to write a bit and I do have the time but other things tend to crowd into my head. Mainly how happy I am to have this time with him while he still knows me and how lovely my OH is with him. I’m sitting here supposedly writing the villain revelation scene of my WIP but I can’t help…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
6-8 September https://jerichowriters.com/festival-of-writing/
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Athelstone replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Oh well, it won’t be the same at York without you 🙁
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Athelstone replied to the topic DIY soapbox in the forum Podium 6 years, 10 months ago
Will you have copies at York? I definitely want it signed!
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John S Alty replied to the topic Making sense? in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 10 months ago
Thanks, everyone. Bit of a relief, back on track now. It’s the context that makes all the difference. The song is about seeking adventure now, because it’s later than you think. Eg:
Hitchhike down to Mexico,
Drive to Kathmandu,
Better do it now, my friend,
Time catches up with you.Thanks again, everyone.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Making sense? in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 10 months ago
Thanks Jane. The previous line, which I’m still working on, is something like:
Go now, go now, don’t hesitate, your only master’s you,
Don’t ever let yourself regret the things you didn’t do.I think in that context it’s clearer. No?
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Making sense? in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 10 months ago
That’s what I got from it, John, but I did have to think.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Making sense? in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 6 years, 10 months ago
Hmm. It was intended to mean if you seek adventure now it will not be necessary to later regret not having done so, but it does seem to imply the opposite.
Good line but in the wrong song!
Jonathan, I sing like a cat with its tail in a mangle, but maybe someone else might want to sing it. My interest is in the music and words.
Thanks, both of you. - Load More
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