Libby

This had a wonderful energy and so many great observations. I loved the quirkiness of phrases like ‘lean forward talker’ and laptop caresser’. I’m going to try and keep this style in mind next time I have to describe something. It was my bedtime read, and most enjoyable. Thanks Gerry.

I suspect what I am currently writing is all going to be unedited later. Why is it so difficult to tell the difference between a brilliant idea and a plot disaster when writing a first draft!

Only got a couple of minutes, Squidge, so a very quick response. Yes, I do. But it is mainly about how I tell the story. I might decide something needs more dialogue or less description or more inside head and then I’ll change my mind. Because none of them are wrong per se … or right. It is something to with varying the pace and style, I think.

You made me think long and hard Gerry because it doesn’t work like that at all for me. It tends to be when I am submerged in a writing project that I’m most active on my particular forms of social media either seeking help or discussing writing or just having a good moan about every part of the process from drafting to submitting. I’m quietest…[Read more]

I think this discussion is clarifying things. We want the monthly/bi-monthly/whatever frequency competition to be somewhere where people can post unfinished/half-finished/incomplete/never going to be finished/trying-things-out bits of writing as well as more finished and considered things. As such the tone of comments should be positive. If a…[Read more]

It is a tricky one, Jonathan, and I don’t have all the answers, but the monthly competition is IMO intended to be an encouraging place where writers at all stages of learning the craft can enjoy a challenge, try things out and so on. Or at least I think that’s what it should be. I’m not sure it’s the right place for full on criticism especially as…[Read more]

What would be ideal is an option to indent and insert replies following an entry so that they were clustered after the entry to which they refer. I haven’t seen enough of WordPress or BBpress etc. to be certain, but I think that reply threading only introduces indentation to nest replies, in the same way that replies are handled for “updates”. All…[Read more]

I think you have to activate reply threading, but I don’t know for sure.

Unfortunately, AFAIK (which may be completely wrong) WordPress and its plug-ins only allow a single chain of posts, the idea being that you have a Topic followed by Replies to it. So the thread might go something like ENTRY1 – Comment on ENTRY1 – Comment on ENTRY1 – ENTRY2 – Comment on ENTRY1 – ENTRY3 – Comment on ENTRY2 etc. which is likely to be…[Read more]

Absolutely agree with you Daeds about the caveat.

But is it possible to keep the comments linked to the entry. The way we do it now won’t let that happen, as Jonathan showed. Is there a way round that? Having a master thread for each comp with threads within it for each entry?

Yes, I like all of those. I never really understood the Cloud thing of ‘comment on the person’s wall but not on the thread’. This thing is pretty informal anyway. So Perhaps we can allow, indeed encourage, comments, with the slight caveat that people don’t go heavy on crit or be negative.

And more apologies – 411 words

HOW TO LEAVE A HUSBAND WHO ADORES YOU

Six Month Plan

Step One
Decide to do it.
Shut off all those voices inside you saying what a wonderful man he is and how lucky you are. How he does everything for you. How most women would give anything to have a husband like him.
Note: Do not tell anyone what you plan to do.…[Read more]

Yes, I think you are right, John. How does everybody feel about that? Here are my thoughts. I’d be interested to know what you all think…

I’d like comments to be part of the monthly/bi-monthly competition. I think it would remove some of the pressure off the competition setter to feedback on the entries and make it more interesting for us all.…[Read more]

Guidelines suggest not posting on the thread with the entries, until after judging is complete, but you can make a general discussion comment tagging the appropriate person. I think I have that correct.

I know this is written down somewhere but what’s the policy on other people commenting on monthly comp entries?

I’m glad someone else does that too, Sandra!

Sorry I was MIA recently – thanks to all for contributing and it looks as though you’ve all sorted things. Well done, going to look at new comp stuff now