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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update in the group
CoronaMo 6 years agoHello *waves* How is everyone doing? So much for my intention to spend more time in the Den – it’s been two months!! Things went a bit hectic in Feb/March with a lot of time and energy going into researching/organising stuff for Peter’s ongoing recovery/physical health. Of course many of those plans have now been cancelled! But subsitute dates are…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years ago
Hi @johnalty it’s good to be back, though it would help if I came back and then didn’t disappear again for months! Sigh. I have good intentions and then life happens…
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
@squidge hello! Great to hear the Tilda series is progressing. I’ve got the first one in the queue for bedtime reading to the boys and can’t wait to see how it’s evolved from when I first read it years ago on the Cloud. I think I missed that there as going to be a remake of David Copperfield as well. I see most films at our community cinema club…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
@kazg yes, how I will laugh! I came across my very, very first shitty draft a year or so ago and it was quite something. Good to see how far I’ve come, at least!
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
@philippaeast Hello Philippa!! Good to see you too. I’m not sure I’m at the elbow-grease point yet. Mostly shovelling all the words into various sorting piles while scratching my head and wondering when the novel will apppear. But it’s all good. Ideas firing off all over the place. How’s it all going at your end? So excited for you. Are you not…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
@raine Hello! Yes, I think I’ve solved it, though it would help if everyone could just accept that in the first few chapters of my novel, Thursday becomes Friday without anyone sleeping 😀
@kazg Hello to you too! I’m feeling a bit of second book pressure, mainly because Home had the USP of a child’s voice and this one doesn’t have that so I’m…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Brexit dismay in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 2 months ago
@libby I didn’t for a long time (esp with Twitter) and now I have, it’s hard to switch off from it as it is addictive. But I think I’m learning to manage it better to get the best bits out of it without the worst bits dragging me down.
@janeshuff I’m sorry you and your family have been through a similar thing. It does change everything. I hope…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Brexit dismay in the forum Coffee Shop 6 years, 2 months ago
I know that Brexit and politics in general has had an impact on my writing because I found myself getting more and more sucked into arguing on Facebook and Twitter and that, I have come to realise, is the worse kind of political discussion because there is never any nuance. It is all so polarised. But I found it hard to switch off from and it…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Yeah, that doesn’t sound so plausible! Libby, I agree with Jane – that sounds much more interesting.
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Hello, Libby 🙂 It sounding less and less like my sort of film.
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Hello, Sandra! That all sounds brilliant! I think I must have missed that last year in amidst the chaos. What are they called? I’ll look them up x
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
That’s a shame, Jane. What was the basic premise? I’m not that big a fan of war films with a few notable exceptions.
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Waving back at you, Janette. It’s lovely to familiar faces here. It’s a shame it’s been quiet but these things sometimes go in phases. It was always going to be hard to build something up from scratch after the Cloud.
I empathise with where you are writing-wise. I got like that in 2012 when my children’s novel just wasn’t getting any interest and…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Haha, a dead body will certainly shake things up. I’m sorting out all the obvious problems and then I need to pass it on to fresh eyes so that they can tell me all the problems I can’t see. And hopefully they will tell me the story is strong enough…
You’re tempting me with Little Women… Should I go and see 1917 too?
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Jane, I’m the opposite as my first draft is very sparse and I need to work out what needs more and what’s fine as it is, plus working out if the story is strong enough which is probably my biggest worry. It’s gloomy here too. Hibernation weather! I’ve not seen Little Women. In two minds about watching yet another remake but it seems to be getting…[Read more]
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Hi Richard! It’s lovely to see all your familiar faces popping up. I wasn’t looking at joining in this time, just checking it was still going. Good to hear it is 👍👍
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Good to see you too, Daeds 😊
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Hello! I have a first draft that needs some work doing. Tentatively opened it the other day after a bit of a break. Found a massive continuity error in the first two chapters! Ah well. I need to get stuck into some serious rewriting now. How about you?
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Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs 6 years, 3 months ago
Hooray! Lovely to see you here 🙂 Is there a short story comp running this year?
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Great to hear from you, @skylark! I’ve been wondering how you were managing with Peter with all appointments cancelled. Hope you have a good cycle out – I can imagine that big smile of his right now.
It was a GREAT cycle (see FB post). We’re getting on fine – just muddling through as everyone else is. I’m not sure we’re that brilliant at the physio side of things but doing something is better than nothing. It’s great to have another exercise that he can do now though. Burn up some more energy!
Lovely to hear your news @skylark. And so glad your bike ride was a success. Enjoy your family time!
I saw the little clip on FB, and it looks utterly splendid! Especially wonderful to have right now I imagine!
@raine It is! It’s been a bit of a worry the last month that his only exercise has been doing Wii sports in his standing frame and our unqualified attempts to mimick his physio sessions. I feel better knowing we can go out biking two or three times a week – a good cardio workout for him with the hills we have around here!
@janeshuff Thanks! We are making the most of what we can of this strange time. Hope you are keeping well xx