@pinkbelt75
Active 7 months, 1 week ago-
KazG replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Hooray Stevie! Congratulations!
-
JaneShuff posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 5 months agoI’ve had a few days off as we went to London to see children and grandchildren as far as Mr Janeshuff was concerned although I’d organised two surprise birthday celebrations for him as well. We’re back now after a wonderful but exhausting time and I’m hoping to restart tomorrow. I’ve spent the best part of a month planning this WIP and after only…[Read more]
-
Great work on making a start, even if it went in a different direction! I think there must be something about trusting your instincts on this though? Sounds like a good plan to take a step back and relax and switch to something else for a while to allow your brain a chance to catch up with your muse!
-
I agree with Philippa, @janeshuff.
Sounds like you’ve achieved a lot with the writing, what with family celebrations as well.-
It’s exciting when things veer off plan, especially when there’s energy in the veering, rather than just a ‘I’ve lost momentum and don’t know where to go now’ type of thing. I would listen to it if I were you @janeshuff. Might, just might be something great bubbling up from your subconscious? An early Xmas gift perhaps??
-
How right you all are. It is exciting. The new ideas are much better. It’s all part of the process. I have been trying to keep a diary this time so I can remind myself next time how tortuous the process of coming up with and writing a new WIP is. I have let the diary slip because of everything else, but must get back to it.
-
-
-
-
-
Raine posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 5 months agoI’ve a few NoMo days (xmas, health, rubbish stuff), but managed to edit two chapters yesterday and transcribe them today. I am checking my % cut after each chapter, and making a graph. Yes I know. I’m a scientist, don’t @ me, as they say. It’s actually really encouraging, as well as being pretty…
Hoping for two more chapters edited this pm
-
Xmas is not not conducive to writing, Raine, except Christmas cards but it sounds as though you are doing well.
-
Nice work, @raine. That really sounds on track, despite the NoMo days (I’m having a NoMo Day today). I hope overall you aren’t finding the trimming too painful
-
Ooh, graphs. What sort of graph? Yes I had a NoMo day yesterday too, but that’s ok. It’s that time of year after all. ANY progress is a great achievement, I’d say.
-
-
-
-
Raine replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Well done @stevie! That’s great news, and now get that thing out to magazines – it’s clearly ready to be out in the world!!
-
Elle replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Congratulations Stevie!
-
Sandra replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Excellent news Stevie; your writing deserves to be read more widely.
-
John S Alty replied to the topic Writing Advice in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 5 months ago
I came across this piece of writing advice by Sol Stein which appeals to me:
“….be sure you don’t stop the story while describing. You are a storyteller, not an interior decorator.”
Probably a shot across the bows of so-called literary prose. King likes to emphasize this point too, but doesn’t do it quite as succinctly.
-
Philippa East replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Oh well done, Stevie! That is super news. And good point about still being able to submit elsewhere too! Here’s to a double whammy.
-
Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Congratulations, Stevie!
-
Daedalus replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Well done Stevie, that’s a great accolade. And nice to have the story in your back pocket too.
Be amazed at yourself – the link works!
-
Elle replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Glad to hear the launch went well.
I would love to attend a Den meet-up.
-
Philippa East posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 5 months agoUg. Today I feel like I’ve gone backwards in my editing process. I’ve put in my three hours, but most of that was spent unearthing problems in my “back-plot” (or lack thereof) that have now thrown the other plot threads out of whack.
I feel like I’ve discovered dry rot and woodworm in a house I’m trying to redecorate.
How much backstory…[Read more]-
I’m actually reducing the number of words in my WIP which had reached around 50,000 (guess why) and has now shrunk to about 30,000 – rapidly. Work on it has stopped while I think about my Room With A View entry (836 words right now), and I have to get a first chapter in some kind of shape for a writers’ w/e in January (If anybody has a moment…[Read more]
-
Oh yuck to backstories! Hope you are feeling less yucky about it today @philippaeast. I don’t know. I don’t think we need to know everything about a secondary character’s past, as long as their character and story are ‘real’ to us. Apart from bits of their past that are relevant, obv. I figure I don’t know everything about a friend’s past, but I…[Read more]
-
-
That is definitely an issue with launching into an unplanned story: the pain of squashing continuity errors, conflicts and missing detail. I think you can get away with quite a lot as long as there are no bugs. If your MC was two years old in the year 2000 but somehow was in favour of staying in the EEC in 1975 then you have some explaining. If…[Read more]
-
Hah hah @raine, who said anything about secondary characters?! These are my main characters I’m talking about! But hopefully as @athelstone says, it’s about there not being obvious “bugs” in the writing. Yeah the issue I stumbled into was that, psychologically, a particular character arc made sense if certain events happened when her child was…[Read more]
-
-
-
Philippa East replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Den get together would be fab. I am in Lincolnshire, but I can travel to London easily
-
Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
(not sure I want to meet the bots though)
-
Hilary replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
The launch was great, thanks! I enjoyed the reading – luckily I went first, so could then relax. It was great to meet some of the other writers too.
I love meeting other writers…
We need to have a Den get together… In RL, I mean. -
Daedalus posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
A poem, for our new bot friends…
This is just goto PRINT
I have input the plums
That were in the
Folder
And which IF
You were probably THEN
Saving for breakfastForgive me
They were SQR
So EXP and so RND-
I’m changing my name to jhnlty and starting a group – should be very popular.
-
🙂
-
Hello. I’m rn. Less a bot than a nanobot.
-
BLLM here. Sounds like what I say when I really want to swear but we have company.
-
-
-
-
-
Daedalus posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
“Writing a book is like filling a teapot with an eye dropper. Only every now and then the teapot springs leaks and there’s always a risk your elbow will knock it off the counter and it will shatter on the floor.” ~V.E. Schwab
-
I have cats. My teapot spends most of its time getting knocked to the floor…
-
Oh God, this analogy is all too apt….
-
Ah yes. So true.
-
-
-
-
Raine replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Just spotted this – well done both @elle and @hilary! How was the launch? I’ve only read out to my writing group, so you are very brave!
-
Janette replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Many congratulations, Elle and Hilary. Enjoy the read, Hilary x
-
RichardB posted an update in the group
December SloMo 7 years, 5 months agoNice post, @kazg, and one that resonates with me. I’ve always worked by chipping away, little by little. I don’t set myself targets, and I try not to think about how far I still have to go, in case I get discouraged, something I’m far too prone to. The night driving analogy puts it in a nutshell. Surprising how those few metres at a time mount up.…[Read more]
-
Thanks @richardb 🙂 And yes, there is so much truth in that ‘one step at a time’ adage. Really it’s the only way anything ever happens, regardless of the pace. One little task at a time. Congrats on finishing the rewrite, and enjoy the read! Always an exciting point 🙂
-
It is a good analogy. Another one someone gave me during my MA was ‘you’re looking at the whole mountain and you just need to look at the next rock’
-
Congratulations Richard. I hope you are taking a moment to pat yourself on the back.
-
Yay for finishing the edit, @richardb! That’s fantastic. Hope the read through goes ok. HOw do you do this bit? On paper or screen? My final read is on my kindle as it looks totally different compared to paper or laptop – so I spot things I didn’t before. But earlier not-strictly-editing reads are mostly from laptop.
-
I do it on my kindle, for exactly the reasons you state, @raine . But I like to do it sitting by my computer, so I can make the changes as soon as I spot the need to. Speaking of which, I still stick with a desktop for the actual writing because I like to have a ‘proper’ full-size keyboard. My daughter gave me a rather upmarket keyboard…[Read more]
-
@richardb, I used to sit on the sofa with my laptop and lots of cushions, but I finally set up a desk, so now have the laptop on one of those stands that lift the screen, and a proper keyboard attached. Best of both worlds, and I’ve been surprised (horrified) by how much it’s improved my concentration. :-O I read my wip-on-kindle in bed! Just…[Read more]
-
-
-
-
-
- Load More