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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic Monthly Competition – January 2022 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 2 months ago
Hi. I have been absent from the Den for over a year and just managed to get myself logged back in. I hope everyone has been well. My short story entry is only loosely adversity-based, but it’s very tongue-in-cheek and not very serious. Readers sensitive to bad language and poop should read no further. I spent 2021 getting the kick up my writing…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic The ultimate story/narrative arc in the forum A place for Stupid Questoins 3 years, 7 months ago
Once again thank you to all of you for giving your thoughts on this. I feel immediately guilty as I have close to no experience and not much to offer by way of my own conclusions.
I agree with those of you who say that the shape of your various elements (character arcs, plot lines etc.) needs revision between drafts, and it reminds me that the…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic Monthly Competition: June 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 3 years, 8 months ago
I’m a bit late for the response to all this but I totally agree Squidge nailed the theme. I still get a thrill when an idea is taken in a direction I would never have imagined myself; it constantly reminds me of the infinite variety of perspectives and possibilities that this writing lark affords us.
I enjoyed reading them all.
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Andrew Bruton started the topic The ultimate story/narrative arc in the forum A place for Stupid Questoins 3 years, 8 months ago
I think this follows on nicely from my previous question about plotting or pantsing…and as we have several ‘plantsers’ I wondered if the classic arc diagrams that exist had any particular ranking in the writing world?
I have seen them in various formats: graphs, ladders, actual arcs…but whilst they are all similar I’m not certain I have yet…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic Planning vs Winging it. in the forum A place for Stupid Questoins 3 years, 8 months ago
Thank ‘insert deity here’ you have wrestled with the same issues I’m facing. It’s wonderful to feel that others have toyed with the various types of writing and that I can see some of my own struggles being described in almost the same way I view them.
I love the ‘plantsing’ because it goes some way to alleviate my fears that I’m caught between…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton started the topic Planning vs Winging it. in the forum A place for Stupid Questoins 3 years, 8 months ago
I have two books on writing.
‘On editing’ by Helen Corner-Bryant and ‘Outlining Your Novel’ by K.M. Weiland.
One owns a publishing company and I don’t know who the other is but they write a lot of ‘how to write’ books.
How many of you outline your novel before starting?
How deep do you go?
Do you find it helps guide your writing?If not…why…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic Where to start? in the forum A place for Stupid Questoins 3 years, 8 months ago
That’s fab, I managed to forget my password and have been locked out for ages so it’s lovely to see responses. I will digest as much as I can. I liked the show/tell example, very useful. Thank you.
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Andrew Bruton started the topic Where to start? in the forum A place for Stupid Questoins 3 years, 9 months ago
I’m not sure if there are any other novices in the Den, but I’m hoping there are those who can help us out if we are sufficient in number. I’m relatively new to the Den and by way of an introduction, I thought I would create this group because it fits my stage in the process.
I have been terribly slow to realise that I need to learn about…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton created the group A place for Stupid Questions 3 years, 9 months ago
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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic That old enemy, Perfectionism in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 3 years, 9 months ago
Hi all, I’m not yet fully versed in the ways of the craft and have wavered between perfectionism and writing tens of thousands of words without any edits. I certainly prefer the latter, but the former seems to bring something to the table.
I started a novel back in 2013 as I managed a hotel in the Peruvian Andes, and all these years later I’m…[Read more]
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Andrew Bruton replied to the topic Monthly Competition: June 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 3 years, 9 months ago
Midsummer madness
The queue was going nowhere. He gave up wiping the sweat; it poured in carefree torrents down his forehead, around his nose and dripped from his lips and chin onto the white, cotton shirt his wife had bought him for his birthday back in November.
‘It will look great on you in the summer when we’re in Greece!’ she had said.…[Read more] -
Andrew Bruton posted a new activity comment 3 years, 9 months ago
Hello everyone, this is my first post as a new member and it is fitting seeing as I learned of the Den through that Webinar with Philippa East at the Jericho Festival. I was inspired by the journey she described and it has been the best event I have attended so far.
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Andrew Bruton's profile was updated 3 years, 9 months ago