Sandra

  • John T posted an update 1 year, 3 months ago

    I’ve finished my story for the yearly challenge, but I’m lingering before I press the button. One more read-through tomorrow, I think. In other news, I’m fulfilling a long-held ambition and having a retreat at Gladstone’s Library in North Wales soon, to finish the first draft of Apples in the Dark book three.

  • I asked it about limits and it recommended breaking text into chunks, so I divided the input into blocks of chapters, but as I was about to do the final block I hit an error, which I think was the limit of my free access: there was a message about that soon afterwards. Annoyingly inconclusive! Some chapters were summarised in full, others were…[Read more]

  • I tried a 500 word synopsis. It was curiously like a “bad” synopsis that an inexperienced writer might try, too much detail at the outset and then broad generalisations for the middle and end. It always concludes by asking whether you want any refinements, so I asked for more detail about the conclusion and it invented a character and several plot…[Read more]

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    ODDS AND ENDINGS IN MY LIFE, INCLUDING THE STICKY ONES. .

    For me the phrase ‘the end’ invokes a variety of feelings.

    Some, such as the end of a candle or bit of soap are not memorable. Those endings flash out of existence in a blink of thoughtlessness, never to be recalled again.

    However, dancing along the polar opposite to that, there are…[Read more]

  • As we are in imminent peril of being swamped with things-AI if Mr Starmer and our present government are to be believed, I thought I’d bite the bullet and give ChatGPT a whirl. As an experiment, I thought I’d try for a summary of my WIP. Since that’s something I will have to wrestle with when I come to submit, I wondered whether it might be…[Read more]

  • My offering was much  the same  Richard.

    I thought about all the things  that cause me difficulty  – didn’t know how to start  writing about it  and  ended up  making myself smile with a bit of  fun.

  • Oh Lord. Two entries. Both very different from what I expected. Not that I expected anything in particular, but I know what I mean. Both excellent. Richard’s engrossed me, as the protagonist was engrossed in the model. Terrie’s made me laugh out loud. There’s no winner or loser here, because it was a virtual toss of the coin. Richard, choose us a…[Read more]

  • <p style=”text-align: center;”>DEGREES OF DIFFICULTY IN MY LIFE</p>
    <p style=”text-align: center;”>(when it gets difficult  – make it  rhyme )</p>
    I find it difficult to hide the truth, or say things that are untrue.

    I can’t fit inside a kayak, or paddle a canoe.

    I can’t crochet anything or mend my pushbike brake

    and bouncing on a tramp…[Read more]

  • Athelstone posted an update 1 year, 4 months ago

    Anybody thinking of entering the last Monthly Competition of 2024? Still plenty of time for a few hundred words, but it’s getting closer.

  • Athelstone started the topic One Christmas in the forum Coffee Shop 1 year, 4 months ago

    Back on the WordCloud I started a group called Advent for Christmas-related posts. It was slightly popular, but back then we had an active wall and plenty of other groups, so it never flew especially high.

    I posted a short children’s story. It needs a good edit that I might give it one day, but i think it’s quite fun, so if you’re in need of some…[Read more]

  • Athelstone replied to the topic Happy Christmas in the forum Coffee Shop 1 year, 4 months ago

    And many thanks to you, Libby, and to the other happy few who make this place worth keeping. A very happy Christmas to us all.

  • Janette posted an update 1 year, 5 months ago

    Phew, Winter comp story posted. Hope it may be forgiven that this is an old monthly comp entry that I have torn apart, expanded and reassembled. It is all I could come up with given my other obligations, and I now hope errors and amends don’t leap out at me!

    • I hope you may be forgiven too, because my entry was conceived in a similar way. I don’t even have your excuse of being too busy, but the story asked to be written and so I wrote it.

      • I look forward to reading yours, Richard.

      • Me too to a large extent. My entry very much a side/back story of two or three other comp entries all of which stemmed from one or more of my ‘Love triangles with murder series. I did hope for something different but the characters have taken up permanent residence in my head.

  • I did the first one of the year. Here’s the last. I’ve been fitting a kitchen. Plumbing, carpentry, stuff to a standard I’ve never managed before. Came close to giving up once or twice.

    Up to 500 words on doing something really difficult.

  • Thanks Seagreen. Glad you laughed. Well, Terrie, there’s a coincidence. I’ve barely been able to write for the last month having been fitting our new kitchen. Completely new from top to bottom including having to rebuild joists under the floor and fit a kitchen to an accuracy of 1mm per metre. As I’ve never done anything to that accuracy except by…[Read more]

  • I popped in a few times but sorry, didn’t  managed to post  anything for  the monthly comp . I’ve been really busy sorting and emptying  the kitchen  as sparkly new  units,   sink  and other  gizmos  are being fitted in the new  year. the old one is over 20 years old  and it’s turned into a major refit having to  move pipes, wiring  and other thin…[Read more]

  • Anyone else got ???? Supposed to be a smiley face 🙂

  • Sorry for being so late with this…

    Sandra and Ath, thanks for entering – and both with a hair-related topic! ???? Alex, no worries. I’ll catch you next time.

    Sandra – your chosen article left me gobsmacked. Clearly, I have been a victim of this. Brainwashed into keeping my hair short because my good looks are a threat to other women. I’ll be on…[Read more]

  • I’m not surprised by this. For some time there have been AI editing features available with Prowritingaid, Grammarly and so on. I have the former, and although I seldom use the AI features, some of which are behind an additional paywall, I have given them a spin in the past. What you get from one of the reports does appear to be a reasonably…[Read more]

  • Argus 26 November 2024

    Brighton man grows hair for five years for special reason.

     

    I remember the blonde hair on the windowsill. My hair’s brown, so it must have come from Taz. Her hair is, or was, I should say, long, and rich, and blonde. Curious, I ran my fingers through my hair a few times and then examined what had come loose. Not a lot,…[Read more]

  • 5 days left to give me the lowdown on what really happened behind the headline!

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