-
Libby replied to the topic Influences in the forum Blogs 2 years, 7 months ago
James Salter has (had) a wonderful style.
-
Daedalus replied to the topic Influences in the forum Blogs 2 years, 7 months ago
Sandra, interesting you say that about unconscious influence from books you read years ago. I’m generally reluctant to specify my influences because I’m certain that I don’t know who all of them are. On more than one occasion I’ve reread something I read in my youth but had only the haziest memory of. And, to my horror, encountered somethi…[Read more]
-
Athelstone replied to the topic Influences in the forum Blogs 2 years, 8 months ago
I wrote a short story with an MC lacking almost all redeeming qualities. It didn’t go down too well, although I quite enjoyed writing it. Patricia Highsmith’s writing is wonderful. Tom Ripley is a work of genius.
Also, hello stranger. How’s it going?
-
AlanP replied to the topic Influences in the forum Blogs 2 years, 8 months ago
I’m late to this – I seem to be late to a lot of stuff these days. Anyway, I have always liked the style of Patricia Highsmith. This is mainly, I think, because she does bad guys so deliciously. Her stuff is quite dark and sometimes the bad guy gets to win. It was because of her I set myself a challenge to write a story with absolutely no good…[Read more]
-
Daedalus posted an update 2 years, 8 months ago
And don’t forget people, if you say anything mean about JK Rowling, you’ll get in her bad books. The detective ones.
-
I will, of course, be using JGAAP on every entry. No Camilla Läckberg disputes here, thank you very much!
-
Japanese Generally Accepted Accounting Principles? Blimey, I knew I had to incorporate arithmetic, but that seems a bit much
-
Purely to dispel all doubt: https://evllabs.github.io/JGAAP/
And, no, I won’t really use it-
Well now I’m going to spend the next three days feeding my own work into it to see how much I sound like myself
-
-
-
-
-
Sandra posted an update 2 years, 8 months ago
Version #4, snappier start, 6 characters, 682 words but not a clue what is going to be “done” to start anyone wondering “who?” I’ll be in Australia for four weeks – thank goodness the deadline is February.
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
I’m not at all sure I’ve fully adhered to the brief, but this scraping of possibilities from my current wip is the best I can do, before I leave the country 😉
Scene:
Need for a wee had Lucy check the time. Half ten. She’d been lying in her bed for more than two hours. Not moved since she’d taken refuge. Since hearing the click of the stre…[Read more]
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Oh, EXCELLENT idea Sea – 0nly problem now, which do I choose??
-
Seagreen started the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
I’ve just started listening to Ken Follett on BBC Maestro, and this is (sort of) taken from a task he sets at the end of the section on developing ideas.
Take a scene in a book (your own or someone else’s) where not a lot is happening. Find five ways to improve it e.g identify things that could go wrong, complicate matters or raise the sta…[Read more]
-
Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Seems OK, both in the ‘text’ option and the ‘visual’.
-
Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
I’m testing!
🙂
🙂
-
Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
I love your story, Seagreen. Congratulations!
Janette, Alex, Sandra – all great stories. Thanks for setting the competition, Squidge.
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Yes, I’ve got ??? : -)
-
Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Anyone else getting question marks instead of the smiley face?
-
Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Oh, crikey! This has caught me on the hop. Such a great catch of entries!
Squidge – thanks for the prompts. I wasn’t convinced I’d be able to do them justice.
Libby, Sandra, Janette and Alex – there wasn’t a single story I wouldn’t have picked to be a winner ????
-
Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Congratulations @ Seagreen, and thank you Squidge for prompt words, comments and competition – a lot of fascinating uses of the three words.
-
Squidge replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
Wowser…spoilt for choice! Thank you all for taking my three little words and turning them into lots of great stories. As always, the three objects were used in very different and clever ways. So…
Sandra – there’s something about a pipe-smoking detective, isn’t there? Lovely piece, with the rat almost in the trap until the detective took his…[Read more]
-
Squidge posted an update 2 years, 8 months ago
aaargh! Apologies, such a busy day at church yesterday, totally forgot I needed to judge the comp! Am on it now…
-
Libby started the topic The 'I remember' writing exercise in the forum Coffee Shop 2 years, 8 months ago
For anyone who’s done this exercise, which Andrew Wille among others uses with students, this programme could be interesting. And even if you’ve never done the exercise this programme may explain what it is.
-
Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 8 months ago
A great batch of entries. Sadly, my good idea didn’t finally coalesce until I was dozing off last night.
- Load More
