Den of Writers | Amanda Berriman (Skylark) | Activity https://www.denofwriters.com/members/skylark/activity/ Activity feed for Amanda Berriman (Skylark). Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:19:15 +0000 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-GB 30 hourly 2 7b9fcb49be1a608e45bb5273cad64717 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted a new activity comment https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/14046/#acomment-14069 Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:31:42 +0000 @janeshuff Thanks! We are making the most of what we can of this strange time. Hope you are keeping well xx

In reply to - Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update in the group CoronaMo Hello *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 […] ]]> 986b5654ff213b6ba68516c252cb8102 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted a new activity comment https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/14046/#acomment-14068 Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:30:58 +0000 @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!

In reply to - Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update in the group CoronaMo Hello *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 […] ]]> 1f8bf5b64c4e429626e5da54bd82d9c4 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted a new activity comment https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/14046/#acomment-14054 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 15:28:35 +0000 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!

In reply to - Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update in the group CoronaMo Hello *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 […] ]]> 54f0b398af9546c782830809cddf5122 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted a new activity comment https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/14042/#acomment-14047 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 12:20:21 +0000 Good luck with it all!

In reply to - Jill posted an update Pleased to report that I have actually got around to researching agents and publishers again in order to try my luck once more. I am reminded, though, what a difficult game it is … but, never […] ]]> 1fb7e0b057e844c1ed3b7983bde4717a Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update in the group CoronaMo: Hello *waves* How is everyone doing? So much for my intention […] https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/14046/ Thu, 09 Apr 2020 12:19:34 +0000 Hello *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]

]]> 6 11b5c8e9f2f9e0dcbca317ccb1d4eb1d Amanda Berriman (Skylark) joined the group CoronaMo https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/14045/ Thu, 09 Apr 2020 12:03:59 +0000 0 1feb124baef32985f6a95f90c83dd31e Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/page/2/#post-8129 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 12:02:46 +0000 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…

]]> 0 6565694ec078d651c3e5d096e78337dd Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/page/2/#post-7295 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 21:14:46 +0000 @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]

]]> 0 f203a563a821cd99f0a25bbeeb4ab727 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/page/2/#post-7294 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 21:09:17 +0000 @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!

]]> 0 43126a52d856cc5acd360966388a6184 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/page/2/#post-7293 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 21:08:21 +0000 @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]

]]> 0 53d5f811d07a7797b1b4485cddfb130c Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/page/2/#post-7224 Wed, 22 Jan 2020 20:04:00 +0000 @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]

]]> 0 22b9a86362de30c093774fd9f1ee69a7 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Brexit dismay in the forum Coffee Shop https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/brexit-dismay/#post-7223 Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:58:58 +0000 @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]

]]> 0 cf252d7668d0277172a50ca7898abf48 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Brexit dismay in the forum Coffee Shop https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/brexit-dismay/#post-7196 Mon, 20 Jan 2020 19:27:48 +0000 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]

]]> 0 074dd72d3d0e28705a2e6c3ab799c157 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7173 Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:48:55 +0000 Yeah, that doesn’t sound so plausible! Libby, I agree with Jane – that sounds much more interesting.

]]> 0 85e83983721e43764c5c4471cb3eef67 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted a new activity comment https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/12614/#acomment-12648 Fri, 17 Jan 2020 11:29:56 +0000 It’s taking me a while to remember how all this works… Feels good to be back though. Proper conversations rather than Twitter arguments 😉

In reply to - Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update HELLOOOO! Sorry, I know it’s been ages. Stuff and more stuff and other stuff. Trying to remember how this all works…. Planning to be here a bit more often though 🙂 ]]> fda521ae66bd999ea9070461f7eeef15 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7168 Fri, 17 Jan 2020 11:28:34 +0000 Hello, Libby 🙂 It sounding less and less like my sort of film.

]]> 0 7647971d9f6ddfa2527845dbe4df9d00 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7167 Fri, 17 Jan 2020 11:27:00 +0000 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

]]> 0 9c09a20ca718d55c9e864f9d531bc845 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7166 Fri, 17 Jan 2020 11:25:51 +0000 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.

]]> 0 8aef51d9cfb8aa24f066bf9f0adf2358 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7165 Fri, 17 Jan 2020 11:24:53 +0000 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]

]]> 0 3c2205f4adef57fc51b3788befe1ee72 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7155 Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:06:39 +0000 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?

]]> 0 a9558f8de75180f182cb8d37c75c67b8 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7148 Thu, 16 Jan 2020 08:38:07 +0000 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]

]]> 0 7dc5e59baa0d35172a788a76ad1d8376 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7147 Thu, 16 Jan 2020 08:04:38 +0000 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 👍👍

]]> 0 0083c7120efd044d6055778dc19a0386 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7146 Thu, 16 Jan 2020 08:02:38 +0000 Good to see you too, Daeds 😊

]]> 0 651149750761f9179bd05146edc8fc7d Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7141 Wed, 15 Jan 2020 22:32:26 +0000 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?

]]> 0 ec876c20df7d264b9b5d9cf38137e10f Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/#post-7139 Wed, 15 Jan 2020 21:01:12 +0000 Hooray! Lovely to see you here 🙂 Is there a short story comp running this year?

]]> 0 e69e2bed385ca8833682cf02d11adfd0 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) started the topic Dipping my toe back in in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/dipping-my-toe-back-in/ Wed, 15 Jan 2020 20:51:58 +0000 Hello you lovely Denizens!

When I “took a break” from the Den back in 2018 to focus on book related stuff I didn’t mean the break to be as long as it has been but 2019 turned into an absolute stinker. However we made it through and while I thought I’d let myself off any New Year’s Resolutions this year I did keep coming back to one that felt…[Read more]

]]> 0 43d30ab5a95f43e7f4a9b38ab27884d7 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update: HELLOOOO! Sorry, I know it's been ages. Stuff and more stuff […] https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/12614/ Wed, 15 Jan 2020 20:40:00 +0000 HELLOOOO! Sorry, I know it’s been ages. Stuff and more stuff and other stuff. Trying to remember how this all works…. Planning to be here a bit more often though 🙂

]]> 3 c1ebc598eb424e379d2dd033e99c3131 Amanda Berriman (Skylark)'s profile was updated https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/12613/ Wed, 15 Jan 2020 20:38:21 +0000 0 d4c2e6ec9b3d73a771b883cf7c12a98c Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and Sylvia are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/4758/ Tue, 23 Oct 2018 14:04:50 +0000 0 7fe0c379fd2f4ca729c36f32a05854e7 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update: Bit quiet because I'm 55 days into a writing chain. […] https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/4245/ Sat, 06 Oct 2018 18:54:51 +0000 Bit quiet because I’m 55 days into a writing chain. Wouldn’t exactly say it’s going well, but it’s going, a few hundred words at a time. Some of them not too shabby.

]]> 0 b0849195a995fa37946392ac09e73028 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Festival Dreams in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/festival-dreams/page/2/#post-2132 Sat, 06 Oct 2018 18:45:15 +0000 It was so lovely to catch up with you @giselle 😊😊 Thank you for cheering me on. Hope the edits are going well xx

]]> 0 7c218773b510e85d25796a1f54568d99 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and Bren are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/3571/ Sun, 23 Sep 2018 11:09:32 +0000 0 54dab2800f1d5a2c87a535e774c7d8a9 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and S.P.Moss are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/3563/ Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:28:30 +0000 0 693c30f37ed0c639eeae54069e310acc Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and EmmaD are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/3542/ Sat, 22 Sep 2018 20:58:04 +0000 0 be98445416a0758b14bb5016315fda06 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and Alan Rain are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/3532/ Sat, 22 Sep 2018 17:17:54 +0000 0 65092efb759b6527172e76c502fc7cda Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Festival Dreams in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/festival-dreams/page/2/#post-1673 Sat, 22 Sep 2018 16:59:33 +0000 🙂

]]> 0 e7ebd30a13436840ac6442aabc5b5e9c Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Festival Dreams in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/festival-dreams/page/2/#post-1671 Sat, 22 Sep 2018 16:55:33 +0000 @philippaeast Lovely to see you too! Was Cynthia the one I was chatting to with you? I’m pleased to have inspired her 🙂

@alanr Ha! Thank you very much, kind sir 😀

@squidge Indeed we do!! 😀

]]> 0 58d16db0e4c8335645c7855c75e7972d Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic New Blog from Emma Darwin in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/new-blog-from-emma-darwin/#post-1530 Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:05:05 +0000 Bit late to this but yes, I’ve done (am doing!) a version of this. It works best when I’m trying to finish something. I’ve got a chart with a chain of squares and the idea is to make the chain as long as possible without breaking it. There’s no daily word count to reach. As long as I write a sentence, I can colour in a square. It’s worked…[Read more]

]]> 0 f200e47888fae9595fe9a41395b995da Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Festival Dreams in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/festival-dreams/page/2/#post-1529 Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:26:29 +0000 Lovely to meet you, Anna. I hope you had a great festival! 😊😊
Thank you, Kaz!

]]> 0 2c66cba95e61c41fb6a6feed53205f62 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Receiving an email headed 'Offer of Representation'.... in the forum Podium https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/receiving-an-email-headed-offer-of-representation/page/3/#post-1528 Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:23:29 +0000 😊😊😊

]]> 0 104b01d0cea17a7cfa325fda771c3f18 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and Clebs are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/3199/ Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:12:31 +0000 0 0b5fd7915603f523252469635ff281cc Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Festival Dreams in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/festival-dreams/#post-1426 Mon, 17 Sep 2018 07:21:30 +0000 Thank you, lovely people! Are you all trying to make me cry?!
@athelstone wish you’d been there too but we’ll certainly catch up another time and you’re not half bad at the encouragement yourself
@janette I laughed about the train once I was safely home! And thank you for not setting me off from the front row!
@johnt3 same fears as me but it was…[Read more]

]]> 0 994fb5da4e156c5fde7701838f10ed10 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and Newbie are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/2940/ Sun, 16 Sep 2018 17:12:14 +0000 0 624a115319f126ab0e2991edc8f379af Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Receiving an email headed 'Offer of Representation'.... in the forum Podium https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/receiving-an-email-headed-offer-of-representation/page/3/#post-1400 Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:26:07 +0000 @kazg Yes! I’ve found several aspects of the publishing industry quite daunting and such a relief to go to my agent and say ‘Help!’ and she’s brilliant every time!

]]> 0 b3a0cfbc7897776a2c0589ace777fde9 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) started the topic Festival Dreams in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/festival-dreams/ Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:16:24 +0000 What a brilliant weekend that was! A week on and the post-York anti-climax has just about faded though I still feel like I’m catching up on sleep. No change there, then!

A friend asked me this week if doing the keynote on Sunday was more or less scary than the Telly Thing. Easy to answer as I don’t think anything will ever be as scary as the…[Read more]

]]> 0 0cf6985f072f6e21b3a8f76adb153c67 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Receiving an email headed 'Offer of Representation'.... in the forum Podium https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/receiving-an-email-headed-offer-of-representation/page/3/#post-1335 Fri, 14 Sep 2018 11:09:15 +0000 So great to read this! CONGRATULATIONS! You definitely still need an agent regardless of interest from publishers – they do all the tricky stuff like negotiating contracts and mine has been so brilliant anytime I’ve asked her about the bits of publishing I’m not so sure about. Plus she’s helped me stand my ground a couple of times on things I…[Read more]

]]> 0 4ad73842725659c7b9b8901948e653b2 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic Contract finally sorted! in the forum Podium https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/contract-finally-sorted/#post-1238 Thu, 13 Sep 2018 21:18:18 +0000 YES!!! So blooming proud of you :-* Can’t wait to get my hands on it xxx

]]> 0 ded1bf6aa48cfa6ca41339dc9e6d784f Amanda Berriman (Skylark) replied to the topic A Brief History of York Festivals in the forum Blogs https://www.denofwriters.com/forums/topic/a-brief-history-of-york-festivals/page/3/#post-1237 Thu, 13 Sep 2018 21:16:24 +0000 Still smiling 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m halfway through a blog post about the festival – but also still catching up on sleep!

]]> 0 d97882c03a24d9bd7b7fba5bc3c566e3 Amanda Berriman (Skylark) and Margaret J Evans are now friends https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/2061/ Sun, 09 Sep 2018 19:47:48 +0000 0 12e076fe51c7fecf6d3e2454ba92584d Amanda Berriman (Skylark) posted an update: FoW18, you were awesome. A year I'll never forget. More to […] https://www.denofwriters.com/activity/p/2049/ Sun, 09 Sep 2018 18:46:34 +0000 FoW18, you were awesome. A year I’ll never forget. More to say once I’m home and slept for a week…

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