Squidge

  • Squidge posted a new activity comment 6 years, 11 months ago

    In this case, I’ve been told it’s an hour with the author explaining how he wrote his book – hints and tips, kind of thing. Not even a course, more of an author talk.

  • Squidge posted a new activity comment 6 years, 11 months ago

    So glad to hear it’s not just me, then. Mind you, I don’t suppose it would have the same appeal if it was called ‘Write a book over the next few years that might never see the light of day.’ 😉

    • No but it would be a lot truer! Which brings me to a serious question…. if you had known just how much work was involved in writing a passable book, would you have started in the first place?

      • A single book, yeah I’d probably have still dived in. Being six zillion books in and still nowhere… I think I’d run a mile, screaming. Maybe I still will!!

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years, 11 months ago

    So… I’ve seen an advert for a ‘Write a book in an hour’ event run by a bookshop. To give the author credit, he has actually written a book that’s been well received.

    But surely, ‘writing a book in an hour’ is a poor description? Surely, the most you can hope to achieve is the outline of your story? There is no way on earth you can write teh…[Read more]

    • YEah, that would irritate me too. LIke one of those godawful gimmicky diets/fitness regimes/etc. It’s both deeply unrealistic and misleading, but also demeaning to the effort it takes to create worthwhile writing. If he means an hour to *plan* your novel, then, meh, perhaps, in the roughest of rough outlines. But *write*? At 80k for a book, that’s…[Read more]

    • So glad to hear it’s not just me, then. Mind you, I don’t suppose it would have the same appeal if it was called ‘Write a book over the next few years that might never see the light of day.’ 😉

      • No but it would be a lot truer! Which brings me to a serious question…. if you had known just how much work was involved in writing a passable book, would you have started in the first place?

        • A single book, yeah I’d probably have still dived in. Being six zillion books in and still nowhere… I think I’d run a mile, screaming. Maybe I still will!!

  • Squidge replied to the topic Unediting in the forum Blogs 6 years, 11 months ago

    Laughing @jonathan! Comes out publisher-ready… in our dreams!!

    I understand what you mean about the ‘something bigger’s going on’ scenario. I had places where I could definitely see that happening and rewrote whole sections. And I also know what Jonathan means about being in a particular mood.

    I think my rule of thumb is going to have to be…[Read more]

  • Squidge started the topic Unediting in the forum Blogs 6 years, 11 months ago

    I’m editing Book 1 of Tilda’s story series at the mo for Bink (good news – looking like it’ll be published earlier than I thought, in Sept. Yay!)

    I was told that there weren’t many things to look at – all nit picky stuff. Woo-hoo!

    Thing is, I had worked my way through half of the MS on paper, because I needed to get more into Tilda’s head (if…[Read more]

  • I certainly blog less when I’m writing – or busy, generally. The Scribbles are sadly neglected at the moment…

    I try to keep some level of engagement with the Den going, but when writing it can be either extreme; popping in to read but not comment, so I appear absent, or lots of posts asking for opinions or having a rant or despairing about the…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted a new activity comment 6 years, 11 months ago

    We’ll see what they say… they might not like it!

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years, 11 months ago

    Tilda Book 2 got formatted and sent off to the publisher yesterday… Not sure it was the best way to spend a Bank Holiday Monday, but hey ho.

  • I think it feels sometimes as though it’s trying too hard… The kinds of words used, particularly. I know there’s a place for fabulous language – certain Denizens often take my breath away when I read what they’ve written, for eg! – but sometimes it feels laboured. As if the author thought ‘I must describe this thing beautifully to get across how…[Read more]

  • I think some ARE young, Sandra, but what I’ve seen of the Masters, it tends towards a fairly older crowd, often folks who’ve been doing other things in life first.

  • I think there is a different approach to writing if you do a degree/Masters in it. It’s almost as though, at the point of graduation, most folk have a perceived idea of what writing should be. Qualifying this because I know a creative writing lecturer, and am in a facebook group for one of the CW courses at a local uni. Some of the stuff I see…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted an update 6 years, 11 months ago

    Anyone else been tagged by fellow ex-cloudies to say that the JW Townhouse is now free? Or does anyone in JW know anything about it? Not particularly tempted, but interested…I opted out of their mailings a while back.

    • I posted an update here a couple of days ago when JW issued an email. Some here have joined – some have not. The Forum looks far more useable than their last effort, but not many posts yet.

      • It could hardly have been worse! For me the Word Cloud was all about the people, the Cloudies, who made it what it was, and I don’t think Harry ever understood that. Let’s see what happens.

        • Yes, the Cloud was something very special, and I don’t know if that particular vibe can ever be recaptured. Though it has to be said that it had already soured before it vanished, due to the efforts of A Certain Person. My daughter has wide experience of forums devoted to her ruling passion, football, and when I told her about the souring of the…[Read more]

      • I’m giving it a tentative try but doubt the same vibes can be captured

  • Apologies…409 words. 😉

    By Tilda’s twenty-sixth attempt to produce an illuminorb, Silviu’s patience was wearing thin.

    “Concentrate, Tilda,” the Ambakian powermage snapped.

    “I am concentrating.” Tilda rubbed her palm against her trouser leg. It felt hot; surely she must’ve been close to pulling the Power down that time?

    “Aga…[Read more]

  • Squidge replied to the topic 'The Five': A Dissenting Voice in the forum Blogs 7 years ago

    Read this Richard as I’d watched the recent programme with the woman who is the lead in Silent Witness, an ex-prison governor with experience of serial killers and an ex-cold case copper, which looked at the Ripper story in light of modern techniques.

    It was fascinating – a lot of the info I’d heard before, but what came clearly across is that…[Read more]

  • Squidge posted a new activity comment 7 years ago

    Woo-hoo! Well done, Raine x

  • Squidge replied to the topic Camp NaNoWriMo in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years ago

    Just to prove how stupid I am – did not realise that the camp didn’t let you post anything until the official start of the writing period. But at least I know where to find the thing to log word count – even if it’s not appearing yet.

    Can you tell I’ve not done this before? *face plant*

  • Squidge replied to the topic Camp NaNoWriMo in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years ago

    Having never done Nano before, someone’s going to have to tell me how I log my word count, cos I can’t find where on the menu bar I do that. I have found stats… just not how to change them.

    Sometimes I really hate technology.

  • Squidge replied to the topic Camp NaNoWriMo in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years ago

    OK, looks like I’m going to be ‘Silver Squidge’ as just Squidge was already taken…

  • Squidge replied to the topic Camp NaNoWriMo in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years ago

    Might join you – I can use it to be Camp NaNoEdMo again – that worked well for me once before.

  • For me, it’s about getting the time to think about short pieces, full stop. I’ve finally got going again on the novel, so my writing energy’s good, but I can’t commit to something every month on top.

    If you wanted to split comp and non-comp, they could run on alternate months – that way, you can choose whether to be competitive or not. And I’ll…[Read more]

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