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Squidge replied to the topic Interview with Fiona Erskine, author of The Chemical Detective in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
It’s a really fab interview – I so want to read this!!
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
Den of Writers is a FREE forum. That means that nobody pays for membership and if you join you are absolutely entitled to use and enjoy the place as much as anybody – in fact, you are encouraged to.
However, people have enquired about contributing to the cost of hosting the site, so the Donations group will show you how to if you want to.…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Plotting workshop notes in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 4 months ago
Just brilliant notes.
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Squidge replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh Jane – yes, I can totally imagine that. And Richard – it would be so much easier if they actually had the right info on the signs, wouldn’t it?!
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Squidge replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only driver who goes through this!! Part of me was thinking I was a real idiot for getting so worked up after over 30 years of relatively trouble-free driving…but maybe getting majorly lost somewhere is a rite of passage that I’ve just managed to delay?!
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Squidge replied to the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Thanks both – I can honestly say I have never experienced the stress/panic I did yesterday. Once I knew I was safe – ie at the school – I was OK. Quite cathartic to write it all out though and wonder why I responded like I did when I don’t usually react in this way.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Plotting workshop notes in the forum The Writers' Lifeboat 7 years, 4 months ago
How incredibly generous of you to share your notes in this way, KazG. Thank you.
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Squidge started the topic World Book Day 2019 – quite an experience! in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
If you’re a parent, you’ll probably have had to rustle up a costume for today – there will have been lots of Wallys, Gangsta Grannies, cats in hats and other favourites going to school to today.
I went to Coventry, for an all day author visit. Although the visit itself went well, it was a bit of a nightmare morning.
I set off at 7.30am, allowing…[Read more]
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
Writing this now cos I won’t be logging on at 6am tomorrow…
Happy World Book Day for Thursday! I’m spending the day doing authory things in an all-girls’ school in Coventry…
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Hope you enjoy it Squidge!
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Happy World Book Day Squidge! Enjoy your authorly doings 🙂
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Hope you have a fab day.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Brilliant news, Stevie. Well done!
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 5 months ago
I expect many here know about Jericho Writers, the successor to the Writers’ Workshop that hosted the Word Cloud forum. It seems that they are about to offer a one-year Writing a Novel course to include a pass to the Festival of Writing and either the Getting Published or Self-Publishing day. It also includes a full MS assessment, one to one…[Read more]
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Oh yes (part 2): just to show how bad I am at reading things – it’s £4,950 / €5,700 / $6,500
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Well, that just answered my own question for me. At about half that price I might puzzle over whether I could stretch to it, but £5K is way out of reach
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Sounds to me like Harry’s got his head in the clouds again. Who on earth is going to commit that sort of money? Anyone who was confident enough of their abilities to make it seem worth it would be confident enough to think they didn’t need it, surely?
Incidentally, I see Retreat West, partners in this venture, is run by Amanda Saint, who was on…[Read more]
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At least 4 of the people in my self-edit group are publishing away, Richard. One of the our very own Bric. We definitely do not all move at the same pace along our paths!
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You’re as good a writer Richard. Anyway, people on each SE course are naturally at different stages when they come into it. Incidentally I still think that second novel of yours is cracking and would urge you to keep subbing it as well as working on AROS
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Agree with Daed and WB. We all take tge journey or mountain at what speed best serves us. And you should definitely keep going with AROS (as long as you want to!)
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Who the hell is going to pay £5k for that? For £5k you could probably do one of the more prestigious creative writing MAs
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Flippin heck. That is steep. With no guarantee at the end of it that you’d be published…
Amanda does seem to be getting on well – there are some other ex cloudies working with her now as well.
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Interesting… almost feels like they’re trying to offer something similar to the Curtis Brown Creative course. That’s a massive amount to invest.
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Ok that’s mad. For £84 you can join skillshare (having got the first 3 months free) and pretty much learn evetything being taught here from a choice of 100s of different teachers. With a bit of research and determination, you can find professional author groups to join that will give you a lot of the hand holding and help. Ok it includes the…[Read more]
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Yes, Jules, that’s just what I was getting at above. If you’re so near to the start of your writing journey as to need everything in this package it’s still basically a dream/hobby. And how many have that sort of money to blow on a dream?
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Chichester Uni’s creative writing MA costs £5,202, and features some fairly big names on the teaching roster. With all due respect to the people on the Jericho course, they ain’t Jim Crace or Kate Mosse.
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And of course at the end of that you have a postgraduate qualification as well as having received first-class teaching and support
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If I had 5k to spend, I’d spend it on an MA. YOu get the 1:1 tutoring from highly qualified teachers and writers, peer support, much more in depth writing tuition, and you end up with a degree that agents etc will sit up and pay attention to. No contest. (I wish I had 5k. I’d LOVE to study writing at MA level)
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Me too, Raine. And yeah if I had a soare 5k to spend on writing, that’s where my money would go too.
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Same
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Very much the same.
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Tick. I’ve learned that money spent on courses, assessments, etc isn’t necessarily well-spent. I’ve already wasted too much.
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Wow, Daeds, that comparison is a real eye opener. I wonder which will go best on a CV? He really has showed himself up for what he is IMHO.
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It is indeed a lot of money. It is rather aimed at complete beginners as far as I can tell, because somewhere (possibly in a blog about it) Harry has said that if you have completed a novel and are editing it then it probably isn’t for you (at least not for that novel) so it does seem like a write from scratch hand-holding affair. I’m sure that it…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Hull Paragon: The Million-to-One Chance in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
I can definitely see the attraction in steam locomotives, and I have fond memories of holidays as a child, waiting on Newbury station for the express to arrive and whisk me away. I always prayed that it would be one of those wonderful swept-front, streamlined marvels, and was overjoyed if it was. Looking over the tracks to the Newbury marshalling…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Hull Paragon: The Million-to-One Chance in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
Richard, it may be something I missed over the time that you’ve been writing these (excellent) blogs: I know where you used to work, but do you have a connection to the railway yourself?
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John S Alty replied to the topic Hull Paragon: The Million-to-One Chance in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
Richard,
My late father would tell of a train crash in Diggle, then in Yorkshire, in 1923 or 1924. He was four and witnessed the accident whilst out walking with his granddad. He was interviewed by the local newspaper and is reported to have said “It were a grand smash” or similar. I see from google that four people died, so it probably wasn’t so…[Read more] -
John S Alty replied to the topic Hull Paragon: The Million-to-One Chance in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
Really enjoy these tales of the rails, thank you.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Richard's Literary Byways: Robert Aickman's Bad Dreams in the forum Blogs 7 years, 5 months ago
Sounds like my kind of writer and you’ve definitely sold him to me.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
I know I’m incredibly talented, Daeds, I’m just pretending to be modest.
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John S Alty replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 5 months ago
Thanks Philippa, Thea. Not much prospect of me progressing but I’m sure Elle is in with a chance.
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