Sophie Jonas-Hill

  • Athelstone replied to the topic The truth about – back then in the forum Blogs 7 years ago

    Thank you, Kaz. Do you think this might count as an “I remember” exercise?

  • Athelstone replied to the topic The truth about – back then in the forum Blogs 7 years ago

    Thanks Gerry and Richard. Oh, and Richard – more rails. Definitely.

  • How long is it since we had a blog?

    It’s been a funny few weeks for me. But never mind all that. This is a blog from the Word Cloud, so apologies to former Cloudies who remember it. I may post a couple more of these blogs as well, so it’s worth saying straight out that I’m also sorry if they seem too locker-room in style. They are who I was.

    The…[Read more]

  • Memories, memories

    Through a mane of blonde hair, through streaks of bleached and of darker dyed strands, her eyes flickered upwards. “Can I help you, sir?”

    Behind me the door hissed shut expensively, hinges well greased by wills and probates. “Do yer know where Bryant Street is?”

    “I umm… don’t know.” She bent her head back down to the screen…[Read more]

  • Elle replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years ago

    That looks amazing, congratulations @katemachon !

  • Yin and Yang

    A gurgle of whiskey titillated the silence, ending with a full stop tap of glass on glass. Darrol picked up the tumbler and drifted over to the window, mind still emersed in his Yin and Yang infatuation. Her long blond hair against his dark skin; her crystal cry above his leather groan, their lovemaking uniting them – like the i…[Read more]

  • Athelstone posted an update 7 years ago

    3 fabulous entries in the October Comp so far. Why not have a go?

  • Squidge posted an update 7 years ago

    OK – sorry to ask again, but…
    You know the captcha thing at login, where we say we’re not robots? I’ve logged in on 3 separate occasions today and when that page comes up, it’s counting down the number of attempts I can have, even though I’ve logged on successfully. Does this mean that we either have to stay logged in permanently to avoid the…[Read more]

    • I don’t know the answer, Squidge, but I had the same thing yesterday.

      • Glad it’s not just me – thought I must be doing something wrong!

    • I’ve had this, Squidge, including being locked out for 20 minutes. Chrome and other Google-based browsers will try to keep you logged in and synced across sessions and devices, but it doesn’t always work well – or in some cases at all.
      The Captcha plugin isn’t playing nicely with our setup and Jules is looking at it. Unfortunately, the alternative…[Read more]

  • Lost and Found and Lost

    Arthur was rooting through a drawer in the garage, the one reserved for plumbing parts, searching for a tap washer. His gnarled hands scrabbled through off-cuts of plastic water pipe, white nylon fittings, a flushing mechanism still in its packaging, old tobacco tins holding copper olives, bolts, nuts and split pins. No…[Read more]

  • Hilary replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago

    Well done, Athelstone. And thank you, Squidge.

  • Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago

    Thanks Libby and Sandra – and once again, thanks to Squidge!

    October beckons.

  • Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago

    I might be a bit over sensitive, but it’s the kind of trope that surfaces when feelings are being tested: stories about minorities and their secret evil ways. The classic cases would be all the tales of alien mind-control and body take over that were so popular during the anti-communist frenzy in the US during the late 40s and 50s, or the ‘Yellow…[Read more]

  • Squidge replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago

    Ath – really?!

  • I recently found some writing notes that I’d forgotten about. I was surprised by my reaction. That seems like a theme to me. Something (anything) forgotten then discovered. Surprising reaction. 400 to 500 words (tops).

  • Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago

    Thanks for a fab competition, Squidge. You’ve brought a tear to my eye. I’ve been doing the monthly competition for nearly 10 years, although with fewer entries in the last few months, and this is my first win! There were some super entries this month; I’m really pleased.

    I re-read my entry and worried that it might be steering too close to the…[Read more]

  • Squidge replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years ago

    Apologies for the delay in posting – life got in the way!

    Well these shades of beige definitely weren’t boring. Thanks to everyone who entered – thin on the ground perhaps (well it is York month) but not thin on quality.

    Some really poignant pieces in this mix (Dreamweaver, Je m’appelle Missy, and Hil’s Tortoiseshell Specs) secrets in Battle…[Read more]

  • Athelstone posted an update 7 years ago

    Wow! Came across some notes I scribbled down about 5 years ago: events in the life of a character in a book I’ve put aside. Not prepared for how guilty it would make me feel. It really seemed as though I abandoned somebody important – almost like a real person. What are my life lessons here? Stop scribbling stuff down? If I do, don’t read it…[Read more]

    • Libby replied 7 years ago

      Perhaps the last question is the right one. Or return to the character if not the same story. It sounds as though the character has life or you wouldn’t feel bothered about them. Someone to come back to when the time is right?

      • Raine replied 7 years ago

        I’ve got two notebooks full of random notes on characters or ideas. Most of it will never turn into something, but they’re great for when I’m feeling a bit blank – looking through and seeing what wants to be written. If you’re feeling that guilt, then perhaps that idea wants to be written enough for you to spend a little bit of time expanding on it?

        • I’ve written a fair amount of this character, but killed her before her history unfolded later in the story. It was during that unfolding that I began to like her. I was feeling bad enough about having done her in, but then I came across a load of notes about a chance encounter she has with an old friend after a separation of several years. I have…[Read more]

  • Hilary replied to the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 7 years ago

    Thanks, all. I think from now on I won’t reply to form rejections. Certainly I shouldn’t have done it so long after I received them. It was just that tweet making me think I’d been rude! Perhaps she wasn’t talking about form rejections.

  • Squidge posted an update 7 years ago

    I know we’ve had an issue with bots at the mo – I’m getting the ‘I’m not a robot’ thing every time I log in, but I thought once we’d done it once, it meant you should be OK to log in without after that?

    • Kate replied 7 years ago

      I’m getting that too Squidge. Can never sign in on the main page. Always get diverted and have to do the bot thing.

      • And me!

        • Although it’s not too much of a problem now I know.

          • Jules replied 7 years ago

            Do you guys use whatever your browser equivalent of ‘keychain’ is? Usually if you have your password stored in that, it will only periodically check that you’re not a robot. Apologies for needing to add recaptcha but the bot situation was getting a bit dire!

            • Um…keychain? I’ve tried clicking the ‘remember me’ but it doesn’t.

  • Do you mean that you sent a ‘thank you’ to the agents after they declined? I haven’t done that in the past. Not that I’ve made many submissions lately.

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