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Hilary started the topic replying to agent rejections in the forum Coffee Shop 7 years ago
What’s your experience? What are your thoughts?
I’ve been submitting to agents this summer and had a few full requests (all subsequently declined) and several other declines. Initially I replied (just thank you) to the ones who’d requested the full, and one or two others I’d met, and not to the others since I’d read somewhere that agents don’t…[Read more] -
Squidge posted an update in the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month agoWow, WB – that’s really comprehensive! Thank you. Also makes me realise I need to print out Andrew’s course outline and read it through properly…
I’d be glad of an October start, cos I’m trying to set new routines around an empty nest, and it’ll be good to focus on something other than the lack of guitar playing and a deserted bedroom… ;)…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 1 month ago
Oh yes, 373(ish)
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Athelstone replied to the topic September 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 1 month ago
Tortoiseshell Specs
I wear tortoiseshell specs. My dear old mum did too. And Dad. A family tradition that I hadn’t really thought about. I mean, we had so many things that I hardly even noticed. Family traditions, that is. There were words we used that I thought were just normal. Mum called me dinny if I did something daft and lairy when I was n…[Read more]
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Elle replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
Thanks @janeshuff & @katemachon !
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Elle replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 1 month ago
Found out a couple of days ago that both flash fiction I entered in the Storgy Magazine Flash Fiction Competition have made it on the shortlist and both will be published in the competition chapbook!
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
Just a reminder that there’s a week to go for September’s monthly competition…and for you to prove to me that ‘beige ain’t boring!’
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
Well, here I am looking out at the Haymarket tram stop in Edinburgh from a cosy AirBnB. It would have been nice to catch up with local Denizens but I have my family with me and it’s been a packed weekend around a family wedding so not much opportunity. Flying back to Sussex by the Sea later this PM so won’t be feeling much like doing responsible…[Read more]
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Hilary joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Squidge posted an update in the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month agoBeen checking out the required texts… I’m getting a bit bogged down in Sin and Syntax, (for saying the author’s currently talking about brevity, she’s going the long way round to say a lot of it!) but Writing Fiction looks easier to read. Bird by Bird’s one of my most accessible reads (was given it as a gift some years ago), and I’d add How Not…[Read more]
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Daedalus joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Squidge posted an update in the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month agoWilling to have a go at this… Not sure how it’ll be structured in terms of posting – presumably a new forum for each unit, with each person posting within the forum? Hope it’s pretty clear, as I ‘lose’ threads so often!
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Squidge joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
URGENT!!! The weekend approaches. If you wish to enter the challenge “Songs of Innocence and Experience” then you only have until Tuesday at 22:00 to join the eponymous group and make your choices.
MORE IMPORTANT STILL there are several Denizens who have joined the group but have yet to POST their choices. You must both join AND post to be in…[Read more]
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Athelstone joined the group
Andrew Wille’s DIY MA course 7 years, 1 month ago -
Elle replied to the topic What's Past Is Epilogue (word count: 2532) in the forum Critiques 7 years, 1 month ago
Thanks Margaret for posting your story. Sorry I’m in a bit of a rush and cannot read the whole thing.
Not sure what kind of feedback you are after but I wanted to say that you write well and it sounds like an interesting story. It has potential but the first three paragraphs are too much tell and not enough show. Furthermore there are also heavy…[Read more]
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The JW self-edit course, Ath? Yes. I think even a writer as good as you would find it worthwhile. D’you want to check the syllabus first to make sure you don’t know it all already? I can supply basic details, assuming it hasn’t changed much in the past three years.
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Yes!! Even though you know what you’re doing, there are elements of it that are still useful. I think there will be lots you already know, but in reading others’ work and particularly seeing Debi and Emma’s comments (as well as fellow readers’) is like mini-critique course in itself.
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Ta to you both for saying some nice things…but I know I need some pushing and shoving and just straight educating. Here’s hoping the January course is a classic!
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Best l thing I got out of it was the friendship of a core of valuable fellow-attendees; we still regularly meet, though not as often as desired and have done since January 2014.
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YES! I think this course is so good that it will help almost anyone. I would do it again in a flash. And the one to one attention is worth the price alone!
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Definitely not as often as desired! But agreed – the course was great, but the group of friends is greaterer.
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Hell, yes – to all of that.
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All signed up.
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Good luck!! I kind of assumed you’d done it already! Is January the course @johnt3 is also signed up on (for his second time around)?
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No, I’ve just started. It’s a promising and very varied bunch of writers. Good luck, Athelstone, you’ll enjoy it. PS I’d forgotten how hard the first exercise is!
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Nope, never done it, although I’ve been on various workshops etc. that touch on some of the modules. I have a feeling it will be a very different thing to be engaged on my own work and working with a group. When I looked the Sept one was full, but I wanted another few months to write some more crap (as Julie C puts it) before starting anyway. All good.
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Yay! Starting when?
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21 January. Really looking forward to it
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Squidge posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
So it turns out that Amazon can reformat your ebook when you upload it for Kindle. Who knew?
And I’d been blaming the publisher for all the extra line breaks, large text and blank pages…
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Amazon is a menace, but we seem to be stuck with them if we want to sell books
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I’m currently attempting to re-format my novels for publishing as ebooks – fiendishly tricky at times and not sure I’ve cracked it yet – sudden and random centering of paragraphs or indents, to say nothing of the change in fonts. A good reason to stick with print IMHO!
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There’s definitely a knack to formatting ebooks but it’s easy when you’ve got the hang of it. I recommend the Smashwords Style Guide to get yoy started (perma free in ebook). And I might be able to help point people in the right direction if anyone is really stuck?
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Some extra spaces end up turning into extra lines…apparently. SO glad it’s not up to me to do the formatting.
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Athelstone posted an update 7 years, 1 month ago
Joining and choosing, joining and choosing! A brief reminder that there are fewer than 10 days to join “Songs of Innocence & Experience”.
We now have 26 members and 19 choices.
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