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Raine posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
How’re your mondays? I am procrastinating between projects…
Tea? -
John S Alty replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 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, 4 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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Raine replied to the topic Monster Anthology opportunity in the forum Competitions, Open calls and Writing Opportunities 7 years, 4 months ago
Queer, Asexual, Intergender and Pansexual. These all sort of fall under a Non-binary umbrella but the acronym includes the separate forms.
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It’s one of those Twitter things where I see loads of references to it but can’t find exactly what any of it means
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It was a (very long) new Yorker article. I’m torn between a compulsive fascination and sheer rage.
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I’ve found it… Cover me, I’m going in
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Wow, American long-form journalism really is so very pointlessly longwinded. So far I have learned that Mallory is tall, good looking and charming.
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Yes, but BECAUSE he is tall, good looking (he really isn’t) and charming, he GOT TO LEAVE CUPS OF PEE IN PEOPLE’S OFFICES and GOT PROMOTED!
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Wow.
Still, tall and charming though, so in the world of publushing it evens out
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It’s some raging privilege, for sure! But the author (must find her name, and books) who set a PI after him, and based her villains on him – she sounds epic. Classy sly burn.
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Reply to see if I can bring the old replies back
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And I thought things couldn’t get more apposite after the year of the cock
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Happy New Year! I’m a fan of pigs. Having met wild boars, I have much respect (mild terror) for them, and much love for the stripyness of their babes.
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I like peccaries, with their tiny dainty feet
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Okay, a bit of porcine trivia. The meat of the wild boar is prized in some quarters in France, but the animal is a protected species (though that doesn’t stop it being sold under the counter occasionally). to get round this, pig breeders have crossed the wild boar (sanglier) with the farmyard pig (cochon). The resultant hybrid is known as a…[Read more]
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French is great. En anglais that would just be a Big
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😀 @daedalus that made me cackle!
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@raine I adore the baby humbugs. Utterly cute. They have escape ladders and platforms attached to trees in the Austrian woods to get away from angry Dad pigs, though.
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I wonder where the other replies went?
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It’s a bug that means the ‘show all replies’ button sometimes fails to appear, unfortunately. Has been annoyingly persistent
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@bellam those platforms are a genius idea! Could have done with them in Poland – although it was the very protective mummies who made me more nervous tbh, especially when gorgeous humbugs decided to check out my boots!!
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Raine posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
Quote from Margaret Atwood – A story is a pattern broken.
Meaning that a story begins when the predictable/normal life of a character is disrupted. And a story is continued by re-breaking every new pattern that forms. I like this, it’s just another way of saying that plots rely on instability and changing/upping the stakes, but I like the image…[Read more] -
Raine replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Congrats @johnalty and @elle – that’s great news and I’ll keep fingers crossed for teh next stage – when is the short list announced?
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John S Alty replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Thanks, @JaneShuff
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John S Alty replied to the topic Short Story Publication/Competition in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
I made the long list for the Ink Tears Short Story Competition 2018.
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John S Alty replied to the topic January 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 4 months ago
The results are in!
Jonathan: A really clever piece of writing, wry observation. Excellent.
Libby: A pleasing little tale, well written and with a message. Good job.
Daedalus: Hugely enjoyable and accomplished description of life with a new puppy and the utter contentment that comes with its unreserved adoration. Liked it a lot.
So, eenie,…[Read more]
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Raine replied to the topic Entering the Citadel in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
@philippaeast this is brilliant. You are fab, and you deserve all this success. And like Daeds says, it is so valuable to see the non-glossy version of people’s experiences, although I know it takes bravery to tell it. There are too many stories from authors who knew someone who knew an agent and tada! they were taken on, so it is heartening to…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Entering the Citadel in the forum Blogs 7 years, 4 months ago
Phew indeed, Philippa – but so very pleased you survived it all – very well done.
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John S Alty replied to the topic January 2019 in the forum Monthly Competition 7 years, 4 months ago
Well done to the three of you! I’ll give these tales due consideration during the day and post the result by this evening.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Publishing Deal in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Congratulations! Well deserved 🙂
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John S Alty replied to the topic Publishing Deal in the forum Podium 7 years, 4 months ago
Well done Philippa!
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Raine posted an update 7 years, 4 months ago
I need a snow census. Who has snow?
I am suffering my annual I LIVE IN SCOTLAND AND DONT HAVE SNOW temper tantrum. I live on the coast, sticking out into the north sea, low level. So its a) dry and b) more salt in the air than oxygen most of the time. And c) that is profoundly unfair.-
Ditto Raine. We live on the coast and snow is a once every twenty year for half a day thing here. Glasgow had snow yesterday though but it melted during the day and I haven’t had an update today.
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We still have a heavy frost, but no snow. Might have some tomorrow morning, apparently.
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No snow. West Suffolk.
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Tiny sprinkling of snow first thing this morning in Cotswolds over a heavy frost. All gone now.
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About half an inch when I got up this morning. All melted now, BUT I can see the Brecon Beacons from my window, and they’re still covered.
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No snow (thank goodness). Essex. Had a few flakes last night but they didn’t settle.
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Got light covering of snow on the Isle of Lewis. Several snow showers but not layering up.
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You have all made me feel much better! 😂 i will cease sulking! High of 2deg here today but stubbornly un snowy.
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Not a snowflake in sight apart from myself. However, I do have foxes in the garden who are raising the temperature like billy-ho!
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I live in the highest village in England and we have a light dusting. However lots of ice – needed to put my foot to the car to open its door today.
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Just a light dusting here.
@Janette, do you write Flash fiction?-
@janette, I had to do some serious door-wrestling too. Whilst thinking ‘how hard can you yank on a door handle before you snap it off?’
And @athelstone, glad to hear the foxes are feeling spring-like, despite all evidence to the contrary! -
@johnalty, I do like to write flash fiction, however at the moment I’ve had to put my blinkers on and concentrate on my current WIP as an agent has asked for the full once I do some requested adjustments. Sorry it rules me out of current comps at least, but I’m hoping it will all be worth it.
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Wow, good luck with that.
Actually I wasn’t drumming up business for the comp, it was a bit of silliness based on the claim by Flash, in the Peak District, to be the highest village in England.-
Sorry, John, I should amend my previous statement to ‘one of the highest’, though at 1200ft above sea-level, we’re pretty damned high.
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Gah! WoW @janette, that is fantastic news!!!! Well done! I’m keeping fingers crossed that she loves it….
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Woke to a thin crunchy layer on Thursday; mostly gone by teatime. We’re ~ a dozen miles from the east coast.
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We had a flurry of snow and lots of sleet. I am almost on the beach, and lots of salt on our windows. For a day Ballard Down was covered in snow which cast an unusual light over the bay but all gone in two days. None settled in the garden.
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Coffee if you have it, please. Monday OK so far. Trying to edit. Present rate about one line per hour.
Busy. Pilates, meeting with the new vicar, mending an altar cloth, cooking dinner. Tonight…finishing off the Fifth Elephant and maybe some knitting. 😉
Work, work, work… of the non-writing kind.
I decided to do beta edit replotting, but have RUN OUT OF POST IT NOTES! Disaster. :-O