General Chat

Lol.... yes, that is why I joined, I feel safe with you all. I had a couple of very harsh critics when I was a child, and teenager, and it only takes one, lol!!

Never mind, that was then, and this is now... I am pleased I joined, really pleased.

Love

Daff xxx

I am pleased you are pleased. I have just sent out one of this weeks offerings, had to re-send yours Daff because I missed the _ in your addy!!!!

I will send this week's offering out tomorrow, because its still infirst draft and I'm not happy with it.

Just got back home, so thanks to those whose work is already in my inbox :)) will read later or tomorrow if I fall asleep soon as might well be the case lol.

Been visiting my former neighbour/home in Wales...lovely to see the first , not so to see the latter as all my trees, plants, even the grass has been destroyed , nothing but tarmac and rubble :(

Anyway....

Coleridge said
" Prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in the best order "

xx

Ah that is the answer then Rose.

Sorry to hear about your old home, don't they say never go back?

LOL Ann, they do say that...and as you will see when i send out my piece tomorrow,I say it too :)

16 years to make gardens out of a waste land...and 18 months for them to turn it back into one...I just wish i had dug everything up before I sold to them, so many lovely plants.


xx

Hi Ann, I don't mean every week forever, just over subsequent weeks, I thought it would be interesting to see how the characters might develop by themselves, as it were.

Just polishing off this week's endeavour...

Hello Everyone, may i join please?

I have been writing stories for years on and off, time permitting. Mainly short stories but i'm also working on a book. I love to write, but am not confident about my work. I only ever had a poem shown on a writing groups website - but i don't think that counts as published.

Would love to join and receive any help and advice. You all seem so friendly and caring that i'm sure i would enjoy being a part of your group.

Lynda x

Hello Lynda and welcome to the Group! We are always delighted to see new members and I am sure you will enjoy it If you could send your email address to Jill or Teresa, you can be added to our list.....and we are very kind and not too critical:)) BC XX

Done! Can't wait, feel all excited...lol

We have a new member! Yippeeee!

Welcome Lynda. Just sent you a test email to make sure the address works before I send to everyone.

Hi Lynda welcome to the group :)

I''ve just sent out but if I've missed anyone who wants still to read please let me know .

Rose xx

Got it Rose

And can I reiterate here, anyone who still wants to read our work, who didn't receive yesterdays email, just let me know and I'll put you back on the list.

The door's always open, kettle's always on.

As I have it open on the page , thought this might help re 'beginnings' :

"you might have a great story to tell. Unfortunately the first paragraph lets you own and the reader decides not to stay with it.....this is one of the top reasons for rejections by publishers - the opening passages were simply not gripping enough "

"Begin on a line of dialogue, the reader wants to know who said it and why"

"Begin on an accident or incident, a door slams , a car drives off, the burglar prises open a window"

"Begin halfway through a crisis. your reader will want to know the outcome"

"Begin with a surprising announcement,"

"Begin with a brief flashback, before cutting to the present day"

Exercise: go to a bookshop " (library...your shelves lol) " look briefly at the opening paragraphs at random..."

note if there are any other 'hooks you might use , what catches YOUR attention when choosing a book? what makes you want to read the rest?

xx

Absolutely right Rose,

It's called the hook, because it hooks the reader in.

in a novel, the hook is more likely the first chapter, and publishers these days want the action in the first chapter, rather than any back stories and introductions to characters. But that first paragraph is still all-important.

The same principle applies to non-fiction articles too, so take a look at the first paragraph to them, do they catch your interest and make you want to read more? How did they do it?

Ooops, just remembered I hadn't sent poor Lynda the members email list.

Sorryyyyy, it's on it's way now.

I'm in, i'm in, i'm in! I know little things please little minds...

Got your emails...thank you!

Will read again (cause that's what i do as i never take everything in first time), I would be no good as a spy or something as i'm hopeless at retaining a qtr of stuff sometimes. Will be contacting soooooon.

Very happy bunny! xxxx

Welcome Lynda, will send you something in a mo, lovely to have a new member. Thanks for that Rose, I shall copy it and keep it in my ring binder with other tips, very useful.

Teresa are we going to do that with a character then this week? Will you give it to us today or Thursday, brain has gone AWOL!!

LOL Lynda, glad you've got them all, hope you enjoy it as much as we all have.

Ann, no, I'llmull it over for a little while, and work something out before we all embark on that.

But for this weeks set piece....here's something a little different.


Here are 10 words. You can write about any subject you like, in any way you like, short story, essay, poem, whatever takes your fancy, but try to include all of the 10 words, in any order, in your short piece. Don't worry if you can't fit them all in, but try.

It taxes the brain a bit, but if you are getting a bit sleepy in the creative department, this will get it going.

Copious
Flip-flops
Glaze
Homework
Interrogate
Knitted
Panel
Sizzle
Terminate
Waterfall


Happy writing. Remember, none of the Sunday exercises are obligatory, it's just a bit of fun.