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I guess it all depends which dictionary you choose Jay. I have lots of different ones but I just grabbed the nearest. Page 222 yielded such delights as BYOB (bring your own beer), 444 gave me dip circle (an instrument for measuring dip!) and 666 gave me goop (a rude or ill-mannered person). There have to be some stories there - perhaps all 3 in the same story. You have on hour to write 100 words, starting now!
My big one doesn't have page numbers, so here's a random selection, queen olive ( has large fleshy fruit suitable for pickling. - I never knew they couldn't all be used!)
Rink rat (a youth who helps with odd chores around an ice hockey rink in return for free admission to games)- not nowadays!?
And finally string tie (a very narrow tie),
The rink rat has possibilities.
(1) Launching tomorrow a biography of sculptor Clare Sheridan. Not written by me but I did the editing-layout-scanning-illustrations and will now handle the sales and distribution.
(2) Just finished a massive proofreading-editing-publishing job, just getting it ready to send to the printers for 1,000 copies. Launch party booked for 23 Sept at Chichester Cathedral's hall.
(3) Entering the seventh month of work (research and writing and collecting related photos) for my massive Notable Women of Sussex. I now have 525 women in the book and I have written all their biogs (short ones, obviously) and about 80 photos in already. Next to do: proofread/improve these biogs, typeset, take the last few photos and insert them and write captions.
(4) A paid proofreading and typesetting job on a novel that an author is self-publishing. I have the cheque but won't bank it till I have done the job. Goodness only knows when I will find the time.
(5) I have to write a long synopsis (in the next 4 weeks) of my talk to the University of Kent, though that event isn't till Feb. Then I have to write the talk itself, for a conference on women and the law. I will speak about poor women lawbreakers in Sussex between 1830 and 1870: baby-killers, prostitutes and hawkers, that sort of thing.
(6) Proofreading and editing my boyfriend's book on the Isle of Wight Railways.
We are off to the Isle again on 13th August for a week so he can do some last bits of research, and I will help him by researching some stuff in the Local Records Office at Newport. On the way there & back I've booked us two nights in Hampshire hotels so we can take the photos for my next book, Notable Women of Hampshire!
As you can see, I am just inundated with work. I work seven days a week, from dawn to late at night, on these various projects. I have turned down several pieces of work (proofreading, publishing) as there is only so much one person can do!
Whoops forgot to say, I have been booked by ASLEF to give a talk at Milton Keynes, so I have to write that, create a Powerpoint presentation and get myself there & back again.
I now turn down all requests to speak, with two exceptions: railway unions, employers and clubs, and universities. So, no more local groups, waste of time!
I can't believe how much some of you have going on. For myself I am waiting for three or four rejections for short stories from various magazines plus similar from a couple of agents for my kids novel. I'm trying to build up some momentum for my current project which has a young man inherit three properties in York, Scotand and London form a distant relative. He finds each is haunted with a link to all the ghosts. He and a girl he meets investigate the hauntings and try to release the ghosts from theri mortal ties. I have the plot all worked out, which is unusual for me, but kepp stumbling how is the best way for the investigators to find out all the details.
Submitting completed articles of any size and type is a task well done.
It may be realistic to expect all rejections but perhaps you should think positively and hope for at least one success. (There is a thread somewhere about good results emanating from positive attitudes, having been absent from Talkback for a while I've lost track of topics.)
As for your characters researching ghostly origins. Might they talk with older family relatives, local clergy, landlord of the location hostelry or even library archives?
Just passed a proofreading course as some talkbackers know. I am also editing a short story for the fourth time. This short story has always been a labour of love, which I originally started late last century. It has been entered into 3 competitions and although it did not win I have had 2 very favourable critiques for it so hopefully it is not far off being a winning story. I am also working through a lot of my earlier poems to get them ready for the big wide world. I have had several letters published in a regional paper and two new characters have come on the scene; the one I am particular excited about is certainly short story material.
Sunday the Beau and I are going to the Isle of Wight for a week, researching, taking photos and finding some time to enjoy the swimming pool, sauna, evening cabaret, and double bed (oooh la la!) provided by our hotel.
I also wanted to read around the subject of writing comedy but I have found very little. The biggest surprise was to realise that David Bolt in his 'Author's Handbook' misses comedy out completely from his list of genres for novels (Page 75)!!
I have finished the first draft of novel number 3. I am not at all happy with it. The ending is lame. I have put it to one side.
I started work on a crime novel. I have worked out a good deal about the main characters and written about them all.
I have a good idea about what is going to happen and have worked up a temporary outline.
I have completed first 6 chapters but I am having doubts about using third person.
This has brought me to a bit of a stop.
I need to try first person but just can't seem to get going again.
Howard - I haven't looked at this thread for a while, so I've only just seen your post of 23rd August. Now I've read the excerpt from "The Deity Franchise". And I loved it - it made me laugh out loud!
What a great idea for a conference - I wonder if it will catch on! I've learnt a lot of new jargon (did you invent it?) and as for Tom's "lifelong secret" - the poor s*d!
I won't ask if anything is based on personal experience - you wouldn't tell me if it was!!
Carol I'm hoping you're right.
Anyway it hasn't seemed to help trying to keep at it so a break is the next thing to try.
I decided to do the ironing (something I usually avoid at all costs) but I couldn't stop my mind from churning over what each of the characters are thinking/doing.
My husband keeps on looking at me and asking if I said something.
I'm obviously going loopy :-)
I have two shorts our there and awaiting response. I am also 52k words into my novel. I guess it's an adventure.( won't bore you with the detail) Started out as something completely different. An idea came into my head for a story (comedy)when I was in Corfu. Now it's looking like something else. I wrote nearly 40k words in a few weeks but now I am slowing down and not sure how I want to progress the plot. I fear I may have peaked too soon. I keep chipping away and at the mo I'm trying to write a synopsis so I can send it to WN for critique. Actually, I didn't peak too soon. No, I discovered Talkback and it's a bloody diversion but hey! a good one. I have learnt quite a lot since I joined and don't believe I would have contiued without it. Pre TB I asked myself 'Hey Marc, where can you find an author or someone else who is writing something?' I felt lonely and isolated in my little writers' den. NOW, I have you lot. Ok, I realise there is real talent out there and my writing may just remain a hobby with a very small story published in a regional mag or freebee newspaper if I'm lucky. I am tap tapping away, reading and enjoying TB. I do like the story threads and the Q&A thread is a favourite. Aim to complete novel by end of year. Shalom.
I have two shorts our there and awaiting response. I am also 52k words into my novel. I guess it's an adventure.( won't bore you with the detail) Started out as something completely different. An idea came into my head for a story (comedy)when I was in Corfu. Now it's looking like something else. I wrote nearly 40k words in a few weeks but now I am slowing down and not sure how I want to progress the plot. I fear I may have peaked too soon. I keep chipping away and at the mo I'm trying to write a synopsis so I can send it to WN for critique. Actually, I didn't peak too soon. No, I discovered Talkback and it's a bloody diversion but hey! a good one. I have learnt quite a lot since I joined and don't believe I would have contiued without it. Pre TB I asked myself 'Hey Marc, where can you find an author or someone else who is writing something?' I felt lonely and isolated in my little writers' den. NOW, I have you lot. Ok, I realise there is real talent out there and my writing may just remain a hobby with a very small story published in a regional mag or freebee newspaper if I'm lucky. I am tap tapping away, reading and enjoying TB. I do like the story threads and the Q&A thread is a favourite. Aim to complete novel by end of year. Shalom.
I woke up at 6:30 this morning - that's after waking up at two, and continuing the short story - and spent less than a quarter of an hour on the Daily Mail's Novel Competition. I managed to complete a piece of 155 words, only five over the maximum allowed.
Just hope they don't disqualify me for already having had a book published; or for having no idea about how to produce a novel from the 'opening lines'.
Statistically, it's unlikely to win, but I can use it as a piece of flash fiction.
Today is the start of a different sort of creative endeavour for me in addition to my writing.
I am about to try to recover a moses basket/crib in preparation for the arrival of my first grandchild in November.
I have the old crib, a brand new mattress, the old coverings, double the amount of material needed and a roll of wallpaper.
All I need now is some luck.
It shouldn't be too difficult should it?
Let that be a lesson to us all, sometimes a break helps you progress.
Good luck with the project Soobdoo, I'm sure it will look wonderful when it's finished.
Several people have written something for January's One Word Challenge (there's still some time for those who haven't done so). Judging from the comments - I've tried not to read the entries - the standard has been high.
Does anyone have any progress they wish to mention?
sold another article to WN on writing. Got 30,000 words in place of the Island book (but not all of it is my writing, it is transcriptions of earlier reports of the campaign.) Moved business ...
I'm waiting to see the re-edited version of my next children's book, which is supposed to be published later this year. I'm half expecting the date to be moved again though. I'm writing the next book for the same publisher, even though they are not likely to want it until next year. So I can take my time with that. I'm also looking into writing a different type of children's book for another publisher. I've planned it through and written a synopsis, but haven't been brave enough to approach them yet.
Still running my Story and Language project for under-5's.
(Forgot to mention, still earning next to nothing from everything!)
Humph - already had a moan about the travel article I've been working on about my trip to North Sulawesi; been having research problems.
I've now rewritten parts of it to exclude what would have been fairly interesting facts because I can't guarantee the 'facts' are correct.
Will complete and e-mail said article today - honest!
One poetry competition placing (4th prize), one poem selected for a Ragged Raven anthology, and a 2nd prize win with a short story for WN (rather pleased about this, as it's the first short story I've managed to write since we started relocating 18 months ago). Another batch of stuff just gone out to this year's first round of poetry comps. I also have an unpaid commission to write poetry-related articles for the NAWG newsletter; first one went off just after Christmas and I have about 6 more in draft stage so that's quite satisfying :)
It's near ending the page so the system does that annoying thing of only showing the page numbers, so you have to go to a previous page and work forward to get to the end.
Comments
Rink rat (a youth who helps with odd chores around an ice hockey rink in return for free admission to games)- not nowadays!?
And finally string tie (a very narrow tie),
The rink rat has possibilities.
(1) Launching tomorrow a biography of sculptor Clare Sheridan. Not written by me but I did the editing-layout-scanning-illustrations and will now handle the sales and distribution.
(2) Just finished a massive proofreading-editing-publishing job, just getting it ready to send to the printers for 1,000 copies. Launch party booked for 23 Sept at Chichester Cathedral's hall.
(3) Entering the seventh month of work (research and writing and collecting related photos) for my massive Notable Women of Sussex. I now have 525 women in the book and I have written all their biogs (short ones, obviously) and about 80 photos in already. Next to do: proofread/improve these biogs, typeset, take the last few photos and insert them and write captions.
(4) A paid proofreading and typesetting job on a novel that an author is self-publishing. I have the cheque but won't bank it till I have done the job. Goodness only knows when I will find the time.
(5) I have to write a long synopsis (in the next 4 weeks) of my talk to the University of Kent, though that event isn't till Feb. Then I have to write the talk itself, for a conference on women and the law. I will speak about poor women lawbreakers in Sussex between 1830 and 1870: baby-killers, prostitutes and hawkers, that sort of thing.
(6) Proofreading and editing my boyfriend's book on the Isle of Wight Railways.
We are off to the Isle again on 13th August for a week so he can do some last bits of research, and I will help him by researching some stuff in the Local Records Office at Newport. On the way there & back I've booked us two nights in Hampshire hotels so we can take the photos for my next book, Notable Women of Hampshire!
As you can see, I am just inundated with work. I work seven days a week, from dawn to late at night, on these various projects. I have turned down several pieces of work (proofreading, publishing) as there is only so much one person can do!
Helena Wojtczak
http://www.hastingspress.co.uk
signing off at 23:37 hrs, arose at 5:30am.
I now turn down all requests to speak, with two exceptions: railway unions, employers and clubs, and universities. So, no more local groups, waste of time!
Helena
Submitting completed articles of any size and type is a task well done.
It may be realistic to expect all rejections but perhaps you should think positively and hope for at least one success. (There is a thread somewhere about good results emanating from positive attitudes, having been absent from Talkback for a while I've lost track of topics.)
As for your characters researching ghostly origins. Might they talk with older family relatives, local clergy, landlord of the location hostelry or even library archives?
It's Pete's eternal optimism that I love the most HEHEHEH
I say 'finished' - it still hasn't got names for two of the characters; and is full of either/ors.
As most of us are our own harshest critics, self-praise actually means more, not less, than the praise of others.
It's often so hard to stand back and see that what you wrote really is good!
No computer for a whole week - yippeeeee!
Is it just me that can't remember what I've written?
I've been astonished, on occasion, to discover a Word doc on the computer that I wrote years ago and have no recollection whatsoever of writing.
It's called senility.
I got the word from the dictionary, and thought it would be a flash fiction piece. It turned out to be a 2,500-word short story. Funny, but rude.
Or should that be naughty, but nice?
If anyone is interested:
http://www.youwriteon.com/books/bookdetail.aspx?bookguid=cb548f60-b8e3-4c25-bb96-ff9686181181
I also wanted to read around the subject of writing comedy but I have found very little. The biggest surprise was to realise that David Bolt in his 'Author's Handbook' misses comedy out completely from his list of genres for novels (Page 75)!!
I started work on a crime novel. I have worked out a good deal about the main characters and written about them all.
I have a good idea about what is going to happen and have worked up a temporary outline.
I have completed first 6 chapters but I am having doubts about using third person.
This has brought me to a bit of a stop.
I need to try first person but just can't seem to get going again.
What a great idea for a conference - I wonder if it will catch on! I've learnt a lot of new jargon (did you invent it?) and as for Tom's "lifelong secret" - the poor s*d!
I won't ask if anything is based on personal experience - you wouldn't tell me if it was!!
Anyway it hasn't seemed to help trying to keep at it so a break is the next thing to try.
I decided to do the ironing (something I usually avoid at all costs) but I couldn't stop my mind from churning over what each of the characters are thinking/doing.
My husband keeps on looking at me and asking if I said something.
I'm obviously going loopy :-)
Just hope they don't disqualify me for already having had a book published; or for having no idea about how to produce a novel from the 'opening lines'.
Statistically, it's unlikely to win, but I can use it as a piece of flash fiction.
I am about to try to recover a moses basket/crib in preparation for the arrival of my first grandchild in November.
I have the old crib, a brand new mattress, the old coverings, double the amount of material needed and a roll of wallpaper.
All I need now is some luck.
It shouldn't be too difficult should it?
Good luck with the project Soobdoo, I'm sure it will look wonderful when it's finished.
Does anyone have any progress they wish to mention?
Still running my Story and Language project for under-5's.
(Forgot to mention, still earning next to nothing from everything!)
I've now rewritten parts of it to exclude what would have been fairly interesting facts because I can't guarantee the 'facts' are correct.
Will complete and e-mail said article today - honest!
Just writing that post spurred me on and gave me the necessary nudge. (Yet another good thing about Talkback!)
There's a new thread called Goals (there may be more than one including the word goal).
And this thread is a nightmare to navigate!